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
Elliot. There was nothing more heartbreaking than working on the anniversary of your fiancee’s death. I stood by the kitchen window, my eyes fixed on the mountain view bathed in the early morning mist. It was as cold and unyielding as the five years since Janice’s death. Every morning began the same... coffee, silence, and the ache of what I lost. Most days, that was exactly how I liked it. “Harper, where’s my damn article?” A voice rang through the phone sitting next to me, breaking the quiet. Shit. I grabbed it, already rolling my eyes as I saw my editor’s name on the screen. I pressed the answer button. “Good morning to you too, Frank.” “No time for pleasantries. I need that piece on the roadwork finished today. The mayor’s been breathing down my neck about public safety since the logging trucks started using the main street. And don’t even get me started on the wildfire complaints” Frank was always the sweet one. And I enjoyed talking to him. “Roadwork? Thrilling.” I said
Elliot. I made it back to my cabin, breathless, every nerve in my body buzzing. My legs felt weak as I slammed the door shut behind me, leaning heavily against it. My hands were trembling, and my heart refused to slow its rapid pace. What the hell had I just seen? The growl, the marks, and that..thing that was more than just an animal. The way it stood, the way its eyes gleamed with an unnatural intelligence, was something far worse. I stumbled over to the kitchen table and collapsed into a chair, my body finally catching up to my brain. My pulse hammered in my ears, a drumming rhythm that drowned out everything else. The cool air coming from the window did nothing to touch the heat seeping through my skin, every muscle wound up tight like a coiled spring. Ready to snap. That thing could have killed me. I could have still been there, torn to shreds, if it wasn’t for what had scared it off. What was that howl? Like something out of a nightmare, both terrifying and oddly protec
Elliot.The early morning fog clung to the forest like a secret, the sun barely breaking through the thick canopy of trees.I stood at the edge of the woods, my breath misting in the cool air.It was now or never.Every fibre of my being screamed at me to turn back, to leave thus cursed place, and never look back. But something deeper... some kind of pull I couldn't explain drew me in.It wasn't just curiosity anymore.My boots crunched against the dried leaves and twigs as I took my first steps into the woods, the sound echoing unnaturally loud in the otherwise silent morning.The trail was faint, barely recognizable from the surrounding undergrowth, but I remembered the direction I had run the previous night. The glowing eyes, the sharp claws, and that howl... it seemed to plague my dreams now.If that creature was out there, I had nothing but an axe I had found in the garage of my house. It wouldn't kill him, but I had to know more.Figure out what was in these woods, not just for
Elliot.I had to keep moving, forcing my legs forward, even with each step heavier than the last.The man I was dragging through the woods felt like dead weight now, his body limp, bleeding, and barely conscious.I glanced over my shoulder, heart pounding in my chest. It was hard to see anything behind me, but I knew something was out there.Lurking."Come on, man. Stay with me," I muttered through clenched teeth. His weight dragged me down, each step slower than the last. "Just hold on a little longer."He groaned, his head rolling to the side in his barely conscious state. Blood seeped through his torn shirt, and I could feel the wetness of it on my hands as I tried to support him.It was everywhere.I glanced down at him, shaking him lightly. "Hey! Hey, can you hear me?"His eyelids fluttered, and a weak gasp escaped his lips. "Run," he managed to say, though the words were barely audible."I'm not leaving you," I said firmly, trying to ignore the panic clawing at the edges of my m
Elliot. The fire in the living room crackled softly as I knelt beside the unconscious man, cleaning the gashes on his chest with as much care as I could muster. My mind still raced as I tried to piece together what had happened in the woods. The creature behind us. How it suddenly disappeared the moment we were out of the woods. What was it? I glanced up at the man's face, pale and slick with sweat, as I worked on bandaging a particularly nasty cut on his side. Only something as horrible as what was in those woods could have done something like this. I was sure of it. As I finished wrapping the last bandage, his body stirred. His eyes fluttered open, bleary, and unfocused. “Hey, take it easy,” I murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder to keep him from moving too quickly. “You’re safe. Just… try to relax.” His gaze darted around the room, panic flashing in his eyes before they landed on me. He flinched, trying to sit up, but I gently pushed him back down. “Where am I?” he
Damien. The air in the woods had been heavy, thick with the scent of my blood and the howl of something I wished I'd never heard. My wolf stirred restlessly inside me, urging me to go back, to get to him. To the nameless stranger that had rescued me. I never should have let my guard down. Should have kept running. That was what rogues do. We did not get involved. We did not stay. We survived. But him... I clenched my fists, the human side of me fighting the wolf, torn between instinct and reason. My legs were aching from the miles I'd covered since I'd heard the howl, but something kept pulling me back. Him. How on earth had that puny human run with an unconscious me through this woods? My wolf growled low in my chest. "He's our mate." He didn't understand why I was hesitating. It never did. Wolves weren't wired like humans, they didn't care about logic or consequences. And it knew the man was ours. Ours to protect. Ours to stay with. But we couldn’t stay. Not with what w
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