WITCHES OF WOLF CREEK: TRUTH

Chapter 14: Elinor

I wake up, my mouth pasty. A terrible migraine pulsates at my temples, and nausea twists my insides.

But that’s not even the worst. The worst part is that I have barely opened my eyes when a wave of anguish overwhelms me. My throat tightens, my breathing becomes laboured, my fingers tense on sheets soaked in sweat… Sheets… But where am I?

"Hush... Calm down, everything is fine," whispers a male voice that I don’t recognize.

I am therefore not alone. A cool hand strokes my hot face. With an immeasurable effort, I manage to lift my eyelids; they are heavy, so heavy...

"Who…?" I say.

"I am Cooper Bretton, the Alpha of this pack."

Oh s**t. Even in my state, I tell myself that it doesn’t look good. So what is an Alpha doing by my side as I emerge from the worst withdrawal crisis I’ve ever had?

"You have been very sick, and you are still very weak," continues the powerful voice of the pack leader, but our healer took care of you. You’ll still need supervision, and lots of rest, but you’ll be fine, with our help."

"I...I don’t want..."

"Our help? You don’t have a choice. I don’t understand how you could have come to this. Cases of depression are extremely rare in wolves. Why didn’t the Alpha of your old pack ever do anything to get you healed?"

Maybe because I’m not a real wolf, but more of a witch, and I’ve never met an Alpha before? But I can’t answer that. The memory of the hours that preceded our transformation comes back to me. Sixine, Neeve and I need the protection of the Bretton pack. So I just nod and close my eyes to make this man understand that I’m too tired to talk. And it’s not just an act. I feel washed out.

But the man keeps talking to me. Strangely, I like to listen to the sound of his voice, warm and barely veiled, the rhythm of his words, which lull me and soothe me... I don’t really listen to what he says to me, and drift between two worlds, for once peaceful.

Gradually, my heart rate calms down, the throbbing pains in my skull lessen, and I drift off to sleep again.

When I wake up the next time, I’m alone. Slowly, so that I don’t get dizzy or nauseous, I sit up in the huge bed that has been welcoming me since… when? I don’t even know how long my "absence" lasted.

No sooner have I cast a glance around me than I feel oppressed. There are no windows anywhere. The only way out is a heavy wooden door, directly in front of me. The room is nevertheless spacious and warm, with its stone walls and beautifully crafted solid wood furniture, but this lack of openness to the outside worries me. I can’t go out. I can’t run away. I am at the mercy of Cooper Bretton and his wolves, and I have no idea where my friends are.

Neeve, Six, where are you?

Immediately, my breathing raced and panic resurfaced. I slide down off the bed, curl up on the floor, panting. The ground is cool against my boiling body. Why am I so feverish? I have to get out of here.

I try to get up on my legs, but I’m too weak and fall again. So I crawl out the door, sobbing. I’m pitiful, as usual. Into what trap have I drawn my friends, my almost sisters? Where are they? If someone hurt them...

Hey, what, what will you do? whispers a small voice that I know only too well. That same little voice that tells me every day how inadequate I am. Neither in my job nor in my family… Despite everything, I reach the door and start drumming on it. My fingers scratch and bleed, but I don’t give up. Someone will eventually come...

But I remain alone, desperately alone. After long minutes, my strength leaves me, and I stay there, crying in the silence of this underground room.

"What are you doing on the ground?"

Cooper has come back and bends over me. My eyes are open, and I can see every feature of his face. He’s handsome, but his gaze is strange, almost too intense… I can’t understand the emotions I read there. Perhaps a mixture of anger and… desire? As if to protect myself, I bring my hands to my chest, which I find covered in a soft fabric like silk. Who undressed me? Provided it’s not that man...

He must read my thoughts because an amused smile comes to play on his lips.

"Don’t worry. I asked Masha to wash and dress you. You were in a deplorable state, and we had to check that you had no more serious injuries. I wasn’t present at the time if that can reassure you."

I nod. I don’t know this… Masha and the idea of having been seen naked by a stranger doesn’t make me happy, but it’s still better than the other alternative…

"I’ll help you get up and get back in bed... But what have you done to your hands?"

His gaze turns stormy as he grabs my fingers to examine them.

"You wanted to go out, right? Look, I don’t want to hold you prisoner, but I do want you to recover quickly. I need answers to my many questions. Your friends haven’t been particularly talkative, to say the least."

My friends... So they’re still here?

"Where..." I stammered.

Anger overwhelms me, but it is directed at myself. I can’t even line up two words. The Alpha is ahead of me again. It’s a little annoying, but ultimately quite practical.

"They’re here, and they’re fine. Neeve is… resting, and Sixine… well, she’s not an easy character, is she?"

Despite myself, I smile. I see that Cooper not only reads my thoughts, but in addition, he has identified my friend.

With flexibility, he takes me in his arms and joins the bed in two strides. I feel like I weigh nothing, like a light feather pressed against his chest. It’s not that bad...

He installs me gently, holds two pillows behind my back, and then puts a tray on my lap. The smell that emanates from the dishes he presents to me is enticing…until nausea takes hold of me.

"I need my pills."

But Cooper shakes his head.

"Out of the question. Not in my pack."

"I’m not of your pack."

"No, but you and your friends asked for my protection. If I grant your request, you will have to follow my rules."

Mmm. He’s nice, but more of the bossy type. I’m too weak to protest, so I try to justify myself.

"I would feel a lot better with my meds. I suffer from terrible anxiety attacks… and it helps me to cope…"

"To cope with what?"

Life, I want to answer him. But Cooper, despite his thoughtfulness, remains an unknown. So I make a vague gesture, a gesture that means everything and nothing at the same time. In response, he just sighs.

"I would like to know more about you three. A wolf in your state… It’s serious, very serious. If I had the name of the Alpha of your original pack..."

But I shake my head. He doesn’t realize he’s giving me a good excuse to keep quiet. I play the role of the loyal wolf against all odds. And he can only respect this attitude.

"I see," he continues after watching me for a long time. "So I’m going to have to earn your trust."

The softness of his voice makes me jump. I frankly didn’t expect such compassion from the leader of a pack of werewolves.

"Do you look surprised?"

"Yes, I don’t understand your kindness towards me."

"Don’t you feel it?" he asks, c*****g his head slightly to the side.

Don’t I feel what? But what is he talking about? Alarm signals are flashing in my exhausted brain. I feel like I should understand his innuendo, but...

"I imagine the drugs must have clouded your senses and your instincts," Cooper said finally, bowing to me. "It’s okay, it will pass, I promise."

With a kind of tenderness, he removes the meal tray, which I haven’t touched yet, to put it a little further on the huge bed. Then he raises his hand to my face, caresses my cheek, arranges my hair… But what does he want from me, in the end? I want to protest, but I can’t. The touch of his skin, his warmth, his simple presence… When he touches me, when he looks at me, I feel the pain under my head receding, my anxiety receding…

"You and I aren’t done yet," he whispers into the crook of my neck, making me shudder from head to toe.

"I want to see my friends, I need to see them, I..."

"Hush. I can only tell you that they are fine. But until I have answers to my questions, you will remain isolated from each other. I don’t wish to hurt you, believe me, but I have to think about the good and the safety of my pack."

"I... I have no answers to give you."

Now his lips brush against the skin of my wrist after he grabs my hand. I melt and feel like I’m about to topple over.

"You will give me answers. Because you won’t have a choice."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you and I are linked. Forever."

He suddenly lets go of my hand and pulls back. This sudden estrangement is almost painful. I refrain from holding him back or throwing myself into his arms. I must be pretty shaken up by the lack of meds to have so little willpower and restraint.

"Yes. We are linked," he repeats.

I don’t understand. I know that wolf pairs imprint and bond for life, but anyway… I’m not a wolf! How is it possible that Cooper imprinted on me? I immediately realize that my physical attraction to him is not normal. Certainly, I had many adventures, and I have nothing against the male s*x. But I’m not like Neeve… s*x isn’t necessarily natural for me, I need time, to be in a real relationship… I’m not the type to throw myself into the arms of a stranger!

What to do? On the one hand, everything in me pushes me towards him, but…

My transfiguration spell won’t last, I know that, and what will happen next? But I also know that imprinting cannot be one-way. And if Cooper realizes that I’m not experiencing the same phenomenon as him, his suspicions about us will only be reinforced. Anxiety resurfaces, stronger and more devastating than ever. Tears roll down my cheeks.

"Don’t cry."

He immediately takes me back into his arms, hugs me, and I cling to his shoulders as if I were drowning. He lets me empty my overflow of emotions, stroking my hair and whispering words of tenderness to me until I end up falling asleep.