“Let’s just focus on our date,” Elise called with a tight-lip smile. Kaide had tried to get her to talk about what was bothering her, but she brushed it off with a smile. They walked down the bridge leading to the pack's town, and Elise focused on letting her nerves go; she still had a tinge of apprehension as to how the pack would react to seeing her. She knew it was Rygan's orders for her not to be hated or treated differently because of who she was, but he was not here as she felt nervous about it. They reached the town a few minutes later. Elise was as anxious as she could be, especially since Alvira had managed to turn most of the pack against her to dislike her. She wondered how they’d react if they saw her now. But the first touch of Kaide’s hand encouraged her not to be afraid of them, so they went to different shops, tasting delicacies that Elise had never seen before since the Silver Night Market never traded outside the pack. Especially because Tazmins
Elise’s POV. What have I just done? Why the hell did I slip up and call Rygan’s name right at this moment? I felt mortified the moment I realized what I had done. An awkward silence ensued between me and kaide, we could only stare at each other in silence at my mistake. I felt so mortified by it. “Oh my... Kaide, I’m so, so sorry,” I started as I felt his hands loosen their hold on my waist. “No, it’s fine.” “It's not fine, oh gods. I can’t believe I just said that." I muttered, covering my face with my hands in embarrassment. “I’m going to leave,” I said, still flustered by the situation. “El, you don’t have to.” “Please, I feel ashamed of staying here already,” I said to Kaide. I pleaded with my gaze, hoping he’d see the utter humiliation I was feeling at that moment. Even right now, Rygan ka’al Andras still plagues my thoughts. “Let me walk you back then.” “No!” I exclaimed, still flustered from what just occurred minutes ago. “I can go myself, p
Elise's Wolf has been agitated all morning ever since she had that conversation with Rygan, and then she found out about the death of her abductor and the nightmare that she could barely remember, but all she knew was that he woke up sweaty and in a panic. And her wolf is on edge. She ended up puking her guts down the porcelain toilet bowl, her body clammy and wet from the cold sweat from her nightmare. It all went back to what Rygan said about her being her father's child, and now she dreamt of her father's chief, Dexton, choking her neck, and she couldn’t call out for anyone while her abductors watched in amusement. Even in a dream, she was trapped with a monster, and she felt like she was stuck. Only the sound of Rygan’s voice had calmed her enough to wake her from sleep paralysis. After that, she couldn’t sleep anymore; her night was spent tossing and turning till dawn; she couldn’t meet him after her nightmares; she stopped her heart from depending on him as s
“It’s an invitation to Alpha Rygan’s engagement,” Vienna explained, watching quietly to see how her friend would react, but Elise didn’t so much as bat an eye. She kept that pain hidden as she tried to think of something else than this harrowing pang in her heart as she stared at the invitation. “You knew, didn't you?” She asks Elise, who stands up from the kitchen bar stool, walking to the fireplace to stare at the open flame that kept them warm. “More like, I'm the person who told him to go ahead with it... to hurt him and me,” she muttered. “I think I deserved to be hurt; I mean, I was the one who broke it off; what was I expecting?” “You were expecting better, something he could not give when he is practically a mated man, but I don’t still get this honestly; you see the way he looks at you, how he...” “Stop Vienna, please,” she tells her friend with a whimper. She didn’t need to recall whatever memory she had been trying to push back down for a while now. “Hey, sorr
KYREN’S POV (BACK AT THE DARKNIGHT PACK) I was seething with rage that dreaded day, only one of my assassins made it back to the pack. I wanted to kill him there and then for letting Elise out of his sight and back to those Blackmoon bastards. “I should snap your neck for not fulfilling my task,” I snarled, slamming him against the wall. I didn’t care if his arm was dislocated—a wound he got from his escape. "Please, Alpha, we tried our best, but we were surrounded. We thought we had escaped to hide in the shadows and attack again, but ‘ka’al’ saw us. Rygan saw them; that was their excuse for leaving my most prized wolf in their possession. I was more than pissed. “Tell me everything,” I snarled. “The seer was right; she had fully matured into a wolf, the most magnificent creature I’d ever encountered. Never had I seen a female so majestic; she reminded me of the shadow wolves,” my assassin says. “Shadows, wolf?” I called, finally letting his neck go, and he fell to th
At the Blackmoon Pack, the solstice night continued in high spirits as the magical stars converged and began to fall like rain, covering the night sky. Elise had been captivated by the solstice stars. Starstruck was the word Elise could use for this moment. The way the stars aligned like a narrow magical road was so peaceful, as everyone was in awe around her. It was perfect—maybe in her little bubble. Elise immediately noticed Bellamy’s scent had soured, so she tuned in to see what was making the she-wolf uneasy. It was Zach who conversed with his friends and pointed at them, and they all snickered afterward. Though Bellamy couldn’t hear what they were saying because of the distance, it was obvious that they were talking about them. “Forget them, Bells; they are miserable and are just looking for someone to pick on,” Elise tells her. Elise then turns to Zach, making sure she lets some of her powers shimmer to the surface and reflect in her eyes. It must have spooked Zach
“Why the fucking hell did you think I’d agree to this foolishness of giving her to that bastard? And what the hell are they doing here?” Rygan snarls out in question to his commanders. “I have no clue. We got the message from Alvira. She must have intercepted it and got the elders involved,” Taz says, admitting that even though Alvira did not come, his face betrayed disappointment for Alvira as the elders trooped in. “I’m sure you mean to say that my dear child did right; after the attack on my dear Alana, I have the right to know what goes on outside the pack,” Adeline, Alvira’s mother, notes. She walks with deep pride in the room, her face cold and stoic, and immediately turns to one filled with contempt when she sees Elise. “And we are here to give our decision on the matter at hand; it’s our pack too, and it’s best to give her back to her betrothed,” another elder chimes in. “And you’d think I’d listen to these absurd orders? You dare tell me what to do?” Rygan snarls
After Elise and Rygan reached an agreement, they informed both betas about their pact and their plans for Elise to meet with Rygan for her shifting and sparring lessons. Kaide watched in disbelief and silence, knowing Rygan was seizing any opportunity to be with her, but he couldn't say anything. Rygan was a more experienced and powerful teacher than he was. When Elise left, the three males stayed back at Taz’s home to discuss their plans for tightening security before devising how to deal with Kyren. “I can’t believe she wants to meet that monster. Red has guts, I tell you," Taz muttered from the other side of the table while Kaide leaned by the window, watching Rygan, who sat by the couch, his hand resting on a cup of moonshine. “I can’t believe that Kyren dared to ask for this after what he did,” Kaide added. “We plan to kill him, yes?” Taz asked while Rygan quietly nursed his drink, recalling those barren months spent in Kyren's dungeon, tortured by his men. It was