DENVER.My eyes shot open to the darkness of the dungeon that surrounded me. My lips twitched with a growl stuck in the back of my throat. The door had opened and as soon as I heard Cory’s footsteps draw close, I launched myself against the cage barriers.The sound of my chains clanged against the hard floor and sent a reverberating echo through the walls. Anyone else would have been fazed, they might have even been scared. But not my beta, Cory.Not when he has seen me in a worse shape and condition than this. I panted heavily from my lips as I drew back. His hands wrapped around the cage as his eyes fell on me. My wolf turned away from him, hiding behind the darkness of the dimly lit, musty dungeon. Matted, dark furs stretched across every surface of my skin and my sharp claws strained against the shackles that held around my wrists and ankles.I struggled to catch my breath as I shifted back into a human form.Beads of sweat formed along the lines of my face and I looked at Cory
ELIANA.The sun was out.I was walking through the woods when I pulled out my phone to dial Denver. I found myself constantly looking over my shoulders in search of Blake. Our encounter earlier was somehow all I could think about.A sigh escaped my lips as soon as my cabin came into sight. Only God knew how many miles I walked to get here. Beep. Beep.Denver wasn’t answering.I called again tirelessly, and again until the line went through.“Hello” But it wasn’t his voice. “Who is this?” I asked. “Who is this?” He threw the question back at me.“I need to speak to Denver. Tell him it’s Eliana” I muttered and after a brief pause, the strange voice exclaimed. “Oh,” He echoed. “Eliana.” I could tell he knew me now but him, not so much.“Give me a second” The sound of metal doors opening and closing echoed through the phone as I kept walking closer to the cabin. “Hello” I called out after some time. “Hello?” Until there was an answer. “Denver" I heaved, folding my arms across my chest. c
ELIANA."Does he know yet...Does Denver know?" Nana asked. "Are you even sure about this?" A hard lump went down my throat at that moment."It's something I have to tell him to his face," I paused. "And yes. Yes, I'm sure about it now more than ever." I continued. My Grandma squeezed my hands as she nodded. “Then, you have my blessings” She flashed a smile at me, one I returned.But for a moment, everything seemed so peaceful now that I had made up my mind but that was before we heard a loud thud come from above. I jerked forward with an arch between my brows.“What was that?” Nana was just as confused. That wasn’t all. The sound of shattering glass followed and things being thrown up and down. I arose from the chair just as it hit me. “It’s her!” I muttered.“The stranger from the woods?” My Grandma was alarmed and even my heart was racing in my chest. “I have to go up—“ She held my arms back. “But what if she’s dangerous, Eliana?” She asked.“Elijah is upstairs!” I yelled. “I need t
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