Elita“ I love you, Dustin. ”When I was young, I liked to read romance stories. In those stories, whenever the female lead told the male lead that she loved him, even if she didn’t mean it, the male lead was bound to be affected.No matter how heartless, the male lead would blush and get nervous or suddenly develop feelings for the female lead because no one has ever shown him this straightforward love before.He would go like this—I would protect this special female who loves me, or this female makes my heart beat faster, or something cheesy like even if your love is fake, I still need it.Then why…Why is this man staring at me without an ounce of emotion in his eyes? It’s like he was expecting me to blurt out something like this.“ When? ” He blinks, as calm as ever.“ Huh? ” I feel like a dumb teenager.“ When did you fall in love with me? ” He is talking in a casual tone as if he is inquiring about the weather.“ The first time I saw you! ” I blurt, embarrassment crawling up my
Elita“ Lady Lana, His Highness wants me to assist you with whatever you need. From now on, I am your personal maid. ” A girl around Lana’s age bows her head slightly and explains why she has barged inside my room first thing in the morning.I assess her rigid spine and careful manners. Then, I sigh.She is no personal maid.She is more like a spy, here to keep an eye on me and report everything to Dustin. Does he really believe I won’t realize that? My nose scrunches, but I say nothing. It’s better if there is someone reporting my actions to Dustin. That way, I can gain his trust faster.“ What’s your name? ” I ask, forcing a fake smile on my lips.“ Felicity, Lady Lana. ” She says, without looking up or moving an inch.“ So Felicity, can you find a dress for me to wear? I am not sure if I should step out of my room in this night dress. ” I lift my arms and flail them around, showing her the white, flimsy dress that reaches my calves.Surprised at the childish gesture, Felicity look
Elita“ I— ” Brigitta attempts to say something, but her voice drowns behind her screams.As I sit here and watch, she drops from the chair and curls into herself, screaming her lungs out. What now?Is she going to act like I hit her? I rise to my feet and attempt to reach her, but Maximus stops me. “ let her be. It’s her disease acting up again. ”Disease? What disease? I frown, watching as she continues to scream and writhe on the floor.“ It’s a punishment from the Goddess, Brigitta. Every time you do something terrible, the pain starts. It must mean that Goddess doesn’t like your foul mouth and terrible actions. ” Maximus clicks his tongue, not even bothering to help her up.A moment passes, and two girls rush inside. They pick up the screaming Former Queen and drag her away.“ Like I said, sit down and continue eating, Lana. ” Maximus addresses me again, his voice now harsh.I nod, taking my seat. I have never heard of a Lycan or werewolf having a disease that can make them sc
Elita“ Don’t treat my body like this. It hurts to watch. ” A quiet voice sighs.I recognize it instantly and sit up in the cold water. My eyes land on the familiar girl sitting at some distance, her knees pulled to her chest.“ Why am I seeing you now? ” I wonder, mirroring her pose and resting my chin on my knee.“ Because I am trapped. ” She hums, watching me with her clear blue eyes.I tilt my head to the right, noticing the sadness in those eyes. “ trapped? ”“ Life is a gift from the Moon Goddess. They say…the werewolves and Lycans must protect it. ” She sighs. “ and I didn’t protect it, you know. I threw it away. ”“ Why? ” I wonder. “ why did you do something like that? ”“ Because… ” She trails off, her eyes losing focus on me.“ Because they hurt you? ” I suggest in a thoughtful tone. She is beautiful. Seeing her from my eyes is different than seeing her face in a mirror. There is something so vulnerable about her that it makes my heart ache.“ Not really. ” Lana whispers.
ElitaI stare at the big golden double doors in front of me. Before Felicity fled, she warned me again that no one was allowed to go inside the King’s room except for the one maid who cleaned the space.According to her, Dustin will have fun dismembering me. But…even if he does that…why does it matter to me? It’s not like this is my body. I grin, pushing the door open without knocking. The heavy door creaks, making a screechy noise.My lips form an O. I was planning on sneaking in. I guess that plan went down the drain with all that noise.After stepping inside the dark room, I close the door, and it creates another screech before it decides to give my poor heart a rest.Stupid door. Did Dustin do this on purpose to know if someone is sneaking in?I turn to the door and eye the sheer length of it. Good measure, Dustin!I give it a thumbs up before turning around in the dark to find him. The fact that Lana’s vision in the darkness is as good as a human’s vision doesn’t help my miss
ElitaDustin really gets on my nerves.After I offered to help him with that boner—that I was not going to do, of course—he said only two words.“ Get. Lost. ”He appeared so serious and angry that I thought disappearing was better. Not so surprisingly, the moment I left his room, my voice disappeared again.Now, I know. I am not suffering from a healing potion’s side effects. It has to be a witch’s spell. It’s scandalous. No werewolf or Lycan King is supposed to use witch spells or potions. This was the same rule that could have gotten Lana killed in the selection ceremony, but this King is so cool about doing the forbidden things. This thought brings me back to the present. Felicity informed me just a few minutes ago that Dustin wants me to go to the North wing of the Wolveshire Citadel. It’s the same wing where his room is. Apparently, that whole wing is his personal space, and now, he wants me in it.This reminds me…He did say that he needed me to risk my life today. I just ho
Elita“ Is this all you will do if someone tries to kill you? ” The pressure on my throat increases. The more I try to breathe or fight back the grip on my throat, the worse it hurts. This time, it feels like he will actually kill me before this episode of madness ends.That’s a scary thought. Especially when I can see my brother and sister hiding in the cupboard, watching our father choking me to death. No one should die in front of people that love you. That’s gruesome. With renewed energy, I try to fight and regain my strength, but it doesn’t work against the Alpha’s grip. He is stronger—he will always be. No matter how much I wriggle, or cry, or become desperate for air, he won’t let me breathe. Dad said this will make me stronger. If someone ever tries to strangle me in the future, I won’t die without putting up a fight if I am already used to getting choked to near death. When I can’t bear it anymore, I stop fighting. I let my body relax and close my blurred eyes. This is
Dustin“ What did you see? ” I repeat my question calmly. But I am so close to losing it. I don’t like how everyone keeps building suspense around things. “ I— ” Amelia sighs and steals another glance at Lana.The corner of my eyes twitch subtly. “ You what? ”“ I didn’t see anything, Dustin,” She reveals at last and looks shocked by this fact. People and their antics. I almost scoff. All that pause for nothing.I am not even surprised. Lana is a special case—I won’t figure her out so easily.I let go of Lana and withdraw from the sparks that were driving me insane. Every time I touch her, my cock decides it’s the best time to harden and throb. Without control, my mind drifts to all sorts of thoughts—thoughts I am not supposed to have about someone I believe is a cunning enemy. “ Why can’t you? ” Tyson comes up behind Amelia and leans closer to her.She turns to him, her brows smoothening instantly. “ I don’t know, Tyson. I just grabbed her hand and tried so hard to see her memor
Dustin“ The voice in the water told you that? ” Moon Goddess laughs, and it’s the first time I have heard her laugh so lightly as if she finds this unbelievable, or maybe…amusing.“ She did. ” I nod. “ She told me your reign depends on the survival of our powers. If Levian is gone, the other four Lycan can still hold onto that power because you paired the women to the Lycan men so carefully…but take out one more Lycan power, and…everything will come crumbling down. The reason why you wanted me gone when I was a child was because…you chose Levian over me…like you did in my past life. You thought Elita could bring him to the side of the other Kings, and you will still have your power. ”“ You are…angry about that. You said before that you did not care. ” She chuckles again, like she finds my anger and resentment funny.I continue in a low voice. “ You changed your mind even after you made her my mate because you know you can control Levian better, because once his child-driven haze is
DustinI was surprised and even pretended to be oblivious when she talked about the prophecy. But it was not so surprising anymore when she didn’t know what it meant.Instead, it was relieving.What you don’t know can never hurt you. That’s what I believe in and that’s why I am against letting everyone know everything. I refuse to let every secret spill out not because I like having all the knowledge in the world and keeping others in the dark but because…when people around me grasp the truth, they do stupid things or turn into people with dead eyes.I don’t like either of those options.And I have figured out that I hate it even more when it’s about…Elita.“ Were you hoping she would kill herself, and save you from the misery of following one man for such a long time? ” My hold over Kalix's throat tightens until his eyes bulge out and go red.I let him have the upper hand when we sparred because I didn’t want him to feel embarrassed in front of his people. Now, I believe he is too d
ElitaSunlight hits my face, warming the side. I groan, shifting to my other side to avoid getting burned. The corners of my mouth sting and feel dry. My lips sting, and feel dry.And my throat…It feels like something is still stuck in it. I blink away the heaviness clouding my thoughts. It takes me a moment to remember where I am, and when I do, my heart jumps straight into my throat.I squeal, rolling onto my side and burying my face into the pillows. Memories of last night flash through my mind. Heat rushes to my cheeks as I recall how bold I was with him—how I touched him, sucked him, and how he…took my mouth…I squeeze my eyes shut. How did I even find the courage? I could never have imagined him like that. I could never have imagined myself like that either.We both must have lost our minds. I squeal again, kicking my feet up, because now, I just can’t believe how I let him have his way with me. Suddenly, the door creaks open.I freeze, gripping the blanket tighter around me
DustinHer wrists feel fragile in my grasp, but I will be damned if I think that for long. She is not fragile or a damsel in distress. She is the fire that will burn everything if I take my eyes off her for a moment.My mouth brushes over her pulse again, and I inhale deeply. Her scent is maddening—Sweet, fierce, and entirely hers. When I pull back and look into her eyes, I find her still glaring at me. She liked what I did to her, but she doesn’t like the fact that she liked it. Now, she is sulking.I feel the need to push her more, but I press a last kiss on her other wrist and let her go.It’s enough for tonight. Or I might lose my mind completely. I push myself off her and out of the bed. The sounds of my heavy breaths fill the room. I want to get into bed again and do more with her…but…After what she told me, I don’t want to take her when I am angry and jealous like a fool. My desires can wait. I can’t risk her zoning out when we are doing it.Without looking at her naked bod
Elita“ Do you know… ” Dustin’s hand lowers to my cheek before he rubs his thumb across my bottom lip. “ …women in the North call me a gentleman. I am gentle with women, and I never do or say dirty things. ”The sense of doom crashes over me. I try to move, but he is still above me, caging me between his thighs this time, making sure I can not move an inch without his permission.This should send my mind into a state of panic, but instead…it drives me crazy with need. With him, I have truly become someone I don’t recognize.“ What do you want? ” I whisper, my tongue flicking out and brushing his thumb.I notice the way his eyes watch my mouth as if he is in deep thought. The hunger in his eyes intensifies, burning so hard that it almost steals all air from my lungs.“ What— ”“ Your smart mouth. ” Dustin interrupts. I gasp, my face flushing. My chest heaves heavily, my nipples tightening as his words sink in.“ You— ”“ I have never used my mouth on a woman before. But I did it for y
Elita“ Did you just— ” My back arches off the bed, as Dustin’s warm breaths hit my moist core. “ did you just hit me there? ”My head rolls back, my eyes threatening to close against the sharp pleasure. But his voice keeps me in the moment, forcing me to focus on every breath, every movement.“ I can kiss it better if you are that offended. ” Dustin murmurs, his voice dropping.“ W—What— ” I gasp loudly as he plants an open mouth kiss on my clit. It’s like everything inside me is tuned to that one, throbbing, drenched spot. His breaths are still warming me.“ Say my name. The moment you stop saying it, I will stop too… ” His lips brush my clit with each raspy word. “ Wha— ”His tongue sticks out, licking a path up. My head goes blank, and the energy in my limbs disappears. It’s like someone snatches my soul and then slams it back into my body. My toes curl, my heels lifting off the bed but his hands wrap around my thighs and push my body down again.“ My name, Elita. ” He nibbles
ElitaWhen the Kings told me that Dustin beat that poor Elf up, I didn’t really take it serious. I told myself secretly that Dustin was more angry about Tyson than jealous about me.But tonight, he has proved me wrong.The way he moved, using the extent of his power, to become a blur and grab Kalix before any of us could see him coming…The way he choked him…And the way he looked so ready to murder him…It cements a strange thought. Dustin Landric was tolerant of men before, but now when he thinks we have gotten too close to be comfortable with each other, he can’t stand it when I am close to another man.It drives him crazy. And crazy is not a good look on him.I don’t know if he noticed, but the temperature in Kalix’s house dropped and it felt like everything was going to freeze to death. But the moment I wrapped myself around Dustin as a last resort, the temperature went down again.And then, he just started dragging me away.Now, we are here, inside the cottage but he is not stop
Dustin My senses are sharp, tuned into every sound, every movement caught in the net of my awareness. I can feel her—Elita—back at the cottage. Restless, probably plotting something already. The thought amuses me, but it’s gone as quickly as it comes. There is no room for distraction. Not when I am walking straight into the lion’s den. Karlias is waiting for me when I enter his office. He doesn’t bother with pleasantries, and neither do I. We are long past that. “ You took your time… ” He says, his voice controlled. I let the corner of my mouth lift in a smirk, but it doesn’t reach my eyes. “ I didn’t realize I was on a schedule. ” Karlias leans back in his chair, his eyes studying me. “ You have been making quite an impression on my people. Sparring with Kalix…That was bold. ” “ He challenged me. ” I reply with a nonchalant shrug. “ I was not going to let him question my strength. ” Karlias chuckles, but there is no humor in that. “ And now they are whispering your name like
ElitaI keep an eye on Dustin for the rest of the day while actively avoiding him. If he had come across me, and held me like he did this morning, I would have spilled all the beans definitely.And that’s not what I want right now.The moment Dustin leaves the cottage at night, my mind doesn’t rest. I pace from one end of the room to the other, several thoughts occupying my mind. I know exactly where he has gone. Karlias. He is meeting with Karlias. And as much as I trust Dustin to handle himself, there is something about this entire situation that gnaws at me. And Dustin’s repeated tendency to make sacrifices doesn’t help this situation either. I can’t sit still any longer. Grabbing the shawl that was delivered with the clothes this morning, I throw it over my shoulders and sneak out of the cottage, careful enough to not come across any of the Kings.My destination is clear—the market. If there is anywhere I can find answers, find that warrior…it’s there.The market is not as livel