There seemed to be a thin line between protection and captivity.
Though, No Man’s Land was no joke. I wasn’t naïve enough to think I could survive that cesspool on my own, and I’d yet to make any friends I could rely on that would watch my back when I finally fled this prison because I am sure I will get the hell out of here with my magic..
With a heavy sigh, I sit my but back in the prison.
If I were being honest with myself, I’d admit that the soldiers hadn’t treated me badly. I was fed .
Maybe being sold to Atlas was just one good thing, because he seems to care about me..
I guess I am not a normal witch. If I was a normal witch, I could simply teleport back to my house, but of course, I couldn’t even conquer the most menial of magic abilities.
I heard footsteps and I thought it was one of the soldiers I heard someone called out my name.
It was a familiar voice, a voice I never forgot when we had sex. Atlas.
My heart pounded hard, I wanted to open the gate of the prison and jump at him, plead for his forgiveness but then I knew I hurt him already, he will never forgive me for leaving.
“ Elena? He calls out my name. I swallow hard, I shiver hard, I want to see him again but I feel scared.
Elena?He called again. I stood up slowly with my head bow in shame. I stood in front of him, I never wanted to look to his face.
“ I am sorry” I said softly.
“ For? I kept silent.
“ I will be back at night” I said and took my leave.
He came at night and sneak me out of the cell, he took me through the back door. I could see passion in his eyes but was cold to me. He took me into his SUV, he made love to me in the car. He took me to the border town of his pack.
He gave me some money. “ What? I asked.
“ Go! Atlas says.
“ Why? I asked.” Are you doing this because I ran away from you?I asked.
He look at me with so much disgust then he open the door of the SUV.
“ Go” he said.
“ Why, I want to stay with you please” I pleaded.
“ Go” He said. I got down of the car with so much surprise written on my face. He shuts the car door and drove off in anger.
Tears dripped own my face,I regret leaving Atlas. I walked away. I was glad he gave me some money, I was able to get myself an apartment and still thinking of what I could do when I found out I was pregnant.
I stare at the two red lines on the strip , I sit on the toilet seat with thoughts.
My heart beat hard but I decided to keep the pregnancy, few months later, I put to bed, I had two kids a boy and a girl.
My life was perfect for years until I met with Atlas agan who told me he needed me to save the packs from the dark witches.
ATLAS.
On that very day that I went to drop Elena at the border, it’s not like I wish to let go of her but I had to because that was the only way to save her.
I reeturned to the pack but before I returned to our pack , we had been attacked by a man named Jacob and his team who wants to become the supreme Alpha.
I called my soldier , I and my twin joined the battle but we got defeated and they took over our land.
I and my twins and few of my men flew to another pack but on our way we met with a wizard who told me to go and find the supreme Alpha.
“ Supreme Alpha? I don’t know about her.
“ She was right under your nose but you let her go? The wizard says.
“ Who?… I try to recollect then I remember I had just send Elena away.
“ Are you saying Ele….. I paused.
“ yes , that is her name, there will only be peace with all packs only if she is found.
“ What? I exclaimed.
I rush into my car, my twin was asking me about her but I didn’t istento anyone, I drove straight to the norder, I tried searching for her but I never found her.
Five years later.
I found her again and this time , I am not letting her go because she must save the packs from Jacob.
He stepped out of the shadows from the forest, and I sucked in a breath when my eyes took in his dark glare.
My heart momentarily stopped before it began racing again, and I felt myself being drawn toward the rigid stranger.
Mate.
This man… He was…Mine.
Feelings erupted inside me that I’d never experienced. My skin heated and my mouth ran dry while my heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest.
Was he going to take me away from this lowly existence I’d been living? Was this the answer I’d been searching for all these years while standing under the night’s moon?
“I’m going to kill—” His words cut off as I assumed he’d finally realized the same thing I had.
We were mates. A bond created by the fates that could tie us together for life.
Yet, I hadn’t missed the malice in his previous words or the way the moonlight showcased dark, menacing eyes directed right at me.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he snarled. Then he quickly added, “I reject you, Elena.”
I once wanted her but now I reject her.
Five words. That was all it took to cut me down.
To smother the softer emotions I’d so easily clung to for those brief seconds.
To shred any hope that I’d had for a life more than what I’d always known.
Still, my head shook. “No.”
His head reared back, and I tried yet failed not to be enamored by his roguish features. He had thick, ebony hair that naturally seemed to swoop up by a couple of inches on the top and was just slightly shorter on the sides.
His arms were covered in black and grey tattoos starting above his short, black sleeves and ending at his fingertips. Hell, I could even see more of them peeking out from above the V in his T-shirt.
His lips begged to be nipped at, and his dark brows furrowed so tightly that I wouldn’t have been surprised if there was a permanent wrinkle between them.
“No?” He growled. “What do you meanno?”
I took a step back and held my hand out. If he wasn’t outright attacking me, I’d at least pretend like I had magic to maybe scare him with.
“I meannoto your rejection,” I retorted with rising bravado. “You were about to say that you were going to kill someone, and I can only assume by your twisted, snarling face that you meant me. Well, I’m not in the mood to die. So let me repeat myself more clearly. No, I don’t accept your rejection. Whoever you are.”
A rumble built in his chest, and he shook his head as if he still didn’t understand. “Quit playing your magic tricks on me, Witch.”
Well, this guy might have known my name, but he obviously didn’tknowme.
Just as I was about to refute his statement, the sexy brute came charging at me. Acting on instinct, thanks to all those nights spent in the gym, my foot lifted and connected with his gut. His shoulders pushed forward from the impact, and I took the opportunity to allow my fist to meet his jaw.
The echoing crack made my lips curl upward, and again when I grabbed his neck and slammed my knee into his handsome face.
Such a pity.
Just when I was starting to think I had the upper hand, he recovered from whatever shock he’d been in and wrapped his arms around my waist, attempting to take me down.
His heated skin burned mine, and sorrow filled me at the realization that this man—supposedly the one meant just for me in this world—could be trying to kill me, but I shoved those feelings down and focused on not allowing my face to be pummeled.
When he began pushing me toward the ground, I wrapped an arm around his neck and used my body weight to press down on his head. His six-and-a-half-foot frame started to timber forward, but he reached for my thigh and flipped me up and over him.
I landed on the ground hard, the impact rattling my bones and sending stabbing sensations through me from head to toe.
“Fuck.” I groaned. “Was that really necessary?”He snarled in return and sat on me before I could get up. “Was it necessary to kill those kids?”Now, it was my turn to be shocked…“What are you—” Before I could finish my question, he punched me just beneath my neck. Like really fucking punched me.Sure, I’d hit him first, but still, I was a little more than shocked by the impact.Before I could physically respond, his hands covered my throat, but they only squeezed hard enough to keep me pinned. “You’re not my mate. You’re just using magic to trick me.”He spoke with conviction, but I could see the uncertainty in his cognac eyes that were darkening by the second.“Listen, psycho stranger. I don’t know who you think I am, but I hardly have any magic.” My words were garbled, and the longer I spoke, the more my vocal cords burned from his touch, but I kept going. “And I wouldn’t hurt a child, let alone multiple of them.”Flickers of something I didn’t recognize appeared in his eyes, then
She went limp in my hold, possibly trying to use dead weight to throw me off again, but that wasn’t going to work with me.“What crimes?” she asked with a heavy sigh when I began walking toward the treeline again.My chest rumbled. My instinct was to answer her question, but I didn’t trust this woman. Not after what I’d seen.With the pull between us, I knew it was better to keep my mouth shut.“Seriously?” she scoffed. “That’s how you’re going to do this? Show up here, accuse me of something heinous you won’t even give me details on, and then stay silent?”Yep. That was exactly how it was going to be.I wasn’t sure if it was because my silence was the best choice for the situation or for myself. There were too many conflicting thoughts, and until I felt more confident about the situation, silence was my friend.Having her pressed against me wasn’t ideal when my body and heart were longing for her only minutes after having met her. A part of me wanted to lift her up until our faces we
My shoulders stiffened, and I reached down without looking at Elena so that I could throw her over my shoulder. I couldn’t wait for her to act like an adult and walk on her own. I needed to get to the Jeep and start the drive back to my house.The trip would require me to sit next to her for sixteen hours while I sped down the interstates toward my cabin’s location in the middle of No Man’s Land.I should have bargained for a fucking portal spell to get us back sooner, but I’d thought she would be a corpse by the time I’d started driving. Not a temptress seated next to me.Maybe I could knock her out and tie her to the back seat.Shit.The only thing appealing about that thought was tying her up.With a loud huff, Elena punched me first in my side, then right at the center of my spine.That shit didn’t feel very good.I pulled her forward and cradled her against my chest, squeezing tightly until she was boxed in against herself.Her sharp eyes glared up at me. “You’re a dick.”I glance
“How far are we walking?” I asked. “Where are we going? Oh, yeah. No Man’s Land, but isn’t that place, like, huge? Are you going to carry me the whole time so that I don’t run away, or do you have a portal spell? I’d make one, but I can’t.”I paused briefly, but he still wasn’t in the mood to chat. Thankfully, I wasn’t easily deterred.“Not that you asked, but I don’t really have any magic,” I said. “I can heal quickly, run faster than most of the witches, and my hearing isn’t too bad, but outside of a few sparks, magic isn’t really my thing. I’ve been told that’s probably why my parents abandoned me. Pretty fucked-up, huh?”His jaw at least tensed at that last bit, confirming he wasn’t completely heartless.“So, Atlas. I’m pretty sure you won’t answer any of my questions, but since you know a little about me, let me pretend I know something about you.” My voice deepened as I pretended that I was him, hoping to further annoy him into conversation. “‘I was an only child. I get my shit
“How do you know that?” I asked. “Was there a sign I missed while I was talking or had my eyes closed? Or have you been here plenty of times before and just know?”His head turned toward me once more. “I’m having a difficult time believing you’re that stupid.”The tone of his words was flat, making it hard for me to decide if I should be offended by his statement or not…“I don’t think I’m stupid,” I said. “Sheltered. Naïve. Inexperienced. All of those, yes. But not stupid when given the opportunity to learn.”Another delicious rumble built from deep inside his chest, but he seemed to be all out of verbal responses.Just when I was ready to go on my next tangent, I caught sight of the Jeep he’d mentioned. There wasn’t a top on it. Just a black roll cage above the navy-blue body.He eyed the front of the vehicle, then the back, before setting me down. His hands grabbed my biceps, positioning me until I was standing in front of him. “Don’t piss me off or I will tie a rope around your wa
ATLASExactly thirty minutes after I’d gotten back into the driver’s seat, Elena cleared her throat while keeping her eyes on the center of the road, which I’d advised her to do so she wouldn’t get sick again. Not because I was being nice, but because we didn’t have time for her weak stomach.“How close was I with ‘Atlas’?” she asked, a bit of glee in her tone and a smile playing on her cherry lips.“Atlas, so not even a little close,” I muttered.Her fingers danced over her knees, and she chanced a glance my way. “What about a last name?”“No.” If she didn’t already know it, she didn’t need to.The fact that she seemed truly inept about all things of the outside world had me second-guessing everything that I was doing. I hated to admit that I was worried the only reason I was questioning anything was because of the bond. The longer she sat next to me, the more it was building.Uncertainty wasn’t something I was familiar with, and I fucking hated it.Had I been sent to kidnap, and pos
The unicorn actually rolled her turquoise eyes while silver energy shimmered over her body. The gaping wound stitched itself back together before she got up on four legs. Elena was up and moving a few steps closer to me as the opal-white unicorn swished her iridescent colored tail back and forth.“Shift,” I demanded.Her head lowered, pointing the tip of her horn at me.“You don’t scare me,” I droned.She made a weird noise, then her body covered with that same silver power. Within the blink of an eye, she was standing on two feet, dressed in black leggings and an oversized, light-pink T-shirt.She glared at me, then moved her still-turquoise eyes to Elena and stepped forward.Before I could stop anything from happening, the unicorn hugged her and squealed. “Oh, I’m so excited to finally meet you!”I had no fucking clue where this glee was coming from, but one thing I knew was that an already fucked situation just got even more complicated.Elena’s arms hung there loosely. “Uh…you, to
I had to turn around before I answered her, because I was tempted to lash out with my darker half. It was the one part of me that I was equally thankful for yet also hated.The demon in me that had come from my father.The curse that had killed my family and left me alone in this godforsaken world.The powers that allowed me to channel my rage by searching for piece-of-shit people who didn’t deserve to continue breathing.She was rubbing her chest so hard that a red spot formed on her skin beneath her fingers.The bond I hadn’t wanted to accept as truth tugged on my emotions, but I stopped myself. I wasn’t the one who was going to console her.I wasn’t the person she needed, even if she wasn’t a magic-stealing murderer.Amy sighed at me. “You’re being ridiculous.”I watched as the unicorn went to Elena and quietly whispered to her. I observed closely how Elena nodded softly, pressing her lips together while her eyes remained wide.Then, I forced my feet to take me back to the jeep. I