Chapter 23

To those that already read this chapter, I just fixed the obvious errors. Nothing was added

There are some people who do well under pressure. Shooting the winning shot and scoring at the final buzzer. Then there are some people who can't. Under the heavy weight of expectations they fall short, unable to accomplish their goal. Elana had never been that great under pressure. For her current situation she had so many questions, some she had asked many times with no answer in return. Yet, as the pack finally gave her their attention, and the first chance to get a response. She couldn't actually find the words to speak. So many different words filtered through her brain organizing themselves based on importance. Should she ask about the Collection, Kai, Xiumin? Somehow the word 'mate' kept popping up at the front of her brain, mixing in with all of her other thoughts. She honestly didn't want to ask about that. She was scared of what that would mean for her, so she continually pushed back any questions of mates. Maybe start with something she wasn't too concerned of.

Elana drew in a breath, posing mouth to speak. The wolves tensed, slightly worried themselves about what she might ask. Elana decided to start with her current confusion.

"Why do I feel safe around Kai?"

Suho glanced towards Xiumin who inched closer to Elana feeling somewhat disappointed. He had somewhat expected that question having seen the whole incident with Chanyeol. While he noticed how upset Xiumin had been; Suho could only think about how glad he was that it hadn't been Sehun instead of Kai. He could not imagine how that would have ended. Overall, Suho was actually somewhat grateful for the incident for it would help him explain. "It has to do with what we are." Elana gave Suho a perplexed look, clearly not liking his response.

"You mean werewolves? Shouldn't I feel scared not safe?" She kept her gaze on Suho, too nervous to look around at the others. If she had, she would have noticed the frowns of disgrace and embarrassment forming in the others faces.

"You feel safe around Xiumin, do you not? Yet, he is the most wolf like of us all."

Elana grimaced, he was right. Xiumin was the only one here that looked like an actual wolf, but he was the one she trusted the most. Elana stuttered in response, "Yeah well, that's because Xiumin's my..." Elana paused, unsure of how to word her thoughts without admitting anything. "Kai's not... They're just different. I mean Kai did try to attack me once." Elana pointed her thumb to her left where Kai had sat down next to her. "I mean I'm still scared of that one, whatever your name is," she pointed to Chanyeol. "And all he did was kidnap me. Kai tried killing me, but I feel like he is the second safest person, well, wolf here. That makes absolutely no sense!" Elana's voice had risen to a yell, and she was a little out of breath. Xiumin nuzzled his cold nose into her side, the movement calming her down. She turned towards him,  grabbing his face in her hands Elana his soft fur. Her breathing calmed. "Besides Xiumin hasn't once shown any signs of aggression."

"That is because you are his mate, Elana. That is why you feel close to Xiumin."

"Then what about Kai?"

"You feel safe around him because it is his job to keep you safe. As it is all the rest of ours. When he attacked you that time in the dungeon, he was still a Faolan. A wolf that is susceptible to emotions. You were scared at the time, he essentially fed off of that fear. Disrupting his normal instincts he also became fearful, but of you. An intruder in his house, that is why Kai attacked you. Except that is not why we exist. Our sole purpose in life is to protect the humans. You are even more important because you are a part of our pack."

Elana glanced around the room, unsure of what to think. It mostly made sense, but there were still some holes in his explanation. “What about the other wolf than? He didn’t attack me, and what about the Collection. You stole Corliss from her family, Why would you do that if you're supposed to protect her?”

There was fidgeting around the room, Chanyeol anxious, and still embarrassed from his mistake earlier, was tapping his foot against the stone floor. Lay was staring blankly ahead, chewing a piece of smoked lamb. He was the only one not really following the conversation, or so it seemed. Suho sighed absolutely exhausted from the passed week. He was tired and stressed . He really wanted to postpone his response until later, but he said he would answer Elana’s questions. “We are individual beings. With different likes and dislikes. We respond to things differently. Sehun just responded to your fear in a different way than Kai.” It was the truth, he had responded differently, but the result of that response was going to be a lot harder to fix.

“And, the Collection is not what you think. We did steal Corliss, at least from her father and sister. You see, her mother was actually the one that asked us to take her. To remover her from Daor town and into a better life.”

Elana’s mind buzzed. Why? why would a mother do that to her own child? A girl of merely fifteen. Corliss had been so young. Elana liked to consider herself fairly independent, but not even she would have been able to stand leaving her family at that age. “Why, why would her mother do that?”

There was a whisper to her right she couldn’t make out, the tone one of disgust. “Corliss was to be married by the end of the month. She had been bought as a bride.”

“What!” Elana was appalled, she had learned of such acts in her history class. Like most people in her generation she thought the act was one of the worst things that could happen to a women. To think she had landed in a world during a time where women were nothing but property angered her. Elana suddenly felt grateful for the wolves. Why, if they had just told her that in the beginning she would have helped instead of fighting them. “That’s what the Collection is for than, to save those girls from being forced into marriage?”

There were nods around the room. Chanyeol expressing a chipper yes, glad she finally knew the truth. Xiumin her hand, also glad she knew.

“Is that a normal thing around here? To buy women?” she said.

Chen spoke up at this point, noticing Suho’s energy slowly slip from him. “No, Daor Town is the only place that we have ever seen that does this.”

“That is absolutely sick! I don’t get how parents are even willing to sell their kids.”
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