Chapter 8: Elizabeth's POV
1714 Words
After a short while, the door to Alpha Gideon's office opened and Jonathan told us to step inside.
"You sent the rest of the men away, Mike?", Alpha Gideon asked.
"Yes, Alpha. I don't think this girl poses a threat to them or me."
"Is that so?", Alpha Gideon asked with a sarcastic tone.
"Well my son here seems to agree with you", Alpha Gideon said. "Elizabeth, Jonathan has recommended that we send you to our elders before making a final decision. One of our elders is from a seers bloodline; perhaps she will be able to tell us what it is you're hiding from us."
When I heard that I gave a sigh of relief. "Alpha Gideon, if that's what it takes, then let's do it", I said to him.
Jonathan and Mike gave me a slight smile and Alpha Gideon started leading us out of his office.
"The elders live in a secluded area on the pack grounds", Jonathan told me as we were walking.
"Why?", I asked him.
"Well, they must remain unbiased. If a pack member accuses me of abuse, they must be able to investigate the matter without fear, favour or prejudice. The elders do not belong to an Alpha and his family or the ranked members of a pack, they belong to the whole pack", Alpha Gideon said.
"I admire that, Alpha Gideon", I said. It sounds like you're trying to ensure your pack members always get justice."
Alpha Gideon let out a deep sigh.
"Werewolves haven't seen justice in a very long time, Elizabeth. Perhaps this is our way of reminding our people that the elders still stand with them...even when all hope seems lost", Alpha Gideon said.
I wanted to ask him to explain what he meant, but I could tell from the look on his face that this was not something he wanted to talk about, so I chose to stay quiet.
While we were walking, I could see that the Black Claw pack had a vast territory. It looked infinite. There were open fields and luxurious apartments all over the pack lands. We even passed by a school building and saw some kids playing outside.
A bunch of kids were all standing around a tree while pointing at it and laughing. When I had a closer look, I noticed a little boy stuck in the tree. I immediately started running to him and the other kids.
"Hey, are you okay?", I said as I looked up at the kid in the tree. It was a little boy, probably no older than 5 years old. He looked scared and I could he had been crying.
"He's too much of a scardie cat to come down", one of the kids said while pointing and laughing.
The kid in the tree put on his bravest face and nodded.
I realised that he had probably been teased into climbing the tree and now he didn't know how to get back down.
"I'd like to come join you up there, do you mind?"
He shook his head shyly.
I started climbing the tree with ease. I grabbed onto a few strong branches and within seconds, I was standing by the little boy's side.
I wiped the tears off his olive skin and ran a hand through his thick brown hair. He looked up at me with his deep green eyes and gave me a shy smile.
"I'm Elizabeth. Can I ask for your name?"
The little boy hesitated for a bit, but then he answered me. "I'm Ishmael."
"Ishmael, do you want to help me trick your friends?", I said with a sly smile.
His eyes widened and he nodded his head.
I whispered my plan in his ear and he excitedly shook my hand.
The next second, I slipped and one hand was able to grab the nearest branch. The kids on the ground were all gasping and murmuring amongst one another.
"Ishmael, please help me! Please pull me up!", I said using my best plea for help voice.
Ishmael held my wrist and I started pulling myself up. The other kids sounded shocked. They were all pointing at me and Ishmael.
I finally pulled myself all the way up and planted a kiss on Ishmael's cheeck. "Ishmael, you saved me!", I said loud enough for the other kids to hear. They started cheering for him and clapping their hands. Ishmael was laughing.
I put Ishmael on my back and started climbing down the tree. When we got to the ground, all the other kids surrounded him started telling him how awesome he was.
"That was very impressive", Mike said as we all walked away from the kids.
I winked at him. "What can I say, I'm a smart girl!"
Mike and Jonathan laughed, but Alpha Gideon just eyed me suspiciously.
We finally got the building where the elders live. It looked like a normal two story house. It didn't look as fancy as the rest of the houses I saw on the pack grounds.
Alpha Gideon was about to knock when a short, thin, old woman with silver hair and almond shaped eyes opened the door. I could tell from the grey of her pupils that she was blind.
"Alpha Gideon, future alpha Jonathan and future beta Mike, I've been expecting you", she said in a calm tone.
"We have a guest with us Elder Anaia", Jonathan said.
"Yes, I know. Please come in", the woman said.
We sat down in a sitting room. It had a very warm feel to it. It just looked like a quaint home.
"Was it the Moon Godess who told you to expect us, Elder Anaia?", Alpha Gideon asked.
Elder Anaia chuckled. "Alpha Gideon, you know I cannot tell you that." Alpha Gideon sighed.
Jonathan was about to start explaining the reason for my visit when Elder Anaia interrupted him.
"You do not need to tell me much, young wolf. Give me the girl's hand."
I stood up and sat next next to her. Then I put my hand in hers. Her eyes started glowing. I got scared and tried removing my hand from hers, but she already had a firm grip on me.
After a few seconds, Elder Anaia started sobbing and tears were streaming down her face. Alpha Gideon, future alpha Jonathan and Mike all had concerned looks on their faces. She was like this for a few minutes and her grip on my hand was getting tighter and tighter. When she finally released my hand, she exhaled loudly and clasped her chest. She was still sobbing with tears streaming down her face.
"Can we get her some water?", I said hurriedly to the men in the room with me.
Mike stood up and left the room. After a few seconds he came back with a bottle of water. While elder Anaia took a sip, I grabbed some pocket tissues out of my pocket and handed them to her. She started wiping her tears and cleaning up her face.
Alpha Gideon finally asked what we were all thinking. "Elder Anaia, what did you see?"
Before she could tell us, a man burst through the door. "Alpha Gideon, there's been a breach at the border. We're under attack. It seems to be the witches, sir", the man said.
"Dammit!", Alpha Gideon exclaimed. "We need to go. Mike, you know what to do. Get the kids and the elderly to the bunker. Tell our warriors to proceed with extreme caution. I don't want to lose any more of our men to those damn witches."
"Jonathan, you..." Jonathan interrupted him before he could finish. "Dad, I know what to do. You go to our men. I'll be right behind you."
Alpha Gideon nodded and then him and Mike ran out of the door.
"Elder Anaia, we need to take you and the other elders to the bunker", Jonathan said.
"We have lived on these pack grounds for a hundred years, young wolf. We've lived through too many attacks to count. Not once did anyone try to injure us. We are elders, to hurt us is as good as blasphemy against the Moon Godess herself. We are exactly where the Moon Godess wants us to be", she said.
He was about to protest, but she held his hand and gave him a serious look. "You must help this girl on her quest", she said to him.
Jonathan nodded and squeezed her hand. He took my hand and then we ran out of the door. As soon as we were out of the house, he shifted into a big brown wolf. It wasn't as big as Mathew's wolf, but it was still pretty remarkable.
I didn't get scared when I saw his wolf. Somehow I knew he wouldn't hurt me. He lifted his head and pointed at his back and I understood that he was telling me to climb on his back, so I did.
Jonathan started running and within minutes we were on the main pack lands. Children, the elderly and pregnant women were all running into a bunker and everyone else was spreading out to the borders.
I got off Jonathan's back and then he shifted back into his human form. He was somehow fully clothed like he was before his shift. This shocked me because Mathew's clothes always got ripped after each shift. We had to make sure he had an extra pair of clothes for when he shifted back.
"How do you still have your clothes on?", I asked him with a shocked voice.
"The Moon Godess blessed the water of a lake in our pack. Any magical creature that drinks from the lake, will still have their clothes on after shifting into their magical creature", he said to me in a chuckle.
"Now, get in the bunker", he said to me with a commanding tone.
"No! What if it's the same witches who took Mathew. I'm going with you!", I said as I started walking away from the bunker.
Jonathan grabbed my hand.
"You may not be human, but that doesn't mean you're strong enough to fight these witches. Please get in the bunker", he said.
"I'm not a coward, Jonathan. I'm going out there!", I said with determination.
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