Ellie isn't sure when she fell asleep.
She clenched her fists, feeling the grass blades beneath her palms and the dirt under her nails as she curled her fingers into the surface below.
She sat up slowly and gaped at the environment around her.
She was in a field. The wildlife was thriving here. It was unlike anything she had ever seen.
Everything was so vivid and green. She could see butterflies and bees as they attacked the flowers for pollen. She could hear birds singing and chirping away in the trees and feel the wind brush against her cheeks as her eyelashes fluttered in awe.
There, in the center of the field, was the largest, most beautiful tree she has ever laid eyes on.
Its trunk was so wide it would take at least eight or maybe ten people hugging it to encircle the whole thing.
The branches reached high up into the sky and disappeared beneath thick leaves. It was magnificent.
Ellie pulled her knees underneath her and climbed to her feet. She swayed for a moment as her world tilted before steadying once more. Ever so slowly, she made her way closer to the tree. It looked ancient. Hundreds of years old if not thousands.
And…It felt as if it was calling out to her.
As she approached, she could hear what sounded like whispering, but she could not decipher what was being said. Whatever was being whispered to her was intelligible.
She slowed to stop as her feet came to rest mere inches from the base of the tree and reached out slowly.
Her palm came to rest upon the bark of the tree and a warmth spread from her palm and outward into the warm bark. The tree felt… Alive?
Then it went silent, the whispering voices stopped abruptly, the birds stopped singing and she could no longer hear the wind rustling the leaves and grass.
White light flashed across her vision, and she threw her hands up to shield her eyes.
High pitched playful laughter had her lowering her arms and spinning around in place.
Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but white. She was standing in a void of pure white. She couldn't tell the difference from the floor to the walls to the ceiling. It all blended together. There was just… Nothing.
She spun in place as she spotted something darting around in the corner of her eye. Her eyes widened in shock.
A boy, no older than seven or eight darted around, reaching out for something or someone that Ellie couldn't see.
"Hey no fair! You're so much faster than me!" The boy cried out, a smile lighting up his face as he laughed in delight. There was doubting who this boy was.
"Kaine?" She whispered out in shock. What the hell was going on!?
"Wait for me!" Kaine called out once more before his image disappeared.
Wait… He was speaking in a language she had only heard a few times before. Her mother would sometimes slip into it on occasion without realizing. Kaine was speaking Polish, and she could understand him perfectly. But… How? She never learned her mother's native tongue.
"She's gone Jakub. She is out of your reach, and you will never find her."
Kaine materialized before her once more, this time older, maybe his mid to late teens. Once more, she could not see who he was talking to.
He was glaring at someone, so fiercely, his eyes so silver they nearly glowed.
"With mother and father gone, I am the head of our family now. I will never let you anywhere near her ever again." He growled out, a nasty snarl upon his lips before he spun around and stalked off, disappearing once more.
Ellie could feel his emotions as if they were her own, and it left her feeling overwhelmed, miserable, and above all else, lonely.
This time when he appeared, he looked to be in his early twenties, and he wasn't alone. He was smiling and sitting on the ground with Kate within his arms.
Ellie went to move forward, to warn him, but found that she was unable to move her body anymore. This wasn't real. There was no way she could interfere. She felt tears well up in her eyes and she held them back as best as she could. Her hatred for Kate deepened.
"You really want to know what I am so badly?" He asked softly and buried his nose into the back of Kate's head as he took in her scent, closing his eyes as she leant back against his chest.
Ellie wanted to scream as she caught the grin spreading across Kate's lips. Her eyes screamed at Ellie, showing Kate's true intentions.
"I know you aren't human. I'm not stupid, Kaine." Kate turned in his arms, hands coming up to cup his cheeks, her game face back on. If Ellie didn't know any better, she would have wholeheartedly believed Kate really was in love with the man.
"We promised each other no lies." She pressed her forehead against his.
Kaine took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes as Kate's thumb swept under his right eye. He opened his mouth, only for the scene to end and another to begin.
Kaine was on his knees, covered in blood and sobbing at a scene Ellie couldn't see.
"Poor, pathetic fool. I can't believe how easy it was to lure you into my arms, to earn your trust." Kate purred and she came up behind him, one hand skimming over his shoulders. Faster than Ellie's eyes could see, Kate snapped something into place around Kaine's neck. On no. This was when she had him collared?
Kaine jerked back, eyes glowing pure silver as he glared and snarled at the woman standing behind him. His eyes slowly bleed from a vivid silver to a vivid red.
Kaine hissed and drew back, hand coming up to his shoulder and came away red.
"What did you do?" He growled and raised his hand out toward her, claws elongated.
"Ah-ah-ah!" She wagged her finger in the air and let out a demented laugh. "I wouldn't do anything stupid if I were you." She held up a small cell phone into the air, screen on as she held it toward Kaine for him to see.
"You see… All I have to do is press send, and my men will take out everyone you ever cared about. Your entire family will be wiped out." She chuckled.
"You tricked me!" He shouted, eyes full of sadness and betrayal.
"Oh, no no no, honey… I saved you. Trick is such a…. Strong word. You killed the alpha… He really would have killed me and with you taking the final strike, ending him before he could end you, saved you from dying. Look at yourself, Kaine. You're healing." She gestured toward his chest and stomach, where moments before, he had been nearly disemboweled.
"No, you lied! You did all of this, set this all up to make it look like he needed to be taken out. He was innocent and I killed him for you, to protect you! I saw it when I killed him, Kathrine. You murdered his family. You deserve what he had planned to do to you." He took a step forward and roared at her.
Kate let out a heavy sigh before raising her hand. A shot went off and Kaine stumbled, eyes widened in shock.
Ellie cried out as she spotted the dart sticking out of his chest.
"Can't have you killing me just yet, Kaine. You see… I need you. You're going to help me, whether you want to or not. You don't have a choice. Oh, and my name is Kate." She shrugged her shoulders, and she lowered the gun. "Guess I lied about that too."
Ellie snapped back into her own body with a gasp. She jolted up, chains clanking together as she fumbled to get her bearings. She was back in the basement.
She felt something warm pressed up against the side of her hip and she glanced down.
Kaine was curled up alongside her. His face buried into the dirty fabric of her leggings.
She held her sweater closer to her body as she shivered. She had no idea how long she had slept. But she was still tired, and she was cold too.
She scooted down and curled into Kain, wrapping an arm over his waist to try and use his warmth. He was radiating heat. Wolves ran hotter than humans did.
She closed her eyes and silently sobbed, trying her best not to make any sound and wake the man.
She vowed, if they got out of here, she would do everything she could to help him. No doubt his family would be missing him, and he deserved to be with his family once more.
Kaine never wanted the alpha spark. Whatever he was before he became an alpha, he loved being. He would gladly give it up if he could, and Ellie wanted to help him.
She would help him, no matter what.