I stood there frozen, my gaze darting from Ellen to Alexander and back again. My mind felt like it was spinning.
Was she his mate?
Alexander had a mate, everyone knew that. A mate he had rejected. But I had never heard anything about another one.
I had heard people who rejected their first mate always got another chance to have another mate but I hadn't heard he'd gotten a mate already.
Did he somehow get another mate after rejecting the first one?
My mouth parted, questions pushing against my tongue, ready to spill out. But before I could speak, the sound of hooves cut through the air. I turned toward the sound and saw Lucian and Kael riding toward us, seated in front of Kael was Kathy.
They came to a stop before us, dust settling around their boots. Kael was the first to swing down from the horse, landing lightly despite his size. He reached up to help Kathy, who climbed down gracefully and immediately came to stand beside me. Her eyes were glued to Ellen, and the bewildered expression on her face told me she was thinking the exact same thing I was when I first saw her.
"As we thought, you'd be here," Lucian said as he dismounted, his tone more tired than surprised.
Ellen's smile appeared instantly. "Hello, Lucian. It's been so long since I last saw you."
Lucian didn't return the smile. "Why didn't you just knock on someone's door like everybody else? You scared someone last night."
The words hit me like a stray bullet. My stomach twisted. He was definitely referring to me. I was the only one who had been scared out of my wits last night.
Wait…had he heard me scream?
I swallowed hard, suddenly wishing I could shrink into the ground.
Ellen only smiled wider, shockingly unbothered. She ignored Lucian and strolled toward Kael and casually placed her arm around his shoulders. "Show some respect and greet me." she teased.
But Kael didn't even pretend to entertain her. His expression soured immediately. He lifted her arm off him firmly and took a full step away.
For the first time, I saw Kael look truly serious…cold, even. The easy-going warmth he usually carried was completely gone, replaced with something tight and guarded.
The gleam in Ellen's eyes flickered, dimming just for a second.
"Kael still hasn't recovered from the stunt you pulled last time," Lucian said, his voice laced with irritation.
My gaze snapped to Kael. His jaw had tightened, his face hard as stone. I hadn't seen him angry before. His expression was so cold and he looked totally different. Whatever Ellen had done, it wasn't small.
What could she possibly have done to make Kael look like that?
Before I could dwell on it, Ellen's expression transformed again. The sparkle returned to her eyes, replaced with a playful brightness, as though nothing in the world could bother her.
"We should head to your home," she said sweetly, turning to Alexander while placing a hand on her stomach. "I really need to rest. I haven't had a proper rest after my meal."
The way she said meal made something twist inside me, but I pushed the feeling down.
Alexander didn't respond.
Was she really his mate?
They didn't feel like they were one. Werewolves are always affectionate to their mates, treating them like they were the most important thing in the world to them.
But Alexander's eyes didn't show any affection for Ellen. He had this bland expression like he was uninterested.
Or maybe they had a complex, toxic relationship?
A soft nudge touched my arm. I looked to see Kathy leaning close.
"Who is she?" she whispered gently.
I didn't respond because I knew the people with us could hear us even though we whisper..
Clueless Kathy asked again in a whisper, "Who is she?"
"Ellen," Ellen replied as she came to stand before Kathy and stretched her hand to her for an handshake. "My name is Ellen."
Kathy who was taken back by the sudden answer took her hands in hers and said, "My name is Kathy."
Kathy pulled her hand free from Ellen's grip and smiled warmly at Ellen.
Ellen turned to the rest of us, lifting her chin slightly as though she were ready to reclaim the attention she had lost.
"Now," she said, brushing off her shorts dramatically, "who is going to carry my gift?" She pointed the lifeless deer on the ground.
Alexander didn't even look at her at first. He simply glanced at the deer lying a few feet away, then shifted his gaze to Lucian.
"Lucian," Alexander said calmly, "put it on your horse."
Lucian blinked once. "Mine?"
Alexander nodded. "Yes. We're heading back. No need to waste time arguing about it."
Lucian let out a breath through his nose…half amusement, half annoyance but he walked toward the deer anyway.
He placed the deer behind the horse using a strap that came along with his saddle to tie the deer to the horse.
"Seems my deer is settled, let's go home," she said, as though she had been the one waiting for all of us.
Alexander let out a low whistle, barely audible but his horse heard it instantly. The large, white stallion trotted forward, stopping right beside him with perfect obedience.
Alexander placed one hand on the saddle and swung himself up in a smooth, practiced motion. The leather shifted under his weight, the stallion adjusting easily.
Ellen took a step toward him, her smile brightening unnaturally.
"I'll ride with you," she said, already reaching for the saddle as though her place beside him was unquestionable.
But Alexander didn't even give her the chance.
He turned his head slightly, his expression unreadable, and said calmly but firmly, "No."
Ellen froze mid-step, startled.
Alexander's voice held no anger, but the rejection was clear as day. "You can find your way to the packhouse on your own," he added.
It wasn't harsh. It wasn't loud. But the finality in his tone made Ellen's smile wilt immediately. She looked away, pretending not to be affected, yet the flicker in her eyes betrayed the sting.
Before she could say anything else, Alexander turned toward me.
"Elena," he said, offering his hand.
I hesitated for a heartbeat wondering what was going on in Alexander's head.
Was this how cold he behaved to his mate?
Well, it was to be my advantage because I didn't want to ride with Lucian.
"Come." He ordered.
He reached down and lifted me effortlessly yet carefully onto the horse, settling me in front of him. Not close, not intimate, just secure enough for me not to fall.
My hands gripped the saddle, my back stiff with surprise. Alexander adjusted the reins around me so that I wouldn't be in the way, then gave the horse a gentle tap.
Lucian mounted his own horse, carrying the deer Ellen had caught behind him. Kael helped Kathy onto his horse and then climbed after her.
Ellen, surprisingly, didn't say a word. She simply stood there watching, her expression unreadable.
"Hold on tight." Alexander said behind me as his horse began to trot forward.
I couldn't help but look back at Ellen who just stood there as we left her behind. I felt bad riding with Alexander right now but I neither didn't want to ride with Lucian nor walk back to the pack house on foot.
I gripped on to the reins tighter seeing the horse had increased its speed.
I could hear the sound of hooves against the ground behind us, as Lucian and Kael tried to keep up to Alexander's pace.
The path back to the packhouse was peaceful, the earlier tension dissolving into quiet rustles of trees and the rhythmic sound of hooves.