DustinThe stony doors open with a creaky noise. My jaw locks, and my eyes meet the smug face of my sister’s mate.He smirks, his gaze lowering to the bleeding girl I am carrying in my arms. I feel like throwing her down and leaving her here. She is so annoying.But I can’t really do anything to her because for some unknown reason—still, her life is connected to Elita’s life and I care about keeping my mate alive for now. Elita must serve her purpose. She can only die after that.Aleister’s grey eyes glint with mischief. “ What an unpleasant surprise. When the warriors informed me about someone’s arrival to this door, and for this person to have a similar name to the King of the North, I couldn’t believe it. Why would you come all the way here? ” “ I need a— ” The corners of my eyes twitch as I struggle to get the word out.The Kingdom of North and South have always been enemies. Now, my sister is the mate of the King of the South but it’s still not easy to acknowledge him as
ElitaSomeone clicks their tongue, mocking the condition I am in. I sigh and open my eyes, only to see the vast darkness surrounding me.It’s so cold here. If I was alive, I would have died just trying to endure the drop in temperature.“ What do you want now, Lana? ” I ask, shifting to my side, to rest the side of my face on my arm.Lana’s familiar face is peeking back at me. She is still wearing a white dress, and it makes her blonde hair appear so shiny and golden.She snorts, folding her arms across her chest sassily. “ You are one big failure. Instead of protecting Dustin or letting him do what he thought was best, you lost your control and decided to get revenge. ”“ Revenge? ” I roll my eyes and drop on my back again. “ Akuji would have been a problem in the future. I just got rid of him. It was not for revenge. ”The satisfaction I felt after getting rid of that smug-faced jerk is starting to disappear.What do I feel now? I wonder.I lift my hands and stare at my pale fingers
ElitaNothing comes out of the dramatics. I always knew that.But never understood it until this moment.“ I told you…you are not dying. ” Dustin says, his eyes drilling holes in the side of my head.I eye the bowl of soup in the tray placed on my lap and pretend that it’s the most important thing in the world. What else can be important right now, anyway?Without saying anything, I grab the spoon in my trembling hand, scoop the soup, and shove it in my mouth.“ So, Elita Folke, its’ time. Why don’t you start talking? ” He leans back in the chair he is sitting on, right beside my bed, to make me feel how close he is.I choke on the soup, coughing wildly. The spoon slips from my fingers and drops into the bowl.My heart is about to explode. It’s better this way. It should explode, and I should die. “ Are you dying again? ” Dustin blinks, his face still blank.I stop coughing. Apparently, this choking act doesn’t work on him. “ What are you— ” I swallow, daring to steal a glance his w
ElitaNot again. I scream inside my head as the ‘thing’ swims closer to me.Instinctively, my limbs start moving in the water and I swim towards the surface. The wounds in my side and thigh open again and blood starts flowing in the water.But I can’t stop to care. I need to get out before that ‘thing’—whatever it is—gets to me.The moment my head emerges from the lake, I gasp for air. The energy in my limbs drops, leaving my legs and arms heavy.That’s when I notice it—A light graze of something sharp on my ankle. I shriek, shaking my legs wildly to move away, but those sharp claws dig into my flesh and pull me down.“ Dustin.” I yell, my eyes lifting to the window.But he is not there now.The water around me turns colder at the sudden thought in my head.He left me in here.Whatever is holding my leg, pulls and I am forced under water again.I shake my head, the heel of my left foot colliding with a face. A low shriek sounds in the water, surprising me.The hold on my
Elita I lean back, panting. His blood stains my lips as I meet his gaze. His eyes are still cold, but there’s something else there now. A fire. A flicker of something primal, like the predator inside him, recognizes the one inside me. We are both alike in ways we can’t really understand. His chest rises and falls quickly, his breaths shallow, but I know it’s not just from the kiss. The night darkens, and the water behind me ripples again. My small plan of revenge had the desired results. Something between us shifts, a spark igniting. It’s the mate bond, the pull I kept trying to ignore, but now it’s impossible. The air around us crackles, turning electric. I feel it in my bones, in my veins. My skin buzzes with the intensity of it, and it makes my heart race inside my chest. I shouldn’t want this. This is wrong. He just tried to drown me to death and felt nothing much about it. He played dirty, and I want to play dirtier than him. I want to leave him hanging while
ElitaThe future.The words jolt me awake. The haze in my mind clears, and I look up into his cunning eyes.“ Why did you assume I am from the future? ” I ask, my heart beginning to beat fast.Dustin looms over my head, his eyes zeroed in on me. Something about the way he stares—like he knows things even I don’t know sends a shudder down my back.“ Dustin, I never told you that… ” My voice drops, and my heart sinks in the pit of my stomach,“ It’s not important. ” He blinks and steps away, putting some distance between us.“ Why do you always decide what’s important or not?! ” I snap. “ Maybe it’s not important for you, but it is for me, and you can’t tell me it’s not. ”Blood is rushing towards my head. I was so dazed after that kiss that my mind stopped working. But now, I am beginning to see things clearly.He knows things. And he is not telling me.“ It’s not every day that someone believes a person can travel back in time. ” I rise to my feet, ignoring the jabbing pain in my thig
ElitaI am in the Kingdom of the South!I want to roll around and whine. What am I doing behind these walls? But…To think about it on a deeper level, this is so exciting. This is something I didn’t get to do even in my original timeline.Levian used to say that when he became a Lycan, he was gifted with the powers of the light. And the only one who could truly rival his power was a Lycan from the Kingdom of the South-the one who was gifted with the dark powers. I shudder at that thought. The Lycans from the South have the power to bring darkness with them, but that’s not all. The scarier fact is that they can control the minds—minds of the living and the dead. I have heard of the Southern King’s use of those powers before. He raised an Army of the dead against the Vampires and Humans. The vampires were on the verge of losing, and that was the closest they touched the loss in the war. Uncountable vampires were killed and perished. Humans were slaughtered and mutilated. The undead A
ElitaI want to believe that I am above everything sometimes. All that crush stuff and giddy excitement-I am above that. But I am still a girl.I can’t help the bubble of excitement that explodes in my belly and makes me buzz with energy.Dark powers have always been a source of thrill for me. I imagine a Lycan bringing darkness and evil mind control powers with him, and I find myself wanting to roll on the floor, giggling and kicking my feet in the air like an idiot.That’s what I am feeling right now. My eyes go round, admiration and excitement displayed in them. Even my fists move to my chest to contain those giddy emotions, but I can’t help it.I take in his dark clothes—a loose-fitting jeans and a T-shirt that hugs his body and his sharp feaures. The most prominent feature about him is his eyes. All Lycans have different shades of black eyes, but his eyes are a glowing grey because he is not an everyday Lycan. He is a Hybrid—he has a witch’s blood in his veins and has inherited
ElitaI am back here again. The fire is consuming me, licking at my skin, searing through my lungs. And water seeps from the statue’s cold stone eyes, inching toward me as if trying to free me from the flames.Why do I always end up here? What does this even mean?Before I can make sense of anything, I jolt awake. My heart pounds against my ribcages as my wide eyes land on the plain, dirty ceiling. My breathing is uneven, and my body is still caught somewhere between the dream and reality.“ Did I scare you? ” Dustin’s soft voice sounds from beside me. I stiffen, and turn my head in his direction. He is standing beside the bed, his warm hand placed over my shoulder. His dark eyes hold something unreadable, but his face remains impassive.I blink, once, twice. Trying to gather my thoughts.“ I would have let you rest longer, but it’s urgent… ” Dustin says, straightening to his height. “ Get up and get ready. We need to leave. Now. ”Dread tightens a knot in my stomach. “ What happene
ElitaIt will always remain this way. I will never register sex. I try to claw at his shoulder to ground my mind to this moment, to continue to look into his beautiful eyes, but everything is already blank before my gaze.Just when I think I am going to slip away from him, my body is flipped again. My heart misses a beat in my chest as everything clears in my view.I am above him, straddling his hips, with his length still inside me, filling me deeper now. My hands drop to his stomach, and my back arches when I register the burn in my core. He is stretching me so good.“ You are not…forgetting about this again. ” His deep, restrained voice echoes in my ears as he commands. Confused, I look down at our joined bodies, and then up at his clenched jaw, dark eyes, and hands that are clasped together, raised above his head. It takes me a moment to register what’s happening. But when I do, everything inside me turns warm and melts into a puddle.Dustin Landric, the man who can’t bear to l
Elita“ I got a little taste of you, Ms. Folke… ” Dustin says, his voice low, husky. “ I need more now. ”My breath catches in my throat, the tension between us thick and suffocating.“ Still need more? ” I ask, my voice barely a whisper. “ Even after I acted like an ungrateful bitch and hurt you every time I opened my mouth? ”His hands slide down my sides with a precision that sends shivers down my spine. There is no hesitation in his touch, only certainty as if every move is part of a calculated plan. He grips my thighs firmly, lifting me with ease and wrapping my legs around his torso. His body feels like steel against mine—so hard, yet so warm. “ Those words meant nothing to me. I knew you were trying to push me away… ” He says, his tone devoid of softness. His eyes trail to my parted lips before snapping back to meet my gaze. “ You can try to push me away, but it won’t work. Because I always get what I want. And what I want right now is to have this… ”He leans down, so close
Elita“You destroyed me, Dustin! Don't you understand?! ”Dustin’s jaw tightens. He watches as I storm to the door and step outside. The cold mountain air bites into my skin, but I do not care. I need space. I need air that does not smell like him. Just as I take a few steps forth and pick up my head, I see similar small huts surrounding me.Several warriors turn towards me and watch me standing there like a dummy. I take in a deep breath and start walking towards the right.Did Alpha King Striker have to trick me like this? What was he even hoping to achieve?I scoff, stomping forward to find a silent, lonely corner. I stop only when I reach the ditch again.It’s so visible even in the night. Why did I miss earlier then? I narrow my eyes on it, glaring at if I can blame it for everything going wrong. I don’t know how long I do it, but I know that my legs start feeling heavy.I crouch down and wrap my arms around my knees. I always knew what to do, but now, I feel like a fool.May
ElitaThe quiet of the night almost stings my ears as I see myself back in that place—the first time I saw the Lycan King up close, a decade ago.His hand wraps around my wrist just as I try to turn and retreat. My heart races, a drumbeat of panic. I have already lured him into the trap. Death looms close, waiting to claim him in the form of a vampire king—the same monster who made me into this.It feels surreal. The memory had turned foggy after so many years among vampires and humans. I could no longer remember the sharpness of his features, the exact look in his eyes. But now, it is painfully clear.He is not glaring at me. There is no hatred in his gaze, not even blame.Maybe he already knew it was a trap. Dustin always knows everything.And still, he came.I pull, trying to wrench free, but it is no use. Levian stalks closer from behind. Yet Dustin does not shift his focus. His eyes never leave mine.“You will regret it.” His thumb brushes my pulse point, lingering just long enoug
ElitaI lie awake, staring at the ceiling above my head, my mind too full to let sleep take me. Tonight, it feels so cold in here. I feel this itch under my skin to go find that Lycan King and snuggle into his arms but I hold still. He is warm when his limbs are entangled with mine, but I am still angry at him.That’s not all. There is an ache between my legs, a constant, needy ache that demands his touch. It’s driving me crazy. Suddenly, someone knocks at the door. My heart misses a beat.Dustin. It has to be him. He knocked on my door hours ago and I just pretended to be asleep.The thought of him sends a rush through me—anger, longing, something that twists low in my belly—but I force myself to stay put. I won’t answer. I won’t let him in.“ Elita. ” The voice from the other side of the door calls out, and it’s not him. It’s Striker. “ Come out. ”I sigh and move my legs over the side of the bed, bare feet touching the cold floor. When I open the door, he stands there in the dim
DustinI reach for the handle of her door, but it doesn’t budge. She locked it.Releasing a breath, I let my hand fall to my side and stand there, listening. Her movements are light on the other side. Every shift of her feet, every rustle of the bed sheets, fills my ears. But it’s her heartbeat that holds me in place—too fast, too loud, a constant drum reminding me that she is still alive.I saved her. I press my palm against the wood. It’s cool beneath my skin. “ Open the door, Elita… ” I murmur.She doesn’t answer. My lips twitch. She is pretending to be sleeping. I know it. Her breathing pattern is not right—it’s too shallow, too aware.I smirk. What a weird tactic to ignore me. For a brief second, I consider breaking the door down. One sharp kick and it will go down. What will she do then, I wonder? Will she continue to pretend to sleep so she doesn’t have to face me? As the thoughts linger, something warm trickles down my lip. Again.I step back, wiping the blood away with
ElitaI struggle free from his hold and rush towards the lounge. But he is hot on my tail, like a predator set on hunting a prey down.When I enter, the Kings and Kalix are already seated, leaving only a double couch vacant. Reluctantly, I walk towards it and perch on the corner.But the Northern King doesn’t take the hint at all. He comes to sit beside me, leaving no distance between our bodies. His arm brushes mine, and I feel the warmth seeping through my skin. Kalix clears his throat, looking right at us. “ Karlias is on house arrest. Some of the warriors are heading to the mountains to get the witch. ”My heart misses a beat. “ Matiana? ”He sighs, giving a slow nod. “ Yes. She was the one who told us all about the prophecy of a woman and man coming—The one you talked about when you first came here.”I lean back but stiffen when his arm presses more into my side. Why does he have to make it so hard for me? Kalix eyes me curiously. “ I am still wondering about the same thing Eli
ElitaKalix’s grip tightens on my wrist, his wide eyes filled with something I can’t quite understand—desperation? Relief? Maybe both. He stares at me as if I am a ghost returned to haunt him. “ It worked… ” He breathes, his voice rough with disbelief. “ It actually worked. ”His fingers tremble against my skin, the intensity of his hold making my heartbeat quicken. I take a cautious step back, my voice low. “ What are you talking about, Kalix? ”He doesn’t answer right away. His gaze travels over me, his eyes scanning every inch like he is trying to piece together an impossible puzzle. “ I don’t understand. It worked. Then…how are you still alive? ”Before I can respond, the air shifts. It’s subtle at first—a faint chill that deepens until the entire room is gripped by an icy stillness. My breath turns to mist. A blur moves through the space beside me. Kalix’s hand is ripped away from my wrist with a brutal jerk.I gasp, just in time to see Dustin slam Kalix into the wall. The en