Damien.I watched him run.With that one single thought running through his mind just like the first time he learnt I was a werewolf.Monster.The air was thick with tension as Ryan's taunting voice cut through the forest like a serrated blade, each word deliberately chosen to wound. My body trembled, not from the chill of the night but from the storm raging within me.Frozen.I stood frozen a few feet away from him, blood drained from my face, and I was pretty sure anyone who saw me saw the mixture of anguish and fury written all over my face."You're such a fool," Ryan continued, his smirk sharpening into something as sinister as his heart. "Did you honestly think you could keep running from your past? That you could bury it deep enough that no one... least of all, me... could dig it back up?"Fuck.My growl rumbled low in my throat, a warning Ryan ignored entirely. "You knew," I snarled, my voice rough like grave scraping against steel. "You knew what it would do to me. Why? Why d
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.The woods whispered with ghosts. Not the kind I could see. No, these were the silent, aching kind. Memories pressing against my chest like old wounds that never fully healed.The wind stirred the branches above me, hollow and biting with the scent of damp earth and pine assaulting my nose and taking over my senses. The underbrush crunched softly beneath my feet, but I barely noticed.My pulse thrummed louder than the wind. Louder than the creak of trees shifting in the cold.Because I'd been here before.Too many times.The first time had been when I had dragged a half dead, bloodied and broken, through these very woods. The air had been tainted with the smell of blood, Damien's body limp in my arms that I had thought... no, feared... he wouldn't make it.I had fought for him then.Refused to leave the stranger behind, no matter how close that horrible creature had come, no matter how much the shadows seemed to close in.And now?Now Damien was gone.All I had gotten were tex
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
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
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."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."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."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
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.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