Chapter 9: Blade

Ellie

Running through the forest was a great way for Ellie to clear her thoughts and remind herself of how beautiful her territory was. With her wolf in control, she powered between the trees, the fresh earth soft between her toes as her paws sunk into the fresh dirt beneath a scattering of freshly dropped leaves.

The trees were beginning to turn, and the forest was alive with creatures preparing for the upcoming winter. Scarlets, sunburnt orange, and sunshiny yellow leaves blurred in her peripheral vision as she blew past the deciduous trees that provided the forest canopy. Plenty of evergreens stood vibrant in the sun, squirrels and birds perched on their branches, reminding Ellie of the sanctity of all life and just how reliant they all were on one one another.

This run didn't quite clear her mind the way most of them did, though. In the back of her thoughts was the lingering idea that her life was about to change in a drastic way. Early morning sunrays broke between branches as she neared the village, a reminder that this was the day she'd meet the man she was going to marry--assuming Strand Hanson didn't win the upcoming tournament.

Ellie slowed to a trot as she wound her way down a trail that led to one of the main streets of town. She would go home and shift there so she could step directly into the shower. Maybe the water would wash away her nerves, along with the scent of the forest that sank into her skin. She doubted it would be so easy to clear her mind, though. A nervousness had settled inside of her the day she'd agreed to this silly plan of her fathers, and it had only grown in velocity the closer she got to this day.

Taking some deep breaths, she nodded at her fellow early birds, though she couldn't speak in her wolf form except for by using the mind-link, and only then could she speak to her other pack mates who were in their wolf forms. All of the people walking down the street were in their human form, and most of them were on their way to help Michael put the final touches on the locations for the tournament.

Ellie went through a flap in the door that allowed her to get in and out of her house without shifting and went straight to the bathroom before shifting and turning on the shower. The water was as hot as she could stand it, and she stood beneath it for a long time, letting it sooth her muscles and calm her. It didn't help much, but by the time she turned the water off and began getting dressed, she was feeling slightly better.

Ellie decided to put on a dress for the occasion, even though most of the time she preferred jeans and a T-shirt. In a royal blue dress that hit just above her knees, gold hoops, and some nice sandals, she put on a little makeup, hoping to highlight her bright blue eyes, and styled her hair in soft waves. She knew her mom used to wear her hair this way and that her dad was likely to say she looked just like her.

After a quick bite to eat, Ellie went outside to face the world and was just in time to see a convoy of expensive luxury cars pulling into the road leading from the main highway that ran near the pack lands.

Shelby suddenly appeared at her shoulder. "Who the h*ll is that?" she asked.

"I have no idea," Ellie admitted. "But something tells me Strand Hanson is going to seem shy and reserved."

Chuckling, Shelby nudged Ellie with her shoulder. "It could be your future husband."

Ellie gave her a look that said she'd better bite her tongue and then went over to meet the Alpha who had just arrived with his entourage. They pulled into spots near her office, several large men pouring out of the SUVs and sports cars.

It was obvious who the Alpha was by the way the others were acting, A tall, muscular man with white-blond hair stepped out of a Lamborghini, and another man took his sunglasses and handed him a different pair. 'This guy has different driving sunglasses from his regular sunglasses?' Ellie thought. While he was good looking, she didn't think she could handle that kind of extra.

"Make sure that my overnight bag is on the bed," the man was saying to another fellow standing next to him--not the sunglasses guy, but a different guy. "And my products must be arranged in the bathroom exactly the same way they are at home. If the counter by the sink isn't big enough, we'll have to request different accommodations."

"Of course, Alpha Blade," the servant replied.

It was then that this new arrival, Alpha Blade Strawn of the Crying Wolf Pack, looked up and noticed Ellie who was standing about four feet away from him and had stopped, deciding that was close enough. There was something about this man that made her skin crawl and the taste of bile creep up her throat.

"Well, well, well," he said, taking a few steps closer to her, his eyes traveling from her face to her feet and back up again, pausing for an obvious amount of time on her breasts, "you must be Luna Ellie Knight."

"And you must be Alpha Blade Strawn" she said, folding her arms across her chest.

He offered his hand, and she reluctantly took it. At least he didn't kiss her knuckles like Strand had. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ellie couldn't say the same, but she did manage to force a smile. "Welcome to Swift Wolf."

"Thank you." He surveyed the area around them and made a face that gave her the impression he wasn't impressed. "If you can let my assistants know which building is ours, I'll have them unload my luggage."

Ellie had no idea where anyone was staying. Luckily, a young woman who had been helping her father with the plans stepped up. "Good morning, Alpha Blade," Marcey said, nodding her head. "If they would like to follow me, I can show you where you'll be staying."

"Very well," Blade said, but then he put a hand on Marcey's arm, a little too friendly for Ellie's taste. "But make sure it's the best building you have available, young lady. I have a lot of expensive items, and I don't want them just… anywhere."

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir," Marcey said, clearly uncomfortable beneath his touch.

Blade withdrew his hand and returned his attention to Ellie, as if he hadn't just insulted her home. "Well, now, Ellie, I have to say, I'm looking forward to getting to know you." He reached over and put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it in a manner that caused a shiver to go down Ellie's spine, and not in a good way.

"Yes, I'm sure we'll get plenty of opportunities to speak while you're here," Ellie said, wanting to pull away but doing her darndest not to because she didn't want to appear rude, even if what he was doing was rude to her.

"Luna Ellie!" Hans's familiar voice met her ear, and Ellie turned her head to see several pack members had gathered to see who had arrived, but it was her three "little brothers" coming to her aid. The three of them jogged over. "They need you in the Healing Center."

Ellie knew for sure that there was no emergency in the Healing Center since they didn't currently have any patients being housed there. "Duty calls," she said to Blade who looked disappointed.

"I understand," he said. "I hope to see you again soon."

"For sure," Ellie said, smiling at him as he dropped his hand, and she went off with her friends, whispering, "unfortunately."

"Who is that douche?" Seth asked as they walked toward the Healing Center.

"Blade Strawn, Crying Wolf," Ellie said.

"He is a creep," Cane said. "He better not win."

Ellie had been thinking the exact same thing.

"If he does, we'll have to beat some manners into him," Hans said from his position behind her.

"If he wins, I might just disappear into the woods never to be seen again," Ellie said, giggling, as if she were joking, but she wasn't sure that she was. Once again, she couldn't help but think this scheme of her fathers was just too much. She should've never agreed to this to begin with, and now, she was in too deep to get herself out. Whispering a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess that it would all work out in the end, she went into the Healing Center to hide.