Stronger

She looked from side to side at the both of us. Her hands almost shook before she put them behind her back.

“Ella?” I stepped forward and rubbed her arm.

“Of course you can

stay with us.” Elizabeth nodded from her nice.

I looked at Ella. She seemed on the verge of tears. I felt her overwhelmed at whatever it was.

I

“Let’s go to my house, I’ll text Grayson letting him know where we are and we can prepare dinner and be together in my house,” I grabbed Ellas hands and turned to Elizabeth commanding her with my eyes to get ready to go.

“Here come on let’s go and get changed,” I held Ellas hand as

s we went.

“I don’t know what’s bothering her, it probably had something to do with the intruder. She was called to the border that much I know, and she needs to be somewhere safe right now.

I changed in the locker room as Ella waited around the corner of the entrance.

“Ella you don’t have to tell me what’s wrong but tell me if everyone is okay and tell me if you want security at the

house.” I called to her.

“I’m fine Luna,” her voice cracked a second. “Everyone’s fine…..can Brian come to the house?”

“Of course,”

I grabbed my phone and texted Grayson we were going to the house and he needed to send Brian with us since Ella seemed shaken up.

day felt like a

I held her hand the whole time as we walked. Elizabeth stood like a guard on her other side. This whole day

dream a haze of confusion and unspoken threats.

We settled into the kitchen and waited for Brian. Ella kept her hold on my hand. She was older than me and more experienced in combat and she was scared, but seemed more vulnerable than anything.

Brian knocked and poked his head in after 30 minutes or so.

“Ella?” He walked in and locked the door. “Come here it’s okay,” he wrapped his sister up and I heard the sniffles.

“Elizabeth let’s do a lamb roast tonight,” I turned to her.

“Are we celebrating something?” She quirked her head.

“No. But someone is trying to send us into a frenzy and they’ll be watching I’m sure. Let them know we are not afraid,” I straightened my spine.

“It is not easy to be in charge and responsible for so many people, but this wolf came here and they went after someone who welcomed me so readily and with kindness. I will not let them see her so broken, they will not see her

weak. I will protect her. *

“I’m sorry Luna, I tried to keep myself calm,” Ella turned around in embarrassment. She was one of my warriors and they were supposed to fall before their Lunas and Alphas with no fear in their eyes.

“Do not apologize to me, you’re allowed to have emotions,” I walked over and hugged her tightly.

*I had made myself a surrogate family here and Ella was a main part of it. She had helped bolster me when I needed it and had kept me standing when I felt like crumpling. I had no problems returning the favor.”

Let’s bake something get your hands moving and focus on something,” I suggested.

“Yeah, okay yeah,” she wiped her eyes and pulled herself together. “Can we have a movie on too?”

“Of course,” I found the remote and realized I had never used the TV before. After a second or two I had a movie up and running, we decided on Ratatouille, it went with the cooking and when the worst thing in life is someone finding out your cooking skill belongs to a rat the world seems a little brighter.

First the lamb was brought in and we seasoned it and put some butter on it then we got to baking cookies and brownies.

I would prepare some vegetables to go with the meat and decided since we were cooking so early some homemade bread would do as well.

I got to work on mixing the bread as the movie played on and I watched Ella out of the corner of my eye.

“Luna how are your young raised in your familial clan?” Elizabeth asked me.

“Odd but I believe she wanted to preoccupy Ella which I was glad to do.”

“Well for the most part it’s the same here.before the age of five they are allowed to be raised by their parents and play freely and happily. Then at five they begin lessons but we have an actual school it’s not part of our main building and it’s off behind the trees,” I explained.

“So your mother’s don’t work the first five years of their pups life?” Elizabeth seemed unsettled by concept.

“No,” I shook my head. “They take turns with other mothers and the elders on watching the pups of that age.” I watched her relax.

“Your elders must not do much then?” Ella spoke up.

“They’re more council for the alpha and help organize when asked but we feel they’ve earned a break,”

“Here they see over all the youngest pups,” Elizabeth told me, I was still so new and learning all of their ways.

“Well, my parents at least are going to take a year away when Charlie takes over as Alpha,” I smiled at the thought of my family.

“Charlie is your brother?” Elizabeth asked.

“One of my brothers, Charlie is the oldest, then Theo his wife is my best friend Cecilia, then me, and then my youngest

brother James,”

“Your youngest brother has a mouth on him,” Brian grabbed some chocolate chips and Ella smacked his hand away.

“Brian that’s our Lamas brother!” she whispered him a scolding.

“It’s alright yes James is in the stage of a lot of power from hus wolf and not a lot of control on his part. It’s worse when you have pure alpha blood.” I grimaced. “Charlie he could shatter bone when he was learning control,”

“But he seemed so calm,” Ella gasped.

“Oh, he is now. He and I always knew we would lead one day and were taught to keep level heads but when he was at teenager all that desire to be strong for everyone caused him to hurt his sparring partner. He broke his femur in three places,” I remembered the scream:

never would have thought that.”

Charlie is not yet mated? How old is he?” Elizabeth seemed very interested in my oldest brother if she wasn’t mated I would chalk it up to her wanting to be Luna to a strong Alpha.

Charlie he, he will never admit it but I think he’s much more of a romantic like me.” I closed my eyes for a second picturing his protective face before I went down the day the tournament began.

stective and he’s always had so much I think he wants someone he can truly rely on and doesn’t see him as

It’s odd for him to have two mated younger siblings and not be mated himself, Especially when he is heir,” Elizabeth

explained her interest.

“Charlie knows he needs a mate. I think he is biding his time for a good one,” I nodded to myself.

A deep surge of homesickness overtook me as I thought of Charlie. He was so willing to protect me and take me from the tournament even when it had to be done. The goddess could forsake me if it meant my brother got a good mate.

“Speaking of mates,” Ella smirked. “How do your best friend and your brother bind only one month after her 18th

birthday

“Ahh, well Then was always drawn to Cea. They enlisted my help for private moments and before I knew it they were hopeless for each other. Theo had to come forward to my dad and there was hell to pay but Cea and him were adamant

they be bound”

This felt like torture reliving my family and not being with them.

“Actually,” I turned to Elizabeth. “How did you and Arron come together?”

Now that I thought about it they had been married for years. That means they were bound when they were young too.

Ella and Brian both snickered to themselves. “Yeah Elizabeth what happened there?”

Elizabeth blushed for a moment, a thing I did not think her capable of. For everyone besides her husband, she was stoic and made of steel.

“Aarron and I were always dating on and off through our class years,” she started turning her back to us as she mixed her brownie batter.

“We broke up at least once a year for no reason. One summer I went with my parents to see my aunt in the human world. She helps with wolf legislation “I watched her head move as she told the story still not looking at me.

“The day we left it was raining and my cousin gave me his jacket without thinking as I got in the car. When I got back

home….”

Ella and Brian were giggling to themselves at this point.

“I smelled like my male cousin. I got out of the car and Aarron tackled me to the ground,” she covered her eyes so ashamed at her mate’s childish antics.

“Oh, my Goddess he almost marked her then and there his jaw was on her shoulder!” Ella gossiped.

“It took me and Matt to get him off and Greyson had to knock him out,” Brian laughed.

“It’s not funny! Everyone saw!” Elizabeth was beet red..

“Well it was clear then that it was time to put the teenage drama aside and be together,” she hurried to the end of the

story.

We finished the food and baking. Fresh vegetables were cut and bread had been baked. We had sugar cookies, chocolate chip, and peanut butter blossoms.

When everyone was in the pavilion and eating Grayson finally returned. He ad the other warriors walked in and he grabbed a mountain of food.

“We’re going to shore up the defense of the border. I’ll need your help the next couple of days,” was all he said to me.

Chapter Comments Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Tricia Heltz

When will you be updating? Loving your story.

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