I quickly have to pick up my son, so short message. Elora is clearly not fine.
Elora’s povI went from feeling numb and exhausted to being hyper-focused and filled with adrenaline. My heart was beating so fast, and I started sweating. There was a pit inside my stomach telling me something was wrong. Hearing Eli say I was his scared me.Thankfully, I had spent years in fear, and most of my life I had been forced to lie. The best lies always had some truth to them. So I put on my fake smile and stared at Eli. "Why didn’t you ever say anything?""You were too focused on Darian. I was just waiting for the right moment," Eli explained."I have been so sad all week because of our fight. I even spoke to Darian after we fought, and he confirmed what you said. He lied, saying you blackmailed him. As if you would ever stoop so low."Eli chuckled. "If I did, it would serve him right. And it’s not like he doesn’t have enough money."Okay, it was clear that Darian hadn’t lied about Eli blackmailing him. He didn’t deny it at all.Think, Elora. Think. What did Dad say? When you
Darian’s pov"Thank you for coming," I said to the Smith family.The parents smiled at me, while Eli looked as if he wasn’t impressed. I didn’t really know the guy because we ran in different circles, but I wanted to make sure everyone who moved to the Iron River pack would behave in a way that fit with their vision. Our pack was more old-fashioned, and I needed to know for sure that my employees wouldn’t cause any problems. We were the guests of Alpha Asher and Luna Leia and in no way would I disrespect them.I explained to the Smiths what the Iron River pack was like and what was expected of them, and they all seemed fine with the idea of moving."As you all know, my father and Alpha Asher had an unfortunate relationship, and I am trying to break that cycle."Susan smiled at me, "I heard you apologized to the Omari girls.""To all the girls, actually, and there were a lot.""Eli will attend the same high school as the young Omari girl, Elora. Eli just received his schedule, and she w
Elora’s pov"…and she why did she get into the car with Eli anyway?" Aeryn whispered.Maybe I should just keep my eyes shut. I had no idea how long I had been asleep for, but I really didn’t have the energy to have this conversation right now. Didn’t she realize I already knew it was my own fault?"You can’t fucking blame her for what that bastard did. He was her friend for a long fucking time." Mom replied."I warned her, though."Mom sighed, "I don’t think Elora was in the right fucking mind space to say no to Eli at the time.""What the fuck does that mean?" Aeryn replied. Aeryn had always been like a mother to me, but now she had to be my sister, and I think it was hard for her to let mom parent me sometimes."I think Elora might have gotten more from me than my good looks." Mom joked. "I think she might have been depressed for a while, but she was masking it. But all this fucked-up business with Eli and Darian pushed her over the edge.""But she was fine. She’s here; she’s happy."
Darian’s pov"Darian, are you leaving again?" My mom said, her voice almost sounding like she was a little girl who was asking her mommy for help.Losing my dad had been hard for her, but it was more than that. She didn’t just lose my dad; she lost the life she was used to. People would treat my father like he was an alpha; some respected him while others feared what he could do. Mom was used to this lavish lifestyle, and she never questioned dad’s ways. Maybe she wasn’t allowed; I wasn’t sure what went behind closed doors.Of course, I wanted to believe that my mother didn’t know anything about this. She had a daughter, and how could someone with a daughter do that to other parents? But my dad did, so who knows?All I know is that it’s my job now to take care of this family while also making sure I don’t fall into my father’s footsteps. And it’s a lot of pressure. I am used to throwing money at things and getting my way easily. It’s safe to say that up until my father’s death, I was a
Elora’s pov"So, you look like shit, what happened?" Was the first thing Brax said to me after arriving at the Iron River pack.I barely knew the guy, but he seemed a lot like my mom. He has no filter, and he likes to swear. Mom told me his mother was the first woman they ever met who went to the School. Ever since learning we were alive, they had been wondering where we could have been taken, and after hearing Ana’s story, the school seemed most likely.But she hadn’t just been a source of information. She was actually unable to share a lot because she was taught, like the rest of us, that revealing the truth would lead to killing everyone at the school. She had also been a source of hope. Ana found her family thanks to Aunt Kat, Maggie, and my parents. She had her happy ending, and maybe we could too.And now I was stuck in a packhouse filled with her kids. Alpha Braxton had ordered us to be killed, but he never knew we were sent to the same place where his Luna came from. And like s
Darian’s povI was pacing the floor of my office, waiting for Elora to arrive. Goddess, I had practiced what I was going to say for weeks, but it seemed like all the words had disappeared from my mind.Elora actually called me to meet me. She did. That must mean something, right? "It does." Jerrick said. "I'm sure it does."I had suggested the office because, while it was private, it wouldn’t feel like a date to her, and there were plenty of people around, so she wouldn’t have to be scared that I would try something as crazy as Eli did.“You’ll be fine,” Jerrick reassured me, but I could sense my wolf’s nerves. He wanted this to go right as badly as I did.“I’m so sorry, and I... um... shit. I have no idea what I was going to say.” I said aloud, trying to see how it sounded and failing miserably.A sweet giggle behind me made me turn around, where Elora stood in the doorway looking more beautiful than ever.“Hi Darian.”Goddess, my name sounded perfect coming out of her mouth.“Hi, El
Elora’s pov"Elora! It’s been ages since you called." Melanie said. I had known her as Petal, but when we found her real family, she started using the name given to her by her parents."I’m sorry. I’ve been going through something, and it made me realize that I might have pushed people away unknowingly."Melanie nodded. I loved how clearly I could see her through the camera; it was like she was here. "Was it because of that new friend you made? Eli?""Yeah. Without me realizing it, he took over my whole world. He was my only friend for such a long time, but we’re not friends anymore."Melanie shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly, I just thought we stopped talking because I moved away and it was hard to maintain a friendship with life, school, and everything else. But it’s still nice to talk to you again. So what happened with Eli?""Long story, but he tried to kidnap me and was kind of obsessed with me. We fought, and now he’s in prison." I didn’t feel like telling her about Darian’s invo
Elora’s pov"Took you long enough...." Brax said when Darian and I came down. "I should have known when you said Darian was going to help you with homework. You’re smarter than him. You don’t need the help. I can smell you two doing nasty things."I blushed, thinking about what Darian and I had just done. Goddess, we might not have had sex yet, but we were doing everything else. Darian was a great teacher, and I loved when he took control. I knew I was safe with him, and all I wanted was for him to praise me and call me a good girl. It seemed I also loved being punished because my ass still had a red handprint on it. "No, I’m not, -" I said, but Darian cut me off."You are, Elora. You’re smarter than me." Darian said, giving me a kiss. "You're a damn genius."Brax pretended to throw up when he saw us kiss, but I had heard him describe having sex with numerous people vividly, so he had no right to say anything."So what are we going to do?" I asked Brax.He shrugged, "preferably someth