ElitaPull away, Elita. Right freaking now!I scream in my head. But nothing seems to be working.My fingers keep holding onto his shirt, trying to pull him into me and become one somehow while my tongue darts out, licking his lips as if he is my favorite treat.Every touch sends a hot current down my body, making me shudder. I can’t breathe. It’s too hot. Just when I tilt my head, and go for another smooch against his tightly pressed lips, a finger pokes my forehead.A whine tears out of my throat, leaving me both—embarrassed and mortified. My eyes fly open and land on Dustin’s nose. The finger pushes my head back, putting distance between us and that’s when his dark eyes come into my view.My lips pucker out some more, desperate to cover the distance again so we can kiss. But he presses his forefinger harder into my forehead and keeps me away from him.His thick lips part, and he whispers. “ what are you doing, Lady Lana? ”As he speaks, his head leans forward and his gaze drops
ElitaAt his command, the ceremony quickly comes to an end and the moment I have been waiting for—a very dreadful and a lot more dangerous moment—finally comes.“ I rarely feel surprised. ” Dustin drawls, slowly walking around me in a circle.After everyone left, I was dragged to his office and the doors closed, trapping me inside with him.For a few minutes, he didn’t really say anything, just stared at me. And let me tell you—it’s not pretty to get stared at by him. When he stares, it feels like he is slicing your skin off with his eyes, just because he wants to see what’s under those layers.Now, he is behind me, and I can feel his gaze burning into my back. “ You managed to surprise me after all. ”“ I did? ” I flinch, trying to mask my nervous expressions.Don’t give him your back, Elita. You should never give your back to a predator.I attempt to turn around to face him but pause. He steps closer, so close that I can feel the heat of his body seeping into my back but he is not t
ElitaHow…did he figure it all out? Or did he just…call me ‘Stranger’ as a nickname?I huff, gathering my dress and glaring at the mud sticking to the lacy material. It’s not a good idea to wear such a pretty but impractical dress while you are in a forest. My eyes twitch as I look up and see the trees surrounding me.I expected Dustin’s warriors to stop me from leaving or tell me that I was confined…but fortunately and quite…oddly, the King didn’t put anyone on my tail.He didn’t even instruct anyone to not let me out of the Wolveshire Citadel.So, I decided to go and see my siblings while I still had the chance. There is no way I am going full war mode without seeing them and ensuring they are fine.At this point in life, they are residing in the North Shield Pack…With me.After my father was killed in a so-called human and vampire attack on our pack, the Alpha of the North Shield Pack, Alpha Orson took the survivors of our pack in. On the surface, it looked like Alpha Orson too
DustinThe water, in all its forms, speaks to me. It whispers, and screeches, and cries. The voices echo in my head until I feel like splitting it open just so I can silence the noise. An itch has become constant behind my eyes, in my ears, in my shoulders. Sometimes, I just want to gouge my eyes out, rip my ears off, and claw at my shoulders. I want to bleed and hurt just to get rid of the violent voices. But…the voices keep whispering, telling me secrets I don’t want to hear, murmuring the tales of the past, and the predictions of a terrifying future. However, sometimes, these voices tell me what I need to be aware of.Like how a little bunny is hiding in the woods, watching my every move, listening to the conversation I am having with Alpha Orson. I find it stupid that she decided to follow me like a loser, all alone on top of everything. Does she think she can fight me?What a silly, childish thought that befits a loser. I am not surprised. “ Will this affect you as her mate,
Elita Levian once said to me. Gods never bestowed any blessing upon their subjects without a condition. The condition was there so they could make the person realize how weak and helpless he or she was, to make them realize that they could have what they wanted but the Gods were still in control. And I have a hunch Levian was not wrong. Who would know the Gods and Goddesses better than a man who was an Original Lycan and the Original Vampire anyway? …Both his sides were the start of a legacy, and the Gods favored him. But it never came without conditions even to him. As I find myself lying in dark water, my back cold and numb, my eyes zero in on the glowing figure in the distance. Her white dress is sparkling, flowing around her feminine figure. The silver light that emanates from her, repels the darkness and cuts through it like a knife. As she floats closer, her face becomes clear even under all the glow. Her eyes are a bright silver color, so blazing that it feels like a
Elita“ You don’t remember anything? ” Dustin asks, his tone neutral.It’s hard to know if he believed me or not, but the way he stares at me tells me that he can’t bother with me anymore.“ Yes, Your Highness. I woke up in the dungeon, and my slate was wiped clean. ” I run my forefinger along the length of my forehead.The playful gesture meets with nothing but a blank stare. I grimace, eyeing the way he sits with his back steely straight and his legs spread. Earlier, when I told him I had something to tell him, he must not have expected this story.My poor mate. “ A werewolf lost her memory? Just like that? ” Finally, he reacts with a lift of his brow.A grin settles on my lips as I nod eagerly. “ Exactly. That’s what happened, Your Highness. That’s why I couldn’t answer your question right. You know…I really don’t remember who Nora is to me. I just know she is my best friend. ”Hehe.When I gave it a thought, the question about putting a good word for him when Nora came over in
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
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
ElitaHis scent surrounds me, and I can’t breathe.Dustin’s arms tighten around me, pulling me more into his front. His touch burns through every layer of my being, like fire searing flesh, but it’s the ache inside that makes me freeze. His breath brushes my neck, warm and rough, and my body…betrays me. Every muscle locks. Every nerve surrenders. I can’t push him away. I can’t pull free. My heart pounds so loud, I am sure he can hear it.He nuzzles into the crook of my neck, and I want to scream. But I fall silent.Because it feels good. Too good.A shiver races down my spine, my body trembling between need and fear. My breath catches in my throat as his lips graze my skin. Every inch of me craves his touch, yet every heartbeat screams for distance.“ Tyson was right. ” Dustin murmurs. His voice is low and dark—a whisper that bleeds into my soul. I feel it more than I hear it. His words spread like a storm, drowning my reason.My chest tightens. My lungs burn as if I am drowning aga
ElitaThe moment Dustin opens his eyes, my breath hitches in my throat. It’s as if something raw, and untamed stirs between us—an invisible binding us together.The mate mark on my neck burns, a reminder of what he has done. My heartbeat quickens and I find it hard to think, to look away from his intense eyes.For a moment, there is only silence. No one says anything as we all watch him stare at me. Then, suddenly, Striker rushes past me, breaking the spell. “ Dustin, are you alright? ”Dustin doesn’t answer. His eyes move away from me, from the mark that ties us together, and land on Tyson instead. There is a shift in the air—heavy and dangerous.Dustin rises from the bed in one smooth motion. Striker steps back. I should move too, but my feet won’t listen. One moment, I want to step forth, wrap my arms around him, and tell him how scared I felt…But the next, I want to run away…But he is not focused on me, or the turmoil going on inside me. His focus is on Tyson.Without warning,
ElitaI wake with a sharp gasp. My heart is pounding too fast, too hard in my chest. Darkness clings to the edges of my vision as my chest heaves, my eyes moving around the unfamiliar warmth of the room. For a moment, I can’t tell what’s real. That… vision—no, that hallucination—lingers, my mind spinning with fragments of what I felt.Why did I think that Dustin's statue broke and he somehow came to life to save me? That's...impossible. My mind played such stupid tricks on me while I was dying. My fingers clutch the blanket covering me, and the heat wraps around me. For a moment, I don't realize where I am. The sheets smell clean, and I am wearing a loose white dress that brushes my ankles. I touch the fabric, frowning.Then, I look around again. I am not in that lake. I am in my room. The one in the small cottage. But how?I blink rapidly, my breath quickening as the memory returns—icy water pulling me under, my body going limp, death scratching against my skin. I remember the cold
DustinMy body moves on instinct as I pull her out of the water. Her weight feels wrong in my arms—too light, too still. Her limbs dangle lifelessly. For the briefest moment, I want to look at her pale face, but I can’t She is always talking so much. But now she is silent. I drop to my knees on the frozen ground, cradling her as the bitter chill brushes against my skin. As a Lycan, I am incapable of feeling cold, but I do now. Something inside me is freezing, and I can feel the sharp tips of that ice digging into my heart. Reluctantly, I look up, at the wet hair that sticks to her lifeless cheeks, at the eyes that are closed, at the parted lips that are too colorless. Mechanically, my hands press against her chest. No beat. There is no beat. Or maybe, I can’t feel it because my own heart is beating too hard in my ears. My jaw clenches, and I grind my teeth so hard it sends a sharp pain shooting down my temples.My hands are trembling against her chest. I want to press down, to
ElitaI thought as the water would fill my lungs and I would struggle to breathe, I would think about how normal it was.I had died once before. And the pain would be nothing new.In fact, I would recall everything I suffered. The dark nights. The bloody days. The empty world. I would remember every time I woke up to find that I had fallen one level below from yesterday. I would remember how I slowly forgot what I had destroyed everything for. I would remember my desperate attempts to save my life.Anger. Agony. Fear. But I didn’t feel any of that. I didn’t think of the dark nights or the bloody days.Instead, it felt like my life started the day I woke up in that dungeon with wrists slit, and head smashed. There was something different about occupying the body of someone who had died miserably—something like an emptiness nothing could fill, a void so vast it could devour me whole.But I was too cold, too dead inside to acknowledge it. Now, I could relive every emotion I felt for La
ElitaI don’t know how much time passes after I get tired of slamming my aching palms against the door. When no one hears my screams or comes to open the door, I move to sit on the floor beside the bed and stare at the wall opposite me.I can’t believe it.I thought we had made progress.But that stupid, ruthless King just locked me inside this room. He knows I can’t break it down. He used my weakness against me. I snort in frustration, glaring at the door as if I can burn a hole through it. Then, I look away and focus on the floor. I hate that he has done this. I hate that I am here, trapped like this.He should have listened to me instead of acting the way he did—like he is so scared of losing me until he is forced to resort to these foolish methods. Suddenly, the lock turns and the door opens. I don’t look up. I don’t care who's coming. Whoever comes will only come to deliver food, and they will make sure that I remain trapped.“ Having fun? ” Tyson says, his voice low and casual
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