LOGINElaria POV“No.”“Elaria—”“I said no, Kade.”“Listen, I know I probably don’t have the right to say this to you, but please, just hear me out.”I folded my arms, glaring at him, but said nothing.“Darius can be quite annoying. Hell, he’s made plenty of mistakes. Trust me, I know that better than anyone. But he’s not a bad person, Eliy.”I looked away.“I’ve seen the two of you together. I’ve seen the way you avoid each other, and I’ve seen how much that silence is affecting both of you, especially Darius.”“Then perhaps he should have thought about that before—”I immediately stopped myself. I didn’t know how much Kade knew about my relationship with Darius.His voice softened.“I’m not asking you to forgive him. Whatever happened between you two, I know it wasn’t pleasant. You don’t have to tell me the details, either. But I think you should at least give him a chance to explain himself.”I stared at my hands.The thought of having a conversation with Darius made my chest tighten. T
Elaria POVI practically jumped out of my skin, immediately stepping away from Darius.Selene’s face came into view.Her eyes moved from Darius, who was still standing with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, to me. I watched her expression change. Her lips parted slightly, and something unpleasant flashed across her face.But it disappeared almost as quickly as it had come.I glanced at Darius. He didn’t look too pleased to see her. Maybe because she had interrupted something.“Baby, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”She approached him, her eyes briefly travelling over his bare chest before she turned towards me.“Oh, Elaria. I didn’t realise you were here.”She’s such a two-faced bi*ch.Of course she didn’t.I pressed my lips together.“I was just bringing the Alpha his coffee.”Her eyes flickered towards the tray on the bedside table.“His coffee?” She gave a small laugh. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”“Selene,” Darius warned.She immediately turned to him, he
Elaria POV“This damn Alpha!”I stirred the coffee in front of me with a bit more force than necessary.This was the third cup I was making for him.The third!The first one had apparently been too sweet.“No, Elaria. This is too sweet. I like my coffee a little bitter. Just two teaspoons of sugar.”I mimicked his deep voice, complete with the straight face he had worn while giving me those instructions.I had bowed, apologized, and gone back to make another cup, only for him to reject that one too.“No. This is too bitter.”I stopped stirring.“He told me to add two teaspoons of sugar!” I hissed at the empty kitchen. “Two! And that is exactly what I did. So how is it suddenly too bitter?”I looked down at the coffee again. Then a wicked smile appeared on my face.Perhaps I should add salt.At least then he would have something worth complaining about.But I thought better of it. Instead, I added a little more sugar and continued muttering under my breath.“Eliy?”I nearly jumped out
Darius POV“I heard you put a maid in your quarters,” my mother said, sipping her coffee. Selene sat beside her on the edge of the sofa, hands folded in her lap, her eyes just wet enough to shine.“She had nowhere to go, and it’s my responsibility to care for everyone, servant or not.”“I never said you shouldn’t help her, Darius.” My mother set her cup down. “But putting her on your floor? That is disrespectful to your future Luna.”She turned to Selene, looking at her with the kind of affection she rarely bothered to hide.“That floor is meant for you and your Luna. Not for a maid.”I understood my mother’s concerns. She had always been particular about the traditions of our pack, especially when it came to the woman who would eventually stand beside me. And Selene had spent the past years expecting to be that woman. That didn’t mean I would change my mind because of it.She lowered her gaze, and I sighed.I had never been good at these conversations. Selene was sweet, and I knew sh
Elaria POV“Your name is Elaria, right?” The guy walking beside me asked as we climbed the stairs.“Yes,” I replied cautiously.“I’m Darius’s Beta, but you can call me Kade.” He gave me a big smile. “So, Eliy…”I raised a brow. “Eliy?”He immediately looked a little sheepish. I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable. I heard the kids in the pack calling you that, so I thought…”“It’s fine, Kade.”He was actually quite sweet. I felt a little more relaxed around him, though I didn’t know why.The room was bigger than our entire apartment had been.“You can breathe, you know,” Kade said from the doorway.I glanced at him. “Why are we on the upper floor?”“I don’t know. He just told me to bring you here.”I looked around the room again, wondering why Darius had specifically chosen this part of the house for us.“So,” Kade said, interrupting my thoughts. “What’s going on between you and the Alpha?”I looked up at him.“Nothing.”He glanced over his shoulder, a knowing smile playing on his
Elaria POVI woke up to the light being on and immediately realized we weren’t alone.The moment my eyes met his, my entire body went still.Darius. For one second, I couldn’t move or think. I wasn’t supposed to be here.“STOP!” I shouted when he took a step toward us.I pulled Kieran and Kaila closer to my chest.I couldn’t read his face, and I had no idea what was going through his head. That terrified me more than anything.“Are they yours?” His voice came out as a low growl.“They’re mine,” I said, my arms tightening around them.Then Kaila peeked out from where she was tucked against my chest.The moment she recognized him, her entire face lit up.Before I could stop her, she wriggled free of my hold and hurried toward him.“Mama, this is the handsome man I told you about!” she exclaimed, looking up at him with the brightest smile I’d ever seen. “The one who told me a joke!”My heart skipped a beat. More than a beat.She held up her hands to him.And Darius—He bent down and l







