Ella delivers the water to Thor and comes to where I'm standing with Henrik, watching me speak with the seer. I can sense she's dying to find out why Thor, who had just been made the Alpha of the biggest pack in North America, would suddenly claim another she-wolf as his mate when he showed all of them the pictures of his real mate just that morning.
As soon as my call with the seer ends, I direct my gaze to Henrik, instead of answering her silent questions. This is not the time nor place to ask and answer questions.
"I have to go and find Ash," I say to Henrik. "She was really devastated when she left. I know there's little I can do to console her in this situation but I have to at least be there for her and see in which way I can be helpful to her so she'll know she's not alone in this.
So while I'm away, and since I don't know how long it will take for me to get back. I want you to stay with Thor, like his shadow so you'll be there to keep him in line in case he suddenly goes from sane to insane. We don't know if the bitch had conjured some kind of magic switch inside his head that she could control at will...
And Ella, Before Thor gets to Alpha's mansion, make sure everything is in order. Throw everything left behind by the previous Luna out. Gather all the pictures of Ash that Thor and everyone else might have and keep them away from him, and..."
"Wait!..."
I raise my brow in surprise when she stops me mid-sentence with one word and the raise of her hand.
"Why do you want me to gather and hide all my Luna's pictures when we should have them framed and hung everywhere inside Alpha's mansion so everyone in this pack will know that bitch is an identity thief!?..."
'Why do women sometimes have problems following orders?' I wonder to myself with frustration.
Henrik, who I know also wants to know about what I discussed with the seer, gave me a curt node after I finished telling him what to do but Ella just had to ask 'WHY'?
Sometimes I wonder how she was born an Omega with her kind of personality.
She however apologized immediately. I guess she saw from my facial expression that I wasn't pleased by how she rudely interrupted me.
"I'm sorry Beta. I didn't mean to question your authority. I was just concerned about my Luna. I'm sorry"
I nod to her in understanding.
"I understand your concern but the Luna you're concerned about is the reason why I have to hurry. I don't know the position she is in right now, that is why I have to go check on her. I will gather the whole team this evening and explain everything to us in detail.
And since you will be in charge of the household business, never forget that anyone that is not from the team cannot be trusted yet. No visitor must be allowed into the mansion without my authority. No one! Especially any of the usurper's friends and family.
She's not the Luna and she will never be so don't treat her as such, but be wise about it. Don't be mean to her in front of Thor who believes her to be his mate. He will not be happy with you and believe me, you don't want to be on his bad side. Do I make myself clear, Ella?..."
"Yes, Beta!" She replies with a smile. I bet she can't wait to show the bitch how an Omega like her manages five warriors and earn their respect in the process
"If Thor asks about me, just tell him, I left without saying where I'm going..." I say finally to them before I hurry off.
Since Ash ran off, I don't know where to go to look for her and I doubt if she would want to return to the pack of the Alpha and Luna whose daughter stole her mate. I want to call Martha on the phone but decide against it. What will I tell her?...
That, my best friend rejected her daughter as soon as he was made the Alpha, to choose Alpha Nate's daughter instead. How will I explain to her on the phone without making Thor look like the monster they believed him to be... This is certainly not a matter that we could talk about over the phone.
To know where she ran off to, I decided to track her instead. Contrary to what humans believe. Not all werewolves are good trackers but Thor's Uncle made sure all four of us closest to Thor mastered the art of tracking to boot. Maybe the old wolf was already aware of what the future holds for his nephew. Maybe that was why he made sure we were prepared for it through the hard training we received
The arena that was filled with different kinds of people that came to watch the duel is now almost empty. I'm glad I didn't have to sniff through different essences before getting hers. So with my nose slightly raised, I sniff the air around me till I pick her essence. Easy-peasy.
I hurry in the direction my nose leads me and increases my pace as her essence gets stronger and stronger. I start to run when I see her and old Martha on the ground. The poor old woman is almost buckling with the force of Ash's weight pressing on her slender shoulder.
I feel guilty and ashamed when I see Martha had also been crying. Surprisingly, her countenance doesn't seem judgemental when she sees me.
"Eric..." She calls my name with relief as I take Ash out of her arms. "Thank you."
"Martha, I'm sorry this happened. Thor didn't deliberately..."
"This is not the right place. Just help me get her home. I want to first make sure she's okay." She says softly with a smile and I nod.
She's right. The middle of the Arena road where I'm crouching on the ground with them is not the right place to talk. I easily lift Ash into my arms. I notice Martha is finding it difficult to get up. I guess she's been in the same position for too long with Ash in her arms. For a woman of her age, I'm surprised she didn't fall on her back as soon as I carried Ash.
I put Ash over my shoulder and offers my hand to help her up. When she stands, she stretches her cramped muscles before leading me to where her car is parked. The drive to her house isn't like the first time when we had something to talk about. It's awkward as hell and I'm glad when we finally arrive at her house
After I put Ash to bed, Martha insists I check her pulse to make sure she's okay. I hear a sigh of relief after I assure her everything is fine with her daughter. We go to the living room to talk to and the first question she asks surprise me a great deal