ELOISE"We are here today to honor..." I tried to listen to the priest as he droned on about his mother but I was distracted. My mind was elsewhere. The words of the priest barely registered as I focused on what lay ahead. It was hard for me to accept mom had died. In fact, it felt so unreal it scared me. I didn't want to let go. But it wasn't like I had any say in the matter. I couldn't bring back the dead. I played with my fingernails as the priest went on to list all the good deeds she did for the church and the people around her. It made it hard to even breathe. She was a good person. She didn't deserve what fate she got.Matthan squeezed my hand in comfort. A gesture I appreciated in ways he wouldn't even understand. He looked over at me and said in a gentle voice, "You ok?"I nodded but didn't feel much better. The only difference was I could stomach it better. Clay stepped out to give his speech. It was long. It was also difficult for him to go through it all without bursting i
ELOISE(A few days later)The full moon did come and when it did. Matthan decided it was time to perfect our bond. He took me somewhere. I wouldn't miss that narrow and crooked road. It was the same path we had taken when he lead me to the tree with a door. This time around, Matthan took another turn and we arrived at a clearing in the middle of the forest."We aren't using the tree door?" I asked getting down. "I thought the mating ritual was supposed to take place in the Gardenia pack house?"Matthan pocketed his car keys and joined me. "Yes. But I don't want us to have a sex orgy. This is special for me. Sacred. I want us to remember tonight sometime in the future."I smiled at him. "You are very romantic, Matthan Gardenia." I teased but my face fell when I saw how serious he looked. I quickly looked away, blushing.We stood facing each other, silent. Matthan looked down at me and then stepped closer until the two of us were touching. He gently placed his hand under my chin and rai
“Sleep tight, Eloise,” My father said as he tucked me in and gave me my favorite stuffed wolf.I yawned and pulled the blanket up to my chin, all the while studying the man leaning over me with a strange look in his eye. He had been acting strange for weeks, full of energy one day and then unable to get out of bed the next. Mother had told me that he was just going through a midlife crisis. I had no idea what that was. All I knew was that I just wanted my daddy back. The man staring at me felt more or less like a stranger, and he gave me a weird feeling. A chill that crept down my spine each time his bloodshot eyes travelled in my direction.“No matter what, I want you to stay in bed tonight, do you understand, Eloise?” He asked as he abruptly grabbed the stuffed wolf out of my arms and fixated his attention on it.“Please give him back, Daddy,” I begged as I stretched out my arms for the wolf I had come to depend on lately. Daddy wasn’t the only one who’d been acting strange; Mommy h
ELOISEMy fingers found the sink valve and I twisted it open. The sound of water against the palm of my hand was the relief I wanted. Despite downing sleep pills last night, I has barely had any sleep and when sleep did come, my nightmare just had to butt in. I splashed the cool water on my face. It was the only thing strong enough to rouse me from the tight rein sleep still had on me. I stepped back into the bedroom and stared at my alarm clock. 5:30.Plenty of time for me to do what I wanted. I took my good time in the bathroom and prepared for work. It had been a year since I graduated from high school in the small town of Ashlake. I was supposed to leave for college two cities away but I couldn't manage. Mom and Dad already had a lot on their plates. A college so far away would wreck their finances. I didn't want that. Finishing up in the bathroom, I proceeded to dress and step into the kitchen at exactly 6:30. Mom and Dad were already there. No surprise. A plate of bacon and e
ELOISE "Who hurt him?" One of my coworkers mouthed, looking into the distance. Particularly at a man who I had served coffee six times. The question was directed at me and while a snarky replay would have sufficed. I didn't know the girl's name. I didn't care to. What was the point of it anyway? But she was right. The man seemed to be troubled. He had been in the Cafe all morning. The sky was dark. The time was almost 7 PM. We were supposed to be closed minutes before but I wanted to stay. The Cafe was my only escape from my adoptive parent's constant concern. I planned to work all the way till eight before leaving. They ate and slept early. I had a spare key. It was a win-win situation. "None of my concern." I retorted. "As long as he keeps patronizing us, he can stay as late as he wants.""I see you are insensitive as always Eloise." The girl chuckled, wearing her bag. "Good night.""Good night," I whispered back and watched her leave. Now. It was just me and the handsome strang
ELOISE The sun was what notified me that morning had come. The hot rays seeping through whatever cracks present made me turn to my side. The bed was strangely spacious and the sheet smelled different. It wasn't the sweat or the strange fluid that caught my nostrils. It was the soft sweet smell of strawberries. Cologne, I think. That was when my eyes shot open. I didn't use strawberry fragrances. I didn't use any for that matter. I had been right. The white sheets my body was pressed on were definitely not set by me. My eyes glanced around. The room in question was painted in black and gold. An odd choice but that wasn't the point. The question I needed to ask was where was I? Well, that question was answered when I looked to my left. Curved into a ball was the man from last night. He was naked and his hand was hooked around my hips. I...I was also naked. Usually, one would scream in this sort of situation but I couldn't risk waking the sleeping man. My memories were coming back. Ha
ELOISE "He is not our fated," I told my wolf out loud as I flagged a taxi down. One stopped and I hopped in. "Take me to Highwynne road," I told the driver."Highwynne road..." He mused. "Where is that?"The bout of the mental torture I was inflicting on myself as a result of the sudden arrival of the voice in my head stopped and I actually made some effort to look around me. The road looked different. Ashlake didn't have bad roads but there was just something more industrial to the road I was staring at. The houses around. They looked expensive and perfect. Nothing like the variety in Ashlake. It made me wonder–Scratch that, it made me fear I was in a different city. Surely Matthann was not sick enough to drive me to a different town just to get laid. "Where is this?" I asked the driver, reaching into my purse for my phone."Marblefay. Why do you ask?" Marblefay? The city I grew up in. The place of nightmares. I kept my cool and opened my device. Not sure why. Perhaps I hoped the
MATTHAN I should have run after her. Heaven knows I wanted to. Why them did I stay back? I could lie to myself but the voice within told me it wasn't because I was afraid of being charged for public indecency. The feeling was odd. I wasn't one to stop chasing things or people that fascinated me but after Alice's rejection, I was starting to think in a more calculated manner. I hated it because it was unlike me. But I detested the thought of scaring her. Eloise. There was just something about her. Even when she has been dandy high on moonshine, I could recognize it. A spark that was calling on to me. There was no mate bond. Yet, my wolf lurched at the thought of her. I didn't think I would be able to get over Alice's rejection so fast but it was a pleasant surprise to know that I wouldn't be downing another lofty dose of moonshine or a good time at the Incubus brothel. I had to get back to the Cafe. I had to see her one more time. "Do we like her?" My wolf being the more rational ex