ELIANA.As soon as the car pulled over next to his castle, a breeze of nostalgia whooshed into my face. I swallowed a hard lump down my throat as the doors opened, already dreading coming down.But luckily, Nana had already made it this far. Cory helped her out and she wheeled closer to where I was. “Come on,” She stretched her arms. Flashing a smile at her, I took them before alighting the car. My gaze trailed up the massive building and I realized not a lot of things had changed since the last time I was here.“Future Luna,” Beta Cory bowed his head, helping me with the bags I’d packed for the weekend. “I’m Cory—“ “Of course I remember you” I interrupted him. “You’re like Denver’s right-hand man. I remember him saying how you were the only one he trusted in the world” I chuckled and he nodded humbly. “I try” “And please, just call me Eliana” I refuted the idea of any title whatsoever. It was bad enough that I had to come back to this place that held so many memories. But the matin
ELIANA.It was a dark, cloudy night with the winds growing more forceful with each moment that passed. I stood there with my eyes settling on the bonfire. The flames roared hungrily towards the inky skies. The skies that held the roundest moon I'd seen. The fullest.Only a few of the Black Mountain Pack had gathered in the woods that night with Beta Cory and his wife, Thelma up front. I was only a few meters away from them when Denver walked up to me."Are you ready?" He softly asked, slipping his fingers behind my ears and drawing my eyes to look up at him. My heart throbbed with a little anxiety and the cold impaled the skin across my face. I was flustered but once his hands touched me, blood began to flow again. "Are you sure you can do this?" I sensed this was the last time Denver was going to ask me that question—the last time I could possibly back down but I shook my head. "I can try" We were too far gone for me to give up now. Denver and I were mates.And we could go our whole
DENVER.My heart was throbbing in my chest as I stood behind her door. Contemplating whether or not to knock, I paced around for a while. But I didn't follow her all the way here to turn back around.And so, in an impulsive moment, I did knock before slipping my hands into my pocket. I could sense her creep toward the door and hear her hitched breaths escape her lips. The lock clicked and the handle bent before it opened. My eyes met hers immediately. The brief silence that fell between us bred the electric tension until I blurted out. “Are you okay?” I asked. Eliana’s face turned crimson as I caught her eyes peeking down my naked body one too many times. After which she’d glance away embarrassingly. Predictably, that was exactly what she did at that moment.“Uh hum” She cleared her throat. A smirk crept to my lips once I saw it in her eyes. She was feeling the exact same way, although trying her best to fight her desires and wants. I shouldn’t have one of them.But the mate bond fr
ELIANA.My feet grudgingly struck the ground as I sat up. A yawn parted my lips and I consecutively ran my hands through my messy hair. Once my fingers hit the silky, uneven sheets of the bed, last night's heated memories came flooding back to me."No no. Shit" I clamped over my lips as blood rushed into my face. The hairs stood on my arms as I paced around the room. I couldn't believe it happened. I couldn't believe last night happened at all.As my palms fell, so did my lips. When I reached the mirror, I halted for a moment. Staring down at my reflection, my fingers traced the ends of my skin until they grazed against my bruised neck. Denver's bite had nearly healed although there was still a scar there.I feared there would always be a scar for the rest of my life as a reminder of last night. It was just supposed to be the ceremony! But my wolf, Aria came on so strong. I batted my lashes each time I remembered. The last thing I wanted in my head was Denver.But even as I woke up to
ELIANA.“Elijah” I brought my eyes to rest upon my son from across the dining table. “Pass the salt please” I gestured. I realized he had barely eaten his food when Nana was already done with hers.He got up, taking the salt bottle in his hands before walking up to me. I did hold him back for a second. “Is everything okay?” I asked, looking between him and his Nana.“Someone has a long face and a short appetite” I teased, tickling him a little in his sides and he let out a soft chuckle. “Tell me, what is it?” I asked. He ran his hands over his head. “Nana when can I go hunting again?!” He squealed and I scoffed surprisingly. “Again?” I turned to my Grandma. “He went out with Ivan during the day. Relax, it’s not somewhere so far from here—““And we got the rabbit that we’re having for dinner!” Elijah pointed to the steak on my plate and I gasped. “No…” He chuckled. “Surprise!” I whisked him into one arm as he playfully struggled to break free. The truth was I couldn't even be mad at h
ELIANA.“What the actual hell was that about?” As soon as the doors closed, I leaned my back against it. Looking it up my Grandma, she was almost just as surprised as she was puzzled. My face scrunched up in intense worry, especially when Carys started banging on the door again.I fastened my body to hold firm against the hinges but her banging became more and more incessant and powerful. I was confused. “What’s going on?” Nana asked, wheeling her chair to face the stairs.“Go find Elijah, and make…” Carys banged. “Make sure he’s safe” I wasn’t sure what exactly the witch wanted from me but I needed to make sure that my son was safe before anything else. One hit through the door caused a piece of wood to fall to the ground and as Nana made her way up the stairs, Carys was finally able to burst through.I fell to the ground with my hands as a tornado of winds broke through the door. And when I looked up at Carys, her eyes had turned pitch black. Her feet no longer grazed the ground an
ELIANA.I gazed down at Elijah, laying him to sleep for the second time that night. My fingers swept through his hair and a sigh escaped my lips. I pulled towards the door, knowing as soon as I stepped out, I’d run into Denver and his million questions. I knew he'd have even more. I saw his eyes and how he looked at Elijah when he walked across him.When he hugged me.And they were full of questions and calculations in his head. It may have been silent at that moment but the unsaid words between us were deafening. I tore my eyes from him, taking Elijah upstairs.I could only dodge Denver for so long and even at that moment when I stood with my hands against the door, I didn’t even know what I was going to tell him. My heart was pounding against its sternum and my mind was racing with a million thoughts.I pulled the door open. There he was, leaning against the wall across the corridor. His eyes instantly met mine and the tension was palpable. “I don’t…I don’t even know what to say”
ELIANA. “I don't…I don't understand”“My Grandfather died in the Great Fire and it was an accident. Nana told me they figured out it was something electrical in the temple…” “Well did it ever occur to you that the only people that died in there were werewolves?” Denver asked me and I gulped down a hard lump.“Oakland’s filled with Werewolves” I denied and he scoffed. “It wasn’t an electrical fire, Eliana. Neither was it an accident. My mother died in that fire and it was because of Aurora and ultimately because of me.” He said and it struck a chord in my chest, hearing him talk about the first woman he loved.I didn’t even think Denver had it in him love.Maybe it was because of Aurora, maybe she was the one who changed him. I lifted my eyes to him as he began.“The Witches and the Werewolves never mixed. For centuries, we both hated ourselves and were mortal enemies” I’d only read that in books. I, for one never thought that witches existed until Carys showed up.“Why?” I asked. “W