Elle POV Five hours later, with a clean house, beer, and liquor lining the counters, I am ready to host my first party. The guys are downstairs while the girls and I get ready in my room. As I sit in front of the mirror, letting Charity curl my hair and Emma apply makeup to my face. The nerves in my stomach are getting heavier as I sit here. How mad are the Alpha and Luna going to be if they find out I threw a party without their permission? Maybe no one will show up, and I won't get myself into a world of shit. "Do you think anyone is coming?" I ask Emma as she applies eyeshadow to my eyes, hoping that she says "no" even though I know the chances of that happening is nearly zero. "People are coming," Charity says from behind my chair as she continues fixing my hair, "our cousin, Jonah, is the young Alpha of the Diamond Claw pack. Alpha Charles permitted him to come onto pack lands looking for his mate. All the girls know he and his men are on the territory and will be here tonig
Damon POV I'm trying to listen to the ditzy blonde's story about a mall incident when a headache festers behind my eyes from Slade's constant pacing. I cannot believe my parents tricked me into this sham of dinner. They told me it was to renegotiate treaties with some of our alliances, but the true motive is to introduce me to she-wolves so I find my mate. I cannot believe my parents did this when my birthday ball is a few weeks away, and I have made it clear I have no interest in finding my mate. 'Dude, can you chill with the pacing? It's making listening to this story even more difficult,' I plead with Slade, who continues like he isn't listening but responds anyway. 'We shouldn't be here. We need to go home to Elle,' he says, starting to claw at me, desperately attempting to escape. 'Elle is fine. Andrew is watching over her' I try to comfort him, but it seems to agitate him more, so he growls at me in contempt. 'You think your Beta can protect Elle from her stubbornness?' Sla
Damon POV Elle does not stop pounding on my chest the entire way up the stairs, her screams becoming more desperate and manic as we ascend. The tingles erupting all over my skin from her contact are distracting me from why I am so pissed at her in the first place. We pass some of her friends who look like they want to intervene until they see my black eyes and hear the snarl that escapes my chest. Once we get away from the madness of this party, I know I will be able to enjoy the feeling of having Elle in my arms, even if she is screaming drunken profanities at me. We finally reach the hallway where my room is located; I waste no time opening the door and slamming it shut behind us. Placing her calmly on the floor, I step back, ready to reprimand her for her stupidity, but before I can say a word, she starts talking in a slur of words. "How dare you! Is it your job to embarrass me at every turn?" she says, but her voice doesn't hold the same fiery confidence I have gotten used to
Elle POV The light leaking in from the window makes my head pound harder and the fog from this hangover thicker. The subtle smell of sandalwood with a hint of eucalyptus doing its best to calm the violent tossing of my stomach. Slowly coming to, I realize I am not in my bed or even in my clothes. Did I get a bath last night? Where the hell am I? Jerking up too quickly in the sitting position makes my head spin, and vomit sneak up my throat, but somehow I hold it back. Letting my eyes adjust to the uneven lighting in the room, I look around and still have no clue where the hell I am...The walls are dark, almost black, but with a greenish tint. The furniture in the room is leather, and sitting in the far corner is a shadowy figure whose light eyes are glaring at me with a fiery intensity. "Hello?" I ask, my mouth as dry as a cotton ball. "Who are you?" I ask the figure in the corner, who rises from the chair gracefully like a lion ready to pounce on his prey. Once he steps into the l
Elle Pov Emma, Charity, and Taylor look at me expectantly with worry, and I can tell they're all holding their breaths while waiting for my answer to the question. "No, no, we did NOT have sex," I say, reassuring them and easing their concern. "I'll be the first to admit Damon is a bastard, but he isn't a rapist." My mind wanders to what Damon said after defending his honor...How I'd come to his bed willingly....and I can't help but imagine what that'd be like. "Thank god," Charity whispers, and the amount of worry she is showing during this conversation makes me worried she might understand more about the topic than she is willing to let on. "So what did you two do?" "Well.." I say, unsure where to start, "I guess I was blackout before we got back to his room because I don't remember anything after we began playing beer pong. According to Damon, I spent the rest of the night sick in his bathroom until he got me cleaned up...Then he tucked me into his bed..." I mutter the last p
Damon POV I cannot believe my parents are letting Elle go to New York City with that dolt Jonah. What are they thinking? Slade is on the verge of coming forward to bring havoc down upon the Diamond Claw pack. Allies be damned if their Alpha is going to steal what is mine. Still in the hallway around the corner from the dining room, trying to calm Slade enough so that he doesn't act stupidly, I hear the scraping of chairs as everyone gets up to leave the table. Not wanting to be seen by my parents, I duck into the room closest to me. With my ear pressed against the door, I listen as my parents walk past the door whispering quietly amongst themselves. Their voices are so quiet that I cannot understand what they're saying. A few moments later, cinnamon and vanilla invade the air. It's a scent I have become obsessed with in the last few years. Without thinking, I open the door and drag her inside before she realizes what's happening. Closing it, I box Elle between the wall, my arms, an
Damon POV An entire night has passed without any sleep, tossing and turning, my body still aflame from when Elle's lips landed on mine. Even after three cold showers at freezing temperatures and an entire school day behind me, gone in a blur. I've drank so much espresso today that I look like an 80's businessman who put an eightball of blow up his nose at some Upper East Side penthouse. Slade didn't stop griping about Matt either, which didn't help matters, kept saying we should demote him for a few weeks to teach him a lesson about knocking on doors. It was nonsense. Since Elle slept in my arms, sleeping without her has been torture. It doesn't help that her scent lingers on the sheets. Finally, arriving at the training grounds, I see Andrew and Matt with their backs turned to me, heads bent down in an intense discussion. Neither is paying attention to the students gathering a few feet in front of them. Their heads bent in whispers, only looking at their watches occasionally. Sn
Elle's POV I cannot get that kiss out of my head. It clouds every waking thought making my body buzz with excitement I didn't think possible. It has been forty-eight hours since Damon and I were caught in the library by Matt and probably Andrew. Something has shifted between Damon and me since he's been back from Alpha training, and I don't know how much longer I can keep lying about it. Especially after what happened on the field during our sparing session. Damon and I were so in sync it was like dancing, but only we knew the moves. I had never felt my wolf as clearly as I did then. I could feel her trying to break free; it was like Damon's Alpha power was feeding into her, fueling us. I felt stronger, faster, and more aware of my surroundings than ever before. It was euphoric, and from Damon's expression, he felt the same. I could feel the stares of those around us, stopping in their training to watch us, whispering comments about how we moved together. "Miss Davidson?" comes
FOUR YEARS LATER Elle- 22 years old; Damon- 23 years old ELLE POV ************************** I don't know what's going on with me, but it's not pretty, my stomach convulsing with another dry heave like it's waged a bloody war on my body without my knowledge. Goddess, what is this? Was I poisoned? It has to be poison. Someone trying to kill me slowly is the only obvious reason behind this sickness. Werewolves don't get sick. Leaning my head against the porcelain rim of a place my face should never be close to, I try catching my breath, my forehead pouring in sweat. A sickly sweet smell makes its way into my nostrils as another wave of nausea forces its way through me. Rolling my insides around like a boat in the middle of the ocean during a summer storm. "Happy Matesday!" Damon sings, pushing open the bathroom door, a tray in his hand, the offensive odor oozing from beneath the plate cover. Before I can keep it in, I am purging the nonexistent contents of my stomach. Once I f
DAMON POV I look like a fool, with a smile covering my lips, as I saunter into the decorated ballroom filled with our guests as they drink and mingle, eating from the appetizer trays being carried around the room. Some guests are already dancing to the music played by the DJ, typical of werewolf parties. Scanning the room, I find Andrew and Matt standing at the bar. My feet taking me to them, only to be stopped along the way by guests wishing me congratulations. Five minutes later, I finally make it to the bar where Andrew stands, glaring at the dance floor. Matt hands me a whiskey, an easy-go-lucky grin on his face. "That's the look of a man who got some biscuits," he chuckles. "Yeah," I grin, enjoying the banter, while licking my lips "and I ate the whole damn plate, it was delicious." My reply has Matt choking on his drink, making me laugh harder. Andrew remains unbothered, signaling to the bartender for a refill. "Come on," Matt says, coughing through the burn of his drink,
ELLE POV I thought the nerves of today would be so overwhelming that breathing is difficult, but for the first time in a long time, I am at peace. Twirling the ring I found in the psychic shop, the ring my father gave to my mother, I know I should get rid of it, but a part of me can't give it up. While my mother owned it for a time, it was never truly hers but belongs to the entire Luna lineage of Silver Run, so getting rid of it never felt right. So instead of thinking about my mother, I focus on the amazing Lunas' who wore it before her and will wear it after me. 'Biscuit,' Damon's husky voice comes through my mind, like liquid gold coating my body, sending shivers down my spine. 'I think your dad would understand if you didn't want to wear that ring.' He comments, knowing my inner struggles without verbalization. Choosing to learn from our parent's mistakes, we always keep the connection between us open. 'I know,' I sigh, as I stare at the ring sitting on my finger, 'I miss you
THREE DAYS LATER ELLE'S POV The last few days have been hectic as I try to make all the arrangements and keep New Moon running while also being in constant contact with Theo about what's happening in Silver Run; killing Tiberius and leaving the pack hasn't left the pack members in good faith. We haven't had the chance to talk about what we will do with both packs, but the distance makes running both nearly impossible. However, we are finally returning to Silver Run, and I can handle some pressing matters that need to be taken care of. Theo is doing his best but isn't an Alpha; the pack needs me, and Damon's pack needs him. How are we going to divide our time? The travel alone will be a bitch...and splitting from him is not an option. Tingles spark along my hand as Damon grabs my hand, pulling me from my rambling thoughts into the present as he turns the car onto the main road. Andrew follows behind us with Theo's dad, and the robin hood of rogues takes up the rear of the carava
DAMON POV The morning after finding my mate should be filled with nothing but mindblowing sex, energy bars, and water; nothing else, and certainly not this fucking bullshit. Not a blood-curdling anger that consumes every inch of my soul, one that seems to last forever now that I am marked to Elle. When Andrew and Matt interrupted my wonderful morning to tell me what had happened, I almost didn't believe them. There was no way my father would reject my mother. No, she was his entire world, and I believe in the bond because of them. Walking into the cell to see both my parents sobbing and somehow on the verge of unconsciousness. After getting the abbreviated version from my father while my mother remains silent, the rest of the world blows away as I fall into the black pit of wrath. I barely understand what I am saying, words of unintelligible hatred being spewed at my mother. I barely sense her fear, so lost in my anger, my father whimpers as he tries to manage the pain fueling me
ELLE POV Stretching my limbs, I roll onto my side, happiness spreading from the top of my head to the very bottom of my feet. Opening my eyes, I find Damon already awake, a large grin covering his face as he watches me sleep. "What's with the smile?" I ask him, wiggling my body closer to his, craving the skin contact as tingles erupt over my skin. "I remember everything," he answers, adjusting his body to wrap me in his arms, laying my head on his chest, "and I realized something." "Oh, what is that?" I ask him, trying to recall the overwhelming memories flooding my brain. Some of them are wonderful. Making breakfast with my father or when he would take me swimming back home. I remember the times with Theo and coming to New Moon to see Damon. But there are the darker ones, the memories I never want to talk about again- the ones that should be locked away in a box. Memories of my mother I never want to touch- she could be loving whenever my father was around, but if it was the two
*******THIS IS A FREE CHAPTER******** *****THIS HAPPENS WHILE DAMON IS BUSY WITH ELLE ;)*** ******************************* MATT POV I don't think I have ever felt as relieved as I did when we walked out the pack gates to find Charity alive and looking more beautiful than Zeke or I have ever witnessed. Even covered in blood, sweat, and dirt, she looked like a warrior. Like a Gamma, I had never felt more proud of her. Or at least that's what I thought. Until she threatened my life with the promise of dumping my body outside the territory lines as if the shortcake could carry my large frame by herself. But still, the promise sets my entire body ablaze, and as much as I hate that rogue fucker he wasn't wrong when he calls her a fireball because she is. A feisty little fireball who has weaseled herself underneath my skin, and now I can't seem to shake her. Walking out my front door, I cross the front yard in seconds before climbing the steps of Charity's porch two at a time, my fi
ANDREW POV I am trying not to think about the fact that Theo didn't come back as Damon carries Elle through the gate and up to the house. With an exasperated sigh, I turn on the Beta energy and do what is expected when all I want to do is call Theo and make sure he is alive. Death or severe injury is the only reason I could see him not returning home with his Luna. "I can't believe he is letting them onto the territory," Matt grunts pulling me from my spiral downward as he glares at the car in front of us. We are letting rogues into the territory; what is Damon thinking? With a shrug, I walk to the car because I figure it's better to get these introductions over with. Charity walks over, intercepting us before we reach the car, but far enough away that they won't hear us. Her body is covered in the blood of her slain enemies, exhaustion all over her. As soon as Matt sees her, his entire demeanor changes, but she ignores him, focusing solely on me. "Theo is alive; he stayed home t
ELLE POV Damon hovers above me, staring into my eyes, his hand caressing my cheek, the nerves of this moment rising into my throat, and it's like he can tell. He leans his forehead against mine, the electricity buzzing while the sparks run rampant along my skin in ways it never has. "We don't have to do this if you're not ready, Elle. I love you and will wait as long as needed for you to be comfortable." "I love you too, but I won't lie," I say, my mouth slightly dry, "I am a little nervous, but I know you would never hurt me." I wrap my arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer as my lips meet his, mixing while the rest of the world disappears. A primal growl reverberates through his chest as I nip his lower lip, my tongue demanding entrance as they swirl together, giving way to Damon's demand for control. Without removing his lips from my body, he moves them along my jaw, causing a small sigh to leave me, the smell of my desire so heavy in the room you could practically tas