ALICE "What was that?" Declan demanded the moment I waltzed over. He had been unhinged since Matthan's arrival. Some might call it guilt. But I was beginning to think it was something more. He had been more than happy whilst preparing for Matthan's return. All that happiness seemed to fade with the arrival of that girl. Eloise."I was having a simple discussion with Matt and his new girl. What's gotten under your ass?""That was not a conversation. You were clearly trying to irk him and I do not appreciate that."That made me chuckle. "Matthan is irked. Why else would he hook himself up with some disposable human? Plus I am worried about him. He did not deserve what I did to him. If you are feeling guilty about your betrayal, you should know there is no going back now. Matt will heal. Your bond with your Beta cannot be broken. Know that." I notice Declan's gaze travel over to their table. His frown deepened even more. "I am not worried about our bond. I'm not just concerned about him
ELOISE The date was going relatively well. I hated to admit it but Matthan could be quite the gentleman when he was not being a prick. It was clear that he was loved by his pack. It was enviable. But the more time I spent in the Gardenia Pack house, the more crystal clear that this couldn't be referred to as a date. Each time Matthan tried to strike up a meaningful conversation, someone or something would drag him away from the table and Matthan found it difficult to decline them. I wondered why it hurt just a tiny bit. My mind wandered to plausible reason but I refused to acknowledge it. The mate bond. It was then the sudden arrival of a middle-aged woman disrupted my train of thoughts. "You are Eloise, right?" She asked. I looked at her from head to toe. Her hair was grey and styled into a stylish bob that accentuated her sharp chin and angular features, making them all the more striking. I nodded my head. "And you are…?"She held out a hand to introduce herself. "Catherine." Sh
MATTHAN(EARLIER THAT DAY)I turned to her after her mother returned inside. "Your family seems lovely." I meant it. It checked one of the questions that plagued me. Eloise Carter's new family was plain odd boring and cherry. It was no wonder she was not reaching out to her pack. But there were still a lot of questions that remained unanswered. Like how the Carnation pack could willingly abandon one of their own and ensure her existence simply disappeared. It was a tempting invitation I couldn't break.Eloise growled and glared in response.I was still very glad to irk her so I asked, "Where is your bathroom?""Down the hall first room on the right. Make yourself at home." She replied after a scrutinizing stillness. There was nothing but spite and anger in her eyes.I flashed her a smile before entering her house. I followed her directions. Well, half of it. I was not pressed. Another room was heavy on my mind. It was not hard to find with my keen sense of smell. I stopped in front o
MATTHAN "Well, your threats are practically useless now. Maybe you'll finally put some effort if you want a relationship with Eloise instead of relying on cheap tricks." My wolf mocked the second the door slammed shut and as much as I hated to admit it, it was right. Eloise was completely done with the singular threat I had up my sleeve. But it stung nonetheless. Because I knew there was no effort I could put in to get what I wanted with Eloise. She had explicitly told me. She was afraid of a relationship with me. I was a werewolf. As much as Eloise tried to deny her heritage, I couldn't. I was a Beta. There was no changing that. Eloise Carter however didn't do werewolves because her father's depravity had warped her perception of what a healthy relationship with her kind was like. I fitted in my keys in the ignition and slowly backed up before putting it into drive and backing out of the driveway. I was beginning to realize how empty my threat had been. I could not see myself exposin
MATTHANCatherine made good on her promise and as early as dawn, I was summoned to the round table to speak my cause. The werewolf elders didn't gather around much. They consisted of politicians, royal families, and even former Alphas of diverse packs. That said, they were pretentious bastards who called the shots regionally. I was not wrong because even after being summoned, I had to wait outside the room till I was required to enter. My sharp senses could hear the conversing and throwing their theories about what I needed their help for. The exhilaration in their tone was the worst part of it. The thrill of doing absolutely nothing but listen to me talk and then form a circle to decide the most interesting reaction they would give. I would be foolish if I did not acknowledge that the elder's table was not a cruel place filled with old farts who had nothing to do but latch on to whatever minor glory that remained for them. But not Catherine. Catherine was the only black sheep in th
ELOISE "Good night Matthan," I managed a whisper before shutting the door behind me. What happened next was unsightly and I hoped to God that my mom was not around the corner, waiting to hear how the date went. I sank against the door and cried. I didn't know why he had to make everything so much harder than it needed to be. It wasn’t like it was going to get any better if I just kept avoiding him. At least, I hoped that it wouldn't. But who was I kidding? Matthan was hurt. I had broken the truce. A reprieve I had not quite agreed to but a truce nonetheless.I wiped away the tears from my face and took a deep breath. I couldn't keep doing this. I genuinely wanted to get better but maybe destiny hadn't placed that character development in my books. I thought about it long and hard. Would I ever get better or was I just another lost cause? Perhaps my birth father had damaged me beyond repair."You are wrong Eloise. Judas did not damage us. But you will never get better if you don't try
MATTHAN There was more murmur but the delay in their response meant at least some of them had an interest in my cause. I had even the blasted attention of the Marigold elder. It was fun to watch because I already knew where this was going. I had gotten my cause imprinted in their minds. It wasn't like they had any other important matters to attend to.They finally stopped to give me a unison answer. "Matthan Gardenia, you excuse the table. The circle would like to come to a conclusion in regards to your request."I put up with a ceremonial bow before being escorted out by a sentinel. The alone time prancing to and fro outside gave me the time I needed to work on the twinges of my master plan. The way I saw it, Eloise would eventually have to reach out to me for help out of the dilemma I was about to put her in and I would gladly help. Whatever solution I was going to offer was going to be a far cry from what the several packs that would solicit her allegiance would demand. I was stil
ELOISEI woke up to the noise of people arguing. Or maybe arguing wasn't right; it was more like an angry and aggressive shouting match. The voices were muffled through the walls of my room, but I could still hear them.“How did she get exposed?” A male voice shouted. It was my father and I knew the man to be a man of few words. If he was pissed, it had to be something unforgivable. "Eloise is still a child! She's not ready for this sort of meeting. She still has nightmares and now you want to open all those wounds that have barely healed?”"I know but it is not like I have a choice. She is in potential danger and she deserves to know. We've kept up this act of fragile little human for far too long. She is no weakling. Now, where is she?"The other voice sounded familiar. It sounded like a man. From the baritone laced in his voice, I could tell he was old but I could not shake the feeling that I had heard the voice somewhere. But that was not the only thing that caught my attention. T