WITCHES OF WOLF CREEK: TRUTH

Chapter 17: Elinor

Once again, I come out of my torpor. How many times have I woken up in this room already?

In my delirium, I remember seeing strangers, a woman, young and pretty, with friendly features. A man too, who listened to me. And then… Cooper, the Alpha of the pack. At this very thought, a strange disorder, like a fragile flame, ignites in my chest and releases me from my last tensions. But I refuse to think about that. For now, my mind is mostly clear, and I feel a surge of strength running through my aching limbs.

I have a mystery to solve. An emergency to respond to. Where are my friends? Where is Neeve? Where is Sixine? It was I who dragged them into this crazy story, and if ever something serious happened to them, I will not forgive myself.

Hastily, I extricate myself from the huge bed on which I have been lying for… when? I couldn’t even tell.

I see on a chair not far from me a small heap of neatly folded clothes. I imagine they are meant for me. Who else, if not? I hasten to spread them on the unmade sheets. Perfect: jeans, a white T-shirt, simple and comfortable underwear, white sneakers, everything I like.

But before getting dressed… Yes, there is a bathroom adjoining my prison room. I rush in, run hot water, slip into the luxurious walk-in shower adorned with small tiles in golden tones, and moan with happiness. I don’t have many memories of the last few hours or days, for that matter, but right now I feel better than ever. My body is tired, sure, but purging myself of all the stuff that clouded my mind and poisoned my body is probably the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time.

Despite everything, I don’t allow myself the luxury of excessively long bathing. I go out quickly and put on the clothes I found earlier. In front of the bedroom door, I hesitate. I’m pretty sure it’s locked and I’m a prisoner. Cooper didn’t seem to mean any harm to me, but he didn’t strike me as the accommodating type.

Taking a deep breath, I put my hand on the handle and pull the latch. My eyes widen in surprise. The door opens! I can get out of here!

I slip outside, stifling an almost hysterical giggle. I know I should be a little more on my guard, but a wind of excitement carries me. If you think about it, I’m living in an unprecedented situation: I’m a witch disguised as a wolf, hiding in a pack with a reputedly ruthless leader. And I will be able to explore the nooks and crannies of their lair, observe their way of life… I suddenly remember that I was passionate about wolves during my childhood. But my enthusiasm had quickly been dampened by the fear of those close to me. Who knows, I could have been a kind of ambassador, rather than a burned-out teacher...

I push those thoughts away as I briskly walk down the windowless hallways of the Bretton lair. The walls parade around me, my steps echo on the dark and shiny parquet. I don’t meet anyone. It’s impressive, the place looks huge, a real maze.

Finally, a divine smell tickles my nostrils and my stomach cries out. How long has it been since I had a real meal?

I decide to follow the scent of food and let myself be guided through the maze of corridors. Rattles of voices – of laughter? – accompany them, and I slow down. s**t, was I really allowed out of my room? What if these wolves jumped at my throat when they saw me tumbling into their kitchen? It seems that they don’t like having their meal disputed...

But I’m tired of letting myself be impressed, of being constantly afraid of my shadow, and of taking refuge in the fog. It’s time for this to stop, and I intend to take advantage of my brutal and unexpected withdrawal to solve as many problems as possible.

When I push the door of the room, I am speechless. The kitchen is huge, its entire centre is occupied by a majestic solid wood table, and an impressive chef’s oven range sits against the wall in front of me. Just ahead is an old wolf with white hair and a broad smile. Besides, fortunately, my eyes rest on his benevolent expression, because the other people present in the room are immediately silent. Damn, I’m spotted, I think...

I feel myself blushing violently, and all my beautiful resolutions, as fragile as crystal, are shattered. I go to turn back when a resolute grip grabs me by the arm.

"Don’t go," growls a low, deep voice that I recognize on the spot.

Cooper Bretton. The Alpha, the leader of this pack, the wolf who apparently bonded with me, but I still can’t figure out how such a thing could have happened.

I turn around and look up at him as if to cling to the only tangible thing in this unknown universe. But he turns his head away, unable to bear the weight of my gaze.

"So that’s one of our new charges," rejoices the smiling man I saw on entering.

Dressed in a stained apron, he walks towards me and offers me his elbow in greeting. Indeed, his hands are covered in bread dough.

"Hello, Girl. I’m Lyle, the cook of this pack. Excuse my outfit, but we have to feed all these little people. Come on, sit down, I’m going to serve you something that will cheer you up.

Without really leaving me a choice, he goes behind me and pushes me towards the table. As if by magic, a place becomes available. There are not many candidates to sit next to me. Strange, isn’t it?

I sit down with docility, before suddenly raising my head, feeling the contact of a thigh against mine. Cooper has settled close to me, his eyes glued to the depths of his cup of coffee. Protective, but not comfortable either.

"I’m glad to see that you’re better," he whispers to me anyway.

"Yes…"

And what more am I supposed to say? We don’t know each other, even if he thinks we’re forever linked… Inwardly, I groan: I’ve just imagined a lifetime in the company of a guy who wouldn’t have any conversation. If this is the case with Cooper Bretton, finish me immediately, please!

He clears his throat, before running a tense hand through his hair. Great, he’s as embarrassed as me. We aren’t out of the brambles.

"Hey! Hi, I took care of you when you were unconscious, I’m..."

"Masha."

Oh. My. God. I said aloud this improbable first name. Could the situation become more awkward than it already was? Apparently yes. Nothing will be spared me.

In front of me, I discover the kind and gentle face of a young girl with long chestnut curls. She gazes at me with her big black eyes, and I can’t help but find her likeable. Does it exist, the Stockholm syndrome towards a person who stripped you naked, huh? Maybe not. But then, I’m pretty sure it must have a name, and it’s a terrible perversion.

"I…uh…thank you."

She sends me a huge smile no embarrassment comes to obscure. Finally, the wolves are perhaps not modest, by dint of transforming themselves and finding themselves running with their buttocks in the air in the middle of the forest... My attention shifts despite myself to my neighbour, and I blush. I don’t think it’s a good idea at all to imagine him frolicking naked between century-old trees.

"You’re welcome," says the young wolf. "It was a pleasure to serve. If you need someone to show you around, don’t hesitate, I am at your disposal..."

Cooper growls. Well, I mean, literally. He growls, curling his lips and baring his teeth. It’s terrifying. And maybe a little bit exciting.

"Elinor isn’t allowed to play the tourist. We still do not know the end of this case."

Ahem. Yes. Indeed, we are still there. However, I wouldn’t have refused a little tour of the neighbourhood. Just to find my friends and identify the exits.

I sigh, slightly annoyed.

"Listen, Cooper. I told you everything I could tell you. And I swear on the heads of my friends that we aren’t here to harm you.

But maybe by coming to take refuge with you, we’ll drag you into our troubles. Obviously, I bite my tongue very hard not to pronounce these last words.

"I’m not used to trusting strangers."

"I understand that I wasn’t just any stranger," I cannot help but answer him in an acerbic tone.

For a second, I have the feeling that he is ready to jump at my throat. The dangerous gleam dancing in his golden gaze makes me recoil, and I bump into a body with muscles hard as steel. Surprised, I turn around and discover one of the two guys who dragged me out of my jail a few days earlier. Right next to him is his almost clone. Crazy how these two guys can look alike.

"What do you want?" growls Cooper.

Decidedly, it’s a mania. No one taught him to speak politely?

"We come from… uh… from the Wolf of the North."

The Alpha can’t help but smile wryly.

"The Wolf of the North… Because you guys really believe this story?"

"Not really, but for now..."

Their leader nods, now attentive. Shouldn’t I take advantage of this moment to slip away discreetly? Cooper grabs my arm and doesn’t seem determined to let go of me, as if he had guessed my intention.

"Neeve wants…"

"Neeve?" I immediately exclaim. "How is she? Where is she? I want to see her right away!"

Cooper’s grip tightens a little more on my arm, and I wince as I try to free myself. But he pulls me to him and his furious gaze paralyzes me. Damn, I thought our bond would make him sweet as a lamb, but he doesn’t seem to appreciate our forced closeness.

"Shut up. We’ll discuss that later."

He turns his attention to the colossus facing us.

"What does she want?"

"She wants her friend, Sixine, released, and…

"It’s no."

I look horrified at Cooper Bretton. How is it no? And what does he mean Sixine is still in prison? But it doesn’t work at all!

With a sharp movement, I free myself from his hardened steel grip. Yes, I did a few years of self-defence, and it can be useful in all circumstances. Even against a bad-tempered Alpha.

"Sixine MUST get out of prison."

"No. She challenged me publicly and there’s no way I’m going to let it go so easily over her affront."

"Oh! A little ego problem, then?"

Behind me, I feel Cooper’s two henchmen holding their breath. But too bad, I’ve gone too far to stop on such a good path. He may have full power over his pack... but I’m not of his pack. Neither is Neeve and Sixine.

"Elinor…" he growled, visibly at his wit’s end.

"I think you have a strange sense of hospitality, all the same. Your wolves find three of your kind in the woods, and you order them to be thrown into an unsanitary cell. You give yourself one, you give the second to your henchmen, and you let the third languish. Cheerful. Really, we couldn’t have expected a better welcome..."

Cooper glares at me. I feel him torn between wanting to punish me for my impertinence and… something else that I can’t define. Something that ignites a fire in my belly and gives me goosebumps.

But he pulls himself together and looks away from me. Strangely, I feel abandoned, and tears well up in my eyes. It must be the effects of my cold turkey, I’m not that impressionable normally. Well, yes, but I haven’t been used to facing my emotions for far too long.

"Take Elinor back to her room. And lock that damn door."

The words, cold and hard, fall from Cooper’s mouth and hit me as if he were actually hitting me. Dazed, I let the two giants push me towards the exit.