CHAPTER 2: THE HOOK

 

ELI'S P.O.V

Let go…

Let go!

The words keep ringing in my head but I don't move.

I know I should let go. I know I look like a creep just standing here, staring, but I can't. I can't seem to get my hands to work.

The woman's look is fierce, with fiery auburn hair and striking blue eyes— there's something about her. Something I can't explain. My hands remain on her arms, fingers gripping tight, as if something in me refuses to release her.

It’s weird. I know it’s weird. I can feel the confusion rolling off her, seeing it in the way her wide eyes dart between my hands and my face. And yet, I still don’t let go.

Something is wrong with me.

I don’t know her. I’m sure I have never seen her before. But my wolf is unsettled, restless, pushing against the surface like it’s trying to break free, and I don’t know why.

“Um... excuse me, but you’re still holding me.”

Her voice is sharp, edged with a kind of confusion that says she can’t understand why some stranger is holding her hostage in the middle of the damn sidewalk.

And shit, she’s right. What the hell am I doing?

“Sorry.” I clear my throat awkwardly as I release her. I literally drop her arms like she burns and step back too fast. For some reason, my body is already regretting the distance, even though my mind is screaming at me to get it together.

Her eyes flicker with something. Shock, maybe? Unease? Whatever it is, she recovers quickly, adjusting the strap of the bag on her shoulder like she is brushing this whole thing off. Like she doesn’t feel this… whatever the hell this is.

“Are you lost?” She asks, raising a brow. “Or do you usually crash into women and then stare at them like a total creep?”

I blink. My mouth opens, but words don’t come out fast enough. Shit.

“No. I, uh…” I clear my throat again, dragging a hand through my hair. “I’m looking for someone.”

She folds her arms. “Right. And that required nearly tackling me to the ground?”

I exhale sharply, forcing myself to snap back into reality. “I wasn’t paying attention. Sorry.”

Her expression stays skeptical, but after a beat, she nods. “Okay. Good talk. Have a nice day.”

She moves to step around me, and I don’t know why I do it, but I stop her. “Do you live around here?”

She hesitates, her head tilting slightly. “Why?”

“I—” Hell, what am I even asking? The question slipped out before I could stop it. But she’s waiting—arms still crossed, foot tapping slightly like she's debating whether to call the cops or just walk away.

So I lie. “ I was just wondering if you know someone I’m looking for.”

Her lips press together. Then, after a pause, she shrugs. “Maybe. It's a small town. Not much goes unnoticed.”

She doesn’t ask who I’m looking for, though. She doesn’t seem interested, and I don’t push it. Because the truth is, I’m barely paying attention to the mission anymore. Not when my instincts are still screaming at me, rattling inside my rib cage, demanding I figure out why I feel like I just met someone I was never supposed to forget.

Someone I’m not meant to ever let go off.

But she doesn’t wait for me to say anything else. She just nods, shifts her bag on her shoulder, and walks away.

I watch her go, jaw tight, muscles locked, a strange tension still threading through my veins. And I swear, just before she rounds the corner, she looks back at me.

And then she’s gone.

“Are you alright?”

The voice pulls me out of my daze, and I exhale hard, turning to find my beta standing a few steps behind me. His arms are folded, and his gaze is fixed on me, he’s just witnessed something interesting.

Jasper. My second-in-command. My closest friend. And, unfortunately, someone who never lets me live down my shit.

“When did you show up?” I ask, already regretting whatever teasing remark is about to come out of his mouth.

Jasper smirks. “Long enough to see you get completely thrown off by some random woman.”

“She wasn’t—I wasn't…” I shake my head. “Forget it.”

He doesn’t. “Seemed like something was going on there.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Uh-huh.” He rocks back on his heels. “So… are we getting a Luna soon?”

I glare. “She is not my mate.”

I would know if she was. That’s how this works. But I didn’t feel the certainty, the absolute recognition that should have hit me the second I touched her. I just felt… everything. And nothing.

What the hell am I supposed to do with that?

He raises his hands in surrender. “If you say so, Alpha.”

I ignore the amusement in his voice. “Did you find her?”

His expression sobers slightly. “Yeah. The sorceress is here. We know where she is.”

Something settles in my chest. Finally, A lead. We came here for answers, and we're about to get them.

I nod. “Let’s go.”

We move through the streets, the small-town atmosphere pressing in on us, the scent of coffee and old pavement filling the air. But even as we walk, my mind keeps drifting back to her. To the way my pulse reacted, to the way my wolf was prowling just beneath my skin, restless, unsettled.

Who was she?

And why the hell do I still feel like she's watching me, even when she’s gone?

Jasper side-eyes me. “Are you sure you're not under a spell or something?”

“Shut up.”

He snickers but doesn’t push further. Not when we finally reach our destination.

I stop in front of the house, jaw tightening. The air feels heavier here, like something unnatural is just under the surface. A shield; one meant to distract creatures from here. Unfortunately for her, I’m not the usual creature.

I am an Alpha, and a damn good one at that.

Jasper waits beside me, hands in his pockets, waiting for my call.

“You want me to go in first?” He asks. “Get the feel of her?”

“No. This is my shit to deal with.”

“Alrighty then. I'll be here if you need me.”

“Hmm.”

I take in a deep breath before I step forward and knock once. The knock is sharp, firm and less than a moment later, the door creaks open.

A woman stands there, her eyes sharp, knowing. Not surprised. Like she was already expecting me.

I meet her gaze, steady. “Hello, Arachne. I’m Alpha Eli Blackwood. I think you know of me. You knew my father.”

“Yes… I've been expecting you, Eli. Come in.”