Chapter 10

**ELLA**
I run in the forest without looking back, but I can hear him following me.
*This would not have happened if you had not threatened him that we would leave.*
I didn't answer her, but I am accelerating as much as possible. All I feel is betrayal. He marked me without asking me. I see a river in front of me, and without stopping, I jump to cross it. He pushes me from the side quickly, and we land on the side of the river with him on top of me without pushing too hard to injure me. Now he is standing above me while I am between his paws and push me down with his body. I growl at him to let me go, but he growls back fiercely.
*- I want to talk, calm down.* I heard his voice in my head, and I was confused. Yes, now he can talk to me, but I can not because I have not marked him.
*-Shift back.* He said in a calmer tone, and then he let me free.
After I got up, I shook my fur to get rid of the dry branches and went behind a tree to change. I search for clothes in a hole, and thanks to the moon goddess, I find one oversize shirt and put it on. When I walk back, I found him standing there dressed in simple shorts.
"I hear you," I said abruptly without approaching him.
"Zeus lost it when you said you were leaving."
"You can't throw everything at your wolf," I replied.
"Let's go home."
"Why did you do it?" I said, crossing my arms on my chest.
"I didn't want you to leave. You can't leave me. Not because all I want is for you to be safe. You can't understand."
"Then explain to me," I shout.
"I will do it when you are calm, and we can talk. I do my best to be safe."
"The only thing anyone can do is to keeping in the dark all the time!"
"It's for your safety! As long as I'm looking to find the one who wants to kill you from my pack, you will always be with me!"
"What?" I was confused. I felt my whole body numb.
Jonathan came up to me and put his hands on my shoulders. I left him, welcoming this feeling of warmth and calm that only he can offer me.
"How do you know?"
"All the days I was with you, I had Blake and Cole interrogated John. Of course, I wanted to be with them too, but I had something more important to do." He smiles at me, but not genuinely.
"Did you find out who made him do it?" I asked him because I wanted to know more even though my mind goes somewhere.
"Not yet, I was ready to go and interrogate him myself yet, but I had to make sure my Luna was safe first."
"I'm not your Luna yet." I tapped him on the shoulder lightly.
"Soon ... everything will be done but with one condition."
"I do not like it when you put terms."
"You will never tell me you will leave again."
"I do not think I can leave now," I answered him and touched the mark on my neck with my hand. But an idea came to my mind the way I look at him. If he wants us to play it that way, then two can play this game.
*Ready;* I asked my wolf, who is as exciting as i am.
*Since always*.
"Ella, why so much excitement?"
I looked at him in astonishment for a moment.
"I can feel it." He answered me.
But without thinking more, I put my hands on his shoulders and approached my head, smiling at him. He was about to kiss me on the lips when I suddenly turned my head and bit him in the neck. I felt his hands on my waist pressing harder on me, but he remained deaf without making the slightest sound. When I finished, I raised my head to look at him.
"Happy now?"
"We are even now." I watched him looking me in the eyes, and a feeling of pride was created inside me, which was not mine. He is proud of me. Even though I marked him without his permission, he is proud to have me by his side.
"I will always be proud of you."
"What? How?"
"I hear what you are thinking."
I roll my eyes. I have to pay attention from now on with my thoughts.
"Do you want to go home?"
"Let's go," I answered, and he took my hand in his, and we walked up to the car and started again to go home.
When we arrived, I went to Mia's room while Jonathan went to his office.
When she saw me, her eyes went straight to the mark on my neck, and she hugged, jumping up and down with joy. When I explained to her what happened, at first, she was angry that he did it without asking me, but then she calmed down when I told her all the details.
"I can't believe you threatened him. Did you expected him to let you go so easily?"
"I didn't expect him to bite me anyway."
"Well, Blake and I had an argument when we got back."
"I can understand him, but on the other hand, I can defend myself."
"Let's not forget that you can turn him into ice," she told me, winking.
"Yes, but I also have a suspicion of who is hiding behind."
"Are we thinking of the same person?"
"Do you think it's Claire?" I asked straight.
"I'm thinking about her too, but we must have evidence. Ella, we can't accuse her without proof."
"I know. I have to think of something."
"Why don't you tell Jonathan?"
"I don't want him to think that I'm a crazy, jealous mate."
*-Are you ok, my Angel?* I heard his voice suddenly in my head.
*-Yes, everything is perfect.*
*- Then, why do you have a lot of stress?*
*- Nothing important I am discussing something with Mia.*
*-Okay. Be careful.* He said and closed our mind-link.
"I have to be more careful, now that we had marked each other."
"Why what happened?"
"He felt my anxiety and asked me if everything is fine."
"Thoughts can be hidden, but feelings are not the same. You can't do anything about it. The same thing happens to me."
"Shall I ask you something personal?"
"Yes, of course."
"How did you know you were ready to move on with Blake?" My question turned her red, but I can't blame her. I already feel my cheeks on fire.
"Blake and I .. from the first night .. we did what we did .."
"I know that. I almost caught you in action in our living room." I laughed with her.
"It was just instinct, Ella. When that moment comes, you will have no second thoughts. Why? Did Jonathan ask you to mate?"
"No, he is a gentleman."
"Don't think about it. It will come by itself. When you are ready."
I nodded, and we decided to lie down on the bed to watch a movie together to kill some time until the boys are done with their duties. I bet he went to find John, but I try to get rid of the ugly images in my mind. I have so much in mind, and I decided to leave the film in the middle since I can not focus on it anyway, and I went back to my room to take a bath and take off the clothes I was wearing. I was still with the clothes I found on the tree, and I want to wear my own.
After I finished, I lay down on the bed but again, my mind couldn't stop. So I decided to find Jonathan.
I went to his office, but when I opened the door because he didn't answer my knockings, I saw that he wasn't here. Deep inside, I was sure he is in the dungeons. I left, closing the door behind me heading down, where no sane human wants to be.
When I was outside, I was stopped by a guard.
"You are not allowed to enter, Luna." He said, bowing his head.
"Jonathan is waiting for me." I quickly told a lie.
He nodded and unlocked the door for me to pass. When I entered, I immediately smelled blood and mould that made my stomach stir. But I kept walking deeper and deeper into the hallway from where I heard his voice. There was no lighting, and if I didn't have the vision of my wolf, I couldn't even see my nose down here.
When I reached the last cell, I made a great effort not to vomit with the spectacle I saw.
John is standing in the centre of the cell with his hands above his head chained, which I'm sure are made of silver, and Jonathan is in front of him holding a whip with minor metals on edge. Blake and Cole are on the edge of the cell, and they are just looking. John's body is covered with blood head to toe, and generally, the image in front of me witnesses everything he must have gone through all these days in here.
"Jonathan," I said in a low voice, and he turned to look at me.
"Why are you here? You shouldn't have come." He said while he is approaching me at the door where I was standing. His body is tense and his powerful aura around him radiant from him in waves, showing his anger.
"Why not Alpha?"
"Don't talk!" Jonathan shouted.
"Why?" I asked him. "You don't even know me." I continued ignoring Jonathan growls.
"You will never know."
"Are you sure?"
I think it's time to show him who's in charge here. It certainly has answers, and I want to hear them.
Time for some ice down here.