Elliot.The weight of my betrayal hit me harder than I anticipated, but not enough to make me turn back.Damien was a danger to himself, to me, and to society at large.That was the truth I clung to as I paced the living room of my family’s house in New York. My parents had returned from the impromptu "vacation" I'd sent them on, looking suspicious and weary, as if they suspected something had shifted in their absence.I had no idea how I convinced them to leave in the middle of the night.But they were right about something shifting in their absence.So, I guessed it was time to fulfil the purpose of why I came back to New York. To uncover the truth about my family and the secrets they'd buried so deep or perhaps didn't even know about."Elliot, sit down," my mother said sharply, her voice slicing through the tension. She was perched on the edge of the couch, her perfectly manicured nails tapping against her coffee mug. "You're making me nervous.""Then give me straight answers," I s
Elliot.The pounding beat of the music rattled the walls of Hera's Delight as I stepped inside, the dim lighting casting shifting shadows across the crowded room.Urghhh.The air was thick with the smell of alcohol, sweat, and something I couldn't quite place... something primal that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.Like someone was watching me. But when I turned, there was no one overtly focused on me.Must be nerves.The place was chaotic and loud, a world away from the silence of the family home. But in the middle of the chaos, seated like a kind on a throne, was Ethan.I spotted my brother immediately, sprawled out on a plush couch in the VIP section, a drink in hand, and a woman draped over his shoulder. He hadn't changed within the few days which I had last seen him. The charming Ethan, the one who knew how to command a room without trying.Here went nothing.As I approached, Ethan’s sharp eyes flicked to me, and a slow smirk spread across his face.“Well, well
Damien.I watched from the cover of the dense shadows cast by the tall oaks lining the driveway as Elliot stepped out of the house. His movements were hurried but deliberate, his shoulders stiff, his head tilted slightly as if weighed down by something heavy.Even in the dim light, I could see his jaw clenched, his lips pressed into a thin line.What had happened between him and his parents? "Where are you going, Elliot?" I murmured to myself, or rather, to my wolf. "He's running from something." My wolf growled.It was always the same with him. Always running. Didn't you do the same thing a day ago? And months back when you first met?"Not now," I said to myself, fighting to keep my focus on the task at hand. Fighting with myself or my wolf was an unwelcome distraction I couldn't afford. If anything happened to the man the moon goddess had blessed me with, it might just kill me.Even if he didn't want my protection, I would protect him. Elliot descended the steps, his boots crun
Damien.Fuck.The cool night air was heavy with the smell of oil, sweat, and alcohol as I dragged Elliot toward the truck parked haphazardly at the curb. His body was slack in my arms, but every so often, he'd struggle, mumbling incoherent words that hit like shards of glass.Luckily for us, most of the clubbers outside were inside now so no one would stand in my way."Get off me," he slurred, twisting half-heartedly. His fingers clawed weakly at my shirt, but his legs buckled under him again, and I had to adjust my grip to keep him upright. "Damn it, Elliot," I muttered, my wolf snarling in frustration. "Did you add a few extra pounds or something?""Leave him alone." The voice cut through the vibrations from the club like a blade, sharp and demanding. I froze, looking up to see Ethan emerging from the nightclub. His blond hair glinted under the neon lights, and his eyes zeroed in on me with predatory focus.Well, that was one thing."What the hell is going on here?" Ethan demand
Elliot.The world around me was cloaked in an unnatural darkness, not the comforting kind but the kind that smothered, pressing down like unseen hands. My breaths were shallow, my chest heavy as if something weighed on me.I wasn't in the club anymore... or anywhere close to it. No pounding music, no flickering neon lights. This place was still... eerily silent, except for the distant sound of murmured voices. Where was I?I followed the sound, though my legs didn't feel like they were moving. The landscape shifted with each step... blurred walls and towering shadows forming and melting around me. I wasn't supposed to be here, wherever here was, but something... or someone... was pulling me closer.The voices grew louder. Familiar words drifted through the haze, but I couldn't grasp their meaning. My heart raced as I rounded a corner that hadn't been there a moment ago, and suddenly, they came into view. Two figures stood in the void, their forms sharp and real against the shifting
Damien.Elliot didn't stop looking at me strangely. Like there was something he wanted to say but didn't know how.Well, or maybe he couldn't. With Ethan here.The streets of New York blurred past as I drove, their neon glow casting sharp shadows on the faces of the men in the truck with me. Ethan's snice comments came from the passenger seat every few minutes, a relentless stream of questions and accusations that I ignored with practised ease.I wouldn't let him get to me again.Elliot... Saviour sat silent in the back, his eyes distant whenever he wasn't staring at me, as he was probably trying to piece together whatever scraps of clarity he could.The air was heavy with unspoken truths. The tension a third passenger in the truck."For the second time, where the heck are we going?" Ethan finally snapped, his tone cutting through the tense silence like a blade. "Damien, I swear to God, if this is a shady side project..."Goddess."It's not," I cut him off sharply, gripping the wheel
Elliot."Hello, Celeste."The air in the shop felt heavier now, like it had a pulse of its own. Every flicker of the dim light above seemed to draw attention to this woman... Celeste’s unnervingly calm smirk. She looked exactly the same way she had in the memory I stole from Damien... a beautiful, cold enigma that reeked of power and secrets.And I hated her instantly. She wasn’t just the witch meant to help me get over this power stuff. She was the witch that had helped Damien and Ryan wreck havoc on my poor Janice. The reason they could do all that madness.The thought sent a ripple of anger through me, but I bit it down. For now. "Celeste," Damien breathed out her name again, his tone laced with exasperation. "I need your help."And what had she meant by her douche one nightstand? Did they have something? Had he slept with her?And how was that my business when I made it clear I didn't want anything to do with him anymore?Her sharp eyes darted to me for a split second, and a
Elliot."How the heck is my brother turning into... into... what was it again... a Fenrir?" Ethan's voice ringed out after a few minutes of silence.Of course.Of course, that was what he'd latch onto. Not the witch standing before us, not Damien agreeing to help someone because of me, and certainly not the fact that my life had just been flipped upside down.No.Ethan chose to hyper-focus on one single word.Celeste’s lips curved into an amused smile, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief. "Ah, Fenrir. The rare and ancient breed of werewolf."Ethan blinked, then gestured wildly at me. "And you're telling me that he... my perpetually grumpy, sometimes sunshine, coffee-addicted, very human ligtle brother... is one of those things?"“Technically,” Celeste said with a dramatic pause, “he’s becoming one.” How does that even happen?My head spun as I tried to keep up. "Becoming? What does that even mean? I've never been a wolf before."Celeste raised a finger, as if I'd just given her th
Damien.The room was too quiet. Not peaceful or soothing, but oppressive. A silence so thick it pressed against my ears, amplified the sound of my own heartbeat, and magnified every inhale and exhale coming from the person lying in front of me.My... saviour. He looked so small like this. Fragile, almost. The bed dwarfed his lanky frame, his blond hair stark against the pillow. His chest rose and fell steadily, but it was faint, too faint for comfort. The blanket was pulled up to his waist, hiding the worst of the bruises that marred his skin... ugly purple bruises that appeared moments after Celeste made me inject wolf bane into him.Bloody witch.I sat beside him, my fingers wrapped gently around his hand. It was warm, and that was something.But it wasn't enough.Not when his fingers didn't curl back around mine, didn't squeeze the way they usually did when he wanted to tell me without words that I wasn't alone. I reached out with my free hand, brushing a strand of blond hair f
Elliot."Wake."The command reverberated through me, and the world tilted.I wasn't waking... not in the way the wolf demanded. Instead, I was pulled into something else entirely.The darkness receded slowly, giving way to a world steeped in muted colours and restless energy.My limbs felt like lead, as though gravity itself had grown heavier. The ground beneath me was soft and damp, blades of grass brushing against my bare feet.I opened my eyes fully, and the world came into focus. Storm clouds churned above, restless and alive, their deep grays and purples twisting like smoke caught in a hurricane. Thunder rolled in the distance, a low rumble that resonated in my chest, and occasional forks of lightning split the sky. The air was thick with tension, heavy with the scent of rain that hadn't yet fallen.This was a far cry from the snow peaked land I had been on mere moments ago... how did I move from there to... here?I was standing in the middle of a vast field, the grass stretc
Elliot.Everything was distant... a haze of voices and sensations muffled by an overwhelming darkness.The heat burned first, an unrelenting fire that licked at my skin from the inside out. I tried to breathe, but each gasp felt like inhaling flames. Somewhere beyond the suffocating fog, I could hear Damien’s voice, sharp and urgent.“Elliot!” It tugged at me, an anchor in the storm, but I couldn’t hold onto it. The darkness thickened, dragging me under until the voices faded completely. And then, I was somewhere else. The first thing I noticed was the snow. It blanketed everything in sight, stretching endlessly in all directions. Mountains loomed on the horizon, their jagged peaks piercing the steel-gray sky. A biting wind swept through the air, carrying with it an eerie silence. I stood in the middle of it, barefoot, wearing nothing but a thin shirt and pants. The cold should have been unbearable, but I felt nothing... just a numbness that seeped into my bones. Where was
Damien."Elliot!"My voice thundered through the room, panic gripping me as I lunged forward. Elliot crumpled to the ground, his knees buckling beneath him. I caught him just in time, lowering him to the floor, his body limp in my arms.From puking... to fainting.He had fainted twice within how many hours now. That wasn't good.With how much Elliot want to do things without being tied to me, do things like he wasn't my fucking mate, like he wasn't the only one I would willingly die for... it almost made me think he had rejected me.But the bond was still there. Tugging at me. Binding us together. And now it was screaming in agony. His skin was scorching hot, his breathing shallow and laboured. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his face was pale... too pale. I pressed my hand against his cheek, feeling the unnatural heat radiating from him.He was okay... okay... he was okay just for a few moments ago. Standing and talking..."What's happening to him?" I growled, my voice barely s
Elliot."How the heck is my brother turning into... into... what was it again... a Fenrir?" Ethan's voice ringed out after a few minutes of silence.Of course.Of course, that was what he'd latch onto. Not the witch standing before us, not Damien agreeing to help someone because of me, and certainly not the fact that my life had just been flipped upside down.No.Ethan chose to hyper-focus on one single word.Celeste’s lips curved into an amused smile, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief. "Ah, Fenrir. The rare and ancient breed of werewolf."Ethan blinked, then gestured wildly at me. "And you're telling me that he... my perpetually grumpy, sometimes sunshine, coffee-addicted, very human ligtle brother... is one of those things?"“Technically,” Celeste said with a dramatic pause, “he’s becoming one.” How does that even happen?My head spun as I tried to keep up. "Becoming? What does that even mean? I've never been a wolf before."Celeste raised a finger, as if I'd just given her th
Elliot."Hello, Celeste."The air in the shop felt heavier now, like it had a pulse of its own. Every flicker of the dim light above seemed to draw attention to this woman... Celeste’s unnervingly calm smirk. She looked exactly the same way she had in the memory I stole from Damien... a beautiful, cold enigma that reeked of power and secrets.And I hated her instantly. She wasn’t just the witch meant to help me get over this power stuff. She was the witch that had helped Damien and Ryan wreck havoc on my poor Janice. The reason they could do all that madness.The thought sent a ripple of anger through me, but I bit it down. For now. "Celeste," Damien breathed out her name again, his tone laced with exasperation. "I need your help."And what had she meant by her douche one nightstand? Did they have something? Had he slept with her?And how was that my business when I made it clear I didn't want anything to do with him anymore?Her sharp eyes darted to me for a split second, and a
Damien.Elliot didn't stop looking at me strangely. Like there was something he wanted to say but didn't know how.Well, or maybe he couldn't. With Ethan here.The streets of New York blurred past as I drove, their neon glow casting sharp shadows on the faces of the men in the truck with me. Ethan's snice comments came from the passenger seat every few minutes, a relentless stream of questions and accusations that I ignored with practised ease.I wouldn't let him get to me again.Elliot... Saviour sat silent in the back, his eyes distant whenever he wasn't staring at me, as he was probably trying to piece together whatever scraps of clarity he could.The air was heavy with unspoken truths. The tension a third passenger in the truck."For the second time, where the heck are we going?" Ethan finally snapped, his tone cutting through the tense silence like a blade. "Damien, I swear to God, if this is a shady side project..."Goddess."It's not," I cut him off sharply, gripping the wheel
Elliot.The world around me was cloaked in an unnatural darkness, not the comforting kind but the kind that smothered, pressing down like unseen hands. My breaths were shallow, my chest heavy as if something weighed on me.I wasn't in the club anymore... or anywhere close to it. No pounding music, no flickering neon lights. This place was still... eerily silent, except for the distant sound of murmured voices. Where was I?I followed the sound, though my legs didn't feel like they were moving. The landscape shifted with each step... blurred walls and towering shadows forming and melting around me. I wasn't supposed to be here, wherever here was, but something... or someone... was pulling me closer.The voices grew louder. Familiar words drifted through the haze, but I couldn't grasp their meaning. My heart raced as I rounded a corner that hadn't been there a moment ago, and suddenly, they came into view. Two figures stood in the void, their forms sharp and real against the shifting
Damien.Fuck.The cool night air was heavy with the smell of oil, sweat, and alcohol as I dragged Elliot toward the truck parked haphazardly at the curb. His body was slack in my arms, but every so often, he'd struggle, mumbling incoherent words that hit like shards of glass.Luckily for us, most of the clubbers outside were inside now so no one would stand in my way."Get off me," he slurred, twisting half-heartedly. His fingers clawed weakly at my shirt, but his legs buckled under him again, and I had to adjust my grip to keep him upright. "Damn it, Elliot," I muttered, my wolf snarling in frustration. "Did you add a few extra pounds or something?""Leave him alone." The voice cut through the vibrations from the club like a blade, sharp and demanding. I froze, looking up to see Ethan emerging from the nightclub. His blond hair glinted under the neon lights, and his eyes zeroed in on me with predatory focus.Well, that was one thing."What the hell is going on here?" Ethan demand