Saving Ellie (Lycans Book 1)

by Whitney R. B.

  There’s a small family tree with him and his parents, their birth dates and deaths. I’m surprised to find out that my grandparents were both Originals, making it a short line of lycans, but there’s also humans listed before my grandparents were turned, such as great-grandparents, great aunts and uncles, but it doesn’t mention anyone past my grandparents. No cousins of my dad. Does that mean he doesn’t have any, or that they just didn’t want to do the genealogy for humans?

  I let out a sigh and focus on another paper. His name, Gabriel Hollenberg, is written on top and below it lists his rank as Pureblood, Hunter, Alpha, Alpha Couple. Underneath that is Enhanced Hearing.

  Does that mean his special ability is enhanced hearing?

  I reach for my mom’s folder once more and go through the pages until I come across one similar.

  Addison Thornton

  Royal, Pureblood, Healer, Alpha, Alpha Couple

  Enhanced Healing

  Royal?

  Ash walks back into the room with his laptop in hand.

  He pauses mid-step. “What’s wrong?”

  I glance down at the page then back at Ash. “Are there royal lycans?”

  He walks over and sits beside me, placing his laptop on the table. He leans over and examines the paper. After a moment, his eyes bug out as his mouth slightly parts in surprise.

  “What? What is it?”

  He blinks then meets my gaze. “Uh...wow.” His eyes shift between mine in awe.

  “What?”

  “You’re a direct descendant of the lycan Elite.”

  My brain short circuits. “I don’t understand.”

  “There’s no hierarchy now, not since the war, but before that there were royals for stryxes and lycans. And witches have a council.”

  I take a deep breath and let it out slowly as I put the paper down. “Okay, back up.” I still know nothing about the war.

  “Right, okay.” He stands. “I actually found a history book about the war while I was in Philadelphia. I’ll be right back.” And then he’s gone again.

  My hands shake. This is crazy. I’m a direct descendant of the Elite? How? I don’t even feel like a pureblood, how am I supposed to be royalty?

  I shake my head, Ash even said they don’t have a hierarchy now, so I guess it doesn’t actually matter.

  Ash comes back in with an old, worn leather book. He waits for me to clean up my papers before placing it in front of me and sitting beside me.

  My hands hover over the cover, but before I open it, I remember why I opened my mom’s file. I pick it back up and find the page again. Enhanced Healing.

  “I was wondering…on these papers where it says enhanced, does it mean those are their special abilities?”

  He takes the paper I offer, his eyes scan the page then hands it back. “Yes, those are them. Usually special abilities are just an enhancement of what we already have, like me with my speed, and your parents, but for some it’s extra special.”

  My head tilts. “What do you mean?”

  His fingers tap against the wood of the table. “For example, with Foster, he can tell what exactly is wrong within someone’s body by placing his forehead to theirs, it links him to their essence. And he’s able to encourage their natural ability to heal faster.”

  My eyes widen. “That’s really cool.”

  He nods. “Helps when a healer isn’t close by.”

  “Do healers have a special ability to heal?” I ask.

  “Not exactly. Those that work at the hospital or medical field are knowledgeable, but they also seem to have a natural ability to know what’s wrong and how to help.”

  “Huh, okay.” I put the paper away, then go back to the book as Ash opens his laptop.

  I open the leather binding and stop. “I can’t read this.”

  Ash leans over and peers at the pages. “Ah, it’s in Latin.”

  My eyes narrow. “Ash.”

  He chuckles. “Sorry, I’ll read it to you.”

  I gently move the book in front of him. “It’s okay, just tell me what you learn while I go through my parents’ things.”

  Standing, I tug the box closer and pull the top folds apart to open it.

  Lifting on my toes, I peer inside and reach in. The first thing I pull out is a photo album. My hands itch to go through it, to see their faces again, instead I set it aside for later. Next is a jewelry box.

  The lid squeaks slightly as I peek inside, finding some of my mom’s favorite jewelry, just not my mom’s wedding ring. Was she buried with it? Ash said her fingers were burned, did her ring make it? My chest tightens. I hope it did. I remember gazing at it all the time when I was younger.

  Reaching in, I pull out a leather-bound journal. I sit down to unravel the leather ties and open it.

  A sigh escapes me. It appears to be the same language as the history book. Looks like I need to learn Latin.

  I look over at Ash to find his brows creating a crease as he reads. “Ash?”

  “Huh?” He marks the page with his finger and meets my gaze.

  “Could you read this after for me as well?” I ask.

  His eyes drop to the journal before gesturing for me to give it to him.

  “You don’t have to do it now.”

  He gives me a smile. “It’s fine.”

  I hand him the journal and he places it on top of the history book.

  His brows rise as he scans the page. “It’s the journal of the mate of the Elite.”

  “W-what?” If it’s in my parents’ things, does that mean she’s no longer alive? I haven’t looked at my mom’s family tree yet. I grab her file, but when I find her family tree it stops with her dad, my grandpa, on the Thornton line, neither are marked as Originals. How far does it go back?

  There’s a knock at the door that jars me from my thoughts.

  Ash glances up. His head tilts to the side, his eyes unfocused. “It’s Foster and Soph, do you mind letting them in?”

  “Nope.” I stand then leave the kitchen.

  Foster has a huge grin when I open the front door. “Ellie, how are you?” He strides in and lays an arm around my shoulders, giving me a little squeeze before moving to the kitchen without waiting for a response.

  “Uh...” I glance back at Sophie, who’s laughing lightly. She shakes her head as she enters. Her dark-brown hair is down for once.

  “Hey, Ellie,” she says.

  I smile. “Hey, what are you doing here?” I ask, closing the door. “Not that I mind the company.”

  “We just went to the hospital and thought we’d give you two an update,” she says as we walk to the kitchen.

  “And a phone call wouldn’t suffice?” Ash says, as he peers up with a quirk of his brow.

  “Nope,” Foster says, rummaging in the fridge.

  “Alright, so how are they?” Ash asks.

  “Same as they were this morning.” Foster scowls at the inside of the fridge. “Russell’s grumpy, Alice is back to not talking, and Jane will be woken up the day after Christmas.”

  “So, tell me again why that required an in-home visit?”

  “We were bored.” Foster looks up. “And your place is closer than mine.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” Ash asks while I retake my seat beside him.

  “Sophie was driving.”

  “My driving is fine.” Sophie glares at Foster as she takes the seat to my right, at the head of the table.

  Ash chuckles and leans back, his hands behind his head. “Well, you can read this history book for us while you’re here.”

  Foster pauses, his open mouth hovering over the apple. His forest-green eyes narrow on Ash. “You seem too happy about that.”

  Ash’s smile grows. “It’s in Latin.”

  Foster groans. “Bloody hell, you know I hate reading Latin.” He bites into the apple and strides over to us.

  “What is all of this stuff?” Sophie asks, touching my mom’s wooden jewelry box.

  “My parents’
things.”

  Her eyes widen on the box before flickering to me. “Is this...is this Addison’s?”

  I nod.

  “Do you mind if I look?”

  “Not at all.”

  Sophie slowly opens the lid. She wipes her hands on her black jeans then reaches in. She pulls out one of my mother’s necklaces with a gold chain and a small green emerald, almost the same shade as Sophie’s eyes.

  “She kept it,” Sophie says, her voice wavering.

  “It was one of her favorite necklaces. She would switch between that one and a pearl necklace my dad gifted her.”

  Sophie blinks rapidly before meeting my gaze, her eyes seem brighter as they glisten with unshed tears. “We have the same color eyes, only ones in the family with this bright of a green. I gave her this one on the eve of her mating ceremony with Gabriel.”

  My chin wobbles, my heart aching. There’s so many stories that I don’t know about my parents.

  She gives me a watery smile. “Could I give you a hug?”

  I nod. She reaches over the corner of the table and wraps me in her arms. It’s at an awkward angle, but it’s one of the best hugs I’ve ever received.

  After a moment, she releases me.

  “I want you to keep it,” I say.

  “What?” She gasps. “No, this is yours now. I couldn’t possibly take it.”

  “It means more to you than to me. I’m sure she would want you to have it.”

  She clenches her jaw when her bottom lip quivers. She gives me a short nod and with shaky hands tries to put it on.

  “I’ll help you, cuz,” Foster says softly, and makes his way to stand behind her chair. He moves her long brown hair aside and places the necklace around her neck and clasps the back.

  “Thank you,” she whispers, keeping her eyes downcast to the emerald. She grasps it tightly in her hand as she meets my eyes. “Truly, thank you. Since I learned she died, I regretted not keeping in touch.”

  It’s my turn to give her a watery smile. “I’m happy we found each other.”

  Her face lights up. “Me too,” she says, and looks back down at the necklace.

  Ash wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me closer. He places a kiss at my temple. “I love you,” he says with adoration in his eyes.

  “Thank you for getting these things for me.”

  “Anything for you, Ellie darling.”

  It isn’t until after dinner that I get to hear more about the journal and history book.

  “So, who’s going to go first?” Foster asks, sitting on the ground with his legs stretched out in front of him. He’s leaning against the couch with the history book on his lap.

  Sophie sits crisscross on the rocking chair.

  “You can,” Ash says, sitting beside me on the couch. I clench the journal to my chest. Ash didn’t read it all, but he said he was able to skim a good amount.

  “Do you know anything about the war, Ellie?” Foster asks.

  I shake my head. “Not much.”

  “About a thousand years ago, there was a war between lycans and stryxes. They found that drinking our blood allowed them to be more powerful and that we aren’t as fragile as humans. So they enslaved us, used us as blood pets, or would kill us if we were deemed problematic.”

  I swallow. “But that isn’t the case anymore, right?”

  “Correct. Although, no one really knows how we won the war except for the remaining eight Originals, and maybe some of the bitten, but no one talks about that time.”

  “Wait, there’s only eight remaining Originals?” I ask.

  Foster eyes narrow on Ash. “Have you taught her nothing?”

  Ash growls. “I have, just not everything. Our history is a lot to take in all at once.”

  Foster sighs. “Yes, but—”

  “I asked him to stop whenever I got overwhelmed,” I say.

  He blinks. “Alright, well, you just let me know as well then, yeah?”

  “Okay.”

  Foster taps his fingers on the book. “So, yes, there are only eight remaining Originals. Three of them being my grandparents, Sophie sharing one with me.”

  I perk up. “Does that mean I have one alive?”

  “I’m sorry, Ellie,” Sophie says. “It’s on my dad’s side, a Wagner. The only Knight still alive is my mum, but she’s not an Original.”

  “And my mum is a Wagner,” Foster adds. “My mum and Sophie’s dad are siblings, and it’s their dad, Arlo Wagner, who is alive. The other would be my dad’s parents.”

  I slump down. I guess that means I have an aunt alive still. And maybe an uncle, if Sophie’s dad is still alive...I should just be happy that I have family alive.

  “Okay, proceed.”

  Foster arches a brow and Ash laughs. “She does the same to me.”

  I shrug while Ash puts an arm around my shoulders.

  “Anyway,” Foster says, still chuckling, and opens the book. “I learned how we won.”

  “What?” both Sophie and Ash say in unison.

  Foster looks smug as he flips to a certain page. “That’s right. I learned how we won the war. There were two hybrids that sided with the lycan royal family that somehow changed the game.”

  “Somehow?” Sophie asks, unfolding her legs and leaning forward. Her eyes narrowed on him.

  Foster shrugs. “It doesn’t give details, and the final battle isn’t described. Just that hybrids joined, turning the tides.”

  “Hybrids?” I ask.

  “Half-lycan, half-stryx,” Ash says. “Except, they were always assumed to be a myth.”

  “Doesn’t appear that way anymore,” Foster adds.

  “No...the journal actually mentions it as well,” Ash continues. “She doesn’t mention her name, just that she’s the mate to the Elite. But she had a grandchild who disappeared with a stryx and came back years later, bearing a child with lycan and stryx traits.”

  “What else does she say?” I ask, staring at the journal.

  “Just day-to-day things, mostly. Nothing really important. It ended with her grandson coming back with his child, so there’s probably another journal that comes after.”

  I nod. And I’m sure if my parents had the journal, it’s long gone with the rest of their stuff.

  Everyone arrives together on Christmas. Sophie and Foster carry in a tree together with Alice and Russell following behind, Russell holding a box of decorations. They were just discharged today, so Sophie and Foster picked them up early this morning to make it here by lunch.

  Alice has her right arm in a cast and a boot on her right leg that forces her to limp. I know Russell had a few broken ribs, but if he’s still injured, I can’t tell.

  “Happy Christmas!” Foster smiles at me as he passes us by.

  Ash chuckles. “Merry Christmas, Foster.”

  We follow them into the family room. Russell places the box on the coffee table, volunteers to make everyone hot chocolate, and moves to the kitchen. Ash turns on the television and plays Christmas music as Alice opens the box with one hand. We each grab lights and ribbons to decorate the tree. It’s real and fresh and smells amazing.

  “Do you guys cut this down yourself?” I ask, reaching around the tree to hand my section of ribbon to Foster to get his side of the tree. Sophie and Ash are trying to untangle the lights and Alice comes over to stand beside me and help.

  “No, we bought it from someone in the pack. They raise Christmas pines and sell them,” Foster says from the other side of the tree.

  Finishing the ribbon and then lights, I grab an ornament from the box but pause when I see it’s a picture of a blonde-haired toddler with pigtails in the lap of a younger Charlie. “Is this you, Alice?”

  Alice peers around me and a smile grows on her face. “Yeah. I was three, I think.”

  Foster’s head pops around and he snatches the picture frame ornament from me. His eyes light up as he stares at the picture. “You were such a cute kid. You have Charlie’s smile.”

  Alic
e’s eyes mist, but a smile stays on her face. “You think?”

  His gaze lifts to her. “Yeah.” He looks back at the photo. “You’re going to have cute kids someday, if they look like you.”

  “I hope so,” she says softly watching him place it on the tree.

  Foster straightens and peers down at her, and I know that look. It’s the look Ash gives me. I turn away, feeling like I’m intruding on something.

  “Movie?” Sophie asks when she walks into the room holding two mugs up.

  “Give those to Foster and Alice,” Ash says as he grabs me and leads me to the couch where we sit side by side.

  He turns off the music and changes the television to a Christmas movie.

  It’s only ten minutes in when Ash grabs me and sets me down on his lap.

  “Ash.” A small giggle passes my lips. “I’m trying to watch the movie,” I whisper.

  He nuzzles my neck from behind. “You can still watch it.” His breath tickles my neck.

  “You’ve been extra needy recently,” I say.

  He always likes being near me, but since he came back from Philly, he’s always wanting to touch or hold me. I’m not sure if it’s because I almost died, the mate bond, our intimate moment, or my acceptance of everything. Either way, I don’t actually mind.

  He kisses my neck, making me squirm. “All of it.”

  “What?”

  “All four are the reasons.”

  I gasp and look over my shoulder at him. “Did you just read my mind?”

  He gives me a cheeky grin. “You’re projecting.”

  “Huh?”

  He chuckles. “You have such a cute confused face.”

  “Ash,” I whine.

  “Alright, alright. If you think your thoughts loudly, I can pick them up through the mate bond.”

  “Think my thoughts loudly…” I don’t remember screaming my thoughts.

  He chuckles again, a rumble that rolls through him. “You didn’t.” When he doesn’t continue, I send him a glare and he grins. “It’s easier to pick them up when we’re close. Once you mark me you’ll be able to do the same.” Hm, I would like to know what goes on inside that beautiful head of his. “I can teach you sometime how to block your thoughts from me if you want.”