Howl of the Forgotten

A Shocking Truth

Elinor’s Point of View

I woke up to the smell of herbs and antiseptic lingering in the air. My head throbbed as if it had been smashed open, and my body hurt as if I'd been trampled by a herd of wild horses. Sterile white walls of the pack infirmary met me first, and for a second, I thought I was dreaming. But the burning, gnawing pain in my chest reminded me of reality.

I blinked repeatedly in a bid to make sense of what was happening around me. The gentle, soothing beeping of the machine beside me echoed in my head, and I groaned as I tried to slowly sit up. The room spun around me, and I fell back onto the bed immediately, panting.

"You're awake." I heard a voice I recognized, and I moved my head very slowly to see Nurse Lily, the pack nurse, standing beside me with concern on her face.

I swallowed hard, attempting to understand what had happened. The last thing that I remembered was standing in front of Lucian, my heart shattered as he rejected me. The harsh words still echoed in my head, and a burning pain filled my stomach.

"You were brought in unconscious." Nurse Lily continued, breaking my thoughts. "One of the omegas, Kara found and brought you here. I’m sorry, Elinor… I know it's difficult to listen to, but Lucian's rejection, it’ll eat at you for a while, but you will be fine."

I weakly nodded, shutting my eyes briefly. I couldn't speak; the words were trapped in my throat, held down by too much pain and sorrow to escape. Lucian had broken me in ways that I never thought were possible, and the hurt he had caused in my heart only appeared to grow with every passing second. The door opened just then, and Kara entered. Her face was tight with worry.

"Elinor, I’m so sorry." She said softly as she approached my bedside. "I had to go help out there. Are you okay?"

I shook my head, the boulder in my throat growing larger. "I don't know." I spoke softly. "How could I be?"

Kara placed a hand on mine, but it was so light that it didn't force back the cold numbness seeping up into me. We simply sat in silence for a while, and the only sound was the soft beep of equipment.

Then the nurse hesitated, speaking again uncertainty, as though she were not sure if she should continue. "Elinor," she began slowly, "there is something I must tell you.".

I lifted my head a bit, my heart racing. "What is it?" I croaked.

The nurse hesitated for a moment before she continued. "You’re pregnant, Elinor."

My world stopped. I stared at her, incredulity sweeping over my body. Pregnant? How could that be? My head spun as I tried to comprehend the words, but the pain in my chest grew stronger again, and I had to close my eyes to ground myself.

Kara's gasp was subdued, but it hit me like a slap. "Pregnant?" She echoed, her eyes wide. "Are you sure?"

The nurse nodded, looking uncertain. "I’m afraid so. Your body’s reaction to the rejection—it was more than emotional pain. Your hormones... they’re fluctuating. That’s why you passed out. It's a lot for your body to handle."

I struggled for breath as I tried to take in the news. I'm pregnant. The reality hit me like a ton of bricks as I remembered the nights Lucian and I spent together.

It was he who had led me to believe that something was actually going on between us, but it was all a lie. No, I was the fool, he never wanted me, and now I was carrying his child. A nauseating wave washed over me, and I shut my eyes as I struggled to not cry.

Kara's voice pierced my mind, interrupting my thoughts. "Elinor. Do you know who the father is?"

I couldn't speak. My throat was closed off, my body trembling as I remembered the one person who was supposed to protect me, but betrayed me instead. Lucian.

I was carrying his child, and I could feel Kara’s eyes on me, waiting for an answer I couldn’t give. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as I thought of what to say.

"It’s... it’s Lucian." I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Kara looked shocked. "Lucian?" she asked, her brow furrowing. "But he—"

"I know." I interrupted her, a bitter laugh escaping my mouth. "I know what he did. But I'm still pregnant with his baby, and now I don't know what to do about that."

Kara's mouth dropped open, but the nurse stopped her, her face more serious than it had been before. "You must rest, Elinor. And you must be careful. With everything that has happened, your body must heal. You should not be upset, now that you are carrying a child. Stress can be dangerous."

I nodded, my mind still racing. The weight of the news was almost too much to bear. "I can’t stay here." I said suddenly, my voice sharp.

The nurse’s eyes widened. "What do you mean? You need rest."

"I can’t." I repeated, my voice firm. "I can’t stay here, in this pack, with him. I don’t belong here anymore."

Kara tried to protest, her eyes pleading with me. "Elinor, please. You can’t just leave. The wilds are dangerous. And now... now you’re pregnant. You can’t risk your health or the baby."

I shook my head, my heart pounding. "I can survive, but I’m not sure I can survive here, not after everything or if Lucian finds this out, there’s no telling what he would do, so I have to leave."

The nurse looked at me, her expression softening. "If you leave, be careful, and don’t shift under stress. You could lose the baby."

I nodded, the weight of her words sinking in. "I’ll be fine, thank you Lily." I whispered.

Kara stood up, looking conflicted. "I can’t stop you, Elinor, but please... be careful. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to come back."

I forced a smile, though it didn’t reach my eyes. "Thank you, Kara."

I turned away from them both and stood up, and a rush of dizziness struck me. I stumbled, but I did not fall. Without another word, I went back to the pack house and gathered up the little things I had and shoved them into a bag.

After I took what I could manage, I departed the pack house and the concealment of night. The ceremony still proceeded, with the pack being diverted by the celebrations. No one noticed me slip out. I crossed the pack borders silently, feeling the familiar tug of the pack link severing. It was like a part of me was being ripped away, but I didn’t care anymore.

I was free.

The air outside was colder, but fresher and did not even ease the pressure in my chest. I walked, hearing faintly in the distance the wails of the wolves in darkness, reminding me of everything I was leaving. There was no going back now.

I halted in my footsteps, immobilized. A noise behind me sent my heart leaping into my chest. I spun around, my breath caught in my throat as I saw the rogue wolf emerging from the darkness. His yellow eyes gleamed with starvation, and I instinctively took to my heels.

My heart pounded against my ears as I ran across the darkness with the rogue wolf closing in at my heels. I stumbled against a tree root and fell flat on the ground. The rogue wolf loomed over me and eventually pinned me to the ground using its claws as it began to pant violently on my neck in preparation for snapping it.

As I was getting ready to close my eyes for the impact, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and then, in an instant, there was a large black wolf leaping out of the darkness and propelling the renegade sideways with a force that shook the ground. I hadn't even had time to wonder what was happening before the black wolf killed the rogue and finished off the fight in seconds. My heart was racing, and I trembled in fear, but there was something else—a draw, something inside me that attracted the wolf to it.

The black wolf came closer to me, and for the first time in my life, I wasn't afraid. Instead, I was drawn to it. I did not understand why. I did not understand how.

The wolf stopped before me, its hot, fiery eyes locking with mine. And then, as if by magic, it transformed into a man. I quickly closed my eyes, sensing the heat of his body as he stood before me.

“Thank you, but I’d rather not see you naked.” I breathed out.

There was silence for a few seconds. “Mate.”

My eyes snapped open when I heard him growl that word and found him staring at me. In that moment, the world seemed to stop.