Chapter 10: Mistaken Identity

Ellie

Feeling like a prisoner in her own home was trying, but as Ellie looked around her living room and saw only the faces of strangers, mostly the visiting Alphas, their Betas, and other packmates, she couldn't help but feel slightly suffocated. Her father was in the kitchen now, fixing drinks and getting to know the guests. Shelby and Carl were there… somewhere… as were her "little brothers." She could hear Cane's voice, but she couldn't see him. Even Beta Andrew was around, but these Alphas wanted so much of her time, she couldn't see past their broad shoulders and neatly coiffed hair.

"How old are you, Luna Ellie?" one of the most recently arrived Alphas asked. Ulysses Glenn of the Soaring Wolf Pack was probably the friendliest of all of them, but when she looked into his brown eyes, she felt like she was looking at a friend, not a potential love interest. He was strikingly handsome with dark hair and a cleft chin. All five of the Alphas that had already arrived were great to look at, but none of them made her think this was a good idea.

"I'm twenty-three," Ellie told him. She took a sip of her wine and then remembered she should probably ask him the same thing, just to be polite. "What about you?"

"I'll be twenty-eight next month," he said.

"Ah, Halloween baby," Alpha Blade said with a grin. This was one guy she couldn't seem to shake. Every time she turned around, there he was.

"Actually, my birthday is in early October." Ulysses was being polite, but it was clear he didn't like Blade any more than she did.

"My birthday is early in July," Alpha Clark Ward, a tall, wiry fellow with tints of red in his blond hair said, as if that comment was relevant. She had gotten the impression he wasn't the brightest bulb in the pack. "I'll be twenty-five. You're, like, old," he added, looking at Ulysses.

"I wouldn't say old," Ulysses said with a shrug.

"Ha ha! I would," Clark said, holding up his fist for Blade to bump it. Blade raised his eyebrows but then fist bumped Clark, who "blew it up" and then laughed again.

Ellie looked around the room, looking for an out. She knew that Alpha Lance Carter, a dark haired fellow with skin that reminded her of silky smooth chocolate, was in the kitchen with her dad. He was nice, but there hadn't been any sparks when she'd met the leader of the Stalking Wolf Pack either. Strand, who had been the early bird, was chatting with Carl across the room, though his eyes kept wandering back to Ellie. He'd winked at her a few times, which she found slightly creepy. If she didn't get out of this room for some fresh air, she was going to explode.

"Ellie!" Shelby said, darting between Ulysses and Clark to take her arm, "I forgot I was supposed to bring that punch bowl for your dad to borrow. It's at my parents house. Do you want to walk over with me to get it really quickly?"

"Sure, I'd love to," Ellie said.

"I'll come with you," Blade volunteered.

"Oh, thanks, but we'll just be a minute." Shelby gave him a look that made it very clear that he was not invited.

He gave them a disappointed look, but when the girls moved to the door, he didn't follow.

As soon as Ellie stepped outside, she felt the weight of the world lift off of her shoulders as the autumn air filled her lungs. "Thank you," she said to her best friend.

"No problem. I could tell you were drawing in there."

"You have no idea." Ellie and Shelby walked toward her parents' house, arm in arm, taking their time, as Ellie let the fresh air free her mind.

"I'll just be a minute." Shelby let go of her arm and ran inside to get the bowl, which Ellie wasn't even sure she was really supposed to bring, but then, they could hardly go back without it. She sat down on the front steps and took some slow, calming breaths.

She hadn't been sitting there long when she saw three more vehicles turning onto the main street via the dirt road that led to the highway. It had to be the last Alpha. Ellie dropped her head into her hands, wondering how in the world she was going to do this one more time. She had never met River Granite before, and the last thing she wanted to do was go through another introduction. Still, as two of the vehicles came to a stop near one of the pack houses, she decided she needed to get it over with. It was too bad that Shelby came out at that same moment and deterred her.

"Do you think your dad would be more likely to use this crystal bowl or this metal one?" she asked, holding them up for Ellie to look at.

"Uh, I'm not sure." Ellie glanced over her shoulder and saw some of her Omegas going over to talk to the entourage that had arrived with River, telling them where to go. She returned her attention to her friend. "Probably the metal one. That way, if he drops it, it won't get broken." Her dad wasn't exactly a whiz in the kitchen.

"Good call. He probably doesn't actually need it, but I needed to think of an excuse to get you out of there, and I have to take something back."

"Yeah, that's what I figured," Ellie said, giggling. Shelby was the best.

"I'll take this one back in." Shelby spun around with the bowls and headed back inside, leaving Ellie to reassess the situation.

All of the cars had moved over to the last remaining guest house they had available for the Alphas except for one bright blue sports car. She wasn't quite sure what make it was. It wasn't as flashy as what some of the other guys had driven. Maybe a Dodge Charger? The driver pulled it in near her office, which seemed peculiar to Ellie. What in the world might he be doing there?

Forgetting about Shelby for a minute, Ellie took off at a quick pace to see what was going on. As she arrived at the car, a tall guy with caramel blond hair and a nice build was getting out. His back was to her as he reached into the car to get something and then stood up.

"Hey!" Ellie shouted, not sure what was going on. "Can I help you?"

He turned and looked at her, and for a moment, Ellie felt the thunder of dragons in her gut. She ignored it, though. He might be strikingly handsome, but he was acting strange. Having the leaders of rival packs in her territory was risky business, and she just didn't know what someone might be intending to do this close to her office.

His smile was disarming. She took a step backward, not sure whether she could trust her own instincts. She wanted to like him instantly, but he was probably just an Omega or maybe the pack Beta snooping around. "Hi," he said, looking at her like a person might if they were trying to place a familiar face. "This is Luna Ellie's office, isn't it?" he asked, pointing to the building he'd parked in front of.

"Yes, it is," she said, definitely. "Can I help you?" she repeated.

His face turned slightly pink as if he wasn't sure how to answer that. "I just… my mom wanted me to drop these off for her--here--at her office… before I go in to meet her at the get-together."

So he didn't know who she was. "Drop off what?"

He sighed and turned around, reaching back into his car and pulling out a ginormous hanging basket full of bright pink geraniums.

Ellie gasped. They were beautiful. "Geraniums?" she asked.

He nodded. "My mother has a green thumb and wanted to bring something to brighten her day." He shrugged. "Bringing them to the office instead of her house was a compromise. I wasn't sure this was the sort of thing a person brought over when they first met someone."

Elli couldn't help but laugh. "It's perfect. I love them."

It was then that he seemed to realize who she was. "Wait--you do? Are you… Ellie?"

"Yeah, I am," she said, hoping not to embarrass him too much. It wasn't his fault he didn't recognize the leader of the pack when he saw her for the first time. She figured he must be pretty important, too, if his mom could make him deliver gifts on behalf of the Alpha. "And you are?"

The pink tinge that had colored his cheeks when he realized he hadn't recognized her washed away as he said, "I'm River."

Ellie's mouth dropped open. She was a hypocritical fool, and it was her turn to turn bright pink. Swallowing hard, Ellie took the hand he was holding out to greet her, tingles pulsing up her arm at his touch. "Nice to meet you, River."