Chapter Three

Elyssa ran all the way home from Aubrey’s party following the news of the fire at her house, and the memory of it was ingrained in her mind. The entire estate burned down and not a single member of her pack survived. She knew it was no accident because her father and brother had tightened security weeks ago after the new family in town attacked one of the Peskington five families.

At the time, Elyssa had believed they were being overly protective, which was mostly because she was not allowed out of the compound any more. She did start to worry when Antonio told her the same security protocols were in effect at the Marino compound as well.

Lucian Callisto was the name they whispered in everything; a monster who took what he wanted and crushed anyone in his way.

She had cried for hours behind the ruins of her family house before running off into the woods to keep her scent hidden. It devastated her that her parents and big brother, Gregory, would never witness her shift; her sixteenth birthday was just around the corner.

Running all night, Elyssa ended up deep in the woods of the wilderness at sunrise, where the annual hunting games took place. In the weeks after losing her family, she mourned, until she finally shifted and was able to find the remote pack where she met Zuker and his family.

Since her sixteenth birthday, she had spent eight years training with the Ewing pack with the sole purpose of hunting Lucian Callisto.

By the time she returned to the city, things had certainly changed. In addition to the Mazzeo properties, her inheritance now belonged to the Callisto’s. Her first job was in one of her family’s old banks that the Callisto’s had claimed, and although everyone knew of the tyrant alpha, they were terrified to speak of him or his mother who was now reigning Luna. Her attempts to obtain real-time information, or get close to her mark without raising questions about who she was, left her in a bind.

So she decided to attend the Moon Ball, as the alpha of the highest ranking Peskington pack, he was certain to attend.

Now, she stood in front of the most sweltering man she’d ever seen, with his bright fiery eyes and an equally tempting touch. Her lips parted as she fought to breathe against her treacherous lungs. He likely knew Lucian since he was an alpha, as would Antonio.

Right, she’d promised Antonio she’d head downstairs.

“I take it you’re not telling,” Elyssa slurred.

“Where’s the fun in that,” he purred, his full beckoning lips curling in a rousing smile. His eyes raised to the door behind her, and his hand fell away from her face.

Elyssa stepped to her mate’s side, watching as the alphas marched in, accompanied by the armed guards. Then her gaze fell on Antonio, who shook his head at her with a hard glare. Once more, her eyes scanned the alphas sizing her up. Besides Dawson and the four that he had sent ahead, there were no new additions to the nine.

“What’s going on?” he asked from beside her.

“The ritual is about to begin,” Antonio announced, stepping forward. “I’ll take her off your hands. Come along, Elyssa.” He reached her and held his hand out to her.

Elyssa glanced across at her mate, who was staring at Antonio with a dark, menacing glare. He turned to face Antonio, hands shoved into his pockets.

“How do you know Elyssa?” he asked.

“El’s an old friend of the family, Lucian,” Antonio replied.

Lucian?

She could hear the pounding of her heart as the air slowed around her. With an inexplicable rage erupting again, blood rushed to her ear as the hall burned with her rage.

“Lucian?” she managed to ask.

“I don’t believe you have had the pleasure of meeting Lucian Callisto,” Antonio said into her eyes.

“Well, there goes the fun.” Lucian grinned at her.

As she held his gaze, she felt her heart almost explode. What a cruel and twisted fate this was. The monster who killed her family was her mate? Elyssa’s body trembled with rage she could not contain, so she walked into Antonio’s arms before her legs could give out.

“El,” Antonio whispered, wrapping his arms around her. “You’re shaking.”

“I… air.” Her faint murmur sounded against his chest.

“Marino, give her to me,” Lucian demanded in an indignant tone.

She didn’t want Lucian’s hands on her if Antonio complied with his demand. Not now; he was her mortal enemy. After a defeated sigh, Antonio held her face and gave her a look that said he could not offend Lucian.

Moving away from Antonio, she squared her shoulders and looked up at Lucian.

“I need to get back to my friend downstairs,” she said gently.

With a squint that narrowed his eyes at her, Lucian pointed to the stairs and snapped his finger at the alphas. “Start the ritual, I’ll be right with you.”

They headed off without a word, and Antonio glanced at her before leaving her alone with Lucian. By the time she turned back to him, Lucian was standing in front of her, his amber eyes piercing into hers like lava. A surge of hairs rose on her skin, and she felt the impulse to back away, but didn’t.

No, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

“I don’t know your relationship with the Marino's, but I will not stand for it when one of them touches my mate like that,” Lucian growled.

A sombre Elyssa stared back, trying to keep her emotions in check. She had been afraid he would reject her when she killed Lucian Callisto, but now she realized it wouldn’t matter. As she gripped her clutch in her right hand, she swallowed, waiting for the right moment to pull her weapon.

The only way she could beat him was to be faster than him, she had the element of surprise, and they were alone.

“Antonio doesn’t know that,” Elyssa said.

Staring into his eyes now, she didn’t feel as seduced and tingly as before. In his eyes, she saw the burning Mazzeo estate, and the anguish her family had endured. What could make someone so evil, so cruel?

“That is irrelevant. You are mine, Elyssa, and that is all that matters.” Lucian reached to stroke her hair, but she pulled back from him and his gaze darkened. “What is wrong?”

“Like I said, I need to get back to my friend.” Elyssa glared at him and turned towards the stairs.

But Lucian caught her arm and proceeded to pull her back, up against him. “Out with it. What happened when Marino introduced me?”

Although gentle, his grip burned into her bare skin, a quiet reminder of an indisputable fact; Lucian was her mate. And she felt it in the now returning thumping in her chest and her strong desire for him, would she be able to pull the trigger?

“Let go, Lucian.”

With a smile, he whirled his fingers through her hair. “No.”

Their attention was drawn to the cheering and applause from downstairs. It was strange, she didn’t recall any rituals in the Moon Ball, so what were the other alphas talking about earlier?

“What ritual is happening?”

“I wonder, Elyssa, if you’ve been living under a rock.” Lucian mused as he looked at her with a glimpse of awe. “I think it would clarify a lot,” he added with a slight nod.

“That doesn’t answer my question, Lucian.” She tried to wiggle her arm free from his grasp, but couldn’t. His grip tightened slightly, and his eyes smiled into hers, almost crippling her will.

“Stop fighting me, cupcake.”

Elyssa stared at him, trying to suppress her giggle at the same time. A smile etched on her lips and she let, it. Cupcake?

“Come on, the ritual is starting.”

He slipped an arm around her waist and swept her down the stairs without warning.