Lexi

  Elijah had walked out of the room to follow Elena to meet this council and I couldn’t help but overhear bits and pieces of their conversation as Elijah spoke with Elena. He was trying to explain himself, but I could tell Elena wasn’t having any of it. She was frustrated—no, beyond frustrated. She was... angry? Maybe disappointed. I couldn’t quite tell, but I could feel the tension in the air.

  “Elijah,” Elena’s voice cut through the thick silence. “We need to talk.”

  I stiffened, moving just slightly, trying to stay hidden while not making any noise. Part of me wanted to hear what they were saying, part of me wanted to block it all out. I’d been too close to the truth for too long, and now... now things were spiraling out of control.

  “What about?” Elijah replied, sounding more tired than anything else.

  “About her,” Elena snapped. “You’re really going to risk everything for her? The one time you get a mate, and it’s her? A human?”

  I flinched at her words. I didn’t want to be some kind of... match. Not with Elijah. Not with anyone.

  “She’s not human,” Elijah’s voice came out stronger this time, a defensiveness creeping into it that I hadn’t heard before. “I don’t need to explain myself to you.”

  “You’ve never wanted a mate, Eli,” Elena countered, frustration dripping from her words. “You spent all these years staying free, avoiding the bond, and now? Your mate is barely more than human? How does that make sense?”

  I closed my eyes and bit my lip, trying not to let the guilt settle in. I didn’t understand it either. I had no idea what was happening between me and Elijah, but I didn’t ask for this. I wasn’t a wolf, and the idea of being tied to one, especially him, made my stomach churn.

  “She’s not ‘barely human,’ Elena,” Elijah replied, his voice clipped, more final this time. “I don’t care what anyone thinks. She’s mine.”

  Mine. It was a simple word, but it rattled me.

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  “You’ve seen the power struggle between the packs,” Elena continued, her voice softening a little, but still filled with concern. “This could break everything, Eli. You need to think about this.”

  “I don’t need you to protect me,” Elijah said, a growl barely contained in his voice.

  Elena sighed. “Just be careful, Eli. I don’t want to see you make a mistake that will get you killed.”

  Her words hung in the air, thick with meaning.

  “I’m not abandoning her,” Elijah muttered. I swallowed the lump in my throat, the ache in my chest growing stronger.

  I couldn’t stay here anymore. Not when things were already getting too tangled. I didn’t want to be the cause of whatever mess was brewing between Elijah and his world. I needed to leave. I waited for a moment, hearing Elijah’s footsteps retreating down the hall. Once the sound of his boots faded, I slipped out of bed, moving quietly as I started gathering the remnants of my clothing. The fabric was ruined, torn from the earlier chaos, but it was all I had. I had to make it work.

  I had to leave.

  After grabbing the few pieces of cloth that were still intact, I moved toward the window. My heart was pounding in my chest as I approached the edge, and I hesitated only for a moment before pushing the window open.

  The cold air hit me immediately, a welcome distraction to the growing turmoil inside me. I swung one leg over the sill, my body tense with the decision I was making. It wasn’t an easy one.

  But I didn’t have a choice.

  I carefully climbed down the columns, my heart racing as I descended. The estate stretched out behind me, looming and silent. Once my feet touched the ground, I took off, moving quickly through the estate grounds, staying close to the shadows. I couldn’t afford to be seen.

  I wasn’t going to let Elijah get caught up in whatever this was. Whatever I was.

  Elijah

  The conversation with Elena was a tense one. I could feel the anger in her voice, the disbelief in her words, but it didn’t matter.

  I had to keep Lexi safe. Even if she didn’t understand why, even if she hated the very idea of being involved with a wolf. She was mine, and I wasn’t going to let anyone—or anything—take her from me.

  But as I turned to walk back to her room, something caught my attention. The scent... it was fainter now.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

  My pace quickened as I made my way back to the room, but the closer I got, the stronger the sense of something being wrong became. I pushed open the door, calling out her name.

  “Lexi?” I said, my voice low. But the room was empty.

  I froze, my heart dropping into my stomach. The window was wide open. No. I rushed toward the window, scanning the estate grounds below. There was no sign of her. I cursed under my breath, slamming my fist against the wall.

  “Damn it,” I muttered. I had to find her. Before someone else did.