Chapter 50: Encouragement.

Bella’s pov.

After a long day of training and teaching the younger pups on how to be respectful and kind, I finally sat down at my desk.

Alone.

‘Do you think they’ll be ready?’ I asked Tundra, feeling every nerve on edge.

The younger pups have more leniency… but still. I don’t want them to say or ask something that could make the Queen or king angry.

We don’t know them. We don’t know how they’ll react.

From what John has said they aren’t good people.

And I can only imagine what they’d do if someone said something they didn’t like.

‘It doesn’t matter if they are ready now. I can sense their auras, they are close. We will have to pray to the moon goddess that this visit goes well. If it doesn’t… we won’t know what will happen,’ she whispered back to me, her hair standing up on the back of her neck.

I sucked in a sharp inhale of breath, my heartbeat picking up in my chest at the thought of them arriving soon.

‘By morning… they’ll be here,’ she said before closing herself off to me, my mind feeling empty without her presence.

Just as I buried my head in my hands a knock sounded on my door.

I lifted my head, titling it slightly as I wondered who was there.

“Come in!” I called out, pulling stacks upon stacks of papers out of my desk, slamming them down with a grunt. Realizing just how far behind I’ve fallen.

“Alpha Bella,” elder Elian said as he pushed the door open, smiling slightly at me.

“What is it? What do you need? I’m going to be busy for the rest of the night. I can’t have this put off any longer, especially with the king coming here…” I mumbled as I began signing paperwork and reading through contracts with some businesses in the human town.

“Well…” he said, clearing his throat before he walked in front of my desk, “I wanted to see how you were doing. What’s happening with you? There’s something, I know there is. Why have you been ignoring John? You guys- seemed close… what happened?”

My hand stopped mid stroke, my perfect signature smearing as I dropped my pen and looked up at him.

“That isn’t any of your business, Elian. What is happening between me and John doesn’t concern anyone but us… but if you must know, I need time. Time to figure my life out and the bond with Garrett. It’s still there, the wound is still fresh. I just, I just couldn’t get to caught up with it all, I needed the time to think, to get the rejection ceremony over with. Another thing that I’ll have to bring up to the king. Megan doesn’t deserve to have someone thrown into her life like that right after her father abandoned her and left her with a bunch of rogues who could’ve killed her or hurt her…” I said, rambling on until I felt I said enough.

I watched elder Elian nod his head while listening, taking in every word I said.

“Is that all? Are you done?” He asked calmly, his hands folded in front of him.

I groaned while sitting back, nodding my head once as I covered my eyes with my hands, feeling my head pounding.

“You see, Bella. There’s something about you and John. The way you are together, the way you look at each other. It’s special. I want to see it grow, expand. I know it may not seem like the right time for now, but when it does feel right you’ll know, and I think you should pursue it. I… I hope you can find a mate in him. He would make a good mate and alpha, you know,” he said genuinely, smiling as I looked at him confused, shaking his head while chuckling, “don’t look at me like that, Bella. You know what I’ve said is true, you feel it too. Especially when he’s around, when you look him in the eyes. I know you feel it, I’ve been watching the two of you, something is there, I just don’t know what it is yet.”

I stared at him for a few seconds, wondering what to say to that.

I do feel something. I do want him. I just can’t yet.

“As I said, elder Elian… I need time, and so does he. He has things he needs to figure out as well as I do. I would never take that away from him, and I deserve it as well. I want Garrett gone, gone from mine and Megan’s lives. I don’t want him at the back of my mind anymore, I don’t want him to have that leverage over me. He isn’t Megan’s father anymore. He’s just my ex, someone from my past. And I want to keep it that way, and it’s impossible when I’m connected to him with, with this stupid mark!” I shouted the last part, my hand flying to the faint scar.

“You see though, Bella?” He said with a huge smile, “your wolf is already rejecting him and his mark. It won’t be as painful for you when you reject each other. Your wolf doesn’t want his wolf, and that right there, rarely ever happens, and when it does, the wolf can almost get rid of the bond itself. All you have to do is say the four words. I reject you Garrett. And he’ll be gone, you can do this, three weeks, Bella. Three weeks, that’s it.”

He came around my desk, placing his hand on my shoulder, “you are like the child I never got to have. I want to see you happy, I want to see you succeed. Don’t give up on John, you need him more than you think.”

I nodded my head once before I stood up.

Without a word I hugged him close. The one person who's been there for me, supporting me, believing in me.

He chuckled while wrapping his arms around me, hugging me back for the first time.

“You got this,” he whispered into my ear before stepping back, smiling as he searched my face, “you're a beautiful young woman, you will run the world one day, I just know it.”

I smiled while laughing, because I’ve never really seen this side of Elian before.

“Elder Elian…” I tried to say but he cut me off.

“Don’t say anything else, child. You do your work and stay calm, okay? And, don’t call me elder anymore, you can just call me Elian,” he said before turning towards the door, “I have some stuff to do as well. I’ll see you again soon, bye for now.”