Chapter 8

• *Finding Elara*
• The bond persisted, a tugging sensation resonating in my chest, an unspoken plea for her safety. It was my wolf who refused to sever the connection, an instinctual need to know she was alright.
• "We'll find her soon," Jack affirmed, his eyes scanning the information laid out before us.
• The pain in my shoulder intensified, an unbearable weight of worry and yearning. One part of me longed to see her, to ensure she was safe while my conscience could only think about Caitlin's feelings. She wouldn't be happy to know that I still feel for another woman while we're together. We have to find a way to sever the bond.
• "Find her, Jack. I need to know where she lives Check if she's doing well," I pleaded, desperation seeping into my voice.
• "In the past few days, I've gathered some clues silently. There are whispers about an injured wolf seeking refuge in the Dawn Pack territory. It's not confirmed, but the injured matches Elara's description," Jack explained, heightening my interest.
• "Find a way to get her out of the Dawn pack; she must not tell the Alpha anything about what happened between us."
• **Arthur's POV**
• Seated in my office, thoughts of the strange girl I had saved occupied my mind. Her sudden appearance had disrupted the usual tranquility of my thoughts.
• She was beautiful, petite, and had an innocent expression, not that I hadn't seen women prettier than her. She had a faint smell of a wolf, but I couldn't tell if she was one or if she mingled with them. I would have been certain she wasn't because she couldn't heal on her own, but then she talked about her father who was being held by the Scorpio. I do not want to help her because I shouldn't involve myself in pack conflicts just because of a stranger, but something still draws me back. I've met a lot of women, but this one was somehow different.
• Frowning, I reached out through the psychic link, contacting my Beta, Elias.
• "Do something for me, the girl I brought home, run a background check on her. I want to know everything about her, from where she was coming before running in front of my car to where she was headed."
• "Really?" Elias asked a hint of surprise in his voice.
• "Is there a problem?" I asked back.
• "No, just that you usually never care about these women. You also told me that she jumped in front of your car purposely, isn't that what they always do when they want to get your attention?" He asked.
• I kept my gaze fixed, distant, as I replied through the link, "Yeah. But this one seems different. The only thing she's interested in is helping her father. From what I've heard, her father is being held by the Scorpio pack for a crime he did not commit."
• Elias's mental voice was tinged with curiosity. "Understood, Alpha. I'll gather the necessary information."
• My jaw clenched slightly, a whirlwind of emotions I couldn't entirely comprehend stirring within me.
• A few hours later, he came to my office, spreading photos from a scene I recalled, the bouquet at our pack house from recent.
• "I've asked around, and here's what I could find. She's a member of the Scorpio pack; her father, like you said, is being held hostage. But I don't think a lot of people know about it because the previous Alpha has nothing to do with it. Your brother-in-law is holding him and keeping quiet about it. Since the man snitched on their pack, isn't he supposed to disgrace him openly before sending him out of the pack?" Elias asked, and I reasoned with him.
• "Except their relationship with each other is different from what we know," he concluded. "Ask her, will you?"
• "No."
• "No? Why?"
• "Find something more, Elias. This isn't enough," I hissed, banging the table to ease the uneasy feelings in me.
• After he left, I stood in front of the window, my gaze fixed on the moonlit horizon. Memories of the past flickered like shadows in the night, a tumultuous mix of regret and longing. The thought of getting involved in another pack's affairs stirred a familiar unease within me, "Why does she matter?" I whispered to the empty room, my hand instinctively reaching for the pendant around my neck, a reminder of a life left behind. My wolf began to speak with me. "The girl seems interesting, we should keep her." Dante said.
• "True." I admitted. From the first time I saw her, there was something different about her, from her sweet scent to beautiful body features. Something was constantly drawing me to her, to hold her in my arms, protect and nurture her. It felt like she was a little pup who needed guidance, something only I could give. But I don't want her too close, this strange feeling, I fear it may bud to something else.
• "Maybe, we shouldn't let her come too close, Dante." I said to my wolf. "We're not allowed to fall in love, remember?"
• My wolf was going wild in my head, "But we can have some fun, right?"
• *Elara's Pov:*
• The morning sun cast a gentle glow over the room, rousing me from my sleep. I threw the blanket off, stretching with a wide yawn. It's morning, and yet I'm still tired.
• And yes, I still live here at the Dawn pack since I have yet to convince the Alpha to help me and my father. I tied my hair into a loose bun with a heavy sigh as I stared in the mirror. My eyes were with dark circles as I barely had any sleep last night, worried about my father's condition in prison. He must have missed five days of his treatment already. Knowing this made me restless throughout the night; I tossed and turned until this morning.
• I took a quick bath, wearing fresh clothes left in the wardrobe by the servants.
• "Day three of trying to convince Arthur," I said to myself. Somehow I felt alone in my head. Formerly, Snow would be up by this time, filling my head with stories and we would chat throughout the day, but now I could no longer hear from her. She had gone somewhere I could not locate. She must be taking her time to heal.
• Downstairs, the head maid, who also doubled as the nurse, conversed with a man about Arthur's height and build. She called my attention the moment she saw me, introducing me to the man in front of her, he was Arthur's Beta, Elias.
• Having told him some backstory about me and why I needed Arthur's assistance, he agreed to assist
• Elias took me with him to meet the Alpha at the training center and then gave me a hint on how to catch his attention.
• "Elara, I'll stop here, you go in first. The first door you'll find upstairs," he said the moment we were standing in front of this huge building, the training center.
• "But I'm scared to go in alone," I replied.
• "He can't find out that we came together. If he asks you how you found out, tell him that you followed him. It's almost an hour already, go in quickly before your story turns unbelievable."
• "Thank you," I muttered. And he nodded curtly. "Don't forget what I told you." That was his last sentence before leaving.
• Steeling myself, I closed my eyes briefly, absorbing the environment, before stepping inside. This training center is different from the one we usually cleaned at the Scorpio pack house in size and height.
• The center was decorated in a Romanesque-style architecture. Painted in grey color, it had four wide pillars in front of it. The inside was more beautiful; sculptures of different scenes were all around, from war in ancient times to modernity. Different weapons hung on the walls around in a fashioned form.
• I followed Elias's instructions and found myself in the wrong room. A bunch of teens was training, while the rest did their own thing. Their attention drew to me, and one of them asked, "What is she doing here?" Searching for Arthur and not finding him, I realized I had entered the wrong room, so I left instantly and counted my steps back, following his instructions again before entering the room.
• Arthur was at one end punching a bag while someone supported the bag from the other end. Sweaty bodies in the room carried different types of gym and training equipment.
• Seeing me, his eyes narrowed, and he stopped what he was doing, taking off the punching glove from his hand and adjusting the straps he was wearing as he approached me. As he got closer, my heart pounded with a mix of nerves.
• Beta Elias had hinted at a possible way to sway Arthur's decision, and I hoped it would work. It's my last hope to rescue my father from the clutches of the Scorpio pack.
• "How did you find this place?" He asked, his voice commanding. I couldn't take my eyes off him, seeing him up close, he was still as handsome as last night. He had the appearance of a demi-god. His bare chiseled chest with a few scars made it harder for me to concentrate while answering his question.
• I stuttered, gulping down loads of saliva and realizing I was no good at lying, "I-I saw you leaving this morning, I followed you."
• "You're not a good liar . Do you know what time it is, princess?" He said, staring from his watch to me. I was mute; he quickly caught up with my lies. Wolves, like Alphas, can sense fear and detect when someone is lying. It was one of the many abilities that made them rulers over us.
• "You were still asleep during the time I left. Where's Elias?" He asked. I looked around, nervously seeking his beta to appear; only he could assist me. He was here. I sucked in some air of relief.
• "Alpha, I've asked them to reschedule your appointment," he said. He ignored my presence as if I wasn't there, and I was grateful for that.