Chapter 2: A New Life

Elleanna ran and ran for hours as Rose before she came to that city. Emerald City. She panted as she came to a trot in the middle of the park on the outskirts of the city. It was morning now, probably around 10 am, and shifting back would be hard. She laid near a small stream of water and lapped it with her tongue to satisfy her thirst. She closed her eyes and panted to catch her breath. She was now a lone wolf. This territory belonged to Alpha Romero, but she  didn’t know that. Exhaustion overtook her and she fell asleep under the tree she was laying beneath. She was asleep for probably two hours when she heard a shuffle and masked her scent once more.

“Alpha, we were near the lone wolf, but lost her scent.”

She heard a male voice say not too far from where she lay. With that she arose on all four paws and took off running. She heard the men shift and give chase but she was quicker than them and escaped into someone’s back yard. She came face to face with a beautiful girl. The girl had skin the color of milk chocolate, with long black curly hair that reached her waist, and chocolate colored eyes. She was about 5 Ft 6 in height and was model skinny, but with curves in the right places.  The girl was wearing a purple t-shirt and black skirt, but no shoes. Elleanna stood there staring as the girl reached her hand out towards her.

“H.…Hello, I’m Jasmine..You are so beautiful..may I touch you?”

She heard the girl say in a soft, sweet voice. Elleanna bent her head forward and let the girl touch her.

“So Soft” 

Jasmine whispered. She was mesmerized by the white wolf with gold and purple swirls that stood before her.

“Alpha she went into the city, but we cannot find her…”

A voice came just form the other side of the fence causing Elleanna to look around nervously. Jasmine looked up as well and then down at the wolf in front of her. She quickly went inside and brought out a simple blue dress that had golden sunflowers on it. It had the sleeves of a princess dress and was long, but not too long.

“Here, you can change…”

Jasmine said as she laid the dress down in front of Elleanna and turned around. Elleanna shifted and slipped on the dress. It fit perfectly  except for it being shorter than it should have been, only reaching just below her knees.

“Thank you”

Elleanna said in a soft voice that sounded like a melody. Jasmine turned around and gasped. Elleanna had bruising all along her face and arms. The scar from the hunter down her face. Her one , now golden eye with the ocean blue line through it and the other still ocean blue with a golden yellow ring around the pupil . Jasmine took a breath.

“You’re running from your abuser aren’t you?”

Jasmine asked softly. Elleanna nodded and sighed.

“From my entire pack…but you are human…how did you know?”

Elleanna asked with curiosity.

“My father was killed by a rouge one last year”

Jasmine said sadly.

“I am so sorry…”

Elleanna said softly. Jasmine smiled at her

 “It wasn’t you, but thank you. You can stay here if you would like? I only live with my coworker Jasper.”

Elleanna smiled and nodded. They entered the house together and Jasmine showed her around. As they sat on the living room couch talking Elleanna asked about Jasmine’s job.

“Oh, I work for a bakery. I sell all the goodies. Jasper he decorates….Actually we are looking for a new baker if you are interested?”

Elleanna nodded and smiled.

“I would, like that very much.”

She said with a smile. The door opened then and Jasper walked in. Jasper was 6 Ft 9 in height, had soft creamy skin, green eyes, dark brown hair, and glasses. He was wearing a simple black button down shirt and black jeans, with black non-slip tennis shoes. He smiled as he saw the girls then gasped at how Elleanna looked. She

gulped and introduced herself.

”Hello, I am Elleanna, but I would like to be called Ellie, please” she said in her soft melody like voice.

Jasper smiled.

“Hello, I am Jasper, but you can call me Goose.”

He introduced himself with his low, honey like voice. She smiled and arched an eyebrow at the nickname.

“I just like to be called Goose because I may look gorgeous, but I do attack if need be”

Jasper said with a soft low laugh. Elleanna laughed as well. She told Jasper about her escape and then he and Jasmine helped make dinner. They all ate and talked the whole night. Somewhere near 1 am they all went to bed. Elleanna welcomed sleep as she was exhausted.

~Two hands crept from the dark reaching for her. She ran trying to get away, but was captured. She laid in the darkness. Christine, Jackson, her parents, and the hunter all there to laugh in her face. Injecting her with liquids and flashing the lifeless body of the baby in her face. Then  they reached to beat her. She let out a scream trying to escape, but it wouldn’t stop. They kept doing it as she screamed and cried. they forced her eyes open..forced her to watch the life drain from the baby again….…~

A loud scream caused Jasmine to jump awake in fright. She ran to the room of her new friend Elleanna.

“Ellie? You ok?”

She asked loudly. When all she got in reply was another scream she opened the door and gasped. Elleanna was caught in a nightmare, sweat beading her forehead, and her body shivering.

“Ellie, wake up Ellie…”

Jasmine gently shook her friend. Elleanna’s eyes opened wide as she sat up awake. The nightmare was over now. She panted trying to catch her breath. She looked at Jasmine who looked worried.

“S…sorry”

She said between pants for air. Jasmine shook her head gently.

“No, no, it’s ok…”

She said as she wrapped her arms around Elleanna trying to soothe her. Jasper came running in with a baseball bat.

“What Happened??? EVERYTHING OK??”

He shouted as he looked around ready to defend them. Elleanna looked up at him and laughed softly before she replied softly

 “Just a nightmare…sorry.”

Jasper took a deep breath and lowered the bat.

“I am just glad you are safe.”

He said softly. Elleanna smiled again.

“I need to tell you both why I ran and let you know the nightmares won’t stop..so I apologize for the screaming in advance”

She said to them both. Jasmine and Jasper nodded and sat on her floor with her as she started to tell them her story.

“When I was young, around 7, I was…molested..but I was afraid to tell anyone…my parents found out, but they didn’t stop it… Around 8 is when I first shifted into my wolf by the force of my parents. That’s when the beatings started. It was slow at first, but my father would hit me. I didn’t understand why. He told me I was not beautiful and that he was ashamed to call me his daughter. My mother joined in as well. Then they had the pack turn on me. I was forced to cook, clean, do the laundry, babysit, and take abuse from any of them…even though I was the Alpha’s daughter and next in line to be Alpha eventually. Christine was the worst. All through school she bullied me relentlessly. I was still forced to train and sometimes they would make me shift just to inject me with wolfsbane during the shift so that it would force stop it. I learned to live in pain. Christine would kick, claw, and punch me. She would buy cigars just to light them and burn me with them. She would pull my hair and do countless other things. Then a few months back, I found out that her boyfriend Jackson was my mate. He rejected me in front of everyone and I accepted it. It hurt so bad, but then it got worse. He raped me that night repeatedly. I was broken, bruised, and no one would help. My parents even stood there and watched it happen…My brothers Dolan and Nolan tried to help, but were threatened with severe punishment if they did. So I was alone. When he was through with me he left to go be with Christine.  I was sent to my room. I had to live with it. The next day at school I was called a slut and beaten again. A few days later I became ill so my parents took me to the infirmary where it was discovered I was pregnant. They were excited that Jackson would have a baby….They were angry that it was with me…They never loved me. I had to pretend to be part of a loving family when we visited other packs. Last week we were visiting the Alpha that I think owns this territory and I went for a run as my wolf..then I was captured by hunters…”

She paused to take a breath.

“They tortured me by injecting me, cutting my back and…and injecting the baby and I with a number of colorful liquids that I had no idea what they were…except for the last one they used on us….the pure silver…I felt it as the baby died inside me…”

Elleanna sighed before she could continue. She had to hold back tears that threatened to escape her eyes. Jasmine took her hand and held it. Elleanna sighed again and looked at her new friends.

“After the silver was injected the hunter forced me to half shift again then stopped it before he took a pure silver blade and cut into my abdomen then he took the baby and placenta out and just threw them to the other side of the room…”

She heard a gasp and looked up at Jasper and Jasmine who were both listening as they cried softly.

“Then he injected me again and when I was forced to half shift he took the blade and ran it along the left side of my face. I broke my wrists and thumb so I could escape…It worked and I slipped out of the cuffs then I stood behind the door waiting for him to return. When he opened the door I kicked but was met with a knife that cut me from ankle to knee. I did escape and somehow I made it to Alpha Romero’s territory again. I woke up in extreme pain in my stomach…I knew it was Jackson sleeping with Christine. It causes pain because I was supposed to be his mate. I don’t remember what happened next until I woke up again in the hospital room with the doctor and Alpha Romero, who scared me. The doctor tried to talk to me, but I couldn’t speak except to say hunters. I heard my parents fake crying and knew they were more concerned about the baby. Then I went to the bathroom and cried. When I saw myself in the mirror my eyes were glowing. I cried for the baby because that was an innocent unborn child…I cried because of being hated…I cried because the pain…and then Rose took over. Rose is my wolf. Before I knew it my feet were leading me towards the back exit and I was running, running towards the way I had come from after escaping the hunters,” she blinked as she remembered the events.

She resumed hoping not to scare her friends.

“I went and found the hunter and slowly killed him…..My wolf enjoyed it..I enjoyed it…I felt different. Then it felt like all my energy was drained and there was darkness. The next thing I remember is waking up in my own bed…My father beat me for losing the baby…he didn’t care that it was the hunters fault. He just blamed me…everyone blames me….Then he told me that he was having Jackson come over and let him rape me until I was pregnant again. I wasn’t going to let that happen, but I couldn’t walk well at the time. I went and sat by a tree in the back yard. I took off running as soon as I heard Jackson and my father talking. I ran and then I shifted to Rose.. I ran through multiple territories, but hid my scent each time. Then I got here to Emerald City and ended up at the park this morning where I rested before the Alpha here’s men were close. I hid my scent again then I ran…and of course they chased me because when I left my pack I became a lone wolf…not a rouge since I wasn’t kicked out. I ended up in your backyard trying to escape them and Jasmine helped me….”

Elleanna finished and looked at Jasper and Jasmine. They both had red puffy eyes and were still crying at all she had been through.

“I am so so so sorry you went through all that Ellie.”

They said at the same time causing a laugh to leave them all. She was thankful to have such good friends already. They went back to sleep all of them on her floor. That was the first night she got some sleep without

a second nightmare. In the morning she made breakfast to thank her new friends and then they all went to the Green Street Bakery together. Elleanna was wearing the blue dress Jasmine had given her the day before. The sweet smell of pastries and cakes filled her nose as she entered the bakery. A plump woman with sandy colored hair stood behind the counter. She had her apron tied around a simple brown dress that ended at her calf. She turned to the trio as Jasmine and Jasper went behind the counter to check in. The woman smiled at her and spoke with a sweet voice

“Hello, I am Mrs. Linda Brown. How can I help you?”

Elleanna smiled in return and spoke in her soft melody-like voice

“Hello, I am Ellie. I was wondering if I could have a job here?”

Mrs. Linda Brown smiled even wider as she loved to help those in need. She looked at Elleanna and nodded

“I think I can test you out for second baker position if you don’t mind?”

Elleanna nodded and followed Mrs. Linda Brown behind the counter and to the back. She showed Elleanna the impressively huge kitchen with the two sets of double ovens.

“I want you to bake some cookies, any kind, you have full access to the kitchen and if we ,and the customers, like them I will have you start tomorrow.”

Mrs. Linda Brown told her. Elleanna nodded and grabbed the white apron that was still hanging on the hook. Everyone went to their stations and she began to bake the cookies. She decided on a vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe and found all the ingredients she needed.

She started baking and was listening to a conversation in the front.

“Excuse me, we are looking for a girl around the age of 16. Here is a picture of her. Have you seen her? Her family is looking for her.”

She heard the voice from out front and registered it as Jackson’s. Jasmine shook her head and responded

 “Sorry, I can’t say I have.”

She held her head high and then went back to work. Elleanna heard a low growl and then the sound of the little bell as Jackson left. Jasmine and Mrs. Linda Brown remained up front and whispered amongst themselves on if they should tell her or not. Elleanna became lost in the baking and started to think about her family as she baked. As she mixed the ingredients and plopped the dough down on the baking sheet that was waiting for her.

“I hear you’re asking all around….if I am anywhere to be found….but I have grown too strong to ever fall back in your arms….I learned to live…half alive…but now you want me one more time….”

Elleanna sang as she put the cookies in the oven as the song Jar of Hearts ran through her mind

“Who do you think you are running round leaving scars…collecting you jar of hearts…and tearing love apart…you’re gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul…don’t come back for me…don’t come back all all…”

She didn’t realize she was singing out loud until she stopped singing the song and was placing the now done cookies onto a display tray. Mrs. Linda Brown, Jasper, and Jasmine were staring at her with smiles. Elleanna blushed.

“Sorry. Sometimes I get carried away..”

She said as she looked at them.

“You sing beautifully.”

Mrs. Linda Brown said. Elleanna smiled and spoke softly 

“Thank you.”

She lifted the tray filled with cookies and they each took one.

“MMMMM. Ellie! These are sooooo good!!”

Jasmine gushed. Elleanna smiled and took the tray to the front. The small bakery was filled with people who had smelled the wonderful cookies. Elleanna smiled as they were offered as free samples and people willingly took one and then bought extra.

“Looks like we have another baker”

Mrs. Linda Brown said with a huge smile.

”Welcome to the family and please return tomorrow at 5am so we can bake together.”

Elleanna smiled and felt the happiest she had ever felt. Life was starting to look good.