Lily
Lily knew she had to leave.She splayed her fingers across the worn blanket. Her hand – the skin darker than usual from prolonged exposure to the sun – blurred into the dark reds and oranges of the fabric. Tears gathered in her lashes and made her throat swell.
Elijah had been kind to her. No, it was more than that – Elijah made her feel. He’d held her hand as he’d brought her to his cabin, to his home, and as they’d brewed a pot of tea he’d welcomed her with a warmth that she was unaccustomed to.
His kisses were sweet, and his arms were safety. Elijah wasn’t the problem. She was.
Lily stood suddenly, knocking aside a cushion with a hand-stitched wolf on its front. “Sorry,” she muttered, brushing it off and placing it upright against the pillows.
Elijah“Lily?”Slumped in the window seat, she stirred. Her limp head lifted, making her damp braid shift against her curved back. Elijah smiled softly. She was beautiful.Gently – ever so gently – he nudged his hands beneath her, lifting her slowly until she came to rest against his chest. The feel of her skin against his was like lightning; a series of tiny arcs racing from her body to his. She was warm and pliant, and a surge of protectiveness rose from deep within him. Tightening his grip, he stepped away from the darkened window.He hadn’t wanted to stay away from her for so long, but the meeting with his Beta and Gamma had been a necessity. They’d discussed their options until the moon had reached its peak, so swollen that it almost looked full. Their time was numbered, and Elijah had missed half a month of training
LilyPeeling her eyes open, Lily looked groggily at Elijah. He scrubbed at his eyes, which widened as they met hers.His hands shot to his head, leaving her sides abruptly cold. Lily squinted at him, but she was too tired to wonder why his hair suddenly needed to be adjusted over his ears. She also did not have the presence of mind to consider why his eyes went from light to dark to light again as he relaxed, winding his arms tightly around her once more.Her heart grew as she wriggled impossibly closer. This – this was what she’d wanted with Atticus. With Elijah, Lily felt as though she belonged.“What time is it?” Elijah murmured, his voice thick with sleep. Lily smiled at him.“I’ve no idea.”Sitting upright and pulling her with him, Elijah peered through heavy-li
LilyBlinking away the daze of her revelation, Lily shook herself. Elijah’s words swam unbidden in her head, shining light through the fog of uncertainty she carried.He understood. Perhaps… perhaps Atticus had been a stepping-stone. He had sent her on her journey – to find Elijah. Her second chance mate. Her true mate.An Alpha that understood the suffering that came with fighting. And, even with the full moon approaching, Lily found that the pit inside her had lessened, had eased. There was still worry, but it was not the gnawing, ever-present ache she’d become accustomed to.“Come on,” she said, grinning up at him. Linking their hands once more, she nodded to the doorway. “I thought you said we had somewhere to be.”* * *
ElijahEven with the full moon rising that night, Elijah had never felt more at peace. For now, the sun hung hazily on the horizon, dew making the dawn dusky. The training grounds were filled with his surprisingly bright-eyed pack members, following orders barked at them by his four most experienced Warrior Wolves.It was as easy as breathing to pick Lily out amongst them. She’d scraped her hair back into a ponytail, its long waves shifting against her back as she moved through a series of defensive stances. He’d worried that it was too soon for her to start training, but she’d been adamant – and who was he to deny her anything?“Stop gawping, Alpha,” Caslein tittered beside him. Elijah rolled his eyes, and moved swiftly to the side to kick Caslein’s legs out from under him.“Dick,” he muttered. E
Lily“This was her idea, wasn’t it?”Lily did not know the name of the wolf that spoke. She tried to focus on his appearance, on his brutish frame and washed-out blue eyes, but he blurred as tears rose, unbidden, to fill her vision.She’d known today would be hard. Even with Elijah – her sweet, strong, sensitive Elijah – by her side, and even with the bond smoothing over the rough edges of her emotions, the coming full moon brought with it everything she hated about herself.Here, she wasn’t prepared. Blood Moon had been awful – but her contingency plan had been solid, the shackles in the cellar secured before her first shift. For some reason, she was scared to admit this to Elijah. He’d been open with her about his past, about his fears, but he spoke with an undercurrent of steel that suggested he’
LilyElijah stopped, one hand on hers, as they entered a small clearing. Dapples of sunlight fell unevenly across the needle-covered grass, the edges of the light burning like burnished gold as the sun began its daily descent.Three stones stood in the clearing’s centre. The middle one was the largest, and though it was well-maintained, it appeared to be the oldest. Watermarks slid down its sides, and fresh moss climbed up it. Dropping Elijah’s hand, Lily moved towards the stones.“What is this?” she asked, almost afraid of the answer. Names had been inscribed into each of the stones, so many so densely packed that she had to squint in the low light to read them.“Our memorial.” Elijah stepped up alongside her, his presence a comforting warmth that settled across her chest. He wound a solid arm around her waist, an
Elijah Cheeks burning, Elijah untangled his frozen limbs from Lily’s gentle grasp. His heart was light in a way it had not been since his parents’ deaths. Speaking the horrifying truth of it had calmed him enough that his breathing no longer sounded wet or pained. But as the sun inched lower, he knew he did not have the luxury of time tonight to delve any deeper. He had brought Lily here to give her this same nirvana that she had, instead, gifted to him. The bond was taut between them, an iron fist holding them close. When Elijah felt as though he was drowning, the river water swelling over his head, water burning his nose, his throat, his lungs, Lily was there to breathe for him. She’d called him Eli tonight. For the first time, she had blessed him with the sound of a nickname falling from her lips. Dropping a syllable meant so much when it came fro
LilyWith wide eyes Elijah followed the line created by Lily’s finger. The fear curdling her stomach receded as he laughed.“Well, shit,” he said, his eyes soft as they met hers. It was by far the most colloquial, the most relaxed, she’d ever heard him sound.“It seems I don’t have a choice,” Lily muttered, turning away from him to stare at the moon. She’d never shifted outside, unrestrained, before. To do so now seemed impossible, but there was no other option. Elijah took her hand.“I’ll be with you. I promise, Lily, it will be okay.”“How can you know that?”He smiled sadly. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”“It’s not about me. I don’t care what happens to me. I just don&rs