Chapter 5. Safe

Ally's POV

"You're not safe here, Ally," Elliot says, "You need to rest somewhere hidden until Nathan... until he calms down."

I shiver, not from the temperature, but from the shock of his words. I never imagined he'd dare to step between us. He doesn't look at me with pity or affection; his gaze is determined, almost clinical. And it scares me more than Nathan's volatile temper.

"Rest?" The word comes out as a half-whisper, half-laugh.

Elliot stops pacing and turns to me, his eyes intense. "He won't find you. It's for your safety, Ally." His voice is firm. Not concern- Elliot has never shown that for me- but something else.

"Safe..." The word feels foreign on my tongue. Ever since Nathan claimed me, safety has been nothing but a cruel joke whispered in the dark. Hesitation wraps around me. Can I trust his brother?

Memories flood back to me, the loss of my child so profound it hollows out my insides, the abuse that painted bruises on my soul.

"Okay," I finally say, the decision clawing its way out of my throat. "But only until Nathan calms down." Maybe this is my first act of rebellion, or maybe it's surrender to a different kind of cage.

"Good." Elliot nods once, sharply, as if sealing a pact. "I'll make the arrangements. You'll leave tonight."

"Tonight?" Panic flutters in my chest. "But where? How will I- "

"Trust me," he cuts in, and the intensity in his eyes burns brighter. "You'll be safe from Nathan. That's all that matters right now."

"From Nathan, perhaps," I murmur, more to myself than to him. "But what about from you, Elliot Chambers?"

He doesn't answer, turning away to disguise whatever emotion flickered across his face. Dawn growls softly, reminding me that wolves are creatures of instinct. And right now, every instinct screams at me to run, to hide, to escape the golden cage Nathan has built around me.

"Prepare yourself," Elliot says over his shoulder. "It's time."

"Time for what, Elliot?" The question hangs in the air, unanswered.

"Time to learn how to breathe again," I whisper to the empty room, as I begin to pack my meagre belongings. The ghost of my old life. 

The engine's soft purr dwindles into silence as the car rolls to a stop. I step out, my legs quivering. The villa before me is shrouded in the moon's embrace. I can hardly believe this quiet haven is meant for me, even if temporarily.

Elliot stands beside me, I glance at him, taking in the rugged lines of his jaw, the furrow of concern etched between his brows. An ache throbs within me, a reminder of how I once bandaged his wounds- a task so trivial it dissolved into the void of my memories. What did it matter back then? He was just another person working for Nathan. Or so I thought. 

"Come," Elliot's voice breaks through the evening chill, pulling me toward the villa's heavy oak door. His hand rests lightly on my back, not guiding, not pushing, just there.

Inside, the air is musty, but the emptiness feels like a balm to my chaotic thoughts. The rooms are spacious, furnished with elegance that whispers of better times- times that were never mine.

"Rest," Elliot says, his tone devoid of any command, yet it carries the weight of an unspoken promise. "Dawn needs it too." My wolf stirs within me, her presence a comforting warmth against the cold dread that has become my constant companion.

"Will he find us here?" My words are a mere wisp of sound, a ghost of the fear that clutches at my throat.

"Not easily." Elliot's assurance is firm, but I catch the flicker of doubt in his gaze. He turns away, busying himself with stoking the fireplace, giving life to flames that crackle and spit.

"Try to eat something," Elliot calls from where he's laid out a modest spread on the dining table. I hadn't noticed him preparing food, but the scent of warm bread and the earthiness of cheese beckoned me with the promise of sustenance.

"Thank you," I murmur, though gratitude feels like a foreign language on my tongue.

"Ally," he starts, then halts. "You're safe here. I- I'll make sure of it."

His vow hangs between us. I nod, not trusting myself to speak, afraid that my voice will betray my hidden feelings. It's strange, being cared for by a man who wears the same face as my tormentor. 

But in the dim glow of the firelight, Elliot's features soften, and I glimpse something there that might resemble kindness- or perhaps it's pity.

I retreat to the bedroom, my sanctuary within a sanctuary, and let the exhaustion overtake me. As sleep claims me, the villa fades, and I drift in a daze.

The chill of the early morning air seeps through the gaps in the villa's stonework, rousing me from a sleep that is never quite restful. I sit up, wrapping my arms around myself not just for warmth but for a fleeting sense of security. The silence of the secluded place echoes in my mind, and I can't shake the feeling of being watched- even though Elliot assured me no one knows about this hidden refuge.

I wander to the kitchen aimlessly. The kettle whistles and I pour water over tea leaves, watching them swirl- a miniature storm in a porcelain cup. The steam rises, fogging my vision momentarily before I add a splash of milk.

It's then that I notice something different- an envelope, cream-coloured and unassuming, resting against the sugar bowl. My name is scrawled across it in handwriting that isn't Elliot's precise script. A tremor runs through my fingers as I pick it up, breaking the seal.

"James," I whisper to the empty room, my brother's name curling into the air. My heart lurches as I unfold the paper, eyes scanning the message.

Nathan's words are there in black ink, simple and cruel: "James will take my place at the border. This fight is for him to prove his worth."

I sink into a chair, the world tilting dangerously. This is Nathan's way of maintaining control, of showing he can reach anyone, anywhere. James, the future of our pack, has been sent to a dangerous border where survival is a coin toss.

My hands clench around the letter, knuckles white. I think of James, who despite his flaws, doesn't deserve to be a pawn in Nathan's sadistic games. Anger simmers within me, the first real emotion I've felt in days.

"Dawn," I breathe out her name like a prayer. She responds with a low growl that vibrates through my bones. Her fury mirrors mine, a reminder that we are not broken- not yet.

"Ally?" Elliot's voice carries from the other side of the door, tentative as if he senses the shift in the air.

"Come in," I call, louder than I intend, my voice steady with newfound resolve. He enters, his concern etched deeply in the furrow between his brows as he takes in my rigid posture, the crumpled letter in my grasp.

"Is it Nathan?" he asks, stepping closer.

"James," I correct him, lifting my gaze to meet his. There's a fire there now, one that had been smothered by grief and fear. "He's sending my brother to the border to fight... because he can."

Elliot's jaw tightens, a silent curse upon his lips. "We'll figure this out, Ally. We have to."

"Figure it out?" I echo, the edge in my voice sharp as shattered glass. "Why can I never be free from him? Why does my family have to suffer in my place?"