Chapter 22: Acceptance, I Guess

CLARA

We piled into the Jeep, and Elias rested his large, worn hand in my lap. I played with his fingers for a while, then intertwined our hands for the rest of the trip.

The woods were quiet, as if they knew their master was passing through. Actually…they probably did.

Elias pulled up in front of the cabin, cut the engine, and turned to look at me with eyes that practically glowed.

“Do you want to go on the hike now, or do you want to talk first?”

“Will you try to use the hike as a distraction to make me forget I wanted to talk in the first place?” I asked, and amusement colored his eyes.

“I knew it! Let’s go inside and take care of the part you are avoiding. Then you can show me this ‘really cool thing.’”

He sighed but obliged, following me into the cabin, up the stairs, and into the spare bedroom. I set down my bag and sat on the edge of the bed.

Elias sat next to me, our shoulders brushing.

“I need to know more about this prophecy.”

Jumping right into the conversation was the only way to overcome my nerves, I figured.

“If fate is going to drag me into your werewolf mess, I should know what I’m being dragged into.”

“Fair enough. As much as I’m tired of the bloodshed over this prophecy, I would destroy Xavier’s whole pack to keep you safe if you choose to go through with this.”

Elias turned his golden eyes on me, and I felt a shiver travel down my spine.

Was that a moderately creepy statement? Probably.

Did it do things to me? Definitely.

“But what is ‘this,’ anyway?”

Elias pulled me against his side, his warmth soaking through my shirt and jeans.

“It started with the separation of the Ancient Pack. Elric and Caias, twin sons of Alpha Morus, started gathering followers and managed to split the pack nearly down the middle. When Morus died, the pack dissolved into two factions.

“However, neither pack was willing to find new territory. Instead, Elric took his followers to the northern portion of the territory to become the Northfang Pack, and Caias to the south where they became known as the Graveridge Pack.

“Three generations of fighting passed before a strange wolf with mismatched eyes wandered into the territory. No one knows where she came from or what her name was, but she walked right up to the alphas of both packs and gave them the same prophecy.

“‘Your greed will not always continue! When the lone wolf howls with their kindred heart, the moon will mend the fractured part. A lunar bond will set both free—only love can bring the light.’

“Then she gave each of them a medallion.” Elias reached into his pocket and fished out a small metal disc and handed it to me.

“We didn’t know what it meant, exactly, but the alphas figured it was important in their pack ‘winning’ back the territory. So for the next few generations, they had the symbol carved into wooden charms for the pack members to wear.”

I ran my finger over the worn surface, burnished from the passage of time. On it was an image I recognized: the human and the wolves beneath the moon.

“So what I read in the book was true, then. That’s super weird. I assumed it was all just folklore.”

“The weird wolf and her talismans were real, yes. As for her prophecy? Who knows. But something has definitely changed since you arrived in town, and both of our packs can feel it. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I hope we really are the solution, prophecy or not.

“Our packs have been cursed for centuries by the actions of our ancestors, and I want it to stop. I want to defeat Xavier once and for all and reintegrate the packs.”

“And I am sure he’d say the same thing about you and your pack,” I pointed out, playing devil’s advocate. “What makes you think that you have more right to be the single alpha than Xavier?”

Elias growled and anger flashed in his eyes. “My ancestor, Elric, was born first of the twins. He should have been the next alpha. Therefore, ~my~ lineage should be in charge! Caias’s lineage is nothing more than a bunch of usurpers who haven’t been defeated yet.”

“That’s enough of that,” I scolded, glaring at him. “Why has it taken so long for one alpha to defeat another? I would have thought literally any generation could have ended this through bloodshed or other means.”

“It seems to be part of our curse. Every time one pack starts winning too many fights and the alphas prepare to face each other, some kind of disaster strikes. Floods, fires, strange plagues…

“After the first couple of attempts, the alphas grew wary and started picking off members of the opposite pack instead. They figured if they could reduce the size of the other pack enough, they would be able to finally defeat them. But all that did was drastically reduce the number of wolves in the area.”

I sighed, not liking any of these answers. If the very powers of Mother Nature intervened in these fights, then how the hell was ~I~ supposed to put an end to it?

Seeming to sense my discontent, Elias placed his massive hand on my knee.

“If you’re willing to give it a try, I’ve been researching the ritual that is supposed to create the lunar bond. If it doesn’t work, then we can put all of this nonsense behind us and simply carry on as alpha and luna. If it does? Then we can stop the extinction of our people.”

“But I’m not a werewolf, Elias. I may be related to your kind, but there’s nothing there. I can’t shift. God knows it would have helped me if I could.

“You keep saying that I’m your mate or whatever, but don’t you want someone who can ~truly~ stand by your side? And don’t I get a say in whether we are more than friends?”

I crossed my arms over my chest and pursed my lips, annoyed.

I’d already waltzed into a marriage with the first man who made promises and gave me titles, without bothering to ask if I wanted them. I wasn’t about to do it again.

Elias’s eyes dimmed and he withdrew his hand.

“Yes, you do get a say. It’s only the alpha who can reject the bond he feels with his luna, but if you don’t want to be my mate, I’ll break it right now. You’ll never see me again.”

I began feeling tension in my chest, as if something inside me were bending. I instinctively pressed my hand to it and shook my head.

“What is happening?”

“You can feel it, can’t you? The bond between us? That alone is proof of my theory. You have to have a wolf dormant inside of you. Perhaps the lunar bond ritual is exactly what is needed to wake her up.”

Elias’s muscles relaxed, and the taut feeling in my chest disappeared.

“If that’s true, Elias, I want to be with you! Let’s give this ritual thing a try. Worst-case scenario it does nothing, right?”

Elias nodded and laid his hand palm-up on the bed. I placed my palm against his and his fingers curled up to entirely engulf my hand.

“Right. The ritual has to be done under a full moon, so there are still a few weeks before we can try. But I’m glad you’re willing, because I really didn’t want to let go of my luna after finally finding her.”

“You say that like you’ve been waiting a really long time,” I teased.

A low rumble began in Elias’s chest, and he pulled me against him. “I have. I really have.”

I don’t know what got into me. Maybe it was the mood lighting of the fading sunlight, or the warmth of Elias’s bare chest. Perhaps I’d simply been alone too long.

But as Elias pulled me into his embrace, I shifted so my legs straddled his lap and my arms wrapped around his neck. I pressed my chest against his and brought our faces only millimeters apart.

I could feel his hot breath on my face and his heart beating wildly in his chest.

Was I being an entire idiot? Probably.

I still had more proof of Elias being the murderer than I had to the contrary.

He was a monster, capable of tearing me apart, with a quick temper to match.

But I couldn’t deny the tether I felt between our hearts. I leaned forward, then drew back as my desire and my fear fought with teeth and claws.

Finally, I gave in.

“Kiss me,” I demanded, and he needed no further urging.

Elias’s arms wrapped firmly around me, and his lips sought mine like an oasis in the desert.

He was rough and desperate, his teeth seeking the soft flesh of my lips and his fingers tangling in my hair.

And I loved it.

In this kiss I could feel passion and desire—something I’d been missing for so long.

I pressed myself even harder against him, pushing him into the headboard and nipping at his bottom lip.

He let out a growl and surged forward, knocking me onto my back so he knelt above me without our lips ever losing contact.

I felt his hands reaching for the hem of my shirt and made no move to stop him. Instead, I coaxed his mouth open with my tongue, deepening the kiss as much as I could.

He responded in kind, filling my mouth with his tongue as he pulled my shirt over my head to expose my flat stomach.

“You’re even more beautiful than I’d hoped,” he growled, running his hand over my stomach and down toward my pelvis.

I felt myself begin to ache in response, and a moan slipped through my lips.

“That’s my girl,” he rumbled. “You want me, don’t you?”