Chapter 7: An Agreement of Sorts

CONNOR

The fire inside me was a blaze that even my heart couldn’t escape. It was as simple as that. There’s no other way to put it.

It was a tormenting sensation that left me gasping for air.

I couldn’t make sense of what was happening—the lights, the voices, the feeling coursing through my veins. It was a punishment, one that would be etched in my memory forever.

I woke up to a sound so loud that I couldn’t help but curse.

My hand instinctively went to my throbbing head as I gritted my teeth against the pain.

Voices echoed around me, calling for help, but all I wanted was silence.

With what little strength I had left, I pushed myself up and fell off the bed, crawling on the cold, unforgiving floor.

I was lost, unsure of what was happening. Someone tried to stop me, but I shoved him away in anger.

He was strong, though, and held onto me. It’s funny to say, but I didn’t have the strength to fight him off, not until the pain hit me again, twice as hard, almost making me black out.

“Fuck!” I yelled, my head hitting the floor.

Someone called for the doctors. I stubbornly got up and tried to leave the crowded room.

The chaos was suffocating, and dealing with more felt like too much.

A sudden thud in my side made me look up in confusion. My eyes landed on Elaine, who was gasping in pain.

“You two are quite stubborn,” a familiar voice said. I looked at my father, who was smirking with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Can’t you two see? The Goddess won’t let you go. Not that easily.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Elaine shot back. “I’m not tied to him!”

I scoffed at her words.

Our parents kept talking, but my attention was on her. She was in pain, the same pain I was feeling.

Watching her move away from me, I growled at her.

I watched her move stubbornly, which made me wince, almost whimper from the pain.

Now I understood. Every time Elaine moved, the pain would get worse.

“Stop it,” I commanded.

My father growled, silencing us both from the argument we were starting.

***

I watched Elaine with interest as she stood a few feet away from me, her slender figure hidden in the shadows of the night, her back turned to me.

Seriously, why did they even lock us up together?

I’m an alpha, powerful enough to escape this place if I wanted to.

“Why do you keep staring at me?” Elaine asked.

I smiled again. “I don’t know. You tell me. Are you planning to stand there all night?” I asked.

Elaine sat down in the armchair across from me. My eyes wandered over her pale legs. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, then cleared my throat to get her attention.

I slowly planted my idea for Elaine, who found a way to argue back.

It was annoying to waste my time trying to make her see reason. But I was here to find a solution to this problem, even if it meant we both had to work together.

I have to admit she was right about some things, but she didn’t see the whole picture.

What I needed now was to strike a deal, an agreement that would make it easier for her to say yes to anything I asked.

If I chose my words carefully, Elaine could be my pawn, and a perfect one to discard once I found the answer to this problem.

Elaine and I continued talking for a while before she suggested an idea.

The smile that spread across my face was enough to spark another idea.

“Let’s shift and see what happens,” Elaine suggested.

I smirked at her. Now this was getting interesting.

“Let’s shift then,” I agreed.

Something dark crossed Elaine’s face as she stopped me and said she would shift in the bathroom.

I had to laugh at this, because it was absurd. At first, I thought the rumors about her were lies. But after seeing them, and now hearing them, there was no denying their truth.

I told her to shift, but she laughed it off. Stubborn wolf.

“You think I don’t know?” I retorted. “I know what your wolf looks like.”

Elaine paled at my words. Got you.

“Two months ago, I saw you running through the Cane Woods, that dense place where no one usually goes,” I said.

The atmosphere shifted from warm to cold.

“I tracked you because there was no scent. So I thought you were a rogue until you shifted back, and I saw you.”

Elaine took a step back as her mysterious blue eyes stared at me in horror.

I looked down, smiling softly.

“You are quite the odd-looking wolf. But one that’s quite ~beautiful~,” I murmured.

I was surprised when I saw Elaine shift for the first time in that forest. And I’ve seen my share of shifters, so I can say hers was my favorite.

Looking up, I watched her with curious eyes. I wanted to know why she hid from everyone.

I had a hunch, but I needed to hear it from her.

“Afraid the elders and alphas will find out you carry lycan blood?”

Elaine swayed as I approached her and, grabbing her arm, pulled her to my chest.

“Don’t worry, we are the same,” I whispered in her ear.

Elaine shuddered as I looked at her. From the moment I saw her running in that forest, I knew we were both the same.

Lycan blood flowed in both of us, which was the most unusual thing, since lycans no longer existed.

In my family, no one knew why I looked the way I did, except when my grandfather was alive.

He was the one who told me what I was.

Deciding to stop talking, I suggested we get some rest. Now that I knew her secret, I needed to make her say yes to anything I asked.

After all, I was stuck with her until we found a clue on how to break this stupid punishment.

***

“Damn it,” I muttered, annoyed.

I sat against the headboard, running my fingers through my hair in frustration.

My eyes darted to the side where Elaine was sleeping. Her soft breaths and the rise and fall of her chest irritated me.

How was she even able to sleep in this situation? I was finding it hard enough to have her next to me in the same bed.

I’d never shared a room or a bed with a woman before. Sure, I’d had my fair share of encounters with a few she-wolves, but I never stayed until morning.

Frowning, I got up from the bed and walked over to the window to gaze at the star-filled night sky.

I rested my hands on the cool window glass, then leaned my forehead against it. I let out a groan, then turned to get a drink of water.

Sitting down near the bed, I watched Elaine sleep. Her camisole strap had slipped down, revealing her chest.

I clenched my jaw, then quickly turned to look at the flickering shadows cast by the fire.

I glanced down at the thin, delicate chain wrapped around my wrist.

It was glowing with a soft white light. This small, fragile thing was what was keeping Elaine and me together.

We couldn’t be more than ten feet apart from each other, which was already proving to be a challenge.

Annoyed, I took a gulp of water from my glass. An idea from our earlier conversation began to form in my mind.

My father had said that we were now both queen and king of the pack. That meant a wedding ceremony was in order, and that we would be forced to become partners.

The likelihood of Elaine agreeing was slim, but there was only one way forward, and that was to play this ridiculous game the Goddess had thrust upon us.

Feeling confident about the idea, I woke Elaine, who grumbled in response. She sat up in bed with a growl.

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at her disheveled hair and clothes.

I swallowed hard at the sight. What was happening to me?

Pushing my thoughts aside, I offered her some water.

“What?” Elaine snapped after taking a sip of the water.

“Let’s come up with a plan,” I began. “A simple one that will benefit both of us.”

“Couldn’t you have waited until morning to talk about plans?” Elaine shot back. “It’s fucking two in the morning.”

“I don’t give a shit what time it is. Just listen to my proposal, it’ll keep you awake tonight.”

Elaine shot me a glare but let me continue.

“Let’s accept the challenge the Goddess has given us. She said we are partners and rulers until we find the answers to her questions.

“And like any other king and queen, we have to get married, right?”

“Yes, get married and complete the ritual. But why are you suggesting this? Weren’t you against this ~dog~?” Elaine gestured. “You think I would easily agree to something like that?”

“You have to. We don’t have any other options. And if you think about it, this will give us more freedom to find the answer we’re both looking for. It’ll be part of the agreement,” I explained.

Elaine raised her perfect eyebrows.

“You’re shitting me? Marriage to you?” Elaine scoffed. She stood up abruptly and moved closer until our breaths mingled. “Do you even know what that means?”

I blinked a few times, considering her words.

“Oh, so you haven’t thought that far ahead,” Elaine smirked. Her slender finger traced my jawline as I watched her. “If we perform the ritual, remember we have to complete the mating bond.”

I recoiled in horror. Elaine smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“We have to mate in front of everyone. Wouldn’t ~your~ pride take a hit?” Elaine clenched her jaw.

She was right. Everyone knew we were enemies. Two beings who despised each other.

If we got married, we would have to perform the mating ritual in front of the pack to ensure the safety of the pack and throne. But doing it with her? That was out of the question.

“Ha, now you have your answer,” Elaine laughed, crossing her arms. She leaned back against the headboard.

I looked away. I hated the idea, but it was our only option. It wasn’t the best choice, but did we even have a choice?

To become alpha, one of us had to agree to disagree.

With a sigh, I reminded myself that this was the only choice left.

“Let’s do it.”

“Let’s what?” Elaine choked.

“Let’s do it. Let’s perform the ritual and get married,” I said confidently. “I know everyone will laugh at us, because, hey, I hate you, and you hate me. But we’re both stuck in this predicament.”

A range of emotions crossed Elaine’s face before she hid them in the shadows.

“We don’t have a choice,” Elaine whispered, looking away.

“We’re not true mates, remember, so we can mate without marking each other.” I shrugged, still hating the idea.

“Hmm, finally thinking for once,” Elaine hummed. “If it’s like that, I don’t mind, because let me tell you, Connor, you’re the last man I would ever want to be mated with.”

Elaine looked down at me with a gaze that could freeze me to death.

“Just remember we’re doing this for the sole purpose of finding an answer, not because we want to. If I had another way, it would be to kill you,” Elaine snarled. “My hatred for you remains.”

“Likewise,” I hissed back.