Ellie could tell that her brother had something on his mind, or more specifically, someone. Finally, for once, it wasn't their sick father. Ellie was sat at his bedside, holding his thin and papery hand, gazing at his pale features. Elliot Sivaughn had been a strong alpha wolf, before this illness had come out of nowhere.
It wasn't anything that the pack doctors had seen before, and Ellie knew that they'd seen a lot. Elliot squeezed her hand slightly, and she glanced down with a small smile.
"Faim?" Ellie asked quietly, and her father cracked a small smile. "I'll go get something for you."
"You can have someone bring it." Elliot said hoarsely. "I know you and Zephyr are busy." Ellie nodded, and kissed her father's forehead before she hurried out of the room to find a nurse. As she passed the living room, she caught sight of Tristian sprawled out on the couch, staring mindlessly up at the ceiling.
A nurse, thankfully, just passed by her with Elliot's tray of dinner, and Ellie made her way into the living room, plopping down next to Tristian. Her brother shifted, tilting his head to see who disturbed him.
"Ellie." Tristian mumbled, before he went to stare at the ceiling again.
"Zeph." Ellie started, and her brother's expression twisted into a displeased one. "Trist," Ellie corrected. Her brother's full name was Zephyr Tristian Sivaughn, but after an incident with the WPR and a civilian in the small town of Lakewood, he'd gone by the name Tristian. The WPR were the Wildlife Protection Rangers, or to Ellie and her family, the Wolf Protection Rangers.
The boreal forests were the home of six major wolf shifting packs, River Bane, Obscurity, Infernal, Umbra, Frost Ridge and her family's pack, Silvercrest. Tristian had been caught by an old friend of his, shifting into his wolf. Zephyr's name soon became the talk of the town, despite the WPR and the police doing their best to cover up the tracks. After that, Zephyr was gone, and replaced by Tristian.
Ellie missed Zephyr at times. After the incident, her brother hadn't been the same. He became quieter, more reserved and almost aloof. As Zephyr, he'd been carefree and wild, doing things without a care in the world for anyone else. Of course, he'd been a handful when he was younger, but he had always looked out for his family and pack.
He had his moments when Ellie caught glimpses of his past self, but those were rare. Now, with their father's state of health, Tristian had become even quieter at home.
"Are you friends with that connard, Ellie?"
"Non, Tristian." Ellie sighed quietly, before leaning back slightly onto her brother. "His sister's really nice, and her best friend is cute." Tristian fell silent, and Ellie risked a glance at Tristian, who's gaze now held a far off glaze to them. Ellie smirked, before she poked her brother in his flat and definitely hard stomach.
"Quoi, Ellie?"
"You like him." Ellie stated, and Tristian was quiet for a while before he sighed.
"Another human." Tristian added bitterly. Ellie winced, remembering how the first person Tristian ever Imprinted on was also a human. A reckless human male who died in a drunken car accident.
"He's different." Ellie said softly. "I can feel it." Tristian shrugged helplessly. "He's affected by you, Tristian. I've seen it, and I can smell it on him." Tristian didn't say anything in response, instead rolling over on his side. Ellie shifted, letting Tristian change his position to rest his head on her lap.
Ellie sighed softly, running her fingers through her brother's hair as his eyes fluttered closed. She knew that Tristian was depressed, even before he had taken his middle name instead. It was hard, seeing Tristian grow quieter and more secluded over the past few years. Their father's condition had sped up Tristian's withdrawal.
The only times Ellie had seen parts of Tristian's old self was whenever he came to pick her up after university, and the runs they went on in their wolf forms. Their wolves were the only thing that could suppress their troubled thoughts as a human. When their wolves came to the surface, any worries or insecurities they previously thought were gone for that time they were a wolf.
It was almost like a short-lived, but convenient drug. It was rare that Tristian was actually ever in the house, he was typically in his wolf form, stalking around and patrolling Silvercrest's territory, so much so that he'd earned a reputation from the WPR. Once again, the name Zephyr haunted him again.
"I'm here, Tristian." Ellie said, brushing her thumb over the crinkled lines in Tristian's forehead. "Stop frowning, or else you're going to get wrinkles." A soft huff of laughter left Tristian's nose, and he blinked up at her, cerulean blue eyes glowing with brotherly affection.
"Thanks, Ellie." Tristian offered her a small but tired smile, and Ellie beamed in response. "What do I do?" He asked, after a few moments of silence. Ellie didn't have to ask to know what Tristian was asking about.
"You'll just have to play it by ear." Ellie admitted quietly, and Tristian sighed, eyes shuttering closed once again. "Neither of us know Hunter or his friends very well, but from my intuition, he's got a good heart."
"What if he doesn't like me at all?" Tristian asked, and Ellie felt her heart crack. Tristian had never been this insecure.
"It's impossible to not like you." Ellie said, cupping the sides of Tristian's face, forcing him to open his eyes. "Don't give me that shit, Tristian. It's hard enough for me to watch you like this, but when you say shit like this..." Ellie bit back the growl that threatened to escape, her throat closing up.
Tristian shifted, and wrapped Ellie in a hug, his strong arms holding her tightly. Ellie tucked her face in her brother's neck, shoulders shaking slightly.
"I'm sorry, Ell." Tristian sighed, murmuring softly as he pressed his lips to Ellie's forehead.
"Just promise me you'll try?" Ellie begged. Tristian hesitated, before he let out a soft sigh.
"I will." Tristian patted Ellie's back gently, letting his sister hug him tightly. They remained like that until they had to eat dinner.
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