CHAPTER 8ELENA'S POVLEAVING THE PAST BEHINDMy eyes widened in surprise as I watched Beatrice holding a necklace. It was the most beautiful piece of Jewelry I had ever seen.She came closer to me smiling. "Here I want you to have this.""This is beautiful. Thank you," I replied as I smiled back at her. I stretched my hands and she gave me the necklace which I wore around my neck and she helped me to fasten it."It was a gift from someone special and now that you're here, you can have it," Beatrice said. I touched the necklace, feeling happy that she had found me worthy of such a wonderful gift. Tears slipped down my face. No one had ever found it worthy to give me something special. Not even my parents.My mind flashed back to when I celebrated my sixteenth birthday. Unlike others who get to receive gifts from their loved ones, mine was different. No love, no care and worst still, no gift to make me feel special. My father felt it was no use caring for a wolfless child. To him, I
CHAPTER NINE ELENA'S POV I felt my cheeks burn with a deep blush at Liam's flirty words, but I quickly masked it with a frown, determined not to let him see how his comment had affected me. Beatrice, perceptive as ever, cleared her throat. “I need to grab something from my room,” Beatrice announced, her gaze shifting between Liam and me. Without waiting for a response, she excused herself and walked briskly away. As soon as Beatrice was out of sight, a wave of anxiety washed over me. Liam’s stare was relentless, his eyes never leaving my face. I could feel his gaze like a tangible weight, pressing on my every nerve. I picked up my fork with trembling hands, trying to focus on the food in front of me. I shoveled the food into my mouth, chewing quickly to distract myself from the tension that seemed to cling to the air. But the effort to maintain some semblance of normalcy backfired. A piece of food lodged in my throat, and I suddenly found myself choking. The coughing came out lou
Chapter TEN The Bet LIAM'S POV As soon as I got home, I headed straight to my room, slamming the door behind me, I let out a roar of frustration, the sound bouncing off the walls. My hands gripped the edge of the dresser, knuckles white with tension. The anger boiled inside me, relentless. I began to toss things around—the chair hit the wall with a loud thud, the lamp followed soon after, crashing to the floor in a mess of shattered glass. My chest heaved with every breath I took, but as the room grew silent, the rage started to fizzle out. I ran my hand through my hair, pacing for a moment before stopping by the window. Never has it been heard that a woman would avoid me as if I were diseased. But that’s how Elena treats me. Every time I try to get close, she pushes me away. All I want is for her to be mine. My mate. But it seems she’s built an impenetrable wall around herself—one I can’t seem to break through no matter how hard I try. If only she could put her past behind her
CHAPTER ELEVEN A Quiet Gesture ELENA'S POV FEW DAYS LATER I hated how I noticed the little things about him. Like how, whenever I walked into the packhouse kitchen, there was always a steaming cup of coffee waiting for me. Black, just how I liked it. And I certainly hadn’t told anyone about my weird habit of drinking it at odd times of the day. But somehow, Liam had figured it out. I walked over to the counter, eyeing the cup suspiciously, my fingers curling around the warmth of the mug. It felt... nice. That was the worst part—because it made me feel like he was paying attention to things no one else had bothered with before. I wanted to believe it was just coincidence. But it kept happening. “Are you ever going to say thank you, or are you planning to keep staring at it like I’ve poisoned it?” His voice came from behind me, casual yet filled with that faint teasing tone that seemed to get under my skin every time. I turned, seeing him leaning casually against the doorfram
CHAPTER ELEVEN A Quiet Gesture ELENA'S POV FEW DAYS LATER I hated how I noticed the little things about him. Like how, whenever I walked into the packhouse kitchen, there was always a steaming cup of coffee waiting for me. Black, just how I liked it. And I certainly hadn’t told anyone about my weird habit of drinking it at odd times of the day. But somehow, Liam had figured it out. I walked over to the counter, eyeing the cup suspiciously, my fingers curling around the warmth of the mug. It felt... nice. That was the worst part—because it made me feel like he was paying attention to things no one else had bothered with before. I wanted to believe it was just coincidence. But it kept happening. “Are you ever going to say thank you, or are you planning to keep staring at it like I’ve poisoned it?” His voice came from behind me, casual yet filled with that faint teasing tone that seemed to get under my skin every time. I turned, seeing him leaning casually against the
CHAPTER TEN STANDING MY GROUND The coffee was gone, but the warmth it left lingered. I heard the clasping if the door getting shut and didn't need to be told Liam left already.I stared at the coffee, it was really good. A small smile curled on my lips as I gulped down the remaining coffee.Suddenly there was a knock on the door, I placed the coffee cup down and slowly headed for the door, my head trying to figure out who it might beI flung the door open and there stood a lady, maybe a few years younger than me, was standing by the front steps, her expression a mixture of fury and disdain. Her hair, a wild cascade of dark curls, framed her face like a halo of irritation. She stormed over as soon as she saw me. “You!” she spat out, pointing a finger directly at me. “I don’t know what kind of games you’re playing, but you need to stay away from Liam.” I blinked, caught off guard by her venomous tone. “Excuse me?” “You heard me.” Her eyes were sharp, full of anger. “Liam is my ma
CHAPTER ELEVEN A PLEAELENA'S POV My fingers shook as I gently grasped Liam’s wrist, guiding him inside the house. The weight of what had just happened lingered in the air like a shadow that refused to leave. I let go of his arm as soon as we crossed the threshold and sat down on the couch, still trying to wrap my mind around the scene outside. Liam stood near the door, his posture rigid, as if something was clawing at him from the inside. He seemed like he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to begin.An uneasy silence settled between us, each second stretching out longer than the last. The ticking of the clock on the wall only served to make the silence more unbearable. I shifted uncomfortably, waiting for him to speak, to break the heavy stillness.Finally, he took a deep breath, his voice coming out quieter than I expected. “There’s something I need to tell you.”I blinked, caught off guard by his serious tone. *A secret?* My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately felt
CHAPTER TWELVEI DARE YOU TO...KISS MELIAM'S POVI was about to make my exit when Elena’s voice stopped me in my tracks."Leaving so soon?" Her tone was casual, but there was something beneath it, something that made me pause and turn around. My eyes met hers, and I noticed the faintest flicker of uncertainty in them. It wasn’t like her to initiate conversation when she seemed so wrapped up in her thoughts. I cleared my throat, trying to figure out what she was thinking."Why?" I asked, my voice coming out more unsure than I intended. Was she trying to get rid of me or...?Elena shifted where she stood, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I just thought... maybe you could stick around for a bit?" she asked, her eyes glancing anywhere but directly at me. "I'm kind of bored, and I was hoping you could keep me company."Her words hit me like a freight train. I wasn’t expecting that. She wanted me to stay? With her? "Uh... yeah," I stammered, trying to sound cool about it, though