Rising from the Ashes
Chapter 13

"You guys kissed!" Her best friend squeals through the small device. The one good thing about the small device is the ability to turn her friend down. That's the only good thing she had found. It keeps going off and sometimes it isn't even an actual person calling. It's what Alpha Bardrick calls a SPAM call and they are quite annoying.

"That would be the understatement of the year. I suppose I should have expected it might happen if we were sharing a room." Elenora admits, her face oddly hot. Elenora has to look in the reflection of the pond in front of her to make sure it's not on fire. It's not, just red for some odd reason.

"Oh you have to tell me everything when you get back. Everything Elenora. Right now we have more important matters to discuss oddly enough. I finished Charlotte's room up. It looks exactly how you wanted it to with the help of some friends from work. She's coming home with you right?" Elenora swallows, unable to tell Mia for certain. Charlotte shifted and went to the graves of Anthony and Grandmother May. Nobody but Warrior Baldwin has seen her since. Elenora wants to give Charlotte as much time as she needs and so she has decided to wait her out. In the meanwhile she has been thinking about the best ways to get into Vermont's old office. It's heavily guarded with warriors, some old and some new.

Elenora's confident she can get pass some of the older warriors but the problem is the fact the older ones are often scheduled with at least one new warrior. Elenora suspects Luna Jackson knows their loyalty is not completely with her but with Elenora instead. "She's thinking." Elenora tells Mia "And I really don't want to talk about it." All there is to talk about is her fears and Elenora has never been big on showing those "Lets talk about you. Are you liking your job? Has the handsome guy with the sweet girl come around again with flowers?"

Mia is always so much easier to talk about than herself. Mia is good. She's pure and and unique and far better than Elenora can ever hope to be. She's intelligent and beautiful and innocent in ways Elenora can't begin to understand. Mia lets the topic shift away from Elenora, she knows not to push "I don't know if I should. I have a mate somewhere out there and what if he doesn't turn me away? What if he's like Alpha Bardrick." Of course the moment Mia mentions his name he arrives to their room with a gentle knock. Elenora rolls her eyes as Alpha Bardrick peeks his head in with a smile that tells her he heard more than just that. Elenora glares at him in a way that tells him she doesn't appreciate his eavesdropping in on their conversation. Nakoa- Alpha Bardrick chuckles in a way that tells her he really couldn't care less before stepping in and kissing her forehead just to leave for the bathroom.

He leaves the door cracked open and for a moment Elenora can't hear Mia talking at all. She's left with the perfect sight through that most likely intentional crack. Him stripping. Then the shower turns on and Elenora can't help but to interrupt Mia and the rambling she definitely would be listening to if only she was a good friend "That's not a very subtle invitation." Elenora tells her too attractive mate

"I've never been a very subtle man."

Mia is silent for exactly one moment and Elenora is about to apologize before Mia speaks first "I don't want to be single! This is like dangling a bag of clothes in front of me and telling me I can't have them."

Elenora can't help her smile "It's the lack of clothes that make the sight better, believe me."

"Not in winter."

"I don't know. Cold weather provides the perfect excuse to get naked and close." Her mate can't seem to help his laughter

Mia doesn't seem to appreciate that one and her huff shows her displeasure that much more. Elenora sighs and lays back and it takes a moment to realize she herself is smiling. It takes a moment longer to realize Elenora can't seem to stop "I'm glad you're happy. You deserve it Nora. More than anybody you deserve it." Elenora doesn't know how to respond to that and so once again she pulls the conversation to her friend.

"I can't tell you what to do about flower man and his little girl. I support you either way."

For a minute the line goes silent, neither hanging up, both thinking. Elenora picks up a pencil as she waits for her friend to come to some sort of conclusion. She starts to draw. Elenora isn't even sure she remembers how completely. She sketched so long ago she's not even sure she remembers if she's still capable but her hands seem to do the remembering and soon very familiar eyes stare back at her. Then the straight nose and the curls and her handsome mate smiling back at her, fangs slightly visible.

"Hasn't your opinion always been people should wait for their mate? No matter what? Are you certain you'd be okay with it?" The question is enough to have her heart stumbling or maybe that happens when Nakoa -Alpha Bardrick walks in with only a towel at his hips. Elenora stares at him for a moment and he seems to get what she's asking for. Some privacy for her friends sake. Maybe even her own sake as well. He is quick to dress, pulling on his shirt as he walks out the door.

"I care about your happiness more than anything else Mia. Now if you want my advice I say take things slow. Set boundaries. Become his friend and get to know each other first because he does have a daughter. The last thing you want is for that little girl to start seeing you as her mother and then your mate comes in." Elenora imagines her friend nodding along to that, agreeing.

"What if he doesn't want to take things slow?"

"Then screw him and not literally."

Mia laughs before thanking her. The conversation turns to something less serious and for awhile all they talk about is Mia's job and Elenora's potential job. It is a welcome conversation and it reminds Elenora about just how much she misses her friend. She almost misses the forest as well up until Nakoa walks back into their room and she tells Mia goodbye. He reminds Elenora about all the things she was missing in that forest starting with his lips and the way his arms make her feel as he holds her close.

Night seems to come fast and with it a very unwelcome visitor. The Delta.

Delta Adams had been the one to stand over Grandmother May's body the day they stormed her small little cabin. They had no reason. She was not breaking any rules and she wasn't doing wrong. The only reason was she had dared to love Elenora. How terrible of a crime is that? Vermont never let her forget it while she was in the cells, forced to watch Anthony get tortured by the people he called brothers. Elenora thinks it perfectly reasonable when she slams the door in the Delta's face. He may have changed but she will not forget who he was before. No matter what. To do so would be a disgrace to her family. The family he murdered in cold blood. "Elenora open the door." The Delta orders from the other side. Alpha Bardrick sits up and unfortunately even his bed hair and lack of clothes isn't enough to calm the fury she feels at the sight of the Delta.

Especially when he fails to take the hint and knocks on the door once again "Elenora please. I don't have long to talk and it's important. You'll want to hear what I have to say."

"The only thing I want to hear coming out of your mouth is your screams while I burn you alive." Elenora snaps, glaring at the door. The way the Delta sighs on the other side as if she is being unreasonable only pisses her off more. Nakoa climbs out of bed to offer a very unwelcome calming touch. "Stop touching me I want to be furious!" She growls at him.

He offers a tired smile before pulling her tense form against his chest. "Perhaps it might not be a terrible idea to see what the man has to say." Elenora glares at him, her answer clear "If its a terrible waste of time you have my word I will personally make him pay."

Oh and how will a law abiding Alpha like himself make him pay. Elenora's version is most certainly a lot better than his. She might even let Marcella have her fun with him. She loves a nice chew toy on occasion and Elenora doesn't often give her wolf one. Her mate leans down, breath caressing her ear as he whispers to her "My wolf is aching to take a bite out of those who harmed you." With that he invites the Delta in and pulls her to the bed, right on his lap.

The moment the door opens to reveal the aged Delta she hates so much Elenora makes certain to show him that though she is on a mans lap looking almost harmless, she is no such thing. She does this by grabbing one of the knives she keeps close to her pillow and throwing it a mere inch from his head. It stabs deep into the drywall.

Delta Adams stares at it for a moment before turning his brown eyes on her. He definitely looks different, even his emotions have changed. His...soul. He is tanner, wears more scars and more tattoos than he previously had. He grew out his beard too, only to braid it. The thing that has changed the most is the way he shows his neck to her. Submitting to her. Choosing to respect her. The mere human girl he had beat so long ago.

Elenora hates him.

She had already known most the warriors she knew as a girl had turned their loyalties to her. She plans to take full advantage of it too but they are still her enemy. Loyal or not. She wants them dead.

"You have one minute to speak before I incinerate you."

Delta Adams swallows before stepping forward. Alpha Bardrick's grip on her tightens and he grabs her hand, lacing their fingers. "Luna Jackson had kept Vermont's things. She has it in his old office, heavily guarded by men." It's nothing she doesn't already know. "I've been in there Elenora. There are things you should know. Things you need to know-"

"Just tell me then! Why should I dig through his stuff if you're here and you know? Stop wasting my time Adams."

The Delta swallows and Elenora catches his fear. Not of her. Somebody else. Elenora feels his pain and wishes she didn't. She doesn't want to know and she doesn't want to care if he suffers. She had suffered herself, at his hands. "I was never supposed to know and memories can be retrieved. Not easily but...." The Delta shakes his head and stares at the wall behind them.

"A witch got involved." Nakoa mutters behind her. The Delta merely nods and steps closer, eyes still on the wall, still looking almost physically pained. For a moment Elenora allows herself to wonder the sort of curse that'll stop a man like Delta Adams from speaking or even writing what he saw. It looks like just this is causing him physical pain and he isn't even telling her anything.

"Tonight most of the younger warriors are off protecting the borders, awaiting the return of our Elder. She has warriors mostly loyal to you protecting the office and those who are loyal to her can easily be distracted by the Alpha Bardrick. You have until Elder Baron returns." With that the Delta leaves, groaning in clear agony as he stumbles his way down the halls and knocks into almost everything on his way out.

Elenora thinks about it for exactly five seconds before jumping out of Alpha Bardrick's lap and pulling on a pair of pants. "You can't be serious. This could be a trick. He could be dragging you into a trap!"

"Was he lying?"

"Everybody knows I can spot a liar miles away. People can twist their words-"

"Then I'll kill him. End of story. I'm going to get answers and you can either help me without the rant or go back to sleep." Elenora pauses at the door before walking back towards her now wide awake mate and kissing his cheek "But I would prefer you help." With that Elenora disappears out the door, trailed by a supposedly rogue hating merciless Alpha.

Ten warriors set to guard one office.

As if that's not the most suspicious thing ever. It's like pointing straight towards the office with several signs screaming 'I have something to hide.' Eight of the warriors Elenora recognizes as men that had once chased her through the forest and grabbed her before pulling her straight back towards Vermont. Alpha Bardrick walks the path first and pulls the two young warriors aside. All he has to do is come up with the excuse that he got lost in this maze of the pack. Two of the older warriors offered to walk him back only to be glared at by Nakoa.

"I'd love to get led back by two of the ones that terrorized my mate. It'll give me the perfect opportunity to-" To what exactly Elenora wouldn't know. Two of the youngest warriors had stepped up and offered their help instead. Alpha Bardrick had instilled the same fear in their hearts the moment he asked if they too had been part of the torment I endured as a child. They denied profusely before leading him away and towards Nix's once again.

With that Elenora steps forward. They crane their necks to her, submitted before stepping aside. Hudson, who she remembers clearly steps forward without a hint of fear or guilt and opens the door for her. When Elenora stops in front of it she can't help but turn towards the tall man "How is Yasmin?" Elenora has not forgotten the small girl she pulled out of the cells. Yasmin didn't do anything more than dig through the trash for food to earn her two weeks punishment.

Thomas Hudson looks down at her, silent before "I keep having to explain to her you don't want flowers or gifts. You just want to be left alone. She insist that every hero deserves flowers at least, even if all they want to do is burn them."

Elenora can't stand to look at him as a sense of guilt burns through her. Perhaps it wasn't necessary to burn all the flowers she had gotten since her return to the pack. She presses her lips together, wanting to scream that she is no hero and trying desperately not to think of a bunch of children giving her flowers only to watch them burn. "I wouldn't burn her flowers." With that Elenora steps through the office she was beat for entering so long ago. Everything is covered in dust and cobwebs. It seems not even Luna Jackson dared to enter this place. It would have been smarter to burn it all down.

The first box Elenora opens shocks her completely. It's photos of her and Vermont. She looks no more than three years old but it's so clearly her in the picture. Then there's Vermont, sporting a wide grin as he tosses a giggling girl in the air. A picture most likely captured by Luna Jackson. Elenora doesn't know what to make of the photo and she doesn't even want to think about the implications of it. Implications she already knows but can hardly even remember.

She pushes the box aside not wanting anything to do with it. The next box is finances of the pack dating years back. There's several boxes of this and as Elenora digs for over an hour she can't help but wish somebody had labeled the boxes before sticking them away "Sure. Dig through those boxes until the sun rises and we're caught." She hears Hudson. Elenora glares at the door and ignores it but speeds up her process nonetheless.

She pauses as she comes across what looks to be contracts. Several of them.

The first contract of interest she comes across is odd. It's signed by a name she doesn't recognize, somebody not part of the pack. This contract is much longer and she almost sets it aside until she catches sight of a name that is familiar somewhere in the writing. Vermont Vancino.

It's signed by a man named Vito Cree. The first thing Elenora realizes is Vito Cree and Vermont Vancino are one and the same. The second thing confirms the kidnapping of a girl named Muriel Corvina who will officially become Elenora Vancino daughter of Vermont. He will raise her as his own and hand her over to a man named Jarmon Hale when the girl turns twelve. This never happened and for a moment Elenora dares to wonder why. The rest of the contract seems to have been torn away and with it the answers she wants. It only gave her more questions.

Sure, she knows her name. Her actual name. Muriel Corvina. Who is Muriel Corvina? Who did Vermont take her from? Who is Vito Cree really. Who is Jarmon Hale and why was she never given to him as per the contract agreement.

Elenora folds what she has of the contract and stuffs it away in her pocket before continuing her search. Only the next contract she finds has her heart racing.

It's signed by May Ophelia Barlowe and it tears her heart apart. It sends a rage through her body that suffocates her. Who cares about anything but this betrayal. She loses control as she reads on. Fire going unnoticed as she gets further and further into the contract, her hands shaking. "Elenora!" But she doesn't really hear Hudson as she reads about the betrayal of a woman who took her in, supposedly loved her for nothing. Healed her wounds.

"I told you this was a bad idea Hudson! She's going to blow up the building and then it's all of us on the line!" Baron growls behind her and he's not wrong. By time Elenora looks up fire has already start to spread. Sparks coming from her body, setting everything Vermont or Vito or whoever that man was on a fire that only gets hotter, stronger, more unstoppable . There's no stopping it, the rage inside of her. It spreads from the office to the warriors. The fire shapes itself into men. Fiery men that start to go after the warriors that helped her to see May's betrayal. The same warriors that give up trying to help her see reason. They run. They leave for shelter.

And Elenora burns alone.

Alright I'll keep this short because who really wants to read an Authors note.

It's mostly a thank you anyways.

I've been working on Rising from the Ashes for awhile but I had lost motivation up until I posted it on FindNovel.net. The support and even some comments I have gotten have encouraged me to continue the story I've grown rather fond of. Thank you and please like and comment if you like it!

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