LOGIN~Elvira~ I was ready to walk away and pretend I hadn't seen the warmth in Gabriel's eyes that he never showed me, but Neolla’s hand clamped onto my arm. Her grip was so tight I knew it would leave a dark mark on my skin by morning. “There’s more,” she whispered, her voice tight with a strange kind of tension. I followed her gaze as two more black SUVs rolled slowly onto the gravel of the mansion’s driveway. It made sense. Last week was just the start; the rest of the warriors who were late to settle in were finally showing up today. I looked at Neolla, trying to pull my arm back, but she didn't let go. “Of course there will be more,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. “Everyone who missed the first call is arriving now.” “Oh my god!” Neolla suddenly blurted out. She let go of my arm only to clutch her own chest, her face turning a pale shade of white, Beside us, Selene let out a low, sharp whistle. A slow smirk spread acr
~Elvira~ But then, I saw the pride and the peace in her eyes and all my anger vanished instantly. She had exactly what I wanted. She was claimed. Gabriel wouldn't even admit I was his in the daylight. I forced my shoulders to drop. I gave Lisa a tight nod to show I wouldn't fight him, but my inner wolf was still pacing and snarling. I looked Kelvin in the eye. I did it without blinking, I used the mind-link to shove my thoughts directly into his mind. ‘If you ever break her heart, or make her feel like she’s just something you own, I will tear you apart myself.’ Kelvin’s eyes widened in shock at the strength of my mental voice. He offered a slow, serious nod. He pulled Lisa closer to his side, his hand rubbing her hip in a way that told me he wasn't going anywhere. Suddenly, a loud, booming horn blasted from the front driveway, echoing through the halls and making the glass windows rattle. The dining hall erupted into chaos.
~Elvira ~ The dining hall was a storm of noise and smells that made my head spin. It smelled like roasted chicken, hot grease, and the damp scent of jackets from the rainy morning. Ceramic plates clattered against the long tables. Voices bounced off the brick walls in a loud, messy echo that felt like it was physically pushing against me. But the noise inside my head was even worse. The pack mind-link was brand new to my system,I sat in a corner booth, pressing the heels of my hands against my temples to try and muffle the chaos. I wore a plain black sweater and dark jeans this morning after I returned to my room, It had been one full, agonizing week since the night of the full moon. Seven days locked inside Gabriel’s massive bedroom wing! Seven days of heat, tangled bedsheets, and breathless nights where the rest of the world just didn't exist. My skin still felt sensitive, almost raw, from the constant friction of his body against mine. But he never mark m
~Elvira~ Gabriel collapsed, groaning loudly and filling me to the brim with his seed as he found his release. Slowly, his breathing began to find a steady pace, and he rolled onto his side, dragging my limp and now trembling body until I was draped over his broad chest. He shifted, pulled me upward into a sitting position while his large, calloused hands remained anchored to my waist to keep me from sliding back into the mud. His eyes, which had been nothing but bottomless voids of black desire only minutes ago, were now searching mine with a raw, burning intensity. "I'm sorry for stopping you. Bane got possessive seeing other males chasing you and lost it." He explained. The weight of his words hung in the air, thick with the scent of crushed leaves and our shared scent. I looked toward the riverbank, the water reflected the moon's glow just a few feet away, the victory that had been stolen from me felt bitter on my tongue. "It's fine, it’s in the past." I forced
~Elvira~ “You just had to fucking stop me from reaching the river, I was so close!” I growled at Gabriel through the mind-link, I was feeling frustrated, I clawed at the earth, trying to heave the four hundred pounds of Alpha wolf off my chest. Bane paid no heed to my fury, his enormous paws were anchored deep into the soft ground on either side of my head, locking me in place. We were a tumble of white and dark fur, a mess of heavy breathing that had nothing to do with the hunt and everything to do with the invisible mate bond pulling us together. ‘Val! What are you doing? Fight him off! Let’s continue, no one is here to know we were stopped!’ I pushed the command into the back of my mind with everything I had, but my wolf didn't bristle or snap back at the intruder. Instead, I felt her tail give a traitorous twitch against the ground, her aggression melting into something soft. ‘Mate’s in heat!’ She growled back, I tried to kick out with my hind legs, desperate
~Elvira ~ “May the joining ceremony of Elvira Bradford into this pack officially begin.” The heavy beating of the drums, which had been vibrating through the soles of my feet for an hour had already cut off. In the sudden quiet, the rustle of leaves sounded like a thousand whispers. One of the Elders who was officiating the ceremony stood directly between Gabriel and me, his shadow stretching across the dusty earth. His voice carried a strange weight, echoing off the trees until it seemed to hum in the very air. Gabriel stood inches away. I could feel the heat radiating from him, his scent like the forest and rain drenched soil that defined his presence surrounded me, we faced each other, two figures at the center of a sea of glowing eyes. “Moon above, Earth below, Pack between.” The Elder raised his hands, looking from Gabriel to me. “We gather to bind what was once a stray. We gather to welcome Elvira Bradford.” He turned his gaze on me, his eyes sharp and unblink







