Chapter Seven

Elyssa stared at her mate.

All six feet of him with his short ash brown hair and full face of beard she was tempted to caress. Although his well-toned torso gleamed like precious liquid under the moonlight, his eyes were his most striking feature. They resembled amber orbs that morphed colour to match his mood, and as they narrowed at her right now, seething with anger, she pouted.

“I see.” Lucian’s voice was low, steady and levelled.

He was livid that she rejected him, and while she knew how devastating it could be for a wolf, she didn’t care.

She didn’t want to care.

“So you lured me here just to turn me down?”

“I did no such thing. Your mother sent me out here, Lucian.” Elyssa shot him a frown and looked around.

Lucian stared at her with an unreadable expression as a cold breeze swept by, and she heard the chilling whisper in the gust of air.

Azure.

A jolt of cold racked through Elyssa’s useless robe, and she wrapped her arms around herself. They needed to get out of the open and whatever thing was taunting her. 

“Are you going to tell me why?” Lucian shoved his hands inside his pants pockets.

“No.”

“My mistake for making that sound like a request.” Lucian smiled. “Tell me why you think you can reject me.”

Elyssa eyed him. “You can’t lord over me like one of your lousy foot soldiers, Lucian. I do not wish to be your mate, and that is it.”

After he smiled, he walked up to her and held her gaze as she felt an eerie feeling creep across her skin. Lucian didn’t seem concerned that no paths had opened up to them for a while or that the path that was open a moment ago was now closed, and they were boxed in here.

He twirled his fingers through her hair, laughing. “It’s really curious how you think you can reject me,” he said to her. “I always get what I want, and by the time this senseless ritual is over, I will have marked you as my mate.”

“Without my consent–”

“You really think I give a damn about that? You’re my mate, matched to me by the goddess and that’s final.” He stepped around her towards the wall that wouldn’t budge. “Let’s get this over with and get out of here.”

He was such an arrogant beast! Turning to him, her chest rose and fell as she panted, nursing the desire to spear him into the wall, though his only saving grace was that she knew she wasn’t strong enough.

“I have had enough of your arrogance, Lucian. You won’t treat me like a lackey, do you understand?”

Elyssa gasped when he gently lashed her against the wall in a flash. Her heart almost beating out of her chest as he clutched her throat, his dangerous gaze boring into hers, and as she stared wide-eyed at him, she feared he would hurt her, or worse, mark her.

“Watch it, Elyssa. Mate or not, you will not speak to me like that. Learn your place.”

The heat of his touch wracked her skin, chasing away the chill, and leaving her at a loss for words. But for now, their scuffle would have to wait with the uninvited guest snarling behind them. Elyssa was unable to see past Lucian’s shoulders, only listening to its pissed off growl as her eyes remained glued to her mate’s. Lucian glanced over his shoulder at the wolf that had appeared out of nowhere.

As Lucian released her, he turned to look at the white wolf standing in front of them. Elyssa massaged her throat, watching the azure wolf from her mate’s side. She was the biggest, furriest snow-white wolf she’d ever seen, and she was breathtaking. As she snarled, her striking blue eyes locked on Lucian, and Elyssa stared at the wolf that stood in striking resemblance to her mother.

“An azure.” She heard Lucian mused as he admired it. “Aren’t they all dead?”

After eyeing him, she turned to the wolf. Right, Lucian had no idea who she was, and he didn’t see her earlier when she shifted.

“Of course, you made sure of that, didn’t you?”

Lucian countered, “The Mazzeo fire was tragic. They were too rare a pack to decimate, and if you're implying that I had a hand in that, you couldn't be more wrong. I’m not that stupid, they were Perkington's last azure family.”

Elyssa bit down the anger burning in her heart when he mentioned her family, and her hands balled into fists by her side. Not only did he have the guts to speak their name, he was denying his crime.

The wolf’s gaze fell on her and softened, and Elyssa stared into her calming blue eyes that eased the anger in her heart. She glimpsed Lucian through the side of her eye, and her eyes met his as he looked between her and the wolf.

“Hmm.” He regarded her for a while before returning his attention to the wolf, and Elyssa suspected he somehow saw their resemblance. 

“Why’s she just standing there?” Elyssa wondered.

“Beats me.” Lucian frowned as they continued to watch her.

A heartbeat later, she grunted at them and turned on her way, walking towards a wall that opened up for her. Then she glanced back at them and groaned.

“She wants us to follow.” Elyssa smiled.

“Right, we’re not doing that,” Lucian returned.

“I didn’t ask your permission, Lucian. I’m going with her.” Elyssa retorted.

“Goddess, Elyssa. You have no idea where she might lead us. Don’t be reckless.”

“There’s no us in this. You can leave if you wish.”

The wolf turned back to them and growled. She cocked her head as if pointing between them, then turned back to the chamber on the other side.

“She wants the both of us to follow.” Lucian observed, then he slanted a glance at Elyssa.

When his lips parted, it looked like he was going to say something to her, but then he decided not to and shook his head before following behind the wolf. Elyssa followed, and the two of them walked through the opening together. After the wall snapped shut behind them, Elyssa ran across the ground to the flowing spring creek in front of them. It was beautiful. The clear water fell from a hilltop above and flowed through the bed of rocks below.

“What is this place?” Lucian asked from behind her.

The moment she turned around to face him, her breath caught in her throat. It was likely they were no longer in the Labyrinth because the tall walls no longer surrounded them. Adding to the mystery was the golden statue she could see.

“Can you see it now?” she asked Lucian, pointing to it.

He did a U-turn around the space. “See what?”

“It’s the golden statue right there in the middle of the fountain.” Elyssa walked over to it and Lucian went to stand beside her.

“I see the fountain, but there is no statue there.”

He paused and turned sharply to meet her gaze, his eyes glowing with a touch of wonder that set the fire glowing in his eyes. It was beautiful to behold, and her lips tinged with a smile as she held his gaze.

“Your eyes,” he murmured. Then he stroked her hair, looking her over with a whelming stunned look that caused her pulse to race.

Elyssa’s eyes took a quick, swift glance at the azure wolf that was now sitting beside the fountain, watching them.

“What about my eyes?” Elyssa wondered.

“That's why you can see what others can't. You’re one of the chosen.”