DustinI am clueless.I, Dustin Landric, the man who knows about everything that goes on inside the Four Kingdoms of Wolves, am clueless.One day has passed—one whole night and day—and she is nowhere to be found.Redley’s people didn’t take her. Maverick’s friends didn’t take her. Levian didn’t come anywhere near her.She has disappeared into thin air. Even the voices in the water refuse to tell me where she has gone.It’s the first time in my life—like all first times with her—that I find myself helpless. It’s like my power has reduced to nothing, like I have reduced to nothing but a desperate man who is looking for his lost mate.What loser thoughts!I will find that little trouble, and I am going to make her regret getting on my nerves this time. She has pushed me to my limits, and I am so done playing nice and staying low.“ The divers didn’t find anything but a floating piece of her dress, Your Highness. The body must have been carried away by the sea. ” Ronac enters the sitting a
ElitaI knew knowledge about the future was my power. Yet, I didn’t use it properly.When Maverick came to slander Lana, and Redley was hellbent on sending her—me to the vampires, I realized that staying as Lana in this world was a mistake.No matter how cautious I tried to be, Lana’s enemies, or so-called family, or the vampires would never let her be. She was too important to be overlooked.I knew that Lana needed to go—or precisely, her face and body needed to go so I could stay by Dustin’s side without anyone getting on my nerves every day.But how? I wondered at first. It was not like I could go back inside my body or wear a veil. I was thinking about it when Maverick ran his mouth in the Throne room.And then suddenly, Princess Avery’s words rang in my ears. She thought I was using a witch’s potion to take on Lana’s appearance. What sounded absurd to me before became my lifeline.That’s why I staged Lana’s death, turned Redley into a murderer, and then disappeared without saying
Elita“ Dustin…what are you…doing? ” I whisper in the space between us and realize how small it is.I am molded into him. I can lean up and kiss him. I tilt my head and meet his gaze, swallowing the rising tension in my chest. His eyes are locked on me, dark and intense, and I swear I see a flicker of something primal pass through them—a need that matches the one curling low in my stomach. It’s raw, barely controlled, and I know it’s not just anger I am dealing with anymore.He is dangerous right now, more dangerous than I have ever seen him.And I don’t understand why he is so angry. Is it because I did things without telling him? My heart hammers in my chest, both out of fear and a maddening, undeniable desire.I have lost my mind.“ Congratulations…” His voice is low, rough, sending a shiver through me. “ You have managed to push me right to the edge, and now, I don’t know if I want to punish you…or take you apart piece by piece. ”That's the same thing, I want to say to him...B
ElitaDustin pulls away as soon as our lips meet, as soon as my eyes flutter shut. My body turns cold while confusion takes hold of me.I open my eyes again, and he is still there. My breath catches in my throat. He is staring at me with an intensity that makes my heart tremble. His chest rises and falls heavily, his eyes flashing between black and that dangerous electric blue as if he is fighting to hold himself back.At this moment, I hate that he is trying to pull himself away. If he has already started this, why is he beginning to think about it now?“ Don’t you want to show me what you are like when you are really fuming, or are you too scared to do that, Dustin? ” I ask, trying to sound steady, but my voice trembles, betraying the storm brewing inside me.Anger, embarrassment, and that raging desire turn into one explosive emotion inside me. I want to run away and hide, or else I won’t be able to stop myself. Before I can do either, Dustin’s hands squeeze my waist, rough and d
ElitaOne moment, it feels like…I am about to be wrecked.But then, another moment, a harsh knock sounds on the door. The tense air between us thickens as Dustin keeps his eyes on me, just watching me, holding my breath from close.Annoyance surges through my head, but that knock brings me back to my senses. Suddenly, I can think again, and what I am thinking is not good at all.Were we going to end up having sex if no one knocked on the door? I swallow my saliva, my breath hitching in my throat.Another knock follows, louder and harder than before. It’s like whoever is on the other side of the door needs us to step out immediately.Dustin’s grip on my arms loosen. A frown etches between his brows, his haze losing its heat and turning unfocused.“ I didn’t…notice. ” He mumbles, more to himself than to me.My heartbeat picks its pace again. I exhale a sharp breath, scanning his conflicted expressions. That’s when my gaze lands on his ruffled hair and open collar. He looks so disheveled
ElitaShortly after Dustin leaves, Felicity comes to get me. Her eyes scream confusion at my disheveled state, but she doesn’t say a word. She leads me to Lana’s room—my old room and helps me change into a different dress.I stare at her as she zips up the plain, blue gown that falls to my ankles and is made of silk. She must be thinking that I am Dustin’s side piece or something. I want to tell her that it’s not like this, but…why do I even care? She can think of anything she wants. But…for some reason, my mind is unable to accept that rational thought. More annoyance fills my mind, and I pull away.“ I am tired. I want to rest so you should go. ” Felicity’s eyes lift to my gaze in the mirror for a second. I narrow my eyes, letting her know that I am dead serious.She nods and, without saying a word, rushes out of the room. When the sound of the door closing reaches my ears, my shoulders stiffen.She is acting so hostile. Did she like Lana so much already? I walk towards the win
Elita“ What do you mean, Dustin? Will you at least tell me? ” I whip around and follow in his steps. Did Levian go to the South again? Is Princess Avery’s life in danger? But if that’s the case, why is Dustin so calm? My brows furrow in confusion as he keeps walking, and I jog to keep up with his long strides.“ You do not need to be like this with me. ” I say when he doesn’t talk. “ if you just tell me what’s wrong, I can find a way out of it. I know the enemy more than you ever will, Dustin. ”This has him stopping in his tracks. I pause beside him, my heart missing a beat.“ I know everything that he thinks, everything he can and can not do. I have spent so much time with him, learning everything he knows. ” I whisper, thinking it’s the best way to convince him.But to my surprise, my words bring a smirk on his lips. Dustin glances my way, his eyes shining with something I can’t understand.“ No one in this world knows everything. You are no exception. And if you think you are
ElitaSilence becomes the only refuge as we move in the darkness of the night. I don’t ask him any questions, just glance behind to notice a few horses following.We are not…on that kind of secret mission where we have to leave the warriors behind, I guess.“ I had relocated them to the Pack that was nearest to the Wolveshire Citadel. ” Dustin breaks the uncomfortable silence. His lips brush against the shell of my ear with each word. I shudder and instinctively curl my hands into fists. “ You said it was not about my family… ”“ That’s right. It’s because he doesn’t know what I am hiding yet. ” Dustin leans closer and breathes into my ear.I swallow and stop myself from trembling. He is so close—too close, and it reminds me of what we were about to do just a little time ago.The heat of his mouth is still fresh on my skin. And I can feel my lips tingling with his minty taste. “ What…are you…hiding? ” I murmur in a trance.“ I am hiding a lot. If I tell you about everything I am hid
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