Chapter 41 Chapter 41
ELLA
When the meeting was over, Daniel slapped the arm of his chair.
“So, Luna, what does a guy have to do to convince you to go do some training?”
I perked up; it had been a few days since we had trained together. I turned to Zane, hoping my best begging face would work on him. And it did, like a charm.
“I’ll go change and meet you at the field in fifteen minutes.”
“Perfect!” Daniel replied, and I hopped out of the office.
I stood in an offensive stance, sweat beading on my forehead. It had been a good session so far, and I could tell that I had become even stronger since the ceremony.
“Now, shift!” Daniel yelled as his body quickly tore into his wolf and bounded over to me.
I shifted quickly and dodged his attack. We fought hard, neither of us holding back. Even though I was a luna, he was an alpha and so bigger and stronger than I was.
But I kept up, dodging his attacks and landing several strikes of my own. Daniel shifted back, picking up a pair of shorts he had sitting off to the side and putting them on.
I shifted as well and put on my spare clothes before jogging over to Daniel. He turned to me, the smile on his face bright and proud.
“Ella, you have progressed well. I am surprised you were able to keep up so well. You are a natural fighter.”
I beamed.
“You think?”
“I do! When are we going to show Zane how strong you are?”
I shrugged.
“I don’t know. I feel like I need to learn more.”
Daniel squeezed my shoulders as we made our way back to the packhouse.
“Ella, any more learning and you’ll be able to take down Zane!”
I laughed before pushing off him and walking inside.
“Good workout?” Zane smiled as he walked out of the pack offices. His eyes searched me, noticing the light bruises forming on my arms and torso. He scowled and looked up to his dad.
I knew what he had seen and gave him a comforting touch.
“Zane, the bruises will be gone by dinner, you know that. You’re telling me you don’t get any bruises when you train?”
“That’s different,” he growled.
I shrugged.
“Is it, though?” I nudged him and wrapped my arms around him before a smirk spread on my face. I poked his rock-hard abs and grimaced.
“You should probably go get a workout in, being mated has made you soft.”
Alpha Daniel burst into laughter, and I let out a chuckle before Zane’s expression softened and he shook his head at me.
“Is that a fat joke?” he asked with a smirk.
I looked up at him innocently.
“I’m just saying a day on the field might do you some good.” And with that, I walked up the stairs to my room.
I let out a quiet giggle when I heard Daniel boom from where they were standing below me.
“She got you good!”
I returned downstairs after showering and changing and made my way to Zane’s office. I walked in and began organizing. I opened the closet and gasped to find files and papers strewn everywhere.
I shook my head in disbelief before sitting myself on the floor and grabbing a stack of files.
I went through each file, placing them in piles based on what type of file it was and then in alphabetical order or by date depending on what it was.
I was about halfway done when Zane walked into the office and sat down with a sigh.
“You okay?” I asked as I set down a file and picked up another.
Zane jumped.
“Crap, Ella! I didn’t even see you there.”
I smiled and stood up, stretching my sore body before looking at the time. I had been sitting there for almost three hours. I walked over to Zane and sat down on his lap.
“So, what’s going on?”
“It’s just been a day,” he replied.
“Anything I can help with?” I asked.
Zane shook his head.
“Not really.”
“Well, do you want to talk about it? I make a great sounding board.” I smiled and brushed a bit of hair out of his face.
Zane let out a deep breath and pulled me close to him.
“We can’t seem to find Mariah. She wasn’t spotted by border patrol, which means she’s probably still on our land. But she’s hiding somewhere, and we can’t find her.
“Then there’s this thing with the new pack member houses. It’s just been a long day.”
I looked down at my mate, wanting to help but not really knowing what to do. I grabbed his chin with my hand and lifted his face to mine before planting a light kiss on his lips.
“I know you’ll figure it out. Take a moment to clear your mind and then come back to it fresh.”
Zane smiled at me before leaning in for another kiss.
“You know the best way to clear my mind, right?”
He wrapped his arms tightly around me and stood up, making me squeal in delight as he carried me to the couch and sat down on it, leaving me straddling his lap.
I kissed him feverishly, hooking my arms around his neck and tangling my hand in his hair. Zane grabbed my hips, his hands moving slowly up under the hem of my shirt.
I moaned when his hands met the bare skin on my ribcage. Zane’s kiss deepened, spearing his tongue into my mouth.
We spent a few moments in heated passion before we were once again interrupted by a tap on the door.
“Alpha?”
Zane ran a hand through his hair, and I giggled at his frustration. The poor guy just wanted his mate. I made a mental note to make it up to him later tonight.
I hopped off and straightened myself out before opening the door with a smile.
“Elinor, please come in!” I offered, and Zane stood, offering her a seat.
“What can I do for you?” Zane asked as he sat in his chair behind the desk.
“It’s about Mariah.”
Zane’s eyes darkened, and I took her hand as she let out a fearful gasp.
“Go on,” I gave her a warm smile to hide my own fear of what this could be about.
“You see... I saw her.”
“Where?” Zane boomed.
I gave him a good, solid glare before rubbing the girl’s back. I knew they wouldn’t get anything if she was afraid. Zane pinched his nose and looked up at her.
“I’m sorry, Elinor. Where did you see her?”
“In one of the pack cabins, the ones we use for guests and visiting families.”
I looked up at Zane’s confused face.
“She wouldn’t be stupid enough to hide down the street. The trackers would have sniffed her out by now,” he said with a raised brow.
The girl shrugged.
“It sure looked like her. I was assigned to go through them and do some cleaning and upkeep, and when I went inside, she tried to hide, but I saw her. I acted like I didn’t and came straight here.”
“Thank goodness you weren’t hurt!” I gave her a worried look, knowing exactly what Mariah was capable of.
“Thank you, Elinor. We will investigate. You were brave to come to us.” Zane gave her a warm smile before letting her out of the office.
“Why is she still here?” I asked Zane as he made his way back to his desk.
Zane leaned back in his chair.
“I have no idea. But it can’t be good. I’ll send some trackers to the house to see if they can pick up on her. She’s probably long gone by now.”
I sat back in my seat, worried about what all this could mean.