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
Elita“ I saw the wound she had. ” Avery hisses. “ You couldn’t have carried her all the way here from the North with a wound that recent. She got hurt around the walls somewhere, didn’t she? ”My gaze keeps switching between the three powerful people, trying to understand the dynamics. I understand that Avery and Aleister are angry for some reason but…Why doesn’t Dustin say anything? Why is he not telling them anything? Just why?“ You will remain silent again? ” Avery catches onto what I have been thinking and sneers. My heart sinks. Everything inside me wants me to reach out to Dustin and shake his arm, to ask him to say something.He left his Kingdom and came here to make sure the vampires didn’t get to penetrate the wall of the South. All this time, he’s been doing everything to protect his sister…She wouldn’t be angry at him like she is right now if she knew. “ You don’t need to be worried like this, Avi. There is nothing you need to know. ” Dustin replies in a composed ma
ElitaWhen I thought he would deal with me later, this is not what I had in my mind at all.I refrain from glancing over my shoulder and try to shrink in myself as his front presses into my back with every breath, every move forward.My throat feels drier than the desert, and my heart is lodged into my throat, claiming that spot as if it is always supposed to be here.“ Why do I have to ride on the same horse? ” I mutter under my breath, my back shuddering as his arms stretch around me.I feel cornered. Not in a bad sense. But sitting so close to his parted thighs and caged in his arms feels like a tight space. I can’t breathe or think or move away. Because, of course, there is no freaking space between us.Distance is important.It’s the key. It is what—“ I have to keep an eye on the trouble. ” He drawls, sending a heated shudder down my back once more.“ Who? ” I roll my eyes. “ Me? ”My ears perk up, waiting for a sassy reply. But he doesn’t say anything.Note to myself. When he
ElitaBy the time we reach the Wolveshire Citadel, it’s already dawn. The sun rises in the distance, and the clouds surround it, hindering the sunlight. I feel dead. My legs and back hurt like a cart ran over me and broke my bones. I want nothing more than to rush to the closest room and drop dead for a whole day.But, thoughts are still racing through my mind. I have limited time and a lot of things to do.“ What happens to your father now? I assume you didn’t punish him because of some hidden agenda you have in mind, even when I offered him to you on a silver platter. ” I ask before yawning tiredly.“ The enemies you know are better than those you don’t. I know Redley. If I get rid of him and the Former King, I won’t know the next man Levian chooses to be his spy and ally. ” Dustin explains, to my surprise.I take my hand off his wrist and fold my arms across my chest. “ but if you let them be, they will eventually cause a bigger problem. If you know them, Levian knows you, Dustin.
Elita“ I know you are angry. But you need to understand, Lana. I had no choice, my Love. Your father held my mother hostage, and he threatened to kill her if I didn’t leave you. ” He wipes his cheeks with the back of his hand, but more tears rush out and slide down immediately.My lips press in a thin line as I stare at him. I hate men who cry over stupid things. He can tell me his side of the story without shedding tears, too. It’s not like I am amputating his arms or something like that.“ Alpha said you took money. ” I blink calmly. “ No! ” He shouts, making me grimace. “ Your father is lying. I would never do that to you. I—I really had no choice but to leave you until he released my mother. ”“ The Alpha Redley you are talking about doesn’t seem like the person who would release someone he kidnapped once. ” I hum thoughtfully and tilt my head.Maverick’s tears stop. His mouth opens, then closes as if he is searching for words.I am about to roll my eyes and get up, but he stops
DustinI watch him, standing there with that smug look on his face, claiming Lana like she belongs to him. Maverick. He talks like he has every right to be here, like I am just some obstacle in his way. He borrowed that nerve from his master, Redley, and thinks he can keep provoking me if has a strong backing. I poke the inside of my cheek with my tongue. It’s a good chance for me to send Elita away from here.I know what I need to do…but my mind is somewhere else. An hour ago, I saw them. Lana—no, Elita—kissing him. Right in front of me. The image has been stuck in my head ever since, like some sick nightmare I can’t wake up from. His hands on her, her lips on his. It twists my gut every time I think about it, like something’s tightening, squeezing inside me. It’s a feeling I can’t shake or ignore no matter how hard I try.It’s because of her.She complicated everything. Everyone in this Hall recognizes her as Lana Redley. Once Maverick opens that gutter of a mouth, Lana’s reputa
ElitaOnce again in life, I am forced to realize that waiting is the hardest thing to do.Waiting for someone is like dragging your body over a bed of nails. It is slow. It is painful. It does not kill, but it leaves me writhing. Time stretches, moving too slow, making every breath feel heavy, every heartbeat feel too slow.The worst part of it?Not knowing if they are even coming back, or if I am waiting for nothing, or if I should do something instead of just…sitting around and waiting. I pace around in the throne room, occasionally watching the vacant throne, then turning to the window that overlooks the sea. The water has been too calm, for too long. It’s unnatural. It’s been…four days now. Four days since Dustin Landric forced me into returning to the North! And he is not back!I keep thinking…If I could get ahold of him right now...I would curse at him. I would strangle him. I would kiss him. And tell him if he ever did this again, I would hate him forever. It might be a l
LevianSometimes, I do wonder. What’s the point of everything they do to fight back? The pride they hold onto, the dignity they so cherish, the trust they have in their Goddess…It’s childish. So naive, as if holding onto those ideals will protect them from the harsh truths of the world. They fight and fight, convinced that their strength and their loyalty to some higher cause will save them, but all I see is a cycle of failure repeating itself. They believe in their righteousness, their purity, their connections to forces they cannot fully understand. But it is all an illusion.The Gods or the world does not care about pride. It does not care about dignity. It does not recognize the strength they claim to possess. No, the world and the Gods respect only power—the kind that bends others to your will, the kind that ensures survival by any means. They are too wrapped up in their fantasies to see the reality. Survival is not about pride. It is about doing what they must, without in
DustinI stare back as Aleister glares at me. “ the distance was— ”“ Bigger than you expected? ” I shrug and turn to walk towards my horse.“ You already knew, didn’t you? ” He masks his anger behind a cold smirk.“ What? That you wouldn’t be able to teleport all of us? ” I look towards Striker, then Tyson. They are glaring at me just like Aleister. “ You knew. ” Aleister lets out a breath, his voice tinged with disbelief.“ This teleportation? It’s not the power of the South. It’s just some added perk from your submissive witch blood. Of course, I knew you could only teleport one or perhaps two of us before it stopped working for some time. ” I tell him honestly, not wanting to drag this out longer than needed. “ But I was hoping…you could send two back. Tyson would have been a good option. He knows Levian better than us. ”“ You knew he could only send one or two of us back, and you still chose her? ” Striker lifts his brows.“ You would have done the same if it was Lenora. She is
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