Eloise’s POV:My alarm woke me up sooner than I would have liked. I had an entire hour to myself before I needed to get up and get ready, so I decided to use the time wisely.I jumped out of bed and went straight to shower. Once I felt that I successfully cleaned myself, I wrapped the towel around my wet hair and strode out and into the closet.To my convenience, this hotel room was big enough to accommodate 2 large bedrooms and a private bathroom in each, as well as a private walk-in closet. Abbie was kind enough to set out my clothes and even hang them up when I had just thrown them all into a pile on the bed. I should remember to thank her when she comes back. Hopefully, with good news.I know I sent her out there like some agent from mission impossible, but I didn’t have any choice. She’s the only one I trusted with any information that could be related to my Mum. Part of the reason why I chose her to be my beta.I trusted her with my life. After all, she did save me once.I let m
Eloise’s POV:“Good morning, Alpha,” I nodded my head his way but he remained firm, fists digging into his pockets, not letting his eyes meet mine.I squinted at him. Isn’t he going to say something?That’s unusual. Adeline highlighted, just as curious.Usually, he would have grabbed my arm and demanded“We kind of have a situation,” Logan tapped my shoulder, making me spin to him.“What?”A silly smile reached Logan’s face as we walked to the front of the hotel.“We brought our own cars,” he said, making me snap my eyes to the parking lot. It was packed, and I turn to him with a questioning look, not knowing which one he was talking about.He nodded to a sleek, black jeep facing our direction. “That’s Kaden’s,”Then he turned his head to an old beat-up truck parked on the jeep’s right, “And that’s mine,” he smiled.The sound of a car door slamming closed pulled my attention back to the jeep. My eyes narrowed, as I caught sight of a green-eyed blonde slipping out of Kaden’s car.What
Eloise's POV:“Holy sh*t,” Logan’s sharp tongue darted out as he licked his lips, slamming the door shut.“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Logan tossed me a worried look, clutching the steering wheel firmly.I flashed him my best smile, “A hundred percent.”He looked stunned for a moment, making me blink up at him as he continues to stare at me in amusement.The next, he cleared his throat and revved the engine to life.“Alright then,” he wheezed, moving the car forward when I felt a pair of eyes watching me from afar.Sure enough, the pair of deeply penetrating eyes belonged to none other than Kaden. I could just make out Alyssa talking to him but he doesn’t respond and pretend not to hear her, as his focused locked on me, and only me.It seemed he was waiting for us to go first.Logan turned heading towards the exit of the parking lot. In no time, we were back on the highway, on our way to the pack house with Kaden following right behind.We pulled up at the pack house. A
Kaden’s POV:This is a disaster.I shouldn’t have allowed her to come. Now she came up with this sh*t.Great. Now what are we going to do? Rictus growled, peeking at the ongoing fight through my eyes.Get Colton. What else? I grumbled.He is the only one who can stop this. Maybe she could talk some sense into his crazed mate.I had chased Logan, eyeing him for some time as I wondered what he was up to.He was acting suspicious. When I asked him where he was headed to so early in the morning, he gave me some sh*t about running errands when his mind slipped as I tried to get in. I saw his intention instantly.He was going to pick up Eloise, thinking it would score him some brownie points over my mate.I have been eyeing him for some time now. He was clearly interested in my mate. He can’t keep his eyes or hands off of her, but Eloise doesn’t even see it.I couldn’t let him have his way with her; She is mine. Mine for the claiming, mine even after everything.I won’t let anyone else try
Eloise's POV:A smirk formed on my face as I watched the expression on Alyssa's face."You what?" She hissed, her brows furrowing in confusion and disbelief.Are you sure you know what you're doing? My wolf asked me, genuinely curious on whether I just made a mistake or just downright stupid.I heard that. I shoot her a disapproving glare. She shrugged.Well, don't blame me. I'm just looking out for you. You want to train this girl? Adeline sounded with just as much curiosity and disbelief.Yup. Her potential is strong. Her aura is weak, but over time, if she builds her strength, I'm sure she will improve.I could feel Adeline's jaw hitting the surface of my mind with a resounding thud of incredulity. I rolled my eyes at her.Stop being so over-dramatic. She needs this. All women here do. I know you felt her desperation, her loss of will despite the inner strength she has.And you took advantage of her challenge to convince Kaden to train other females? I nodded, a smirk twitching o
Eloise’s POV:“Having fun, huh?” Kaden’s deep voice rang in the air, and I find myself putting on a smirk as I face him with a slight tilt of my head.“Enjoyed the show?”He inched closer, towering over me and I look up at the gigantic mountain before me.“What exactly were you trying to gain by training Alyssa?” he asked with a raised brow.There was something with the way she spoke of her name that irked me.My eyebrow twitched and I shot him a look to kill.Eloise, what are you planning? Adeline’s voice echoed, barely above a whisper, as she took an innocent peek at the dark thoughts storming in my mind.I wanted answers. Answers that he was going to give me whether he liked it or not.Eloise? My wolf pressed, but I ignored her.“What, you wouldn’t want your precious luna to get a single bruise on her body?” I scoffed.His eyes widened in surprised, before an amused look took place on his sharp, edged features.The corner of his lips curled in a way that was seductive, yet also dan
Eloise’s POV:“f*ck you,” I spat, snapping my teeth as I glared up into his blood-red eyes.Who was he to decide what any wolf could or couldn’t do in this life?He could burn me along with every other wolf who dared challenge him to fight against what’s wrong, but I am not going to stand still and look pretty while he stands against everything I have lived for. These past few years, fighting, combat training, and hunting have been everything. Even just as a distraction, at least I had not buried myself into a wallowing pit of fear, guilt, and regret over everything that happened since the day I met him.A furious, deadly growl ripped through me. I watched as Kaden suddenly rose taller. Adeline could already feel his wolf come forward in the challenge from my voice, and honestly, I was dangerously close to breaking a common law.His eyebrow raised in shock, but his wolf I noticed, seemed rather unhappy.“You are playing with fire, Eloise.” He growled out, his eyes darkening.“She-wolv
110Eloise’s POV:“You’re not really thinking of being his luna, are you?” Adeline butted in my thoughts and the smile instantly disappeared from my face.“Of course, not,” I huffed, rolling my eyes at my wolf.I sensed a tinge of sadness emanate from her, but if I was correct she made no indication.She backed off, leaving me to my own thoughts. Only then did I realize she left me completely alone with Kaden, left me on my own to fight the mate bond blazing within close proximity with him.At this moment, I realized how I made it through training with other people, as if their presence enabled me to keep my sanity around him all this time.I pursed my lips together, taking in the awkward silence that filled the air as he drove in complete silence. Only the sound of the engine and birds seeking for shelter outside reached my ears, until he opened his lips.“You know, for a second there, I thought you wanted to kill her.” He chuckled which had me cocking my eyebrow as I turned my eyes
Eloise’s POVI couldn’t shake the unease that settled in my chest after Caleb left. His words had lingered, taunting me with the idea of an easy solution, of a chance to heal my mother once and for all. But nothing in this world was ever that simple. Nothing worth having came without a cost.Kaden and I had barely exchanged words after Caleb’s visit, the silence between us thick and uncomfortable. He’d been distant, his brooding gaze locked on the horizon, his jaw tight like he was still fighting some inner battle I didn’t understand.I didn’t want to understand it. Not right now.My mother lay still in the room behind us, her fragile form covered by blankets, her breathing shallow but steady. It was progress, but I couldn’t allow myself to be fooled. Selene had warned me: my mother wasn’t out of danger yet. The fight inside her was far from over.The soft rustle of a door opening caught my attention, and I turned to see the young witch, Selene, stepping into the room. Her presence wa
Eloise’s POVThe air inside the safehouse felt thick, like the calm before a storm. After the chaos of the healing ritual, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. My mother was stable, but not whole. Selene’s warning lingered in the back of my mind: she wasn’t cured. Well, not yet.Kaden’s hand rested lightly on my shoulder as we walked down the narrow hall. His presence was a comfort, but there was a tension in the air that neither of us could shake.“We should talk,” Kaden said, his voice soft but insistent.I glanced up at him, trying to read his expression. “About what?”He hesitated for a moment, as if weighing his words. “About what happens next.”“What happens next is simple,” I said, keeping my voice steady despite the knot tightening in my stomach. “We protect my mother. We figure out how to heal her completely.”His jaw tightened. “And what about Caleb?”I froze.I had almost forgotten about him in the whirlwind of events. Almost.“Caleb?” I repeated, my voice
Eloise’s POV:The air in the room was thick with the weight of what had just happened. My mother’s body lay motionless on the floor, her breathing steady but slow. I could feel her pulse, the faint but undeniable rhythm of life coursing through her veins. But it wasn’t enough. She wasn’t healed. Not yet.I stood at her side, my blood still pulsing in my veins where she had fed. The pain from the bite had faded, but there was an ache deep inside me. One I couldn’t shake. The power from Selene’s spell still hummed in my bones, mingling with my own energy, threading through the bond I shared with my mother.But I wasn’t sure if it was enough.Kaden was standing near the door, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on me. He hadn’t spoken much since we brought my mother here, but I could feel his gaze on me, like a weight pressing against my skin.“You did what you had to,” he said, his voice low, measured.I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. Not yet. “I did what I had to,” I repeated, though the
162Eloise’s POVThe drive to the safehouse was silent. Not from lack of words, but the weight of too many.My mother sat shackled in the backseat, her eyes hollow but watching. She didn’t speak, didn’t ask where we were taking her. She just stared. Like she already knew... It was either salvation or damnation waited at the end of the road.I glanced at her, my chest aching. She was once the fiercest she-wolf I knew. My idol. My protector. Now, she was gaunt, her skin too pale, her veins shadowing like black ink beneath the surface. The only thing that remained the same were her eyes.Haunted. But still hers.Kaden’s hand brushed mine on the console. “We’re almost there.”I nodded but said nothing. My gaze drifted to the horizon as trees thickened and the gravel road narrowed into a clearing I barely recognized.The safehouse was hidden deep in neutral land and borderless, claimed by no pack. The kind of place that only existed on whispered maps and old bloodlines. Its magic pulsed th
Eloise's POV:I didn’t flinch when she lunged at me. Maybe I should have, maybe I should have been scared out of my mind, but all I felt was a surge of determination. This was my mother. This was the woman who held me when I was a child, the woman who sang me to sleep and fought for me in ways no one else ever could. I wouldn’t lose her. Not now. Not ever.But as her body collided with mine, the raw power of her vampire strength almost knocked the wind from me. She was faster than I’d remembered, her movements sharp and deadly, her eyes glowing with a hunger I had never seen before.Her fangs were inches from my throat when Kaden moved in, quick as a flash, and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her back with a force I knew she wouldn’t have been able to fight. Not against him. He had the strength of an alpha on his side.“Mum!” I shouted, voice trembling, but I stood firm.The vampire hissed, snapping her fangs at him, but Kaden held her back with ease. He was always the protector
160Eloise's POV:The moment the door opened, I was hit with the stale, oppressive air of the basement. It was as if the darkness had been festering for years, and every inch of the room held the weight of secrets and regrets I’d buried for far too long.My heart slammed against my ribs as I stepped inside, the cold stone beneath my boots sending a shiver through me. I knew Kaden was right behind me, his presence a silent reminder that I wasn’t doing this alone. Not anymore. But even with him there, I couldn’t shake the weight of the task ahead of me.My mother had become something I barely recognized. The last time I saw her, before the transformation, before the curse took over, she was strong, powerful, a force to be reckoned with. Now, she was little more than a shadow. The woman I remembered had all but disappeared, swallowed up by the monster she’d become.I swallowed the lump in my throat as my eyes adjusted to the dim light. And there she was, in the farthest corner of the roo
159Eloise's POV:We took a quick shower together and went outside.Afterwards, Kaden kept giving me the 'look' as I got to get dressed. Apparently, he can't get his hands off me. Even in the shower, he rubbed soap all over my body. There wasn't an inch of me he did not touch, and he might or might not have slipped a finger or two deep inside my wet cunt.I must say, I loved it. I wanted to shower like that every time, until I have no clue as to whether the wetness I feel pooling in my core was because of the water, or the product of my arousal.Suddenly, I felt a large hand grab ahold of my panties, pushing it to the side just before he thrust a finger in. There was no warning, and sure enough, my panties are soaked.I squeal, "Kaden!" I slap his arm with a mock glare, cheeks flushed and still burning from the memory of his fingers teasing me beneath my panties just minutes ago. “You’re insatiable.”Kaden smirks, eyes gleaming with no hint of remorse. “Only for you.”I roll my eye
Eloise's POV:Shortly after I came, Kaden puts a few more thrusts before a long, guttural groan and a moan leaves his throat altogether. The sound music to my ears. I never would have thought a man's moan could be so damn sexy. I bite my lip, letting my eyes trail from his perfect abs, up to his clenched jaw as he rode the waves of his orgasm.I smile, wrapping my arm around his neck and pulling him closer until he's breathing in my neck."That was..." I began, a chuckle leaving my lips at the last word."Amazing?" Kaden speaks, a smile in his rough voice.I chuckle, and nod. "I was going to say breathtaking but," I pause, gasping for breath as I was still deep in the aftermaths of his intense thrusts, "amazing works too," He pulls back a little and we lock eyes. His gaze burns with an intensity that keeps me in place. But when the words leave his mouth, my heart jumps a little."I love you, El." He whispers, but that does not weaken the power behind his voice, or the promise in his
Eloise's POV: "So you do care about him, like a lot," Ever since Kaden left through the door, Adeline had been throwing the words at my face while I just take it. I couldn't really disagree with her. When I saw that poison, fear creeped into my veins. It turns out, I can't bear the thought of losing him to something as fragile as that, or anything at all. "So, you do love him? Come on, admit it." She pushed, and I sighed. "Whatever you say, Ade." I shrug. Kaden set out to check the omegas working in the kitchen. Although he promised me I can stay in my room and prepare for tonight, I feel a little uneasy. Tonight, I am going to my father's house and get her to come with me and Mum. I have to convince him in some way. But knowing dad, once he had his mind set onto one thing, there will be no changing that. But I hope when it comes to Mum and his own safety, he would give and allow me to help them. Getting up on my feet, I slip out of my clothes and head into the shower. Ten m