Pureblood (Pureblood series)

by Ellysia Fields

  “Well, it makes sense that you’re having a hard time, you are a Turned after all.” As he spoke, he realized the error of his words. “Not that I’m saying you’re weak or anything, it’s just… you’re still so new, and you’re not born into it like everyone else and-”

  “I know what you’re saying, and it’s not helping! Next to Jeremiah, I’m bottom of the barrel in the pack because I’m a ‘Turned’. It’s not like that’s something I can change though, right? I can't help the way I became a werewolf!” Her anger had gotten the better of her as she glared at Nick, hurt clouding his eyes. “Nick, I didn’t mean to snap. I’m not mad at you, not really. I’m mad at myself for not being able to get this. It’s been over a month now since I was turned, and the Ceremony is next week and I don’t know if I’m ready and…” her voice trailed off.

  Nick couldn't help her be ready for next week, but maybe he could help her with her other problem of being accepted. Besides, if she chose the way he wanted her to, next week the pack would have no choice but to accept her anyway. “Hey, come with me.” He spoke softly, holding his hand out. She looked up at him, taking his hand as he pulled her to her feet and into a hug. It lasted only a moment before he led her out of the den and down to the lower level.

  “Where are you taking me, Nick?” she asked.

  “To someone I know can help. Well, two someone’s,” he smiled as he walked into the ritual room where the twins stayed. Allen and Ariel were both standing on the stage, and both glanced over at Nick and Elizabeth when they entered.

  “Ah, welcome Lord Beta and friend Elizabeth, what a pleasure seeing you two,” Ariel said, smiling sweetly.

  “Dear sister, please stop drooling at the Beta, it makes me very uncomfortable.” Allen sarcastically added, his sister sneering at him in response. “What brings you two here?”

  “Liza is having a hard time reaching her inner wolf, and I thought you two might be able to help her,” Nick explained. Elizabeth stared at them as they looked at each other, sharing a secretive smile.

  “We can help her, give us a moment.” They both stepped back off the stage and into a back room. They returned a few moments later with a large incense burner, setting it down on the floor before they beckoned her over.

  “Liza, if you could, come and sit in front of the burner while Ariel lights the incense sticks,” Allen started. “Once you are comfortable, hold out your hands, palms up and close your eyes. We shall each take one of your hands and try to commune with your wolf. Once we reach her, we may learn more about why she is hiding.”

  Elizabeth nodded, taking up her spot and doing as she was instructed. She felt Allen’s thin, strong hand first and felt a warm hum of energy flow into her slowly. It never quite reached past her wrist, until she felt Ariel’s hand touch hers. There was a sudden snap as the energies of Allen and Ariel connected, and it was like Elizabeth was a little more than a channel through which their energy flowed. Her eyes opened, and Nick gasped as he saw the glow that came from them. He watched as her eyes slid from droopy to sleepy.

  “I can feel you, Brother, as you feel me. Now let us find our packmate’s wolf,” Ariel said, in a trance-like state.

  “Yes, Sister. I can feel it, can you?” Allen asked.

  Elizabeth felt their intrusive presence, feeling their way through her soul. The sensation caused her to gasp as they suddenly found her wolf. It felt like she was hiding from all of them, curling into the back recesses of her mind.

  ‘What are you doing, friend? Why will you not come forth, fully join with your partner,’ she heard Ariel speak in her mind.

  ‘I shall not be ordered around by the likes of you. It is not time yet, but time will come. Leave me!’ the wolf snapped back at the energies approaching her.

  ‘Come now, we just wish for you to join us, packmate,’ Allen tried coaxing the wolf out, and it seemed to work.

  ‘You wish to know me? Fine then, you shall see me!’ The wolf attacked the intruding pair, causing the trance to break and them both to fly back as Elizabeth’s eyes glowed brightly enough to lighten the dark room. Ariel and Allen stayed where they were on the floor, shock and fear in their eyes as they watched the image of Elizabeth’s wolf come over her features. She didn’t shift, not exactly, more like a ghost of the wolf layered itself over the human. It lasted for only a few moments before her eyes dimmed and the ghost of her wolf vanished again, Elizabeth coming back to her senses.

  “What was that? What happened?” Elizabeth asked, staring at the two on either side of her before her eyes found Nick. He was just as shocked as the twins, none of them answered her questions right away.

  “Did you feel that, Sister?” Allen asked, eyes finding his sister as he stood.

  “I did, she is very powerful indeed. Should that be possible in a wolf so new?” Ariel asked as she stood too, brushing herself off.

  “I’ve never heard of it, but it is possible I suppose. She is indeed very powerful. The Goddess has chosen well for you, Nick. I look forward to seeing what she will do next,” Allen smiled, excitedly.

  “As do I!” Ariel added. Nick went over to Elizabeth, helping her up. “Your wolf will come to you if you are in need, but do not worry if she is not always there. From what we have discovered, she is waiting for something to happen.”

  “When that thing happens, everything will be made clear. That much we can promise,” Allen finished for his sister. Elizabeth offered to help clean up, but they brushed off her assistance, so the pair thanked the twins and took their leave as they watched the retreating figures turn the corner.

  Once they reached Nick’s den, he had to leave for patrol. Reluctantly, he left her alone to ponder what her wolf had said. Her wolf was waiting, deep inside her, but what was she waiting for? Why was she being held back? Was Elizabeth not strong enough to handle it? She skipped dinner that night and decided to go to bed early, figuring that whenever that “time” came, it would all make sense. As she lay there, waiting for sleep to claim her, she felt a similar sensation to the ritual earlier. She sat in darkness while in front of her was her wolf. They met, eye to eye, a short distance apart, just staring. Just as she was about to speak, her wolf spoke first.

  ‘Know that, even if I am not there all the time, I will always be there when you have need of me.’ Her voice was soft and smooth like silk, but strong like a waterfall.

  ‘There is so much I don’t understand, but I’m learning so I can be worthy of you,’ she looked down as she admitted what had really been on her mind lately. She wanted to be worthy of her wolf, and of Nick. Worthy of being a part of something this strong and powerful. Her wolf stood, walked over and nuzzled into the human’s neck.

  ‘You are worthy of me, our place in this pack, and our mate. Take pride in your strength and be ready. Things are going to get harder. Trust that I will be there every step of the way, but as long as you keep denying who you are, it will be impossible to fully accept me.’ The voice of her wolf got softer as she spoke until it was little more than a whisper. She slowly felt herself waking up from sleep, drowsy and exhausted. She checked the time, seeing it was already morning and she was exhausted. It was gonna be a long day.

  Chapter Twenty

  The day was finally upon them, the Full Moon Ceremony. Camila was excited for them, even if she knew Elizabeth was nervous. She still hadn’t decided what she would do and Nick reassured her that he would be fine either way. She didn’t have much time to really think about it, because Beatrice seemed to suddenly have a lot of work for the both of them to do. If she didn’t know better, which she wasn’t sure if she did, it was like the Alpha was trying to keep them apart. The last few days, they had jobs on opposite sides of the pack’s den. They only saw each other when returning to Nick’s den, and after running around all day the only thought on either of their minds was sleeping.

  But tonight, she decided, they would run together and come what may, Beatrice couldn’t stop them. Or so she’d thought.

  “Liza dear,
can you come here a moment?” Beatrice practically purred. She turned towards her Alpha, feeling the pull of the slowly rising moon. The urge to shift and run beneath the full moon was strong, but not as strong as the pull to find Nick.

  “Yes, Alpha?” She asked, wondering what job the woman had for her now.

  “I’d like you to take an inventory of the food we have in storage, I can have Jeremiah join you shortly, if you want help?” she asked sweetly.

  “But the hunt is about to start, I’ll be late if I go do that now. Can it wait until-”

  “No!” Beatrice snapped, then added calmly, “No dear girl, the hunt will bring in more food, so I need that inventory now. Do I have to order you?”

  “No, Alpha. I shall obey,” she averted her eyes, respectfully and went to do as she was told. As she was heading down to the kitchen, Jeremiah ran to catch up with her.

  “Hey, Liza, wait up! So, back to the kitchens we go, huh? Hey, you look sad, what’s wrong?” He looked upset for her, and his concern triggered something inside her.

  “We’re gonna be late for the hunt if we don’t leave soon. Then everything will be messed up. Can she really do that? It’s not fair!” Sadness turned to anger quickly as she punched the wall but felt no pain.

  “Well, let’s get through it quickly then, right? I’ve done this before, so we’ll get this over fast!” He smiled, trying to brighten her mood, and it helped a little. She smiled weakly, nodding as they entered the kitchen and into the food storage.

  It took less than an hour to do the inventory, and Elizabeth’s head was swimming with numbers. So much food, fully provided for the pack everyday by Beatrice, thanks to her business. It really was amazing that she could do this for this many people.

  “See, told you that wouldn’t take- oh no,” Jeremiah started to say, but stopped when he tried to open the door. He pushed against it, even banging it but it didn’t budge. “We’re stuck!”

  “What? No, no, no, no, no! We have to get out!” Elizabeth ran to the door and, sure enough it wouldn’t budge. “We’re trapped!”

  “I’ll get us out of here, Liza. Don’t worry!” He pushed hard against the door, trying to turn the knob, but still nothing. “I’ll shift, maybe that will help,” he said as he leaned down low. He pulled his shirt off and shifted quickly into a dusty brown wolf. He paced a moment, before ramming the door. It moved, but only a little. The wolf snarled low at the door, before ramming it a few more times as it moved a bit more each time.

  “Nice, one more should do it, Jeremiah!” The wolf turned to her, sniffing as if he just realized she was still there. He approached her, slowly, like he was stalking some prey. Elizabeth could feel the full moon somewhere high above them, and saw the glazed over look in Jeremiah’s eyes in response. She barely had a second to react before the wolf that was her friend jumped at her, jaws wide. She ducked to the side as he hit the back wall, running to the door that was still barely hanging on. She begged for her wolf to help her, save her from Jeremiah as she heard his answering growl behind her getting closer. She pressed her back to the door, facing the snarling wolf as she suddenly remembered that she was not helpless even without her wolf. She was higher ranked than him.

  “Stop this, Jeremiah. You will not harm me!” she put as much force as she could muster, but it wasn't enough as he jumped at her again. With reactions she didn’t know she had, she ducked again and slammed him into the door, finally breaking the lock. He slid across the kitchen floor from the force and stayed down long enough for Elizabeth to see her opening and take it, running out of the room. She ran as fast as she could, but it wasn’t long before she heard the doors to the dining hall open and the soft pads of feet running after her. She took the stairs three at a time, her lungs burned but she didn’t care.

  Once she reached the ground level, she ran towards the opening to the cave, eyes frantic. She said a little prayer that Nick hadn’t left yet, but as she was nearing the view of the night sky above Jeremiah jumped on her, pinning her to the ground. He snarled loudly, blue eyes shining as he brought his jaws down closer to her neck. She closed her eyes waiting for the pain when her wolf finally responded. Her eyes flew open again and the look she gave him, the power she felt behind her stare caused him to pause, entranced. It bought her enough time as a mass of white fur was suddenly beside her, grabbing the smaller brown wolf off her by the scruff. Nick flung the smaller Jeremiah aside with a painful thud, placing himself protectively over Elizabeth. Jeremiah slowly stood, growling and snarling at Nick, but he snapped back causing the Omega to shrink away and out the cavern with his tail between his legs.

  Once he was sure the enemy was gone, Nick stepped a little away from Elizabeth, sitting down on the stone floor with his tail wagging gently.

  “Thank you,” she whispered as she sat up. He followed her eyes, waiting for her next move. “I still don’t know if I’m ready, Nick,” she voiced aloud, knowing he could understand her. He sniffed her a little, making sure she was okay. She opened her arms, welcoming him into them in a hug. “I do care about you, but am I really ready for a mate now?” He whined and nuzzled into her neck in response. “Yea, I know. You’ll wait as long as I need, but is that fair for you?” Wolf-Nick huffed, as if to say he didn’t care, but whined again when she started to scratch behind his ear. “You’re like a big dog not a wolf right now, it’s cute. I can almost forget our situation.” She stayed that way for a little while, allowing his smell and warmth to encompass her like a furry blanket.

  After a few minutes, she inhaled deeply and let it all go in one quick burst. She pushed him away a little, causing another whine to escape him. “Alright, I’m ready.” She stood and started to walk towards the entrance of the cave, Nick padding along beside her with his tail wagging quickly. He was still on alert, and she sensed it. Once at the entrance, she felt the pull of the full moon deeply in her bones as strongly as her pull towards the huge white wolf at her side. She tilted her face to the moon, letting it’s cool gentle light caress her features like a strand of silk dancing over her exposed skin. With one more soft inhale of breath, she allowed the shift to take her over, and within moments she was her golden blonde wolf. She walked a few steps ahead, and turned to face her destiny.

  As soon as their eyes met, there was a snap of recognition. Why had she been so nervous? It was like love at first sight, seeing your husband at the end of the aisle, and first kiss all rolled into one. Everything was right and good and proper. He felt it too if his sharp inhale of breath was any indication. He took two steps to close the gap between them and their noses touched for a moment, before they tilted sideways just a bit, their muzzles sliding along each other’s in a long nuzzle. She made a noise, deep in her throat like a moan, in pleasure and Nick huffed as if to say “told ya”. After a long moment, they pulled back, licked each other a few times, before taking off into the forest in perfect sync.

  The rest of the night, she could only remember in snippets, like a long and broken dream. After the initial connection, her wolf took more control as they hunted. She had no desire to see that, so she was okay with her wolf and Nick sharing a meal, running together, passing by the pack. They always seemed to be touching, fur brushing fur, nose to nose, ear to ear. As the night wore on, and most of the pack went inside to hear the story for that night, they still ran together. Long after the moon was high in the sky, the pair finally made it back into the pack’s den, walking so close they might as well have been leaning on each other. They could barely stand to be separated for more than a moment. Nick led them up the stairs, instead of down, his emotions flooding the bond that was now strong between them, and she responded in kind. They were completely open to each other, nothing was hidden right now. Once he reached his den, he shouldered his way inside, and she followed after him.

  ‘Let me take it from here, Elizabeth. I will tame this wolf for you.’ Before she could respond, everything went black.

  ***************

  The next morning, she woke
up feeling surprisingly refreshed after her eventful night. She remembered the inventory, Jeremiah freaking out and Nick saving her. She remembered running with Nick and the bond being completed, that feeling of finding what she’d always had missing made her smile. She shifted slightly in bed, but feeling something warm behind her caused her to freeze. She turned her head slightly to look behind her, before she could see, however, he rolled over and draped an arm around her waist. Her heart beat frantically, as several things came to mind at once.

  She was naked, Nick was too, and they were in bed together. What exactly happened after her wolf took over? Judging from the soreness in her body, she didn't have to imagine for long. She had a lot of questions, but no answers as she tried to scoot away from Nick, as far as the sheet covering her would allow. The movement caused him to stir and wake up, groggily looking at her as wave after wave of sleepiness and love washed over her. The depth of his feelings drowned her as she gasped for breath. His eyes shot open completely as he looked at her and suddenly the feelings were gone almost completely, just a small trickle of love and reassurance coming from their bond now.