Elliot.The storm, the woman, the pack... they vanished like smoke in the wind, leaving me adrift in a place that was nowhere and everywhere at once.I wasn't falling, but I wasn't standing either.Time itself seemed to twist and coil, pulling me deeper into its strange, surreal tide.Then, like a thread being yanked taut, the world snapped into place again. I was in a forest. The scent of pine was sharp in the air, mingling with the damp, earthy tang of recent rain. Overhead, thick branches crisscrossed the sky, their needles blotting out the light and casting the ground in a patchwork of shadow. I staggered, struggling to orient myself, and then I heard it... laughter. Children’s laughter. It came from somewhere ahead, carried on the breeze like a melody. For a moment, I froze, unsure whether to follow it or turn away. But the pull... the same invisible force that had dragged me through every other dreamlike fragment... compelled me forward.The forest opened into a small c
Elliot. I couldn't move. The realization hit me like a freight train, crashing into me with a force that stole the breath from my lungs. My arms hung lifeless at my sides, my legs dead weight beneath me. Panic surged, icy and unrelenting, clawing its way through my chest. “Damien!” My voice broke, high-pitched and trembling. “I... I can’t move!” Damien’s hands were gripping my shoulders instantly as though his touch alone could steady me. His eyes were darkened and locked onto mine, wild with a mixture of fear and determination. “You’re okay, Elliot,” he said, his voice firm, but I could hear the edge of panic beneath it. “You’re here with us. Just breathe.” I couldn't. My chest felt like it was caving in, each inhale a shallow gasp that did nothing to calm the storm building inside me. “I can’t!” I cried, my body trembling as though trying to escape its own paralysis. “Damien, I can’t feel anything! I can’t...” “Elliot!” Celeste’s voice sliced through my panic like a blad
Elliot.I was back at the cave like I never really left.It pulsed with an energy that set my nerves on edge, but at least my limbs were moving now. I crouched behind a jagged rock, straining to make sense of what I was seeing.I was inside this time, and so was this heart-shaped crystal in the centre of the cave radiating an unearthly glow, its light playing tricks with the shadows. And there was Damien... a younger looking Damien, standing in front of it, his chest rising and falling like he'd just sprinted miles.What was so important about Damien's past that kept pulling me back?What did I need to know?Damien looked... wrecked.Sweat glistened on his forehead, his usually composed face marred by a wild, frantic expression I'd only seen once. During his fight with the lycan... creature thing. His hands hovered over the crystal, trembling. He muttered something under his breath, too quiet for me to hear, but whatever it was, it sounded desperate.Why was he in here?Why was I here
Damien.There was a storm outside, and it screamed like a living thing, rattling the windows and thrumming through the floorboards of the apartment.The sky, dim and bruised, flashed with jagged streaks of lightning, and every rumble of thunder seemed to echo the chaos inside my head.I hadn't slept.I couldn't.My eyes flicked to Elliot’s still form on the couch for what felt like the thousandth time. He hadn't stirred in over twenty-four hours, and each second stretched longer than the last.His breaths had gone shallow, his skin too pale.Ethan sat across from me, his elbows resting on his knees, fingers woven together in a knot of tension. His usually sharp, sarcastic demeanour was dulled, replaced by quiet dread. I noticed the glances he spared at Elliot and then back at me, the questions unspoken. “What if he doesn’t...” Ethan started, his voice rough. “He will,” I cut him off. Too fast. Too sharp. Ethan’s eyebrows twitched upward, but he said nothing. I knew I wasn't co
Damien. The thing about memories is that they don't fade the way people tell you they will. They don't blur at the edges or become easier to ignore. If anything, they sharpen with time, like broken glass waiting to slice through your defenses when you least expect it. I had tried to forget that night a thousand times save from coming to Celeste and demanding she removed the memory. The cave, the elders, the weight of that damn crystal in my hands. The things it showed me.But forgetting isn’t an option when the past refuses to let you go. I was seventeen, full of fire and rage, still believing the world could be fair if I fought hard enough. Back then, I thought blood ties and loyalty meant something. That power could be wielded responsibly. I was wrong. The scent of the forest was thicker that night than I remembered... pine and earth, damp with the promise of rain. The pack house loomed ahead, its timbered frame lit from within by flickering lanterns. Every window burned b
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
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
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?
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
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...
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
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.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