Chapter 14

Elias's Pov

The cogs were in place. The gears in motion. My work for now, was done.

Zayne's instructions had been simple; Convince her to attend the party. Drive her there. Make yourself scarce.

Done, done and done.

I snagged two glasses of champagne from a waiter's tray and downed them both. They wouldn't make a difference. Werewolves couldn't really get drunk on normal alcohol. We'd need a shit ton of it to feel a slight buzz. The booze we drank in the pack was brewed specially for wolves and would knock out a human with a few sips.

Still, a guy could only try. I held out a hand to halt the next waiter I saw approaching and grabbed two more glasses.

“Actually, wait." I said to him, hanging onto his collar.

I drank both glasses, replaced them on his tray, drank two more, and took the last one to go.

“There's a good lad. Run along." I waved him off.

He glowered at me at first but then shrugged, obviously deciding If I wanted to get shit faced before the party even began properly, that was my problem.

I kept to the fringe of the crowd. Far enough that Marissa couldn't see me even if she tried. But I could watch her every movement.

And I could watch Zayne, watch her every movement.

He kept his gaze on her throughout. Waiting for the right time to make a move. The right time to slip into her life again.

He timed it perfectly. Stood right behind her until she turned. I watched him smile at her, charming her once again. I saw the light come on in her eyes. Saw her blink in awe at this God of a man in front of her.

For a minute there, I thought seeing him again would unlock her memories. Maybe I was kinda hoping it would happen. That She'd see him and instantly remember her past. But from the way she batted her lashes at him, that didn't happen.

The Doctors had said she might never regain her memories and it was best not to stay hung up on it. They'd encouraged me to create new memories for her. Help her enjoy life once again.

And I did. I helped her find a new purpose. A new life.

Granted, I'd lied to her about a lot of things regarding her past but it was only to protect her. It had always been to protect her.

From the very first day I saw her, standing at a bus station with her mum twelve years ago. I'd known I would give my life to protect her.

Her Dad had just passed and she and her mother were in the city to stay a few weeks with her aunt. We'd spoken then. Exchanged contacts. Became friends.

Nothing serious. Just two young adults finding they had a lot in common. After the two weeks were over, she'd left, promising to come back to the city soon.

She did come back. Three months later. And she met Zayne.

Sometimes I ask myself if things would've been different if I had made a move. If I had tried to be something other than friends in those three months we knew each other.

But the answer, the honest answer, is no. Zayne was her mate. Still is. There's nothing I could've done to stop them being together. If anything,I would've ended up with a broken heart. Much like I was now.

The moon goddess had blessed me with a mate when I turned eighteen. But the cruel hands of death had taken her away from me barely one year after. The loss crushed my soul. Turned me into a shadow of myself. Zayne had been there for me. He was a huge reason I didn't take my own life out of despair.

So when the girl I liked ended up being his mate, how could I fight it?

In fact, I'd embraced it. They were in love with each other. Zayne treated her like a princess, and she wove her entire life around him. It was a beautiful relationship to behold.

The wedding ceremony was so romantic. There'd been tears in a lot of guests' eyes. Mine included. For a myriad of reasons.

I wept for my mate who would've turned twenty that very day. I wept for love found and love lost. And I wept for the possibility of another love slipping away forever.

Marissa would never be mine and that day, I made peace with it.

Until four years later. When Diana came back.

I knew about it.

When he started to cheat on Marisa, I knew. I warned him. Begged him to stop. Not to hurt her this way. But he didn't listen.

He was my Alpha, I had no right telling him what to do. And even worse, it was not my place to go tattling to Marissa about it.

So I hoped it would be a fling. Everyone had those right? They never lasted long. When the thrill was over and the smoke cleared, he'd come to his senses and return to the one woman who truly loved him.

Marissa was his mate. He couldn't possibly leave her for another woman could he?

Then he told me about the child. The one Diana claimed was his.

I tried to warn him again. Offered to do a discreet DNA test to make sure of the legitimacy of this child but he turned it down.

He'd been dating Diana at the time he met Marissa and the date of the child's birth matched the same time frame. That was enough conviction for him.

Besides, Marissa hadn't borne him any children in five years.

None of it made sense to me. But again, I couldn't question him much. And I desperately wanted to tell Marissa. I even had the chance to once. But I didn't. I couldn't bring myself to give her such devastating news. I couldn't bear to watch her break down in front of me.

So again I tried proposing a different solution to Zayne.

Accept the child but keep Marissa as your Luna. You wouldn't be the first man to have a child out of wedlock. A baby mama wasn't a common concept in the werewolf world but it wasn't completely alien either. And knowing Marissa, she would accept the child into the family. She would be graceful about the situation.

But again, my words fell on deaf ears.

Any woman who could bear his child was worthy to take a place beside him as his Luna. And if that woman wasn't Marissa, then so be it.

He made his decision and I could only stand and watch.

I wasn't there to see it go down. But I did see Marissa run out into the road.

I ran after her but I wasn't fast enough to stop the accident from happening.

This time, I couldn't stand by and watch again. She'd lost her mum shortly after getting married to Zayne and aside from her aunt in the city, she had no one else.

The memory loss was unexpected. But in more ways than one, it had worked out for me. For both of us.

She got to start life anew and I got to be an integral part of that life.

But once again, I let too much time pass before making a move.

It had all been too complicated. There had never been a right time.

I never wanted it to seem like I was taking advantage of her memory loss. And also, what if she woke up one morning and remembered? Would she want to remain with me?

None of that mattered now anyway. Zayne was back to take what was rightfully his. And I would be back where I started. Watching.

I walked out of the room. I needed some fresh air. As I walked into the parking lot, I saw a figure slip between two cars and into the bushes.

My lips peeled back into a snarl as I picked up the scent.

A werewolf.