Winterlust (COMPLETE)

Wrangling Ellie

Ellie

Whack! Elder Davis issues another crack to Ellie. “I’ll kill you”, she seethes at him. “You’re going to kill us all”, he replies, “What about your mate? Your mother and grandmother? The pups in the pack?” “I’d never!”, Ellie screams.

“Where did you get that scar on Violet’s arm, Ellie”, Elder Davis pries, “I know you know, even if Violet doesn’t.”

Flashback

Four year old Violet is playing on the swings with some other children at the pack park. She’s laughing and giggling, carefree. Evelyn is sitting with some other parents, chatting, with a watchful eye on their pups.

Violet hears a yelp and the park goes silent. The swings slow to a stop and there are gasps. Terror rips through Violet when she sees the source of the commotion. Mommy! Violet’s father Daniel has a clump of Evelyn’s hair in his fist and he’s screaming in her face. Violet runs to her mother and clamps onto her leg. “Mommy! Daddy no!” Evelyn’s body collapses to the ground with a thud. There’s blood at her temple. Why is everyone just watching? “Alpha”, one of the women whimpers, “please. The pups”. Daniel whirls on her and she goes flying, bouncing off a bench behind them and falls in a heap, moaning.

Daniel reaches down and picks Evelyn up by her hair, she’s barely conscious. “Why are you flirting out here!?”, he roars in her face. Violet grabs at Daniel’s arm and without looking at her he swipes at her. Searing pain shoots up her arm and she cries out. Blackness.

PJ

Hearing the story, PJ is aghast. How could Violet’s father be so heartless? That poor child. He wonders if Travis knows that Violet’s father was an alpha. Whatever became of his pack? PJ shifts uncomfortably in his chair. Violet’s eyes are black with gold rings in them. Her wolf is 100% in control. She tries to swing at Elder Davis but is jolted back by the shackles. She roars so loud, PJ covers his ears. “Bring Violet back!”, Elder Davis commands.

Ellie ignores the Elder and continues to thrash and snarl. “Violet, you won’t win if you can’t control your wolf!”, Elder Davis yells. Ellie howls again in response.

Owen

It’s been six hours and Travis is tipsy. Time to get him back to the packhouse. Owen helps Travis in to the SUV and jumps in the driver’s seat. He decides to take the long way home, maybe Travis will fall asleep. Once he settles Travis into his suite, Owen links the three warriors he has waiting. “Two at the door, one at the elevator”, he commands.

Violet

Violet can hear Elder Davis in the distance. Ellie is raging, and she can only watch as Ellie lunges at him over and over, snarling and howling. “Ellie, please”, she pleads, but Ellie is ignoring her. Violet is frightened and exhausted. This is never going to work, Ellie is too strong for her. Violet pushes to come forward but Ellie shoves her back again and again.

“I see you, Violet!”, Elder Davis yells, “Push! Push harder! Do you want them to die!?” Violet’s eyes flip to brown and Violet gasps for air, “Help me!” She wails before her eyes turn again to black. PJ jumps out of his chair, and runs to the cell door. “Violet! Come back! Violet, you can do this! Come ON, Violet!”, he begs her, “Imagine yourself pushing her down!” Violet takes a deep breath and imagines herself running, but she can’t see Ellie. “I can’t see her!”, she croaks. “Get a mirror!”, the Elder booms at PJ.

Owen

Owen can’t focus on warrior training, he’s too distracted thinking about Violet and Travis. It’s been fourteen hours and he needs to relieve his dad’s shift in the prison. Owen barely slept a wink after getting Travis to bed last night. “Bring a mirror, NOW!”, PJ’s link breaks through his brain fog. “Coming!” “Everyone partner up and spar for the remaining twenty minutes!”, Owen shouts as he breaks into a run for the office.

The office girls tell Owen there’s a free standing mirror in one of the guest suites on the second floor, and Owen high tails it up the stairs. He flies back down the stairs, mirror in hand to the basement. He can hear Ellie howling from the stairwell. “Dad! Go!”, he gasps as he enters the prison.

Owen’s father looks exhausted, his eyes are rimmed red as if he’s been crying. He pats Owen’s shoulder and slowly begins to walk away. “Put the mirror at the cell door”, Elder Davis says calmly. Owen trudges over to the cell door and sets up the mirror. Violet is a mess. Her hair is tangled and her wrists and ankles are bright red and blistered. Her eyes are black with gold rings. Ellie.

Elder Davis throws his head back and howls, his body crackles as he shifts into his wolf. His walking stick clatters to the floor as he stalks toward Violet, snarling. Violet is gnashing her teeth and growling at him. Elder Davis takes a swipe at Violet, slicing her shin. She jerks backward and throws her head back as her bones begin to crackle. Ellie fully emerges. shaking out her fur and baring her teeth. She lunges at the Elder and he jumps back. Ellie reaches the end of her tether and ricochets backward with a roar. Elder Davis quickly shifts back to human and shouts, “Show her!”, to Owen. Owen jiggles the mirror to catch some light and Ellie whips her head around to face her image. “Fight her, Violet!”, Davis screams.

Ellie rocks back on her haunches as she takes in her own reflection. Her eyes flicker back and forth between black and brown. Whack! Elder Davis begins another assault.

Violet

Violet can see Ellie in the mirror. She’s a beautiful colour of chocolate brown with a white crown-like halo around the top of her head. Violet is surprised to see that her eyes are black with gold rings in the centre. Violet imagines herself running again, pouncing on Ellie. Ellie howls as Violet punches and claws at her from behind. Ellie is snarling and gnashing at her, but Violet imagines that she’s faster and more agile. They roll around, tussling as Owen and Elder Davis look on. “It’s working!”, Davis shouts, “Keep going, Violet!” Violet feels a surge of energy and she shoves Ellie into an imaginary chest in her mind and quickly locks the chest.

Violet collapses into her shackles, gasping and heaving. When she raises her head, her eyes are brown. “She’s locked in”, she mumbles as she dangles from the chains. “Keep her there”, Davis says sternly. “I need water, please”, Violet begs.

“First you must harness your power without Ellie’s influence.”