Chapter 27

(Chapter song ‘I'll Make You Love Me' by Kat Leon)

EZRA My paws trampled the ground as I ran from him. He hurt me and now I don’t know what to do. I thought he’d be happy to see me. I thought he would love me.

He hates me.

What happened tonight made me scared. I don’t understand the thump in my chest and I don’t understand why I feel so much.

As I left the city, my head swam with questions. Questions about me and how I don’t want to be me anymore. Oliver doesn’t like me and I want to get rid of the bitch then he’ll know me.

‘Upton’

The library. ‘Where?’

‘Run.’

I felt my wolfs direction. She filled with power and it felt like minutes by the time I found myself standing outside a small store with books.

‘Go.’

I smashed through the door, stopped and inspected the broken walls and floors.

‘What happened here?’

‘There.’

I see a door at the back. I feel it. The library. The answers to Oliver’s love and making me disappear forever.

I give it all my strength and hit the door. I bounce off it and anger builds. My wolf hits the door again and again.

This thing in my chest keep snapping and driving her even more crazy. She tries to bite it, but it’s not going away. She doesn’t want it and my head is messed with pain.

‘LET ME IN!!’ I cry in my head.

Ollie needs me! I need him! LET ME IN!!

I sob on the floor and my heart is yanked on over and over.

“Get away from that door!”

My wolf turns.

The blonde librarian is standing behind me in a pretty purple dress. She growls and her fur stands on end.

‘We need in.’

‘ATTACK! ‘

She throws magic at me and my wolf lunges at her and I knock her over. I turn and she snarls at me. My wolf is yelling in my head and it hurts. She’s yelling too hurting me even more and I need to shut her up.

She shifts and we try to tear each other up. We roll around in a twisted ball of angry fur.

‘Key!’

My wolfs eyes spy the golden key around her neck.

‘Get it!’

“JENNY!”

I almost get the key in my teeth when a male wolf grabs me and throws me into some metal. The room falls like toppling towers.

She rushes to her feet and lunges at him. We bite and shred at each other. He tries to grab my neck and I kick him into the metal on the other side of the room. Those towers fall.

The blonde wolf jumps me and shakes me. I shove her off, turn and my open jaws clamp down on the back of her head.

Another wolf knocks me into the wolf that crashed and I turn on him. I grab his throat and try to rip it out. The second male tries to pull me off, but all I can see and hear is blood. The intense feeling of Oliver’s words fuels my rage and I can only stop it by destroying this wolf.

I was just about to finish him off when I was struck by a ball of magic. My wolf cries in pain, I roll across the floor and stop. I struggle to my feet and she’s staring me down. She throws more magic, but misses.

‘RUN!’

‘The library!’

‘RUN!!’

I bolt out the door, through the town and into the desert.

In a little ball, in the back of my mind, I cry out everything I’m feeling. Oliver’s floods me and I can’t stop it. His hate and anger penetrate me like knife over and over. Now, I can’t even end me and my fight.

I just want to be good.

My wolf ran through the desert to the woods. The moons color fades and I’m left with this pulse in my heart. This thing I don’t want because it hurts so much. My wolf feels it too and she’s even more angry than before.

‘Juice.’

I shoot up in my mind ‘No!’

‘Shut up, worm!’

I stand up in the black. ‘I’m the Alpha! I say what goes!’

‘YOU’RE NOTHING!’

Her massive jaws hit me and I scream. She attacks me in my mind and I throw out punches to her head. She lunges and I kick her in the chest. She flies into the void.

‘YOU ARE NOT ALPHA!’

She grabs me from behind and shakes me relentlessly as I scream.

‘Neither are you.’

She throws me into the black and I shift. My human body rolls across the forest dirt and my ribs hit a tree.

“ARGH!” I grit as I roll onto my stomach.

I pant heavily and try to spit out litter and dirt. My face fills with pain and my fingers slowly claw at the dirt as I start cry. “I don’t want to fight me anymore.”

I slowly pull myself to my feet and lean on a trunk.

‘Juice.’

“OK. Find juice.” I whine in defeat.

She throws herself to the front of my mind and my body is thrown forward. I shift and she runs through the woods looking for blood.

It was a few hours before we found a group of dogs. We shredded them all and I picked up two vials of Croak, each half full.

I pour the first down my throat and put both chains around my neck.

The power surges and when it’s in my system, I feel even more connected. The world looks different. The snap in my chest feels a little stronger. My head stops spinning. Words come together. My mind makes sense. I look at my hands and see the Croak flow through my blood. I feel it build and change. My insides burn up, but it doesn’t hurt. It feels…better.

New things show in my brain. Things that I wouldn’t think. Visions of before I was a dead dog.

“We need home.” I wipe the blood off my lips. “We need Oliver.”

‘The connection is concerning.’

“The connection is not important. The Alpha needs to be told.” I push off the tree and I feel my wolfs mind meld with mine as I slowly stride through the trees.

‘He is second.’

I tilt my head with a smirk. “He is second. The time for him is over. We take over.”

‘He won’t listen.'

I run my fingers through my blood soaked hair. “He will. He doesn’t know what he’s up against.”

I kick the debris with my toes as I stroll along. My wolf spins and I feel her energy combine as the Croak binds with my system.

“We're not complete. He could still kill.’

“True.” I place my hand on my heart and the connection that snaps repeatedly. “This is our shield until it’s done. More of this and our objective will be reached.” I hold up the Croak and stare at the liquid as I feel my wolfs power merge with body. I feel the changes. I feel the clarity. The blood and death is not as chaotic. It’s regimented. It seems to turn into a logical conclusion rather than mayhem.

Her mind seems to grow in my head and I feel her tower over me. As our bodies grow together, this battle we have will only be won by who’s stronger. For our objective to be complete, we can’t live in her brain.

For now, I will allow it. I need to clear my position with Oliver. One battle at a time.

‘He won’t allow it.’

I drop the vial and stop. My eyes glow red, blue and gold. “He won’t have a choice.” My canines grow out of my mouth over my bottom lip. My wolf shifts and shakes her fur out.

I stand in the black of my mind with my arms crossed and raise a brow. ‘No…choice…at all.’

My wolf tears through the forest like a bullet. Destination: Eden.

I’m about to show Oliver exactly what it means to be connected to me. He won’t stand a chance.

With every passing moment, my mind becomes more clear. The goals lay themselves out. We need to grow. We need more. I cannot complete the objective alone.

‘We need to tell them about the juice.’

‘We will. Bring more to higher thought.’

‘Agreed.’

When I hit Eden, I feel my instincts. The instinct to mate. The connection increases. It’s power fills my heart. I feel I want to, but does she…

‘Distraction.’

He stands beside me, his eyes peer into mine.

‘I can’t love you.’

His words rip deep inside. Hate for him rises and my contempt for him fills my face.

When he expressed he didn’t want the connection, it was like a slap in the face. Inside, I want to be small, weak and cry. I won’t give him the satisfaction. No.

I see his confusion. I know he’s holding back.

‘I will give you strength.’

She invades more of my body and I’m starting to feel more like her than myself.

I went to my room and cleaned up.

In the condensation of the mirror, I studied myself. Through the wall, the connection finds him. I run my fingers over where it meets my chest.

Glass breaks and my head whips to the wall. I’m flooded with anger and resentment. Confusion and want. It’s coming through the connection.

I walk to my dresser, slip on a silk sleep shirt and climb into bed.

In the light of day, he’ll see I’m right. He won’t argue and he’ll do as told.

****

I woke with a sweat and panting breath.

His body was all over mine and I had no control. I didn’t like it. He overpowered me with his desire and weakened me with his lips. His strength brought me down and his hands held me there.

I sit up in bed and rub my face. My wolf is pacing in my ribs. She wants out to hunt. The faster we complete this, the better we will be.

The problem is if we don’t do it right, he will stop us or we will die.

“Pace yourself. Let the changes settle.”

She growls and continues to pace.

The last drink must have taken her voice from me. I can still feel her thoughts as if they were words and right now she’s projecting impatience.

After cleaning up, I rummage through the clothes Oliver bought.

I put on a black dress and shoes. I pull out the heart and put it on. I don’t know why. I don’t need it now. I have enough control over her. I can see who needs to be killed. She can’t push past me.

I fix my hair and leave my room.

I hold my chin up and walk down the stairs. Strolling into the common room, I pick a seat and sit.

I scented him before he came in. I cock my head and cross my legs. Playing with my necklace, he walks to the middle of the floor and stops.

The connection snaps and I give him an unimpressed look.

He stuffs his hands in his pockets and juts his chin out. “We need to talk about this.”

“Yes. We do. We need…to be clear.” I say as I bounce my heel.

“Clear.” He states.

I uncross my legs and stand. “Yes…Alpha.” I say with a tiny bit of disdain. His words still hurt. “I need you to understand something here.”

He holds up a hand. He eyes narrow. “You’re different.”

I walk up to him and tilt my head. “That’s what I want you to understand. I’m no longer the poor dog you brought home.”

“I can see that and you think you’re going to walk around here like you own the place. Sorry, Lady bird. That’s not happening. Even more so now that we’re bonded.” He looks me over and I feel a growing heat between us.

The bonding is pushing my mate desire, but until he’s clear, I cannot allow him to mate me.

He bite his lip. “You’re mine. Which means you live here under my rules. I won’t lock you down, but as of right now, your life here will be decided by me.” He points to his chest.

I run my eyes down him and back to his eyes. “Are you done?” I say low.

“Mmm…maybe.” He drawls as the heat increases and the bond pulls us.

“OK…Ground rules.” I start.

He ticks a brow up. “Rules?” He slightly narrows his eyes at me and I feel him trying to overpower me.

“Yes…Mister Alpha…Rules.” I snarl.

He crosses his arms. “OK. I’ll bite.” He raises his chin to me and smirks.

“First off…I’m the bad guy here.” I point in his face.

“Go on.” He's looking me over and my wolf is going crazy.

“I say how and when. Not you. You try that again and I shred you, understand?”

He nods. He rolls his hand in front of him. “Say that again.”

I scrunch my brow. “How and when?”

“Before that.” He ticks his lip up.

“I’m the bad guy?” I turn my head to the side slightly.

“Yeah…that…” He purrs and takes a step to me.

I land a hand on his chest and push him back. “No!”

He scowls and crosses his arms. The bond speeds up making my desire harder to fight, but he still thinks he’s controlling things.

“I said I say how and when. Including this.” I thump a finger on his heart. “You don’t get this until you can accept my freedom in this house.”

He licks his bottom lip and scratches his temple. “So we’re clear. I won’t be…allowed…to mark you as my Luna until I let you just…run amok everywhere, killing whoever you want. That’s what I’m hearing here.”

I pull my hair to the front and twirl it around my finger. “I won’t kill anyone who doesn’t deserve it.”

“I’m just supposed to trust you.” He squints at me.

“Yes. You are.” I state sharply.

“What about the drugs?” he asks.

“That’s not a concern.”

He nods. “Because even though it’s killing you, it’s keeping you together, is that it?”

I give a small smile. “It’s not killing me, Oliver.” I walk up to him and pull his head down. I float my lips over his. His eyes turn to slits and his lips slightly part. I can hear his heartbeat in my chest through the bond. “It’s making me…superior.” I growl quietly.

He furrows his brow and I shove his face away from me. I push past him. “I’m going for a run.”

“This is not how it’s supposed to work, Ezra!” He yells to my back.

“Things are changing, Oliver. Get used to it.” I wave as I walk to the back door.