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
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
Damien.I wiped the sweat off my brow as I brought the truck to a stop in front of the cabin. I shifted in the driver’s seat, rolling my shoulders as I glanced out the window.The cabin looked the same as it had since we left three weeks ago, but the air smelled fresher than the one in New York, so that was a relief.Elliot stepped out of the passenger seat without a word, slamming the door shut behind him. I couldn't help but wince at the sound, watching as he strode toward the truck bed to retrieve our bags.Stiff movements, his face set in that familiar expression of quiet frustration that had become the norm for the past week.He hated me now. Without even me telling him the truth."You're welcome for the ride," I muttered under my breath, shaking my head. I climbed out of the truck and walked around to the back, grabbing one of the larger duffel bags. "I mean, it's not like I drove us all the way here or anything. Nope, just call me your unpaid chauffeur."No response. Elliot
Elliot."Elliot, you sly bastard, how dare you spend more than two weeks outside work?" Frank's voice carried across the bustling newsroom, turning more than a few heads my way.A week ago, I thought I wouldn't resume anymore.I could have gotten a new career as an anonymous journalist.I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the heat rise to my face as I approached my office. "Yeah, sorry about that," I replied, offering him what I could only think was my best smile. "And about the truck... I know I kept it longer than I should have. I'll make it up to you, I promise."Frank leaned against the edge of my desk, crossing his arms, with his lips turned downwards in a frown. "Damn right, you will. You owe me like five coffee runs, two lunch shifts, and maybe an afternoon of listening to my new conspiracy theories."I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my lips. "Add a bottle of whiskey to that, and we've got a deal."That seemed to turn the frown upside down because now Frank was grinni
Elliot."Uh, no worries," I mumbled, stepping back and forcing a polite smile.Her grip was firm and confident, nothing out of the ordinary. If anything, it was her scent that set my nerves on edge.That wild and earthy, unmistakably werewolf scent.What was she doing in a town like this?Frank... I had forgotten he was there for a moment... standing beside me, leaned in with a grin. "Well, look at that. The new girl’s already making an impression." I heard the words he didn't say.Better than the last new person in town.The redhead... Fiona... laughed lightly as she released my hand. "New girl, huh? I guess we can still call me that since I just moved to town.""You know me," Frank said, holding out his hand. "This here's Elliot. Don't mind him. He's still getting used to the town folks after hiding out in New York for weeks."Why did he have to say that now?I shot him a look, but Fiona just laughed again, those green eyes flicking back at me. They looked like the forest itself...
Damien.I sat at the edge of the bed, my hands gripping the mattress as if it were the only thing holding me to the presence.The echoes of Elliot’s voice kept ringing in my mind."Go to hell."The words burned more than I cared to admit, especially since this was the first time in a long time I wasn't sleeping close to him.I didn't need to go to hell. I was already there.My jaw clenched, my wolf pacing just beneath the surface. It growled, urging me to storm into Elliot's room, pin him down, and make the damn bastard understand.Claim him. To force him to see the truth."But did I say the truth? Had I ever told him the whole story?"So I stayed where I was, my breaths now coming out fast and shallow. I couldn't think straight, couldn't find the calm I so desperately needed.Elliot didn’t understand. He couldn’t. How could I explain the weight of the crystal, the way its power surged through me when we used it to save Elliot? How it felt like it left a mark, a beacon for anyone st
Damien.I stood at the kitchen counter, staring blankly at the small potted plant Elliot had placed there months ago.Not that any of us was a plant person.Its leaves were wilting.Just like me.Elliot's kiss still lingered on my lips, the warmth of it doing little to soothe the storm raging within me.I apologized. I'd swallowed my pride, my anger, my frustration... and apologized. But the asshole had brushed me off with that damnable smile and a soft kiss before murmuring "Later tonight, okay?"Then he’d walked out the door without another word. Physical stuff. We were so fucking good at that. Going at it like rabbits. A fully fuck fest.But talking?I growled under my breath, my claws digging into the edge of the counter."When will he understand?"My wolf snarled at me, restless and frustrated. I felt it too–the ache, the constant gnawing in my chest that told me Elliot wasn't fully mine.He was holding back. And it was driving me insane.Deep breaths.I forced myself to take a
Damien. "You wanted to talk. Talk." I leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching the red-haired woman sip the orange juice she made me get her with maddening calmness. Her presence in my cabin was like a storm cloud darkening the room, pressing down on my already taut nerves. I shouldn't have let her in. "Nice place," she said, glancing around casually. "You know, for a wanted man." My jaw tightened. "Get to the point. What do you want?" She met my glare with a slow, lazy smile. The kind that made my wolf bristle. "Straight to business. I like that about you..." "Damien." "...Damien. No games. Well, unless you count stealing one of the most sought-after magical artefacts in existence a game." I clenched my fists so hard my fingers tore at my palm. "How do you know about that?" "Please." She set the glass down on the table with an exaggerated sigh. "Your brother’s been plastering your face on every supernatural bounty board from here to the coasts. Wanted: Thief of the
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