Chapter 4 04

ETHAN

"She's sifting..."

Mason's words echoed through my brain as I watched her asleep from the armchair next to the bed.

It didn't make sense. She should've experienced her shift after her tenth birthday, thirteenth the least. But not shifting till nineteen seemed something very rare.

It didn't make sense. She had lived her whole life unaware of what she was. Why didn't her parents tell her?

My thoughts were interrupted as Eliza started to toss and turn. I could see the unease in her facial expression. A soft moan escaped her lips, and then her skin flushed a deep, unnatural red.

"Eliza?" I leaned forward.

And suddenly, she screamed and that made me jump to my feet and rush to her. I held her in my arms trying to comfort her as her body writhed against me.

The door flew open, and Thomas rushed in, followed closely by Mason, who was already preparing a syringe. Without hesitation, Mason injected her with a painkiller.

"This will help," he said.

"She's burning up," I said as my hand brushed against her searing forehead.

"We need to control her fever." Manson said, "At this point, her life may be at risk."

I bolted to the bathroom, wetting a flannel with cold water, and returned to place it on her head. Even with the painkiller, her screams didn't stop.

"Mason, do something!" I exclaimed feeling her pain.

I wanted to do everything I could to save her. For the first time in thirty seven years, I found my mate. I couldn't let her be in pain, or die. I knew I would give my life to protect her...but I was helpless.

"She's trying to stop the shift!" Mason said, "She needs to accept the shift."

Acting on instinct, I climbed onto the bed and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her against me. "Eliza, it's okay," I whispered.

She thrashed less as I held her. Her cries tapered into soft whimpers. I smoothed the hair back from her face. How can someone be so...beautiful?

Slowly, her body began to relax.

"I think the painkiller's working," Thomas said, placing his hand on my shoulder. "You need to go check on the status of the group you made. They have news to share on that rogue pack."

"I was called to the headquarters as well." Mason shared, "I think our wolves may have been injured."

This was important. But I couldn't leave Eliza alone.

I took my time to respond. "Thomas, is it possible for you to take over?"

"Me?" he was surprised by my words, "But you're the Alpha. How can I lead them...or make any decision?"

"Alpha or not, I'm your friend." I said, "I've known you since forever. And I know you're the only person I can trust to lead the group. Contact Landon and tell him you'll be taking over tonight. And that's an order!"

I let out a breath and glanced at Eliza, "She's my mate..."

My words shook Thomas and Mason.

I continued, "I can't leave her. Not when she's suffering and might die any minute." I looked up at Thomas and Mason, "Make sure no one from the pack can know about this. I'll announce when it's the right time."

I didn't know if I was making the right decision. I never trusted anyone with the pack decisions and this time the case was far more dangerous. A rogue pack was killing us. Some of our wolves were dead and most of us were already injured badly.

"Mason," I glanced at him, "Tell me you can heal them..."

"As long as their wolf is alive, nothing will happen to them." he replied, "But the other pack has used weapons armed with a herb that is used for killing the wolves. Their lives might be at stake."

This was the point in my life where I had to choose between my pack...and my mate. I couldn't leave them both, nor could I choose them both.

"You know best what to do," I said to Mason and then turned my head to Thomas, "Make arrangements for the attack. We'll attack them tonight."

"Ethan, but..."

"That's an order, Thomas." I pressed.

Without saying a word, they both left, leaving me and Eliza alone in the room.

I made a horrible decision and I knew that but my head wasn't thinking straight. Many wolves from the pack could die tonight and most of them were already battling for their lives.

Then suddenly, Eliza's eyes fluttered open, they glowed an intense, otherworldly golden. For a moment, she locked her gaze on mine as her fingers curled into my shirt as if she were anchoring herself to me. She pulled me closer, and before I could say or do anything, her body slackened, and she passed out again.

I sighed as my muscles tensed. My wolf wanted to come out and mark her as my mate but I had to control it. I couldn't mark her til she knew what was happening to her. I didn't even know if she was ready to be mine or not.

I heard soft moans escaping through her lips.

"It's okay," I murmured, "I'm not going anywhere."

She rested her head against my chest. I stayed where I was, holding her, not knowing when I drifted off to sleep.

ELIZA

I woke up feeling unexpectedly relaxed. My head rested against Ethan's chest.

ETHAN!?

I quickly got up seeing if this wasn't a dream. And it wasn't!

I glanced around the room. It was dark but I knew I wasn't in my room. What am I doing in his room...his bed?

Ethan was still asleep. I moved carefully, not wanting to disturb him. I stood on my feet and started walking toward the bathroom. I padded across the room, heading for the door on the left, hoping it led to a bathroom.

Opening the door, I froze in awe. The bathroom was enormous, nearly as large as my kitchen back home. It was the kind of space I had only seen in magazines.

Danm, Ethan is rich.

I mean ofcourse he was, since he was friends with my bosses.

As I used the toilet, my eyes scanned my surroundings. An oval-shaped bathtub was sunken into the floor, gleaming with gold taps and controls for bubbles. It was spacious enough for two...maybe more. Along the far wall, a walk-in shower stood with matching gold fixtures.

I couldn't help but smile as I took in the scene. A fluffy white bathrobe hung neatly on the door, and shelves stocked with soft towels and an array of bath products lined one wall.

Everything in the bathroom made me want to shower. And I was burning hot as well.

My steps froze as I saw myself in the mirror.

Why am I not in my uniform? Did Ethan...

I didn't want to think about that just yet.

I stepped into the shower, choosing lavender-scented gel and shampoo. The cold water and soothing fragrance worked wonders, washing away the tension that had been weighing me down.

After drying off, I slipped into the bathrobe. I took my time looking at my reflection in the mirror before walking back into the bedroom. I sat on the sofa trying to remember what happened.

"You feeling alright?" a voice pierced through my ears making my heart thud fast.

"A bit better. I just had a shower. It helped." I hesitantly spoke, trying to choose the correct words.

He only nodded and turned the lights on. I was stunned to see the room I was in. It was huge! It was as if I was still dreaming.

"Don't worry, you're safe here." he said as he fixed his hair.

"How did I end up here?" I asked, glancing around the opulent room. "The last thing I remember is taking a break...everything else...is blurry. Like a foggy dream."

"Don't worry about it." He said, trying not to fix his gaze on me.

"Why was I in the same bed with you, Ethan?" The question came out like an unwanted spit.

He didn't even bother to look at me and continued fixing his shirt before walking to the door.

"There's a menu on the table beside the bed. Order anything you feel like eating right now." he took a breath and then turned his face to me, "I'll be back in sometime. I've matters to attend to. Make sure you're well fed and if anything happens, call Margeret. She's already in the next room."

Before I could say anything, he left.

I had a ton of questions in my head.

Why am I wearing his shirt?

Why am I in his bed?

Did anything happen between us?