ELIANA.Denver and I had just got married. We were on our way up the stairs when he suddenly whisked me in his hands. I felt my feet hover away from the ground as he lifted me in the air. A soft chuckle escaped my lips amidst a yell for help. But his hands were firmly attached to my waist.He kicked his feet forward, carrying me in his arms as we made our way from the hall and up to our bedroom. We'd made it through the whole day unbelievably and only just somehow managed to escape everyone now. After a ceremony that seemed to last forever, we finally retired to my room—the Alpha Chambers.Denver kicked the door open and my arms wrapped around his neck. He placed me to the ground alongside my flowing white dress and we were both breathing heavily from the distance we'd run. He closed the door behind him and now that we were alone, his hunger was crystal clear in his eyes. Denver's hands pricked the button of his suit jacket before he pulled it off. It fell to the ground with a thud.
ELIANA.I slipped in my shorts before putting on my t-shirt. For a second, I halted in front of the mirror, running my hands through my messy hair. Once I was certain I was at least presentable, I walked back to the door, opening it for Ivan to come back in.Now, his eyes met mine with a harrowing look. I looked down at the papers in his hands. I could just tell something was wrong even though I couldn’t quite put a finger on it. But he was different.He was restive.“Ivan,” I had to call his name again. What was so difficult that he couldn’t say? That he was so disoriented and disturbed. Was it me? Was it Denver who still wasn’t here by the way after promising to make it back by morning? I looked everywhere but he hadn’t come. “What is it, Ivan?” I asked him one last time with my patience running thin and only then did a hard lump slip down his throat. “There’s something that you should know, Alpha Eliana” The tone of his voice made my heart sink in my chest.“What happened?” I ques
IVAN.TWO DAYS EARLIER.I walked up the stairs, gliding through all the people going in and out of the Alpha Chambers. Eliana wasn't just finally moving in but tomorrow was her wedding ceremony which was why it was no surprise when I pushed the door open to see her trying on a long white dress.Her eyes darted from the mirror, throwing a look over her shoulders at me. “Oh thank God. Ivan” She heaved, holding tight the front in her hands. “How does this look?” She was breathless.Partially because of all the stress but I could see a glimpse of the anxiety in her eyes as well. “It’s my mother’s dress. She’s wore it to walk down the aisle and I don’t know, I just want it to be special too. I want to carry a piece of her on my special day. It would be my something borrowed” She chuckled back at her Grandmother and my eyes fell to navigate the dress“It’s beautiful” I said flatly. It really was. The only thing was I wasn’t here to talk about her wedding dress. I was here for her checkup
IVAN.I pulled out my phone to press it against my ear. As I paced up and down the stable, heavy impatient breaths escaped my lips. Nathaniel’s line was ringing but for the past two days, I’d heard nothing from him.“Please, Nathaniel” I sent him my umpteenth voicemail, gritting my words through my teeth. “It’s been two days, call me back when you get this. I’m starting to get worried” I added. Given how we last left things, of course I was worried. I already hated fights.But to end on such note with someone you cared about, it was horrifying.“And please, return the sample of Eliana’s blood. I promise you I’m not mad. In fact I understand how much this research means to you. So if you just come home, I promise to help” I ended the message, clutching my phone in my hands. I stood out in the cold stable, breezing heavily out of my lips with my hands in my pocket. It was nearly winter and the snow wasn't holding back this season. I kicked my feet forward and turned around. Walking bac
ELIANA.“What?” My lips parted with a soft whisper and tears welled up in my eyes as I looked back into Ivan’s eyes. He sat on the bed, reaching for my hands and I just took a moment to stare in disbelief—to fully grasp everything he'd just told me all at once.“I—” I stuttered, words stuck in my throat.“I don't understand” I whispered. Just then, there was a knock on the door and Nathaniel walked in, head cowered low but the book firm in his hands. “This is him?” I looked at Ivan and then at the door.He nodded his head.“He’s the one that found out the technicalities of being a Hybrid” Ivan muttered and I pushed a hard lump down my throat. “And he’s a doctor?” I asked. “Here?” It struck me how I’d never seen his face before. Nathaniel sauntered in and when he was closer to the bed, he took a bow. “Alpha Eliana” He said, out of respect but I couldn't care less about that at that moment. “Yes, he is” It was Ivan who replied me and when I looked at him, color had drained out of his
ELIANA.“Hi Cory”My lips curled with a whisper as I leaned my back against the wall. “Have you…uhm have you heard from Denver?” I asked the one person who would know where Denver was. Regrettably, I wished I’d done this sooner. And luckily, he picked up. So that would mean he and the Pack were safe. The most of them left for Tombsdale right after the wedding. “Actually,” Cory heaved. “I just spoke with him. He was here not so long ago but he already left” His words forced a breath of relief out of my lips. “Oh my God” I ran my hands through my hair.“What is it? Any problem?” Cory asked. My saliva moistened my dry throat as I muttered. “I’d been calling him all morning and left even a hundred voicemails but he hasn’t replied any. I was just beginning to worry” Beginning…I had no idea how worried I already was.“Oh well, yes” Cory paused. “He hasn’t really been with his phone.” “Typical Denver” I scoffed beneath my breath, taking a seat by the edge of my bed. “One might think he wo
ELIANA. Ivan's hands gripped the steering wheel as he zoomed across the highway. The car was awfully quiet and every second that passed drew slower and slower while my heart pounded louder and louder in my chest.I gazed out of the windows, in search of anything other than this deafening silence because it forced me to confront the million things that were racing through my mind. I didn’t want that. Not now.Now, all I wanted to do was find Denver and know that he was safe.I wanted nothing more at that moment. The car jerked forward, turning into the junction that brought us closer to the Hadder Highway but it was still like half an hour away. A hard lump slipped down my throat.I couldn’t survive the quiet for that long. So I turned to my right, and there was my Grandma who had persistently argued her way into following us. Throughout the ride, I noticed her hands never left mine.They clamped over my fingers with a steady grip and each time I looked at her, she had that comforting
ELIANA.My eyes glimmered beneath the glow of the moonlight and I clutched my chest. I felt my heart skip a beat the moment I saw Denver’s car. His Benz was unrecognizable, dented, wrecked and destroyed. From the looks of it, he seemed to have swerved off the highway, only to come tumbling down the hills with as much speed as he was running.And he’d rammed himself between the ground and the trees.Ivan was several feet below, already scavenging through the messy debris but I just needed a moment to get myself together. A hard, painful lump slipped down my throat at the sight of the wreckage.“Oh my God” Nana was just as shocked. The both of us weighing the chances of his survival. A million thoughts raced through my head at that moment and there was a sudden surge that coursed through my veins.“Denver,” His name escaped my lips. I jerked myself back from the state of shock and now, all I wanted to do was get down there. So, I kicked my feet forward, jumping down the hill without a