The Beta's Apocalypse

2. Running

Ellie jumped off the stage and just kept running. Her mind was racing, her feet were following suit. She ran and ran, until she just couldn't take it anymore collapsing to her knees at the edge of the woods. She bent over and buried her face in her hands, tears filling them up like little pools of confusion. 'What is happening?' She thought. 'Is this another trick? Who is this guy, why is he saying he is my mate? If he is why can't I feel the mate pull?' Her breath hitched in her chest as she moved to sit down, leaning against a tree. She lifted her head, staring up into the night sky. The moon was bright and full, shining down on everything around her. She always felt a sense of calm when she started up at the moon and imagined to Moon Goddess watching over her. "Oh Moon Goddess." Ellie said out loud. "What is your plan for me? I can't handle another man coming into my life and ripping my heart out. How am I ever going to lead my pack, when I can't even face this head on?"

"El?"

Ellie gasped, caught off guard by the voice breaking her from her thoughts. She jumped to her feet, then realized it was Ethan and Sophie. She let out a sigh of relief, running to Ethan crashing into his chest.

Ethan hugged her tight, laying the side of his head on the top of hers. "El it's ok I am here, everything is going to be alright."

Ellie pulled her head away looking up at him. "I don’t know what I am doing. What will our pack think with me just running off like that? They are going to think I am weak." She shook her head. "I am weak."

"You are not weak!" Sophie demanded. "You are very strong, stop doubting yourself."

Ellie looked at Sophie and nodded slightly, but she was still doubting herself. She did not feel like she was up to the task of leading her pack. She pulled away and took a step towards Sophie. "Who was that guy?"

"Eric, Justin's brother."

'Of course, why didn’t I realize that when he said his name was Eric?' She thought.

"El?" Ethan said breaking her from her thoughts. "Did you not feel the Mate pull when you saw him?"

Ellie's eye's glazed over, tears threatening to again break free. She looked up at Ethan, she shook her head, unable to make the words leave her mouth.

Ethan looked at Sophie, a worried look on his face. Sophie looked back at him and smiled. "Ellie, you felt something because you stopped. You were in complete shock."

Ellie looked at Sophie. "I haven't told you yet, but when I woke after finding out the truth about Mason, my wolf Rue was gone. I have not been able to communicate with or feel her at all since."  She let out a deep breath. "But when he walked into view, for a faint moment I could feel her stir."

"Are you really serious? That is amazing, I have to be honest Elijah and I were getting worried she was gone for good."

Ellie looked up at him and smiled. "I was too, but I definitely felt her stir." She turned back and looked at Sophie. "I caught a faint scent for a split second, but nothing like I've been told  happens when you find your Mate. I couldn’t even tell you what the scent was."

Sophie walked over and pulled Ellie into a hug. "We will figure this out. So you felt Rue stir, you caught a scent for a moment. What about when he got close to you up on the stage? When he touched you, you pulled away immediatly."

"He startled me when he did, I felt a small." She paused and shook her head slightly. "I don’t know it was like the tingle you get when your leg goes to sleep."

"I've heard of electricity when Mates touch each other, but I always thought it was a stronger felling then what you just described." Ethan inquired.

"The first time Justin and I touched it was like a static electric shock. It was very strong, of course I didn’t feel the mate pull at all then. I didn’t even know about werewolves at that point, let alone that I was one."

"So then what do you think is happening?" Ellie asked. "Why can he feel the Mate pull, but I can't?"

"I had the spell cast on me. Meeting Justin slowly started breaking it down until my wolf was finally able to break free. I didn’t feel the full Mate bond until then." Sophie scrunched her eyebrows together, thinking back over the weeks leading up to meeting Eva. "I think the spell Mason had cast on you, combined with Rue hiding away, might be blocking you from fully feeling the Mate bond."

Sophie laid her hand on Ellie's shoulder. "When you think of Mason,  do you still feel like he is your mate?"

Ellie closed her eyes, and tried to compose herself. She opened them and looked at Sophie. "I don’t  know, I just know every time I hear his name or think of him it hurts. When I found out it was just a spell, and he killed my parents, it felt like my heart was shattered into a million pieces." Tears started flowing from Ellie's eyes, and she stumbled a little. Ethan reached out stabilizing her. "It still feels shattered." Ellie reached up and grasped her chest.

Sophie reached up, rubbing Ellie's back. "We might need to find a witch to release you fully from the spell cast upon you. I know of one." Sophie closed her eye's thinking back to the last time she Saw Lanie, as they fled The Witches Guild. "I just hope she is ok."

"She is someone you care about isn’t she?" Ellie asked.

Sophie smiled and nodded. "Yes she is the one who performed the breaking of the soul chains on me. She helped us escape, but I am afraid she may be in trouble because of it." Sophie could feel the worry already plaguing Ellie growing. She looked up at her and smiled. "Please don’t worry about that though. Why don’t you and Ethan head to your Packhouse? I will go and fill Eric in on what's going on."

Ellie looked at the ground and frowned. She felt bad, if Eric was in fact her Mate he was probably having a hard time right now too. This wasn't fair to him either, the thought of him hurting didn’t sit well with her. She looked at Sophie. "Will you tell him I am sorry? I don’t know if I am ready to face him yet, but I don’t want him in pain either."

Sophie hugged Ellie. "I will tell him. I will come check on you in the morning. We will figure this out Ellie I promise, you are strong and will get though this."

"She's right El. The strength coming off of you during the ceremony was something I have never seen before. You literally had a red glow around you." Ethan smiled down at his sister in amazement. He was so proud of how strong she was, and wished he could help her get through this. He turned to Sophie. "We will walk you back until the Packhouse is in sight, Justin will kill me if I let you walk back alone."

"What are you guys doing here?" They all turned to see Zeke approaching them. "Aren't you supposed to be celebrating becoming Alpha?" He looked directly at Ellie. "The first female Alpha I have ever heard of, that's kind of a big deal." He joked, with a laugh. He noticed Ellie's face was stained with tears, and grabbed the gun at his side. "What is wrong did something happen?"

Sophie looked at Ellie and smiled, then turned to Zeke. "Yes but I will explain everything to you. Are you still on rounds, or can you walk me back?"

"I was heading back now, doing a perimeter sweep on the way." He again looked at Ellie, he felt very protective over her and was very worried. He wasn’t sure why he felt so protective over her. Sophie was the only other person he had ever felt this protective over. "Ellie are you sure you're ok?"

Ellie smiled. "Honestly no, but I will be. I just really need to get some rest."

Zeke nodded, and turned to Sophie. "Are you ready?"

Sophie nodded, giving Ellie a hug and then Ethan. "I will see you guys in the morning."

Ellie and Ethan started into the tree's. Sophie and Zeke watching them

Zeke turned to Sophie when they were far enough away they could no longer hear them. "Fill me in, what's happening?"

Sophie looked at Zeke. "Well right as the Alpha ceremony was coming to an end Eric showed up and found his mate." Sophie turned looking at Ellie and Ethan fading in to the tree's. "Ellie is Eric's Mate."

Zeke's eyes grew wide, and he turned to look at them as well. "Wow, why is she so upset?"

Sophie snuck her arm behind Zeke's arm. Let's head back, I will explain everything on the way.