Chapter Three

ELLA

Mom had drifted off to sleep. She woke up in the morning to find me sitting up on the bed, hands hugging my legs, and my chin resting on my knees.

Gently, she turned my head towards her. Her light brown eyebrows formed an upside-down V shape to see my puffy, red eyes, not only from crying most of the night but also from not sleeping.

"I know you're scared. I am too. But I promise you that I will do everything in my power to ensure that you walk out of it alive tonight," she assured me.

I brought my arms around her.

"Happy 18th birthday, my Ella." She wished, hugging me.

"I can no longer call you my little pup, for you've now blossomed into a stunning wolf." One of her hands rubbed my back.

"Now try and get some sleep while I go and prepare breakfast."

Mom gently brought me back to lie on the bed. She tucked me into a blanket made of moss. My eyelids started to become too heavy to keep open. They slowly shut as she kissed me softly on the forehead.

The trees near our house weren't strong or large enough for me to be tied to. Mom and I had to leave in search of a much stronger tree. We found many in no time. Mom chose a towering, ancient-looking tree that looked as old as time, with gnarly, creepy limbs.

"It's a Gumbo Limbo tree," she told me.

I found out soon after that the reason she had chosen that specific tree was because of its smooth bark that wouldn't be hard on my back like the other trees with rough bark and many ridges. And it wouldn't bruise my skin when I was under the pull—desperately trying to get to my fated mate.

"I told you, I would do everything to make sure you aren't hurt tonight," she said.

I smiled, feeling a little less nervous and more confident that Mom had everything under control.

I stood close and back against the tree while Mom opened a bag for the chains. The tree was cold against the back of my hands and as smooth as wax, as Mom had said it would be.

"I have to get back to the house now." Mom rose to her feet.

"Why? The sun is halfway set," I responded quickly, noticing it was gradually descending behind a mountain across from me. It gave the sky a burst of red-orange color.

Mom had said there was no specific time for anyone to be taken over by the pull. The place didn't have to be dark. It could happen once the sun had completed its job for the day.

"I've stupidly left the bane paste for my arrow. I will be back," she said, and ran off.

"Be back quick," I said out loud as she disappeared among the bushes.

I kept watching the sun set while I waited for Mom. Once the sun was fully gone, the moon would appear, and I would be taken over by the pull if she didn't get here in time.

It only took us less than 2 minutes to get here, and Mom still hasn't come back.

Fear engulfed me like a dark cloud; Mom may be in danger, that's why she was taking so long to return. But I didn't want to act on it, believing it was just my nerves, too worried about The Pull.

It was when I came to accept that she wasn't coming and she was truly in danger. I bolted from where I was.

I was home in no time. I looked around for her, but there was no sign of her, nor even her scent of lavender. A body wash she'd concocted for herself. It was like she was never here, nor were any of her belongings in our little home.

Suddenly, the place began to quickly darken, and I instantly knew that the sun had fully set.

"No!" I bellowed, lifting my head to the sky to see the clouds parting from the full moon- revealing its brilliant fullness.

Swiftly, I looked down at my left foot, feeling something like a rope fastened around my ankle. I didn't see anything there when I did. Whatever invisible object was tied around my ankle, I felt it tug, and I swept off my feet.

I tried to remove it, but it was impossible to break free.

I screamed as it began to haul me from the house. I grabbed onto a rock for my dear life. My nails began to bleed as I gripped it tight, determined not to let go.

As Mom had said, the Pull was something impossible to fight. It dragged me away from the rock, pulled up the grass I briefly held onto, and then a tall plant. Nothing I clutched onto was able to protect me from it.

Shrieking for what felt like half an hour, I finally stopped being dragged. I lay flat on my stomach, no longer feeling the rope around my ankle.

I was soon taken over by an extremely powerful and irresistible presence behind me—of someone I knew I should flee from immediately. But like a bee to honey, I was drawn to him and was too deeply in love to get away. I rose to my feet.

As I twirled to face him, a strange liquid—too strong to be water—was poured over my head.

It blurred my vision and burned my eyes, preventing me from seeing clearly, and left me with nothing but a clouded, tall, and shirtless image of him.

I should have run for my life when I saw that he now held a flame, now knowing his intention. Yet I just stood there, still deeply in love with him, even when he tossed the fire at me, setting me on flames that burned and ached like a thousand knives slowly slicing every part of me all at once.

I screamed—not because of the burning pain and fear for my life, but because I would be separated from him by death, which hurt infinitely more.