ELOISE The very next day felt like hell. Not the hot kind. The morning sun wasn't even that hot. I felt cold. Extremely cold. I had hardly slept the night before. Far too plagued with how tomorrow would go. The sun coming out sealed my fate. I tore out of my blanket and proceeded to the bathroom. I splashed some water on my face, but it was already too cold. I retired to the bath, and turned the heat up before opening the valve to allow warm water to run on my skin. It still didn't. I got out, dried my body, and put on a clean shirt. My hands were shaking so bad as I tried to button it up. When I finally got it on, I realized it had a stain. I sighed. Ain't no way I was trying again. I wasn't trying to impress Matthan after all.I looked at myself in the mirror, trying desperately not to cry because I knew today was going to suck. I couldn't imagine what it would be like. I was lying. I knew exactly what it would be like. He was a Beta who could not understand why my little werewolf
ELOISE The journey was long. Long in the sense that I was now certain it wasn't going to take place in Ashlake. The path he took implied we were leaving town. Most probably, another one way ticket to Marblefay but Matthan surprised me when he took a completely different route from the one sure to take us to Marblefay. The path his vehicle waltzed into was almost narrow and crooked. It implied it was old and barely used. But there was a definite set of tracks he followed. This wasn't his first time here but the further the car went, the more obvious the signs became that this was not a shortcut to Marblefay. My theory didn't linger on the fact that the road had probably been abandoned for decades at least. As the freeway started to thin out, thick and broad trees began to appear, some still bearing their leaves, others not. The car slowed and came to a halt. I had been quiet for the most part but the sight in front of me caused whatever lack of conversation that plagued me to immediat
MATTHAN I watched whatever excitement and light she had in her eyes completely vanish. She was angry and rightfully so. It was the reason why she had forced me to agree to her one term. To regard her as human no matter the place or occasion. I didn't intend to break my promise but Eloise was in for a whole world of a surprise if she believed her term had tied my hands in the right places. She sprinted back and I followed suit, not attempting to strike a conversation. Not until she had gotten to the door. She flung it open without hesitation expecting the gateway we just walked through to still be present. Her face turned blue when the door opened to reveal a bathroom. She ran inside but stopped short of actually walking inside. “Where am I?” She asked. The panic in her voice was heavy. "Where is the forest pathway?""We are in the Gardenia pack house," I repeated. "And the forest pathway isn't going anyway. We do have a meeting to attend.""No. This is not what I agreed on Matthan
ELOISE He was crazy calling me his girlfriend but what could I do about it? There was something about the redhead. Perhaps, it was the energy that radiated out of her or the tension between them that grew more intense by the second. I wondered if this was the woman that rejected him. The one that caused us to cross paths. The silence was thick and heavy for another minute. "That's wonderful." The one I got to know was named Declan proclaimed. He moved an inch back and in a loud voice continued. "Gardenia! He's back! Matthan, my righthand man is back."There was an uproar of cheers. All eyes turned on us as Matt directed me to a table. "You'll be alright." He assured me upon realizing how fast my heart was beating. I gave him a thumbs up, feeling somewhat dazed and numb. I still couldn't believe this was happening. It felt more like a lucid dream. The only difference was that I had relatively no control. As I sat there, the redhead girl came over, taking a seat opposite me. She int
ALICE "What was that?" Declan demanded the moment I waltzed over. He had been unhinged since Matthan's arrival. Some might call it guilt. But I was beginning to think it was something more. He had been more than happy whilst preparing for Matthan's return. All that happiness seemed to fade with the arrival of that girl. Eloise."I was having a simple discussion with Matt and his new girl. What's gotten under your ass?""That was not a conversation. You were clearly trying to irk him and I do not appreciate that."That made me chuckle. "Matthan is irked. Why else would he hook himself up with some disposable human? Plus I am worried about him. He did not deserve what I did to him. If you are feeling guilty about your betrayal, you should know there is no going back now. Matt will heal. Your bond with your Beta cannot be broken. Know that." I notice Declan's gaze travel over to their table. His frown deepened even more. "I am not worried about our bond. I'm not just concerned about him
ELOISE The date was going relatively well. I hated to admit it but Matthan could be quite the gentleman when he was not being a prick. It was clear that he was loved by his pack. It was enviable. But the more time I spent in the Gardenia Pack house, the more crystal clear that this couldn't be referred to as a date. Each time Matthan tried to strike up a meaningful conversation, someone or something would drag him away from the table and Matthan found it difficult to decline them. I wondered why it hurt just a tiny bit. My mind wandered to plausible reason but I refused to acknowledge it. The mate bond. It was then the sudden arrival of a middle-aged woman disrupted my train of thoughts. "You are Eloise, right?" She asked. I looked at her from head to toe. Her hair was grey and styled into a stylish bob that accentuated her sharp chin and angular features, making them all the more striking. I nodded my head. "And you are…?"She held out a hand to introduce herself. "Catherine." Sh
MATTHAN(EARLIER THAT DAY)I turned to her after her mother returned inside. "Your family seems lovely." I meant it. It checked one of the questions that plagued me. Eloise Carter's new family was plain odd boring and cherry. It was no wonder she was not reaching out to her pack. But there were still a lot of questions that remained unanswered. Like how the Carnation pack could willingly abandon one of their own and ensure her existence simply disappeared. It was a tempting invitation I couldn't break.Eloise growled and glared in response.I was still very glad to irk her so I asked, "Where is your bathroom?""Down the hall first room on the right. Make yourself at home." She replied after a scrutinizing stillness. There was nothing but spite and anger in her eyes.I flashed her a smile before entering her house. I followed her directions. Well, half of it. I was not pressed. Another room was heavy on my mind. It was not hard to find with my keen sense of smell. I stopped in front o
MATTHAN "Well, your threats are practically useless now. Maybe you'll finally put some effort if you want a relationship with Eloise instead of relying on cheap tricks." My wolf mocked the second the door slammed shut and as much as I hated to admit it, it was right. Eloise was completely done with the singular threat I had up my sleeve. But it stung nonetheless. Because I knew there was no effort I could put in to get what I wanted with Eloise. She had explicitly told me. She was afraid of a relationship with me. I was a werewolf. As much as Eloise tried to deny her heritage, I couldn't. I was a Beta. There was no changing that. Eloise Carter however didn't do werewolves because her father's depravity had warped her perception of what a healthy relationship with her kind was like. I fitted in my keys in the ignition and slowly backed up before putting it into drive and backing out of the driveway. I was beginning to realize how empty my threat had been. I could not see myself exposin