The weekend quickly came. The rest of the week was quiet while we waited around for an attack. I had found I spent most of my time waiting, waiting for another attack, or a sign or something from this pack. Zach spent the week glued to my side and the rest of my friends weren't far behind.
My dad spent the week training as many wolves as possible, creating an army ready for the attack. After Joe's betrayal, he had become much more strict with the pack, ensuring that nobody else dared to go against him. People had been punished left right and centre for who knows what.
Each day after school, Zach would help me with some training to fight and the rest of my friends would show up when they could to learn some good skills. Everyone around me seemed to be preparing for battle. Ryder, especially, was on constant alert, listening in to everything to make sure nobody knew anything or that nobody was at the border.
The full moon was a week away and there was a slight panic that they would attack then, while we were all split and out in the open. I, for one, thought that an attack on a full moon would be better as we would be in wolf form so it would be more difficult for them to take me without hurting or killing me. Zach didn't think that was a good thing.
I had spent the entire morning with Zach and the rest of my friends, all of us fighting each other to prepare. I didn't know how many members of the pack were coming for me but apparently everyone was preparing for hundreds of them to come.
Now, Zach was helping Jordan to control her wolf while Caroline and Blake fought. Ryder was off with Alexia somewhere, scouting about for any type of threat and I sat, resting against a tree.
I was so sick of having constant observation, even if it was my friends and Zach. I couldn't do anything alone so I took this opportunity to sneak away for 5 minutes. I knew it was stupid but I needed a minute alone, besides, I could defend myself long enough for them to run to me.
I ploughed through the woods as fast as my legs would carry me, desperate to run and feel the freedom I got when I did. Before I knew it, I had reached the outskirts of town and made up my mind to get a drink at the cafe. I was safe there, not a single wolf would risk exposure and there were plenty of humans in there on a Saturday.
I took my seat at my booth after ordering a hot chocolate. It was especially cold today and I had spent all morning in the woods in human form, even though I desperately wanted to turn and warm up under my wolfs fur coat. I sipped my hot chocolate for a while until I heard a voice beside me.
"Ella?" They asked incredulously and I grunted. I looked up to see his large form at the end of the table. His light, dirty blond hair was ruffled on his head and hung across his forehead.
"Mason," I huffed, rolling my eyes as he sat down opposite me. He glanced around the cafe before setting his eyes back on me.
"You're alone." His hazel, brown eyes narrowed at me as he spoke, his lips slightly downturned in a frown.
"Yeah, I needed a minute," I explained, taking a gulp of hot chocolate. He let out a deep sigh, knowing he had just put himself in the middle of something unintentionally.
"So they don't know you are here?" He nodded and raised his brows.
"No they don't." I sighed. "But they will soon I presume." I nodded to his phone that he had pulled out of his pocket. He hesitated for a couple of seconds before sighing and placing it onto the table.
I furrowed my eyebrows as he placed it down and stared at him incredulously. "I'm not going to ask it, but what would your answer be?" He mumbled and I knew exactly what he was asking. His posture relaxed slightly as he leant back on the sofa.
"I'm ok." I nodded. "I just wanted a minute." He smiled and nodded in understanding. A cup of coffee sat in front of him and he gently stirred it with his spoon.
We sat in companionable silence for a while and drank our drinks. I thought one of my friends would be bundling into the cafe now to drag me home but they hadn't come. "Can I ask you something?" I finally spoke up.
"Yeah sure." He smiled.
"Well, Zach and Caroline and the others, they are all preparing to fight off this pack when they come," I started and he nodded. "I don't want them getting hurt because of me, how can I stop them from fighting?" I asked and and watched as a grin spread across his face.
"You can't," he replied and I let out a sigh. I figured that was the case. "They all love you and would happily get hurt for you," he continued and I nodded in response.
"I know, and I would for them." I smiled. I loved them all so much and desperately wanted to spare all the bloodshed I would cause if a fight occurred. Part of me wondered if I should hand myself over.
"You know, I am starting to understand this whole pack thing better," Mason explained and I laughed.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"Yeah, and you can't stop them from protecting you because the pack always protect their Alpha," he continued. I nodded my head slowly yet I was unsure of how this related to me.
"Thats true, but my dad is the Alpha, remember?" I scoffed at his mistake but he simply shook his head at me. I narrowed my eyes at him while a grin contorted across his face.
"Not theirs," he stated and I pulled my eyebrows together. "You're their Alpha. Its obvious."
"That's not how it works, Mason." I laughed.
"Maybe not, but its true," he stated matter of factly.
"I'm not an Alpha," I muttered. How could he think I was an Alpha? I was putting them all in danger.
"Yes. You are," he argued forcefully. "Ella you protect them all, you take charge in every situation, they all come to you when there is a problem. I mean when I found out your secret, Caroline went straight to you, you were the one that dealt with it and I know you would have killed me to protect them." He raised his eyebrows while I stared at him in disbelief.
"They all know it, I know it. Why don't you Ella?" He asked.
I remained speechless as I thought about it. He had a point about the Caroline situation, and when I thought about it, Alexia came to me when she took the wolfsbane. But that didn't make me Alpha.
"Yeah, why don't you Ella?" I looked over to see Ryder standing with his eyebrows raised. Beside him Zach stood with his arms crossed, looking very angry and the rest of them crowded behind them with confused expressions.
"You all came." I huffed, scooting across so they could sit down.
"We all came." Jordan smiled, taking a seat next to Mason. Zach slid into the booth next to me and sent me a 'don't do that again' look.
"So?" Ryder asked from the other side of Jordan and I sent him a quizzical look. "How do you not see your our Alpha? Even Mason does for crying out loud." He laughed and I smiled.
"You all really think that?" I asked.
"Yep," Zach whispered, planting a light kiss on my temple.
"Obviously." Jordan grinned and the rest of them all nodded and grinned at me.
"Why?" I asked, genuinely baffled.
"Well, you always do what's necessary to protect us," Blake explained.
"And you always get us out of the situations we get ourselves into." Caroline grinned and I laughed, we did seem to get ourselves into some difficult situations.
"And you are bossy!" Ryder exclaimed and I glared at him.
"Yeah that too!" Alexia giggled, causing me to roll my eyes.
"Told you!" Mason scoffed and I couldn't stop the grin that overtook my face.
"I don't want you guys to get hurt trying to protect me," I told them sternly.
"Enter: pack rebellion," Ryder exclaimed and I growled.
"I'm serious," I grumbled.
"So are we. We need you so you aren't going with them. We won't allow it," Jordan ordered.
"Yeah, if you go with them then who will stop Ryder from being annoying," Caroline said with a laugh.
"And who will stop Caroline from being a moody bitch and biting people," Ryder retorted.
"And also, Jordans wolf would be unleashed and we would all be eaten alive." Zach laughed causing Jordan to growl and throw us into another pit of laughter.
"And who would threaten Mason enough to scare him into keeping our secret?" Caroline teased and I rolled my eyes.
"Ok, I get the idea. You would all fall apart without me," I gloated.
"Besides, who else would let me have a human boyfriend?" Caroline grumbled.
"You're our Alpha, El," Alexia concluded.
"And we won't let anyone take our Alpha," Zach assured me.