Nemesis

ELEA

“I hope you know what to do.” 

I looked up at the reflection in the mirror. My father, Alpha Dalton, was standing behind me while I was putting on the diamond earrings, followed by fixing the crimson-red colour on my lips.  

“I know what to do.” 

“Good.” He nodded, though a little unsure, as always. “Do not fail me, Elea.”

I snapped up my gaze for a comeback, but he had already turned around to leave. 

Long ago, I read somewhere where it said: when you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.

I did not know the true meaning of those words until the night followed.

The night that forever altered my life and possibly the life of my enemy — Landon Knox.

XXX

The Blood Moon celebration night of the Crimson Pack was one of the biggest carnivals the West Lands has ever seen, with drinks flowing like water and every male and female werewolf of the pack was intoxicated and high in celebration. It was the ideal night to infiltrate. 

My family, especially my father, had waited for years, and finally, it was time for Alpha Roman to pay the price of his over-ambition and ruthlessness.  

I looked outside the car window, at the dazzling array of bright lights, twinkling and dancing in the darkness, casting a vibrant glow on the pack house. The loud music boomed from inside.   

I adjusted the black lacy masquerade mask before exiting the car and approached the pack house with the invitation in hand. The guards at the gate dutifully checked mine before I was allowed to enter the party. Alpha Roman sure knew the value of good security. I knew that beforehand.

And as soon as I stepped into the place, it looked like a crazy rave party. I did not pay attention to any of the drunken couples grinding into each other as I made my way across the dance floor and to the bar. Ordering a glass of sparkling water for myself, my eyes kept scanning the crowd for my prey. He has to be around here…somewhere as I looked around, growing impatient with every second. 

“Can I buy you a drink?” a voice behind me asked. 

I turned to find the most devilishly handsome man standing right beside me. He stood over six feet tall. His jacket was off, and his sleeves rolled up to expose the sun-bronzed forearms. But it was his facial features that could take anyone’s breath away if they were not aware of his proclivities. 

I had already seen several pictures of Landon Knox, the infamous son of Alpha Roman of the Crimson Pack and the future alpha, who was otherwise known as the ‘womanizer of the West’, but none of those pictures did justice to his features. 

But tonight was not about his smouldering looks.

It was about my pack’s vengeance. 

I feigned a disinterested smile. “I am about to leave, so thanks, but no thanks.” 

His smirk was equally contagious. “Why, Cinderella? It isn’t noon yet.” 

He closed the distance between us as I gulped in a lungful of woody musk of his perfume. “Are you always so cheesy or you’re off your game tonight?” I played along. 

This time, he grinned, bright and boyish. “Well, my opening line always works and at this point, they might as well not have clothes on.” 

I rolled my eyes and snorted. “Cocky.”

Landon leaned forward, brushing his lips slightly over my earlobe. “I prefer the word ‘confident’.”

Oh, damn him to hell.  

“You are good.” 

“I am sure you’re better,” he quipped and then stepped back to extend his hand, acting like a gentleman. “Dance with me, come.” 

“You do not give up, do you?” I had to yell over the loud music as he had already taken my hand, pulling me towards the dance floor. “You are going to regret this because I have two left feet,” I told him. 

He did not seem to care, because he had already pulled me a little too close to his body as I felt the heat radiating off him, and I shivered at his touch…I bloody shivered, as he swayed to the beats. 

“I am Landon, by the way,” he whispered, spinning me around until my back was pressed against his chest.

For a second, I stopped breathing. I was afraid that if I did, I would moan. I could feel him, all of him, behind me. Fuck, I underestimated him. 

Do not forget your purpose, Elea, I had to remind myself.

“Nice to meet you, Landon.” 

“This is the part where you tell me your name,” he said into my ear, and once again it was like I had no control over my body. 

I spun around, throwing my arms around his shoulders. “Really? That’s how it goes in your book?”

“I might have a few other tricks up my sleeve.” He winked. 

“Oh, you are good at this.”

We swayed for a few more moments to the blasting beats before his eyes narrowed down on me. “You are not from here, the West Lands,” he asked curiously.  

“You know every woman from the West Lands?” I challenged. 

“I know the ones worth knowing.” He shrugged. “And I wouldn’t forget a voice like yours, little siren.”

“Siren?”

“Yes, siren. The mystery girl with a mask who would not tell me her name.”

“Does this work on every girl you try?” 

“I am picky.” 

His arms wrapped around me, and his hands found a position on my neck as he drew us closer. I almost thought he would kiss me before flashing a knowing smirk that almost disarmed me. Fuck! I had known Landon to be a shrewd one, but he was so much more than that. And every moment I had to remind myself that this was all a ruse. That this flirtation was nothing but a means to an end, and as soon as I would steal the blueprints, I would have to vanish into the thin air.  

“My name is Anna,” I whispered, leaning a little closer, and he smirked. 

“Your place or mine, Anna?”

“You think you are going to get lucky just because I agreed to a dance?” I asked him, and he only smiled. 

“I think I have already gotten lucky.” 

“Okay, you win,” I returned him a smirk. “Your place it is then.” 

The Crimson Pack Alpha’s mansion was beautiful, and considering how heavily guarded it was, I knew I wouldn’t have been able to get in if I hadn’t flirted my way in with Alpha Roman's son Landon. And even though his sins were not as grave as his father’s, the apple did not fall far from the tree either.

Landon Knox had his own vices.

The second we were inside his room, he spun around and pinned me against the door. His thumb brushed across my lips and lightly trailed the fingers down my waist, his touch lingered for only a moment before he dragged my dress up over my waist. Lifting me, he carried me towards the bed, allowing both of us to fall back onto it. 

“Damn you,” I sighed as he teased me slowly, revelling in the fact of how I shook under him. I felt like I was losing my mind. I swear I did not want to enjoy it, but every exploration of my contours with his gentle touch ignited a flame that was slowly consuming me. 

I knew I was losing the game, yet my body gravitated towards him like an invisible force. 

This was never the plan. 

I was supposed to flirt my way in, steal the blueprints of the pack house and leave. Instead, here I was, in his thrall, in his arms as we explored each other with a hunger that bordered on desperation. Every touch, every kiss was electric, sending waves of pleasure coursing through my body. Time seemed to stand still as we lost ourselves in each other, two strangers seeking solace in the night.

“Anna—” He bit his lip, fighting back a moan as he thrust into me. 

I’d never felt like this. This hammering, all-encompassing fervour struck through me with each beat of my heart like a lightning strike. 

“Elea, I need to tell you something,” I heard my wolf inside my head, but I was too engrossed.

Landon slammed into me like a hungry animal, and I met his moves with equal passion. As we lost ourselves in a night of uninhibited ecstasy, time almost stood still for both of us. 

We fell back against the mattress as silence descended between us. 

“Elea, listen to me, please. This is important!” My wolf begged as I tried my best to shut her off. 

The quietness, save for our heavy breaths, was so thick it vibrated around us.

“Have we met before?” he asked, still panting. 

My eyes were closed as I answered, “I am certain, we did not.”  

In a flash, he reached out and ripped the mask off my face before I could stop him. “What the hell—” 

His blue, piercing gaze was staring at me, eyes infinite and gravitational, as if they were pulling me into the unknown. And then I heard the word I never imagined I’d hear from Landon Knox. “Mate?” he whispered, his voice thin and breathy. 

The word scalded my ears and burned in my gut as I felt it and heard it in every way language could be understood. 

“Hell no!” I gasped, clutching the fabric against my chest. 

“That is why you seemed familiar…” he rambled in awe. 

“You cannot be my mate, it’s not possible.” I jumped out of bed, putting a healthy distance between us as I quickly got into the dress. “This must be some cruel joke by the Moon Goddess.”  

“Anna, what are you saying?” I could see the bewilderment in his eyes which held a hint of hurt and softness I did not know Landon Know could harbour.  

“My name is not Anna, and I am certainly not your mate,” I spat. “I reject you, Landon—”

The rest of my words were drowned in an explosion. And before we know it, the loud blast tore through the halls, echoing through the night and sending shockwaves through the place.

“What the hell!” Landon muttered as we rushed out of the room. Screams and cries filled the place as we navigated to find the source.

And before he could respond, I spun on my heel, and I ran like the devil was at my back. I did not stop until I reached the car, drove down like a maniac until I was home and locked myself in my bedroom. I braced myself on the sink, breathing hard as I stared at my haunted eyes in the mirror. 

“What the hell have you done, Elea?” I heard my wolf once again, but I knew it was already too late.