Join The Pack
\[Elise’s POV\]
I stare at Jose, wondering what exactly it was that he was trying to say. It was like a foreign language to me.
Mindlink? What was that?
“Let me explain.” He says when I give him a questioning look. “Mindlink is how wolves communicate with one another from long distances.”
Frowning, I try to process what he’s telling me. Of course, it sounds absolutely ridiculous, but given the circumstances, I was willing to believe that there actually was such a thing. But how did you go about doing it? What was the trick?
“Okay,” I say slowly, deciding that it was better to just be told than try to make sense of it. “And how exactly will we be able to do it?”
For a moment, he doesn’t speak. Instead, he exchanges a glance with Denali and Maverick, who watch on silently.
“She already has a pack.” Denali says quietly, giving me a look. “Even if they abandoned her.”
“Then she doesn’t need that pack.” Maverick huffs. “I say that she has full reason to swear her loyalty to Jose in this situation.”
“Swear my loyalty,” I repeat, raising a brow. “What does that mean?”
“You would exchange blood.” Maverick explains. “When you do, you form a bond with the alpha of the pack that you are choosing. Once that happens, you will be connected for life.”
Shivering, I try to consider what exactly this means. Although I’m certain that no one here would lead me astray, I can’t stop the uneasy feeling I get at the thought of being connected to anyone. Was it because of my own hesitance, or maybe these were lingering feelings from the memories I had lost? I wasn’t certain, but the more I tried to figure it out, the more of a headache I got.
“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.” Denali says, gently touching my shoulder. “No one is forcing you. Even if you can’t show us where Serenity is, I’m certain that we will be able to find her.”
Her voice is soft as she speaks, and I don’t miss the hint of pain in it, but she’s trying to pretend she is okay for me.
“I’ll do it,” I say, making a decision. “If it will help find Serenity, then of course I will do it.”
“Are you sure?” Denali asks. “You really don’t have to. What if your memories return and you regret your decision to join another pack?”
“Something tells me I won’t.” I tell her, though I'm partially lying. “If I was abandoned by my pack like you said, then I won’t dare to want to go back to them anyway.”
Growing quiet, I wait while all eyes come to rest on me, and when the silence becomes almost deafening, I bring my palm to my teeth and then tear so droplets of blood appear.
“You said I had to share blood with the alpha of a pack, right?” I ask, looking to Jose. “Then let’s do this.”
I wasn’t going to hesitate anymore, not when Serenity’s safety was on the line. The longer we debated this, the more the enemy could do, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something ended up happening.
“Are you certain?” Jose asks, running a claw against his palm. “Once we have exchanged blood, you will essentially belong to me and my pack. You know that, right?”
“I don’t care.” I assure him. “You seem like a pretty okay dude. You won’t abandon me like my other alpha, right?”
For a moment, he doesn’t speak as he once again exchanges a pained look with Denali, and I can’t help but wonder what exactly happened to me in the past for them to be acting like this.
“Right,” Jose finally says, holding his hand out. “Then shall we?”
Nodding, I don’t hesitate to reach out and grab his hand, and when our cuts touch and his blood starts to flow into me, I feel this overwhelming sense of peace and belonging. It’s a feeling that makes me feel almost complete, and with it come flashes of me living in the streets.
Shock rushes through me as these flashes continue, showing me fighting, killing, and barely surviving until a man holds out his hand to me.
As I stare at this man, I can feel conflicting feelings of love, hate, and betrayal, but when the memory changes and I’m crying while he laughs at me, I know that whoever he is, he isn’t and never was good for me.
“Elise,” Denali whispers as I stagger a bit. “Are you okay?”
“I…” I begin, my breath hitching as a knot forms in my throat. “I think I just saw some of my memories.”
That was what they had to be, right? They had to be the memories that kept me from wanting to join a pack and be part of something bigger, right?
“What did you see?” She pushes, concern coloring her words. “Please tell me.”
“I saw myself struggling.” I admit, feeling a wave of emptiness. “I was living on the streets, and then I was doing whatever it took to survive, and then…” For a moment I stop as many conflicting emotions start to rush through me. “Then a man found me, and he made me feel at peace, but in the end he betrayed me.”
“Alexander,” Denali murmurs, and I look at her curiously. “He isn’t anything to be worried about.”
I consider what she has said for a moment, and when the pain hits me, I decide that she’s probably right.
“Did you remember anything else?” She asks, clearly trying to help me forget about something so painful. “Anything that may help you understand who you were before all of this?”
“Nothing,” I admit. “But maybe the rest of my memories will return to me, but even if they don’t, I’m okay, really.”
I was okay. Even if I couldn’t remember everything, that didn’t mean that I couldn’t continue living, and after the few flashes of memories I got, it was better that I didn’t remember the painful things anyway.
“It just means I have a new lease on life, right?” I continue while Denali just stares at me.
“Oh, Elise,” she sighs, reaching out and pulling me against her burning body. “If only you knew what you were saying.”
“What does that even mean?” I ask. “What exactly am I missing?”
“Later,” she tells me, pulling away and smiling at me. “Once this is over, I’ll tell you everything. Allow me to be your memory.”