Chapter Six: Pack Politics

Elena looked from the nightstand to Damien in disbelief. "What happened?" she all but cried.

He reached for her, but she turned away with a forceful, "NO!" Power kicked up in the room, lifting the loose hairs around her face. It danced and swirled around them. 

"Okay. Okay. Calm down. I'm not gonna touch you," Damien said. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she pouted. Her head was spinning with a million thoughts. Why did the glass break? Why was he looking at her like that? What was happening? She grabbed her left arm with her right hand, crossing her body as if she could protect herself.

"Elena, I don't know what's going on, but this is very important. You cannot tell anyone else what happened here."

"Why? Are you afraid they'll find out you were in my bedroom?" she asked, anger rising to the surface and rippling along her skin.

"No! That's not what I meant. Jesus, Elena. Why do you have to keep saying stuff like that?" he practically shouted.

"You're the one who showed up with a Luna and told me to keep our mate bond a secret!" she hissed. The lights started flickering as her temper flared. 

"Listen to me. I don't know what's happening, but you need to calm down. I don't want you to tell anyone because you're not safe. This power...it's like nothing I've ever felt before, and your wolf seems to be pushing it forward. Evil people will stop at nothing to control it."

He took her hand, and this time, she didn't resist. The mate bond flared up between them, soothing her anger and fear. His touch felt right. It felt like home. It was the first time since coming to Silverpine that she actually felt alright.

Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet his. Instead of his warm, green eyes, she was met with the penetrating blue of his wolf's. But it only lasted a second before Damien regained his composure. "He's very protective of you," he said quietly.

Not knowing what to say, Elena simply nodded. 

"I don't know how much your aunt has told you about our families, but the threat on my father's life has just as much to do with you as it does me."

"She told me my father was the Alpha King's Beta. I don't remember much other than being your friend, and you being sent away after that horrible day."

Damien ran his hand through his hair before saying, "We believe that the assassins were sent by someone close to our fathers. Ultimately, it shouldn't be that hard to narrow down who it was because they kept a very tight circle back in those days."

Elena shivered at the thought of someone her father trusted being the cause of his death. The worst part was that she was meant to be in the car with them that day, but she got sick. Her mom told her to stay home. Never one to argue with her parents, she simply went back to bed until the police knocked on the door with the news.

A tear slipped down her cheek at the memory. The pain of it always tore like a jagged knife right through her ribs. Damien noticed the tear and stepped closer. This time, the power barely fluttered. It seemed she had exhausted herself. He slowly reached forward and slid his thumb across her cheek. He was close enough that she could smell the delicious aroma of cologne. She hadn't been this close to a guy since that asshole, Matt, tried assaulting her on her first day of school. 

Elena tried to clear her head by shaking it, but all it did was make her a little dizzy. As she swayed on her feet, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I really want to kiss you again," Damien whispered.

"What about your Luna?" she asked with a shaky voice.

"Damn it, Elena. Will you fucking let that go already? She's not my mate. You are!"

"But she'll be your Luna, not me," she said quietly, getting sad again.

"You don't understand the pack politics. I can't have a wolfless Luna. It's not safe for you. My life is already in danger. I can risk yours, too. Right now, no one cares about you because they think you're not a threat. That's why no one can know you're my mate. And they definitely can't know about your hocus pocus act earlier."

"I just want to go to bed. Can you please leave?" Elena asked him.

"Fine. Just remember what I said." Damien leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead, knowing better than to push his luck. "Sleep well."

With those words, he was gone silently out her window. A window she hadn't even noticed was open. She walked over, closed, and latched the window. She could just barely make out his shape in the shadows. He was watching her from beneath the window. She couldn't tell how he really felt about her. Forget about the Mona situation. 

She finished getting ready for bed and curled up with her favorite book. She read a few pages before she felt the desperate pull of sleep. She placed the book on her nightstand and turned out the light. And fell straight into a dream.

"Elena," called a voice across the meadow. Wait. Why was she in a meadow? Why was the sun shining? She looked around and saw she had been sleeping in the middle of a bed of white flowers. The most remarkable thing was happening. As she stood up, the flowers that had been crushed beneath her began reshaping themselves back into perfect condition.

"Whoa!" she whispered.

"Elena!" The voice was right behind her now, causing her to jump. She turned around and was shocked to see a young, vibrant version of her mother.

"Mom?!" She screamed. "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"This is the world in between the waking and the sleeping. That's why I'm able to speak to you, my darling child. So much has happened, and I am so sorry we're not there to help you."

"Mom, what's happening to me? Am I going crazy?" Elena sobbed.

"No, my child. This is all my fault. Your father and I wanted to protect you because of a prophecy." Her mother began to flicker in and out. "We must hurry. You're waking up. In my old chest, there's a false panel. Inside is a book. You must find it to learn all the answers. I love you, my child..."

With that, she faded away, and Elena awoke with a gasp.