CHAPTER 5: ISADORA

I played his words over again in my head for the next twenty-four hours.

Elias did not try to find me, he didn’t try to speak to me or convince me to change my mind, he just gave me space, and I couldn’t tell if I was pleased about it or not,

Erina kept me company for the most part.

Shortly after he left, she returned to my room and talked with me. I liked the company so I didn’t send her away. She only left once I began to yawn and she returned first thing in the morning holding a tray of food.

“You don’t have to do this,” I said as I stepped aside to let her in. “I don’t mind being alone.”

“I know, but there isn’t much for me to do here anyway. Everyone treats me a certain way because I’m Elias’ cousin. It’ll be nice to have a real friend around.”

“I’m sure you have a lot of friends.”

She snorted. “I have a lot of people who like me because of my status, but not a lot of friends. You’ll find that those are two very different things. You’re going to be Luna after all.”

My cheeks heated at her words.

I hadn’t thought about it that way. By mating with Elias, I would be solidifying myself here, I would be his mate and the pack’s Luna. That was a huge responsibility that I wasn’t sure I was ready for, but the promise of revenge against Ethan was far too great for me to pass on.

“You look like you just ate something foul,” Erina joked. “I promise being Luna isn’t that bad. Besides, you have Elias with you. Don’t tell him I said so, but he’s a pretty decent person. He can be a little rough around the edges something, but he means well.”

I just hummed.

I didn’t particularly want to discuss my mate right now. I still had no idea how we’d deal with the mating bond. What we had wasn’t ideal, and the situation surrounding it only made things worse.

We weren’t in love, and we probably never would be. How would we hide it from the world?

“Do you want to see him?” Erina asked suddenly and my head snapped up. “Elias, I mean. I could take you to him if you wanted.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” she crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s your mate. Besides, it will be good for you to get out of this place and explore the pack. It’s going to be your new home.”

She seemed more excited at the prospect of me moving in than I did, and I knew better than to argue more because it would only raise more red flags. I was supposed to be playing the part of the dutiful mate. What girl wouldn’t want the excuse to see her mate?

I forced a smile on my lips. “Of course.”

To her credit, she allowed me eat my breakfast first before dragging me out of the room.

She had a firm grip on my hand as she tugged me through the halls of the building, pointing out the rooms that she considered to be important. She had a surprisingly firm grip and I could hear her excitement bleeding out with every word that she spoke.

“He’s overseeing the training today,’ she explained as she tugged me towards a huge window.

The sun’s bright rays nearly blinded me,

It took a second for my eyes to adjust and when they did, I was met with a bunch of shirtless men. I blinked twice, my cheeks turning a bright shade of red. I’d never been around so many half-dressed people before.

“I come here to watch them,” Erina admitted. “There is just something about a shirtless man.”

The men didn’t seem to notice us seeing as we were watching them from above and they were focused on the man in front of them.

My mate was also shirtless and for a moment, every rational thought flew out of my head.

Elias was built different. His skin was taut with muscle and shone under the sun. His back and arms were littered with scars that only seemed to add to his appeal. His voice was clear and firm as he barked out instructions to the guards.

There was no denying the sheer power and authority that radiated off him. Anyone with half a brain could tell that he wasn’t a normal wolf.

He was like a marble statue with his deep set frown.

“I see where you’re looking,” Erina teased and I quickly snapped my eyes away from him. “He does this twice a week.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“I know.” She nudged me with her shoulders. “There’s nothing wrong with staring, you know. He is your mate after all.”

“I know that, but I wasn’t looking.”

“Well,” her lips curled into a smiled. “You may not have been, but he definitely is.”

I turned sharply and found myself connecting with a pair of sharp grey eyes.

His stare was so intense that I couldn’t move even if I wanted to. I just stood there, staring at him.

My mouth dried and my feet cemented themselves to the ground.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally looked away and I felt like I could breathe again.

“We should go,” I told Erina, but before she could respond, Elias said something to the soldiers.

I couldn’t make out what he said, but there was a chorus of ‘yes, Alpha’.

Another soldier broke rank and took Elias’ place while he turned on his heels and walked away.

“He’s heading over here,” Erina confirmed my suspicions.”

“We really need to go.”

“No, I need to go, you need to stay.”

Before I could protest, she gave me a finger wave and ran. She was out of sight before I even had the chance to realize what was going on.

By the time I managed to regain my wits, I tried to follow her, but it was too late because I heard a voice from behind me.

“Avoiding me now, are you?”