Chapter Three: Ellie

I thought Atlas was going to say something or even lean in to kiss me. He was staring at me and it made butterflies fly around in my stomach, but the scream pulled us out of our little world and had Atlas jumping up.

“Rogues slipped through border patrol and attacked.” A warrior stated as he ran past Atlas.

“I need you and the others to get home. Can you tell people to go home?” Atlas asked.

“I can. Do you need me to do anything else?”

“Stay safe. I’ll see you later.

Atlas shifted into his wolf as he ran towards the edge of town. I want to watch him, but I have to make sure people know to go home. I started going up to people and telling them to go home, and to be sure I offered the pack house if their home was on the edge of the land and they didn’t feel safe going back.

“What are you doing, Ellie?” Bennet asked.

“Making sure people get home until they deal with the rogues that made it past the border.”

“You need to go home. That’s not your job.”

“They asked me to do it and will follow through with the task.”

“Then I’m going to help you.”

“Go home and make sure you sister makes it.”

“She is with my father. She’ll be alright.”

I don’t have time to argue with him and made my way to people who were panicking to make sure they knew where to go. I wasn’t paying attention to how close to the forest I was getting until I heard a growl.

There was a wolf foaming at the mouth, looking straight at me. I couldn’t run. They would have me pin before I got two steps in, so I shifted and growled back as a warning.

“Ellie, step back!” Ben yelled.

All it took was for me to glance back at Ben for the wolf to jump and pin my wolf to the ground. He stood over me showing teeth, but as he tried to bite my neck, I used all of my strength to push him off with my hind legs and he went flying into a tree.

I’m not sure how I did or how it felt so easy to do, but I was glad he was off me. I quickly got up and ran towards the rogue and didn’t give him a chance to get up. I bit into his neck and twisted it until I heard a snap.

I figured Ben would have been by my side by now, so I glanced at him, only to find him fighting with another rogue.

“Don’t help. I’m fine, get to safety,” he linked to me.

I didn’t listen and ran to Ben to help. I jump on the rogue’s back while Ben ducked to bite the underside of his neck. The rogue bucked and threw me off, causing me to land on my back. They knocked the air out of my lungs and I laid there gasping for air.

“Eleanor!” I knew by the voice and the name that Atlas yelled for me through our mind link.

“Don’t move,” Ben stated as he picked up my snout and placed it in his lap. I didn’t care he was naked. I just wanted to close my eyes, knowing Ben would keep me safe.

***

When I woke, my head was pounding, and I was in a hospital room and back in my human body. I immediately noticed the antiseptic smell and let out a groan because I hate that smell.

“Good, you’re up.”

Ben quickly stood up from the chair beside my bed.

“What happened?”

“You hit your head when the rogue bucked you off. You needed a few stitches, but you’ll be well by morning.”

“Where are my parents?”

“They left a few minutes ago. Your mom wants to make sure you come home to a hot dinner. It was stupid to fit those rogues.”

“Why, because I’m a female?”

“Because you haven’t trained. I’m at least in the middle of my warrior training.”

“Why are you so mad? I’m fine, nothing major happened.”

Ben let out a sigh and wiped his palm down his face.

“I can’t believe you don’t get.”

“Get what, Bennett?”

“That I’m in love with you. I wanted to tell you last night at the dance, but you pushed me to dance and then you were to talk to Atlas, and it didn’t seem like a good time to tell you. I want nothing to happen to you. I need you in my life, El.”

I stared at Ben for a few seconds before saying something.

“I don’t know what to say, Ben. I never thought of us like that.”

“I know. I was hoping to convince you to give me a chance to see if our friendship could develop into something more, but now is not the right time to discuss this. We can discuss it when you’re feeling better.”

As he finished his sentence, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Atlas walked in like he always walks into the room, handsome and confident.

“You didn’t want to have dinner with me so bad that you had to get a rogue to attack you,” he jokingly stated.

“Dinner?” Ben’s voice sounded annoyed and betrayed.

“Why didn’t you say something instead of letting me confess to you?”

“It’s nothing, Ben. We can talk about this when I get home later. I promise.”

Ben stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“My best friend admitted he was in love with me right before you walked in.”

“I’m sorry. I should have read the room.”

“You saved me from having to say anything else. I need sometime to think before I talk to him.”

Atlas put his hands in his pocket and rocked on his toes.

“How are you feeling?”

“My head hurts, but other than that, I feel good.”

“Good. We can take a rain check for dinner. How about this weekend?”

I let out a sigh. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re going to be busy with the attack and I would be a distraction.”

“If I thought you would be a distraction, I wouldn’t have asked you. Just one dinner, that’s all I’m asking for.”

“One dinner and that’s it.”

Atlas nodded in agreement. “Unless you like my company and then we can go on a second one.”

I smiled at him because he was being cute and sweet to me. I’m not sure what his motive is, but I should enjoy having his attention, right?

***

Bennet was waiting for me in my room when my parents brought me home. It’s funny how mom and dad trust him. If they knew he liked me more than a friend, they would ban him from being in here with me.

“I didn’t think you would be here. You were angry when you left the hospital.”

“Why did you agree to go out with Atlas? Is it because of his title?”

I scoffed at his statement. He knows me better than that.

“I think you already know the answer, Ben. It hurts that you would even think that is something I would do.”

“I’m sorry. It came as a surprise. You never said you were interested in him.”

“I don’t know who I’m interested in. I’m only eighteen. I don’t have to settle down right now.”

I took a seat on my bed next to him.

“Ellie, I’ve been in love with you since middle school and I hid it because I didn’t want to hold you back from experience dating, but now that we are at the age where they expect us to find mates, I want you as mine.”

“This is a lot to take in. I can’t just give you the answer you want when I don’t know what I want. I know I’m not ready to mate, maybe date, but I’m not ready for the mate commitment. There is so much I want to do before I mate.”

“I understand that. You can have that with me.”

I’m not sure if he is the one I want to be with. I’m pretty sure I don’t have those kinds of feelings for him.

“I don’t know, Ben. You’re putting a lot of pressure on me. Can I have sometime to think about it?”

“Of course, I’m sorry if you feel pressured. Can I at least kiss you?”

I chewed on my lip as he waited for an answer. Kissing is just kissing, right? Maybe the kiss will help me determine if I can like him that way.

“Just one kiss.”

Ben placed his hand on the back of my head and gently brought me towards him as he leaned in. He slowly placed his lips on mine and started kissing me. At first I wasn’t sure what to do, this was my first kiss, but when I started mimicking his moves, he seemed please so I continued.

His lips were warm and soft and his breath smelled like cinnamon, and I leaned more into. It didn’t take him long to deepen the kiss and invade my mouth with his tongue. The more frenzied he became, the more my body reacted, and it scared me. I quickly pulled away, and we were both breathing rapidly.

“That was…I want to kiss you again,” Ben confessed.

“We agreed to one.”

The kiss solved nothing and, it only left me with more confusion.