Damien.I often prided myself in my ability not to lose my control.That all burned to ashes when I met Elliot and discovered he was my mate.The house loomed in front of me, silent and dark. Too silent. Too dark.I shifted back into my human form just outside the front door, the transformation leaving my skin pricking with leftover adrenaline. If anyone saw me, that would be a case I would handle some other time.My breaths came in sharp bursts, clouding the cold night air, but my chest still felt tight.This was wrong.This quietness was unusual.The scream... no matter how far I had been from the house... it belonged to Elliot. I was sure of it.I didn't waste time.I slammed my shoulder into the door, forcing it open with a loud crack. The frame splintered, but I barely noticed."Elliot!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the empty hallways.Nothing.No footsteps. No shuffling. No hurried explanations from his parents or questions about why the house was so dark or why I had de
Damien.The bond between us burned, not with the faint flickers I'd felt earlier but with a consuming, relentless fire.It roared in my chest, growing sharper with every breath I took, every frantic beat of my heart.I didn't get all chummy with Elliot most of the time. Not because I didn't want to... if I was opportuned, I would kiss, touch, and fuck him every single day... but because he was still coming to terms with the fact that he was attracted to a male.Elliot was trembling in my arms, his nails digging into my skin as if he was trying to anchor himself. Or maybe trying to hurt me.I couldn't tell, and honestly, I didn't care.All that mattered was him."Elliot, look at me," I whispered, cupping his face, my thumbs brushing against his cheeks. "You're safe. You're with me now. Just tell what happened, and I'll fix it."His brown eyes, darkened with lust, locked onto mine. His lips parted, but no words came out... just a shaky exhale that sent a pang of helplessness straight t
Elliot.Pleasure clouded my mind, hungry and dangerous, as hazel eyes lined my vision.That was seriously the best blow job I had ever gotten in all my years of living. It was satisfying enough to make me forget the reason I was out here.In the woods.Alone.Damien stood up so he could slide his pants and briefs down and kick them to the side until he was wearing nothing.Damn.I had felt it. Touched it. But seeing it? That was different.I tried to look away, but I realised later on that it was practically impossible to ignore the handsome man in front of me.During most of our time together, I had kept myself from asking why he didn't have any tattoos like most of his peers. Even the werewolves at the pack close to the woods had something inked onto their skin.The moon. Eyes. Anything.Damien didn't.I attempted to get my fill of the way he looked fully naked and under the moonlight. All the muscles that are proportionally placed over his tall frame and slightly broad built.But t
Elliot.The memory crashed over me like a tidal wave, a force I couldn't control or stop.I had no idea if it was because that was the memory I was actively searching for or if there was another reason.Her face. Her wide, terrified eyes framed by dark curls, pleading silently as blood stained her pale skin. My vision shifted, disorienting me, and I wasn't standing in the woods anymore.No.I was in his body.Damien's hands reached out, fingers trembling as they brushed against her cheek. Her lips moved, forming words I couldn't hear, drowned out by the maniacal laughter that echoed around us.The witch stood nearby, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air, her lips curling into a wicked grin. A spell radiated from her, distorting the space around us, enclosing us in a bubble that hid the horrors from anyone who might stumble upon the scene.And then, to the left... Ryan.He wasn't smirking or simply annoyed like he had been when he barged into my parent's house. His eyes were
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
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