Elliot. Sleep was an elusive luxury. The golden rays of the sun pierced through the cabin's window, their warmth at odds with the icy weight on my chest. I couldn't escape the questions, regrets, and fear that churned inside me. When I finally dragged myself to the table, Damien was exactly where I’d left him, a statue of brooding silence. His unyielding posture only stoked my frustration I crossed my arms, my voice cutting through the stillness. "Are we really going to ignore the fact that you're a werewolf?" Damien's sharp eyes locked onto mine, his jaw tightening. He didn't flinch. Didn't deny anything. "I won't shift near the cabin if that's what you're worried about," he said flatly. "I need one last thing from you." "Oh? Just one?" I barked a bitter laugh. "You want me to keep my mouth shut, don't you?" "Yes," he replied without hesitation, his voice as sharp as the edge of a blade. "For your safety, Elliot. You can't tell anyone, not even a whisper." A dry, scornful la
Elliot. Returning to work was supposed to be easy. Even with the mayor’s backing, Frank would have moved on to the next story and let me dig into my own half-baked storylines. But, no. The moment I stepped into the office, Frank ambushed me like a predator spotting prey. "Elliot!" His voice rang out, loud and overly enthusiastic... an unwelcome sound for my under-caffeinated brain. "Glad to see you took my advice and rested. You're back, recharged, ready to tackle the next big story!" I froze mid-step. The way he grinned sent an uneasy prickle down my spine. "What are you talking about, Frank?" "Oh, you know," he said nonchalantly, leaning against my desk like he owned it. "I've been doing some digging since you seemed... preoccupied. You might be interested in what I found." My stomach tightened. “And what, exactly, did you ‘find’?” Frank's grin widened, his eyes alight with self-satisfaction. "Your friend, Damien. The one who showed up out of nowhere after you got yourself
Elliot. What was wrong with me? I had been so relieved that Damien would stay with me. He made me laugh most times and helped out with the chores in the cabin without me asking him to. It was very easy to forget that he was a werewolf. But as I left the cabin the next morning, all I felt was the tension simmering in my chest, that strange pull between two different versions of myself. One that wanted Damien, that needed him in ways I hadn't dared acknowledge... and the other that didn't understand what the fuck was going on. Returning to work felt like some kind of temporary escape, even if the peace didn't last. Frank was officially a thorn in my flesh. He leaned against my desk with that look that meant trouble. "Morning, Elliot," He greeted, with a voice that was too casual. I couldn't help the eyeroll that followed. "Let me guess. You've got another wild theory?" Frank's grin widened. "You know me too well. But it's not just a theory this time." He leaned in. "I have pro
Elliot. Pain tore through my body, a searing fire that blurred my vision and threatened to pull me under. But through the haze, the thing watching me moved. Something fast. I caught a glimpse of Damien's wolf form darting toward the other creature, intercepting it before it could reach me again. Fuck. "Elliot, stay down!" Damien's voice echoed in my head, sharp with warning. But I wasn't about to just sit back and watch him risk his life alone. I forced myself to my feet, every muscle screaming in protest. The world swayed, but I knew when he ran into the clearing. Frank. It was over before it even started. The shock moved quickly to something colder. Anger. The disbelief on his face was almost laughable. It vanished in an instant, replaced by something colder. Darker. "Frank, wait." Too late. He raised a gun. "No..." My voice wasn't audible enough to break through the chaos that was the creature and Damien fighting, but Frank heard it. His eyes shot to me, narrowing
Elliot.The cabin was silent, save for Damien's ragged breaths echoing through the room. Just like the day I saved him, his blood painted my hands and smeared across my arms as I pressed cloth after cloth to his side.Anything to stop the blood rush. But it kept seeping through, staining everything a deeper shade of crimson."Stay still, okay?" I muttered, trying to keep the worry out of my voice.I wasn't fooling anyone.Damien managed a weak smirk. "You know, I think I look worse than I feel. You can stop fussing, alright?"Moron."Damien, shut up. I swear, if you don't stop talking, I'll knock you out myself." The words came out sharper than I intended, but I couldn't help it.He had been fine when we were coming out of the woods. Fine when he sat on the couch.Then he just started bleeding again, and now my hands were trembling, and it felt like I was trying to hold water in my palms instead of his life.He was a werewolf with unusually fast healing abilities. What was wrong now?
Elliot.I could see my breath under the night light, curling and dissipating as I leaned against the tree.The cabin lights were turned on, casting a faint glow from the distance.I'd stormed out of there the moment Damien was knocked out cold. I needed space, a place to gather my thoughts that didn't reek of bleach and housed a smirking Damien.A kiss. That was all it took to heal Damien.It shouldn't matter anymore. It was a lapse in judgement, an attempt to save Damien's life, nothing more.So why was my mund refusing to let it go, replaying that same moment over and over again in excruciating detail?Why could I still feel the warmth, the flush of adrenaline mixed with something unfamiliar in my chest.Even the last kiss I had five years ago hadn't felt like this.From Janice.I could see her blond curls flying in the wind, once a constant presence in my life, until that night...I hadn't felt like this in a long time. I hadn't felt like this ever.A shiver ran through me, and I
Damien.It was always one step forward with Elliot and two steps backwards.Ahhhhhh.The town was coming to life when I walked into it, the first days of sunlight chasing away the lingering darkness of the town.This wasn't my first time here.I hadn't liked the other times I came, but I needed to put as much distance as I could between myself and the cabin.... Elliot."I would never like someone like you. Not in a million years."I scoffed, kicking a stray can down the street."Stupid," I muttered to myself. "You're an idiot, Damien.""Are we really going to walk away?" My wolf’s voice crept into my thoughts, discontented and raw.The damn creature was always so loud, always so sure he knew what he wanted. He hadn't stopped growling since I'd stepped out, moving in my mind like some trapped beast."This is your fault," I snapped at him. "You're the one who made me come back, thinking someone like him could ever care about us."I felt my wolf snarling, fighting me, like he wanted to t
Elliot.The empty cabin felt colder without him here, which annoyed me because I had stayed alone for the last five years. I passed his open room door multiple times than I should have, just to star at the neatly folded blanket on the bed, half-expecting Damien to be under it, sprawled out, and asleepThere was nothing.I ran a hand through my hair, fighting the growing pit of unease in my stomach.Where had he gone?Memories from the last time we talked clung to me. The way he'd looked at me, as if I were something that mattered. Then I opened my mouth and said things I couldn't take back.Things I hadn't meant.And now, he was just... gone.I tried to shake it off, focusing on the article I was to send to Frank later, though the words on the screen blurred as I tapped aimlessly at the keyboard. The piece was for old Mr. Harding’s 70th birthday next week, an easy write-up that should’ve taken an hour at most, but u couldn't string two basic sentences together.My thoughts kept drif
Elliot.A week later. The trucked sat at the curb, its engine humming a low, steady rhythm that vibrated through the air.I stood a few feet away, hands buried deep in the pockets of my jacket. My breath escaped in faint puffs of white, evaporating into the cold. I kept my eyes on the truck’s worn tires, the rubber slick with mud.Anything to keep me from looking at Damien... or the shop behind me.Celeste had stopped back inside, leaving us alone for the moment. The sign above the store’s floor swung slightly in the breeze, its faint creek matching the ache in my chest.Not like the ache was new.It had been there all week. A dull, relentless reminder of everything that had happened. Ethan hadn't come. He hadn't even called to say goodbye. That was his style, though... never one for messy endings, always leaving gaps where something final should have been. But he had agreed to drop a vague excuse to our parents and sister, a flimsy excuse for my departure. He acted like a jerk, t
Elliot.The first thing I became aware of was pain.Not the sharp, searing kind I was used to from cuts or wounds to my person, but a dull bone deep ache that throbbed with every breath. It was like I was torn apart and stitched back together with a blunt needle and thread.Fucking hell.The second thing was warmth. A steady, grounding presence wrapped around me, holding me tightly but gently, like the world might shatter if it let go."Elliot," a voice murmured. It was low and raw with worry. "Come on, baby. Open your eyes. Please." Damien. That was Damien.He had come into the room the moment I woke up before everything went hazy.I tried to focus, to fight against the cloud covering my mind. My eyelids felt heavy, like they'd been glued shut, but with effort, I managed to pry them open. The faint glow of the room greeted me... okay, I was still in the same room, just with a muted light that still felt sharp against my pounding head."Damien?" My voice cracked, barely more than
Damien."Would using the crystal help neutralize the effect of whatever happened to him?"Celeste’s sharp intake of breath brought me back to the moment. Her hands froze mid-motion, a jar of dried lavender she held slipping from her grasp and shattering against the counter. The sharp scent filled the room instantly, but her wild eyes were locked on mine.The same crystal I had been against using a day ago."You can't be serious." Her voice was barely a whisper, like saying it too loudly might summon something worse.“I am,” I said, my tone firm. “Answer the question.”Her hesitation spoke volumes. The crystal was powerful. It held enough properties to kill a town filled with humans. It would have been enough to dispel a storm killing supernaturals. It wasn't a power used lightly. "You don't fully understand the power from the crystal, Damien," Celeste said with a trembling voice. "It's not meant for this kind of magic. If anything goes wrong...""Things are already wrong!" I barked
Damien.I laid still, Elliot’s warm body pressing against mine in the faint light of the room we shared now.The weight of his arm across my chest was grounding, a reminder of the bond we shared despite the chaos that had unfolded. His fur–covered arm, the claws that had replaced his human nails, and the faint twitch of werewolf instincts betrayed the very thing Elliot had fought against for so long.Monster."You're a monster, Damien."And now, he was one too.How messed up was that?I tilted my head to look at Elliot's face, now softened in slumber. The fur stretched up to his jawline, the transformation incomplete yet painfully evident.The sharp claws occasionally flexed even in sleep, as though his body still wasn't sure if it belonged to a man or beast.But all that didn't matter to me.Whether Elliot... my saviour was human, wolf, or something in between, he was still mine. What ate at me wasn't the fur or claws but the ache in his eyes, the weight of my mate's unspoken fears.
Damien.I heard the front door click shut as Ethan and Celeste ran away like their ass was on fire.Celeste’s probably was.She was lucky Elliot stopped me the moment he did because I would have choked her to death. For even attempting to put me to sleep so she could go along with her twisted plan to use my mate...Even after everything I told her.Selfish bitch. The good thing was that he stood before me now, a shadow of the man I knew, his body covered in fur, his claws flexing at his sides. Yet, all I could see was him.The strength in his stance, the fire in his eyes that refused to be snuffed out. He was beautiful. Even now.Especially now.He looked up at me, his expression a mix of uncertainty and shame. “Damien, I...” "Shh," I murmured, stepping closer. My hands found their way to his face, cupping it gently. His fur was softer than I expected, warm beneath my touch. "You're beautiful, Elliot. Always."He let out a shaky breath, his eyes searching mine. “I’m not. Look at me
Elliot.The storm was gone, but the weight of everything wasn't.My body trembled, the remnants of the wolf’s power still coursing through me like an untamed fire. I could feel its presence coiled in the back of my mind, quieter now, but still there.Watching.Waiting.Celeste and Ryan stood at the cabin door, their expressions a mixture of relief and caution. I ignored them, unable to focus on anything but the lingering sensation of the wolf’s energy in my veins.My claws flexed involuntarily. My fur... God, my fur... was still damp from the rain, clinging to my body in an uncomfortable reminder that I wasn't human anymore.That Celeste had stopped the process of whatever was going on so I could stop a storm that was killing people, apparently.Ruined me."Elliot..." Celeste started. Hesitant.I raised a hand, silencing her. "Not now," I muttered. I didn't want her excuses or explanations.Not after what she had done.My movements were slow and deliberate when I turned and stepped ba
Elliot."Wake Damien up then fix this, or I swear to whatever gods you worship... I'll rip your throat off with my bare hands."Celeste paled, her fingers tightening around the edges of her book as if it could shield her from the weight of my words. Ryan stepped between us again, trying his best to hide the fear from his face.Had something else changed? Apart from the fur and claws?"That's enough," he said, his voice edged with a warning. Like he could do anything to me. "This isn't helping anyone, Elliot."I barked out a bitter laugh, a sound that came out more like a guttural growl. "Not helping? You think this is me being unhelpful? What would you call turning someone into... whatever the hell this is?" I gestured at myself, my claws slicing through the air.Celeste's lips trembled. "I... I thought I could contain the spell. The wolf within you... it's ancient, Elliot. It's more powerful than anything I've ever encountered. It pushed back when I tried to control it. "Control it?
Elliot.I floated in darkness, weightless and untethered.The world around me was silent now, save for the faint hum that seemed to pulse with my heartbeat. How long had I been in this state?Minutes, hours, days? Time didn't seem like it existed in this place. It was just me, the endless void, and the strange warmth that cradled me like a cocoon.“Elliot.” The voice was soft, feminine, and achingly familiar. It echoed in the distance, threading through the dark like a silver thread. “Elliot.” It was different this time. Louder, more insistent. My body stirred, a faint prickle of awareness rippling through me.Darkness had been all I saw after leaving Damien's past.“Wake up.” A jolt shot through me, the warmth vanishing as cold air slammed into my senses. I gasped, my lungs straining for breath, but my body didn't respond. I couldn't move, couldn't see, couldn't do anything but exist in this strange, dreamlike state.The scent hit me next... sharp and earthy, laced with somet
Damien.Thinking about the past was a strange thing. The emotions. The scares. The scar.The storm outside roared even louder now, shaking the windows like they might shatter at any point. Lightning split the dark sky into jagged streaks of white, illuminating the tense expressions in the room. The air felt charged with electricity... a mix of fear, anger, and desperation.Not the kind that would make me change my mind, though. Ryan let out a sharp laugh, bitter and devoid of humour. "Another way? Do you think we'd be here, begging for your help, if there was another way? The storm is hungry, and every second you waste, more people... more of our people are dying."Ethan stepped between us again, his arms outstretched like a referee in a losing game. “Okay, everyone, calm down. Screaming at each other isn’t going to help anyone.”Ryan jabbed a finger toward me, his voice rising. "Do you understand what you did?"Before I could argue, the door burst open, and Celeste swept in, her fac