Damien.Dinner. Dinner. Dinner.I moved through the kitchen as though the devil himself was at my heel.My hands were a blur of activity–chopping, stirring, seasoning– with none of the finesse I usually prided myself on. Knowing how to cook was one of the skills I was so glad my mom taught me when I was younger. It saved me during my time in the wild... and saved me now from Elliot's horrendous cooking skills.That man couldn't make an omelette to save his life.The skillet sizzled, filling the space with the aroma of sautéed onions and garlic, but the tension hanging in the air... one I was desperately trying to ignore... was far less appetising. Elliot sat on a single stool at the other side of the kitchen. If this was any other good day, he would stand with me and watch me as I cooked while trying to play any little trick he could think of.Now I could feel the weight of his glare like a physical force on the back of my head, and it made my every movement jerky and uneven.I want
Elliot.I floated in the darkness.Not the kind of darkness that came with the comfort of the night, the soft hum of crickets, the sweet touch from Damien on my cheeks, or the gentle brush of moonlight through the trees.No.This was a suffocating void, pressing in from every angle, relentless and unyielding. One minute, I was mad... super mad at Damien for going through my drawings when he wouldn't even tell me the truth about certain things, and the next minute, I was trapped, a prisoner in my own mind. The pain had come first, sharp and searing, like my skull had been split open and molten iron pouted inside. It ended as suddenly as it had begun, leaving me floating in this endless abyss.I hated my life. I tried to move, to scream, to do anything, but it was useless. I was weightless and formless, and yet... I could still feel.Feel the cold satisfaction of that wolf with the golden eyes as it rose from the depths of my soul.Swishhh.I wasn't alone in the dark anymore.The wol
Damien."Hey, Frank."The soft hum of Elliot’s voice broke the stillness of the morning, though it was tinged with weariness. I stood quietly in the doorway of the bedroom, my arms crossed, watching as Elliot balanced the phone between his ear and shoulder.He looked like he hadn't slept a wink."Yeah, I'm not feeling great," Elliot continued with a low voice, almost apologetic. He paused, listening to whatever Frank was telling him on the side... perhaps trashtalk about me. "I'll take a sick say today... I should be fine tomorrow."I should be fine tomorrow. The words stung me in a way I couldn't fully explain. This wasn't Elliot... my saviour.Not the Elliot I knew... the one who carried burdens silently and pressed forward no matter what. But after last night, I couldn't blame him for needing space.For taking a break.They talked for a few more minutes before Elliot hung up with a sigh, letting the phone drop onto the bed beside him. He stared down at his hands, shoulders slumped
Damien."Elliot,I'm going to fix this, and I'll be back soon. Don't worry about me. Stay safe, Saviour.Love, Damien.P.S. You should get a nickname for me soon."The cold morning air bit at my skin as I stepped out of the cabin, the wood floor creaking softly beneath my boots. I couldn't help but take a glance back at the cabin, the warm light of the living room spilling out through the cracked door. Elliot was still asleep, curled up under a blanket, snoring softly.Fuck.Just moving out the door was enough to get my heart twisting in my chest. I didn't want to leave him, not now, not ever. Elliot needed me beside him right now, but staying wasn't an option.If there was any chance of helping Elliot... of keeping him safe and in control of his mind... I had to take the risk.At least I left a note on the kitchen counter for him to find.I spared one last look at his peaceful form, I stepped outside and closed the door softly behind me.Fiona, the red-haired princess that she was,
Damien."Mom?" The word slipped from my mouth before I could think, hanging in the cold air between us. The woman... my mother... froze, her wide eyes locking with mine. Different emotions passed through her eyes at that moment before they hardened, and she turned her attention to Fiona...As if I hadn't spoken at all.Well, that was one way for our reunion to happen after years of not seeing each other.Fiona glanced between us, her brow furrowing, but before she could say anything, another figure emerged from the cabin.The man was tall and lean, his silver hair tied back into a neat braid. His piercing grey eyes swept over Fiona and I with calm curiosity and mild disinterest... or was it total disinterest.It was hard to tell.This was a man who carried himself with authority, like someone who was used to being obeyed."I see we have visitors," the man said. He had a husky kind of tone. "I am Matthias, the healer. And you are?"I tore my eyes away from the woman... my mother... a
Damien."You did the right thing."I stared at the cabin, its wood soaked in the first light of dawn. The healer was already shuffling toward Fiona car... which was completely repaired now, his silver braid swaying, his bag of tools slung casually over one shoulder.Behind him, my mother stood with her arms crossed, her face closed off.Were they dating? Was she his assistant or something? Was this where she had been all those years?There were too many questions swirling around my head this morning."You'll be travelling without me," she said to me, her voice like cold steel.The relief I felt was sharp and immediate, though I buried it deep down. She wasn't really talking to me, and it would be stupid to show that her words affected me. So, I schooled my expression into one of indifference and nodded as if her absence didn't matter.But it did.She wouldn't be coming with us. She wouldn't be around to ignore me, to pretend I didn't exist. She wouldn't be available for my questions
Damien.With Elliot in the house, there was always something going on.Reading.Writing.Journaling. Cooking, cleaning, eating, talking. Whatever mundane activity one could think about, we always had at least one going on.Even on the days he was mad at me, so the silence around and in the cabin felt deafening. I stood in the wreckage of our home, the faint scent of blood still lingering in the air, mixing with that horrible tang of destruction. Our bond... the one thing between me and Elliot, usually a steady hum at the back of my mind, was eerily quiet.No pull. No sign. Nothing.This wasn't an unusual occurrence for us, but considering the fact that he had a monster wolf in his mind...I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms as I scanned the room again, searching for something... anything... that might give me a clue. "Elliot!" I called out, my voice hoarse.The echo of my own voice was the only reply."Damien..." Fiona’s voice was softer than I was used to... more h
Elliot.The cabin felt colder without Damien here.None of his sparky personality, sarcastic comments, or even the smell of his wonderful home made cooking.On the day he left, I blinked awake, expecting to feel his warmth pressed against my back, the steady rise and fall of his breathing acting like an anchor against the dark cloud in my mind. But the couch was empty, the sheets already cool where Damien should have been.And my whole body ached because I slept on a couch.The hollow silence, though, was enough to make my stomach twist. It wasn't like Damien to leave me without a word.I forced myself upright, brushing tangled hair from my face as my eyes swept the dimly lit room. The cabin was still... the kind of quiet that didn't feel peaceful, only wrong.And then I saw it.And then he saw it. A folded piece of paper on the kitchen counter.No.My pulse quicked, a sinking weight pressing down on my chest as I snatched it up. The paper felt rough under my fingers, creased like it
One year after...Elliot.Fucking hell!What was wrong with me?I adjusted the collar of my shirt, a strange mix of excitement and nervousness bubbling in my chest. That didn't stop me from sparing a glance at Damien, who stood beside me, hands stuffed into his pockets.My mate... plus husband, because sometime within the previous year, he had transitioned into my husband, exuded this sort of calm confidence, but I could see the tension in his posture.Slight tightening of the jaw, the way his fingers flexed occasionally? The signs were all there."You don't have to look so intimidating," I teased, nudging him gently. "We're not here for a pack meeting."On the days we had those, even I knew to steer clear for a few minutes to give him time to breathe. Those elders... well, they were a little intense on the poor guy.Damien shot me a sideways glance, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "It's not intimidating if this is my resting face."Sigh. His resting face was the one he ha
Elliot."... a feminine mate."The room fell silent, except for the faint crackle of the fire in the corner. Five pairs of expectant eyes rested on me, waiting for my compliance."No." The words slipped out of my mouth easily, followed by a breathless laugh that was so bitter it tasted like ash on my tongue.The tall, silver-haired elder frowned. “No?” I took a step forward, keeping voice steady. "No, I won't take a feminine mate, not when I have a mate already," I shot a glance at Damien, whose eyes just widened in alarm. "One I love, one I cherish, and one I would gladly die for if the need came up."I suppressed the chuckle in me as the elders exchanged uneasy glances, their masks slipping away.Not what they expected eh."My mate is Damien Blackthorn," I declared, the words echoing through the room like thunder. "And you're going to have to live with that."...silence.Then another elder, a squat man with a pale complexion, was the first to break it. "Damien is still illegitimat
Elliot.All I could was stare at Damien, my chest still heaving from the kiss that had shattered every coherent thought in my mind.Damn me!My lips still tingled from the contact, but my body rebelled against the intimacy, the closeness... the connection. I had no idea when I took a step back while shaking my head. "What the hell are you doing?" My voice was sharp, raw, and mixed with something I wasn't ready to name.Damien's jaw clenched, his eyes shadowed with defiance and something softer."You told me to do something," He repeated with puckered lips."Not that." I snapped at him with a cold tone. Why did it feel like I was splintering from the inside. "Do you think this is the right time for... for that?" I gestured at the air between us, trying my best to keep my hands from trembling.Damien didn’t answer immediately. I took another step back, my legs almost giving out beneath me. "I'm covered in blood, Damien. Asher's blood." My voice cracked, and all I could let out for th
Elliot.What had I done?The crowd's cheers and chants of "Golden Alpha" roared around me, but the sound felt distant... muffled as if I was underwater. Blood matted my fur, drying into a crust that stung with every movement.I stood still in the centre of the clearing, staring at Asher's lifeless body.I had done that. That was my work.Shouldn't I feel triumphant? That's what was expected of me now. But all I felt was a hollow pit in my chest, an ache that wouldn't subside.This pack members were so fast in turning away from the one alpha they had known all their lived. Did they even like him at all? Was he a cruel thing in their life?Guilt gnawed at me, sharp and insistent. Asher's blood was on my paws... on my teeth. I'd done the one thing I'd never do. Killed another man or wolf.And Damien... My eyes shifted to the man who certainly looked bigger now than before in the crowd, standing apart, shoulders hunched, eyes dark. Damien looked defeated, not victorious, as if Asher's d
Damien.I crouched low, panting, with blood soaked into my fur. I couldn't help but glare at Asher, who stood tall and smug, those dark eyes of his gleaming with cruel satisfaction."Just leave us alone," I screamed into his mind, making sure my voice was kept steady despite the turmoil raging inside me.Asher's ears flicked back, his snarl rumbling like thunder. His response came immediately, and it wasn't pretty."You think I'd let you walk away with the power of that crystal embedded into you just because you don't want to fight? You're a coward, Damien. A bastard trying to play hero."Fucking hell.I was already frustrated by his stubbornness at this point."This isn't about being a coward or a hero, Asher. I just want to end this madness once and for all... I'll find a way to give you the crystal so we can leave, and it's done."Asher bared his teeth. "You don't get to decide when this ends, big brother. I didn't work my entire life for this pack just to hand it to you? To a bast
Damien."Take it, and leave us alone."Asher practically snatched the crystal from my hand once he saw it, holding it aloft, those jagged edges slicked with blood staining his fingers.The crystal had this kind of eerie glow from within catching the sunlight and bringing some sort of sinister shadows across his face.He laughed, a cruel thing, slicing through the murmurs of the gathered crowd."Look at him," Asher sneered, turning to the elders, the guards, the pack. "The bastard my father should have drowned the moment he crawled out of his whore of a mother."My breath hitched, fury burning within me at those words.My mother wasn't a whore. She was just a victim of circumstances.He had no right.I stained against the silver shackles digging into my wrists, the metal scorching my skin, but the pain was nothing compared to the rage simmering in my veins."You've always been nothing, Damien," Asher continued, his words dripping with enough venom to wound me. "A stain on this pack fro
Damien.One of the worst things that could happen to a person is the inability to move.I couldn't move.My body screamed at me to act, to hell, but the silver of the shackles continued to say every ounce of strength I had left. The room became a blur of chaos, the coppery taste of fresh blood mixing with the charred scent of burning torches.My mate... Elliot was a whirlwind of gold and fury, tearing through the guard with a savagery that made even my sick in the head brother stumble back a step.“Kill him!” Asher roared, his voice cracking in uncharacteristic panic. “Stop that beast!” The remaining guard hesitated, fumbling for his weapon as Elliot rounded on him. He didn't even stand a chance. A single swipe of massive claws opened him from collarbone to hip, and his scream of pain ended in a gurgle as he choked on his own blood while crumpling to the floor.This was a horrible place. The screaming elder, on the other hand, had pressed himself against the far wall, eyes wide wit
Damien.The first thing I registered was the cold.It pressed against my back, so damp and unforgiving, seeping into my bones like ice. My skin felt raw where it touched the stone, aching with each shallow breath I took. The erratic pounding of my heart was even worse since it came with a steady drumbeat of pain, while the sharp scent of blood hung thick in the air...Metallic and bitter.My blood.I forced my eyes open, blinking against the haze clouding my vision. Shadows danced along the damp stone walls, cast by a single torch burning low. The flame sputtered, struggling for life, barely able to illuminate the ancient cracks webbing across the ceiling.I knew this place.This had been my father's prized possession, capable of tearing into the minds of anyone stupid enough to allow themselves to be brought here.The Blackthorn dungeon. A place carved deep into the earth. I'd been here before... years ago... when I was just a boy foolish enough to challenge one of those silly eld
Elliot.Fuck that little piece of nature.And why did it have to be so loud that it echoed louder than it should have in the unnatural stillness of this place. "Who's there?" Another guard echoed the first one words.They emerged from the shadows almost instantly... the three of them, moving like wolves who'd caught a scent. Their hands rested on their weapons–daggers strapped to their belts, one with a blade half-drawn. Running would be useless right now.Fiona stopped short, standing tall beside me as the nearest guard, a broad-shouldered man with a scar cutting from his temple to his jaw narrowed his eyes. These werewolves always seemed to be injured."Luna Fiona?" His voice was rough with disbelief, head tilting as he looked her over, eyes lingering on her dirt-streaked clothes.The second guard, a bit younger, exchanged a glance with the third. "What the hell are you doing here? And who..." his eyes flicked to me, then moved back to Fiona like I wasn't worth his time. "... who