Cursed with an Alpha Soul | Werewolf Romance

Chapter III - Mind Over Matter.

Saturdays. The favorite day of the week for millions of people around the world, but for Ella it was special for a different reason. Saturdays were 'bookstore & road trip' day for the Parkers. Well, for everyone besides Ella. Her parents and little brother would wake up at seven in the morning, stop at the little breakfast shop on the edge of town and drive two hours to the next town over that had one of the biggest bookstores in the United States. They would stay there for hours before making the drive back, usually not home until four or five in the evening and that was only if they did not stop for dinner somewhere or find another reason to stay out and about. When Ella was younger her parents tried to get her to come along, but they grew tired of hearing 'when can we go home?'.

The two-story, modern country-style Parker house was silent, perfectly tidy and kept together as if for a home décor commercial. All that could be heard was the nearly silent hum of the living room ceiling fan and the occasional spinning wheel from Charlie, Alex's pet hamster. Normally, at eleven in the morning Ella would be slowly walking up and getting out of bed while her body refused to sleep any longer, but after waking up slightly after her parents left, with the dying need to use the bathroom, something caught her eye. It had rained last night, leaving the forest slightly damp and glistening from the leftover water droplets on the leaves. She could not resist.

Ella's love for the forest started back as long as she could remember. When she was a child, her imagination would run wild. Thinking she could jump from tree to tree and run for miles without getting tired. It is the way she felt while she was there, like she could finally breathe, and it gave her this almost home-like feeling. It especially did not help when she found what she considered 'her spot'. It was far enough away from the roads where you could not hear the occasional car driving by. It was a small clearing deep within the forest, a small open patch about the size of her bedroom. The rest of the woods had trees almost every few feet from each other, the only opening being from the nature-made paths. The tree branches above made a roof-like structure that shaded from direct sunlight with a few beams peeking through.

To get there by car you would have to take a small dirt road that was easily missed if you did not know where to look, until you hit the fallen-over tree truck. Afterwards, it was still a good fifteen-minute walk with a chance of getting lost. Long story short, it was a way away and was not easy to find unless you had been there before. The grey clouds still loomed in the sky, threatening to bring more down pour. Bright rays of sunshine peaked out from the clouds and shined down in different spots around town. The smell of fresh rainwater against the oak forest filled Ella's lungs as she took a deep breath, calmly glancing around the woods. She sat on an old stump, not caring about the small puddle of water that had soaked into her jeans. Soft piano music by Carter Burwell played through her earbud, making the experience that much more calming. She watched as birds flew between the branches chasing one another.

There were not any animals Ella had to be scared of. There had not been a wolf, bear, or anything dangerous in the area for decades. It would be a long drive north before you would have to be on alert. Instead, the woods around the town simply had some rabbits and deer occasionally seen, but that was all. Ugh. A loud grunt startled Ella to her feet, ripping the earbud from her left ear, hoping the sound was only from her imagination. "You have got to be kidding me!" Out from the forest tree line, into the sunlight stepped a figure wearing wedged ankle boots and a short sundress. Nails painted and maintained to perfection and matching makeup with flowing hair. "Ash?" Ella spoke with disbelief to see anyone, let alone this fashionista, this deep into the woods.

With a look of disgust, Ashlin kicked her feet trying to shake off any dirt or sludge that had stuck to her shoes from the walk. "I will never understand why these soggy, animal infested, nature-smelling woods appeal to you so much." Still confused on how she was able to find her, Ella began to ask, "How did you-" But was quickly cut off by a rambling Ash. "And I swear Ella Rose if these designer heels are stained from your muddy forest, you're going to own me big time". Finally finding a firm, semi-dry patch of grass, Ash closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. The annoyed grimace on her face was quickly replaced with a gentle smile. "Girl, I've been your friend for quite some time now. Do you really think, with the number of times I have seen you walk into the forest and drop you off at that rusty stump, I won't be able to find this place? I swung by your house, saw your car, but when no one answered I knew this was the next place to check."

Honestly, even with the amount of time Ash had dropped her off, she was still surprised that Ash was able to find it. She probably just got lucky and made the right few turns to get here but wouldn't be able to do it again. "Why were you looking for me?" Ella asked, sitting back down on her stump while wrapping her earbuds around her hand. "Uh hello? Do you not realize what today is?" Ash asked in disbelief, carefully picking her steps towards Ella. Not sure if she would step wrong and suddenly sink a foot deep in forest slush. "Saturday?" Ella shrugged back, grinning at Ash's extra effort to navigate herself through space. Unknowingly to Ash, all the ground was firm, and she had nothing to worry about, but it was too entertaining to tell Ash any difference.

"No really?" She replied in a mocking voice. "It's a full moon..." Ash tried to lead on hits to get Ella to realize what she was talking about, but Ella continued to look at her with no idea what she was talking about. Letting out a groan in annoyance, she continued, "Full moon bash? Willis Mansion party, hello?". As realization hit Ella's face she rolled her eyes, having zero interest in going to the party. She wanted to tell Ash she wasn't invited, but Ash was so involved with all of the party scene that she knew everyone was invited. "Plus, V told me she invited you personally."

Ash and Valerie had sort of friends (but not friends) with benefits going on. They met when Ella was falling out with Carlos and the two hit it off because of both being popular for different reasons. Valerie claimed she wasn't gay or bisexual but didn't claim she was straight either. She was just 'Valerie', she would say whenever someone asked her about her sexuality. The two never dated or seemed to have any interest in anything further than s*x together and the parties were one of the main places they would hook up. It wasn't a surprise to Ella that Valerie had mentioned the invitation to her best friend. "Ash, it's just going to be another crowded house full of boozed up teenagers trying to get laid."

"Exactly! Don't get me too excited." Ash cheered back, finally making it closer towards Ella. "With everyone there, I doubt you'll even see him, Ella." Ash knew far too well about Carlos and Ella's past and how Ella preferred to stay away from her ex. "I don't want to go Ashlin." Ella stated firmly, beginning to walk back towards the direction of Ash's car. "You could have told me the ground wasn't squishy!" Ash shouted toward her, quickly catching up. "Come on girl, it's your junior year and you haven't even been to one party your entire life! And don't even argue with me, birthday parties do not count!" Ella began to walk backwards, not needing to look where she was going, she perfectly knew when she would need to step over something or to the side of her reputation of walking the woods. "I already know you're going to ditch me for the first hot chick you see as soon as we get there." Ella teased, trying to get off the topic.

"I will have my phone on me, all I'm asking is that you try it for an hour. If you still want to leave it, then text me and I'll drive you home." Ash bargained, slightly hoping that this trip would get her friend into the party scene, and they would be able to enjoy them together. Ella thought for a second but knew this was the best offer she was going to get for the night. "One-hour Ashlin Ray! One hour and if I say we leave, then we will leave." She said firmly, staring down at her friend. "That's what I said, one hour. You'll have fun, stop worrying." Her friend grabbed Ella's hand as they stepped over the rusty log in front of the parked maroon truck. Although Ash wore dresses and heels sometimes, she was definitely a tomboy with her truck and was the dominant one in her relationships.

"I'm surprised you aren't hanging out with Xan today." Ella said, grabbing a towel from the back seat and placing it under her butt on the passenger side. Xan was Ash's gay boy best friend. He lived in the closest town two hours away, but constantly made a visit to come see Ashlin. On the weekend they would commonly go to the only gay bar in town or watch movies and drink. Ella had only met him a few times, so they never hit it off and hung out, the three of them. Plus, he was much higher class, similar to Ash, and they would have conversations about fashion and celebrities that Ella never understood. "He has some family event to go to". She shrugged as she carefully began to back her car off of the long dirt drive. It was too small to turn around in.

"So, since the party starts at ten, I was thinking we would go back to my place and watch some movies, then we can drive over there." Ash said, although she was offering it, it was more like she already made the plan. "Sure." Ella shrugged as she watched all the trees rush past her during the drive, soon disappearing into the distance as they entered town and began to drive towards one of the neighborhood complexes that Ash lived in. Being on the wealthier side of the town, Ash lived in one of the only gated communities. Her father was hardly ever home, usually traveling for business meetings and only seeing Ash about one week a month, but somehow that's what kept their father and daughter relationship strong. Seeing each other any more than that, they would butt heads too much and argue.

When they had gotten to Ash's home, Ella threw her soaked black jeans into the dryer and borrowed some pajama pants from Ash. Ashlin is a few inches taller than Ella, so the pants were a bit saggy, but they would work for the time being. "So, I've picked out a few different things you can borrow to the party." Ash said as she made her way from the kitchen with a self-made martini and some Takis. "Ash, I've seen your wardrobe. I'm not wearing any of that. I'll be fine with just a hoodie and my jeans." Ash shook her head as she swallowed a sip of her drink. "You can't be seriously thinking about wearing that to the party." She said in disbelief and Ella clicked through the possible available movies for them to watch. "You're lucky I'm even going, don't argue with me on this." Ash knew she was right and didn't say a word further as they began to watch Twilight New Moon.

Halfway through the film, Ella had fallen asleep, only awakening to the familiar music of the rolling end credits. Ash was knocked out on the couch beside her with a half empty drink still in her hands. The girl never spilled her alcohol. Groaning as she sat up, she suddenly began to feel an aching pain throughout her body. All of her joints, fingers, knees, elbows; they all ached as she moved. Her head pounded, feeling a headache behind her eyes. Her vision was blurry, constantly feeling like it was going in and out of focus like a camera lens. With every breath she took, it felt as though she had a broken rib, causing pain with every deep breath. Slowly getting to her feet, Ella hissed as the ice-cold tile shot chills up her legs, feeling as though she was walking on ice.

Shuffling to the kitchen and rummaging through the pantry, Ella found extra strength, pain, and headache relief medication which she quickly swallowed three of. She knew she was only supposed to take one, but the pain she was experiencing was so strong she didn't care if she would be throwing up later. Grabbing a glass while the three acid-tasting pills laid on her tongue, Ella turned on the facet to get water to help swallow the pills. Turning on the water, Ella quickly rushed to shut it off. The fast-rushing water sounded as if she was standing beside Niagara Falls, the noise causing her to stiffen. The taste in her mouth was the only thing pushing her to keep going. She slowly turned on the water, letting it fill up just enough to swallow the pills in her mouth. Placing the glass in the sink, she leaned over the kitchen counter, not realizing how hot her skin was. The cool marble quickly began to lower her skin temperature, slowly giving her a form of relief. Within the next few minutes, everything seemed to fade away as the pills began to do their magic.

Ash had woken from the sound of the glass cup dropping into the metal sink, calling out to Ella, who didn't respond. She watched for a minute as Ella laid her top half across the counter and tucked her arms beneath her. Ash continued to call Ella's name, not knowing if she was sleep walking. She had read somewhere you shouldn't wake someone who is sleep walking, instead wait until they are in danger or until they fall back asleep somewhere. Loudly saying her name right across the counter from her, and still with no response, Ash placed her hand on Ella's shoulder to shake her awake. Quickly Ella reacted, turning and grasping Ash's wrist. Her breathing was heavy and rapid, as if she had just run a marathon or woken up from an awful dream.

"Okay ow." Ash said, feeling the tight grip on her wrist begin to ache. "Sorry," Ella said as she slowly released her best friend's wrist. "You okay? I was basically yelling at you, and you weren't answering." Ash replied confused, rubbing her sore wrist and shaking it out. "I think so. I just had a headache, and my eyes were-". "Nope" Ash cut her off. "What?" Ella spoke. "You're not faking an illness to get yourself out of another party, you did this last month". It was true. Ash tried to bring her along to a party in Xan's town, but Ella faked a stomach bug to get out of it. "No Ash, I swear I really did have a headache and-"

"Then take some aspirin, but you are still going for at least an hour! Speaking of, it's already getting late so go get dressed." Ash said, smacking Ella on the butt like a team captain would on a football team. Ella rolled her eyes as she began walking to the laundry room to get her jeans from the drier. Just one hour and then I can go home. It can't be that bad.