by Aria Chase
“You don’t understand,” she whispered.
“I do understand, Mila. I do.” Eljiah straightened, gripping the edge of the stall door so hard his knuckles paled. “I don’t expect you to give up your life of comfort and luxury for the likes of me.” His voice was strained as he continued. “But know this, Mila. I will always love you.”
Mila took a step forward, aching to touch him. She swallowed hard as he stepped back, narrowed his eyes and dropped his voice to a low growl.
“And wherever you go, whoever you end up with, you will always be mine.”
And in a flash, he was gone.
8
Mila smoothed her hair and wiped at her mouth, still numb from the shock of what had just happened.
As she stepped out of the stall, Elijah’s words circled in her mind, muddling an already difficult situation with even more confusion. He seemed so angry with her.
And she wanted to be angry, too. To accuse her of using him, after all they had shared? The mere suggestion was cruel and hurtful.
But as she tried to see things from his perspective, she softened. He wasn’t really angry. He was jealous. And dare she say heartsick?
After all, how would she feel if Elijah were the one engaged to marry another? A wave of sadness swept through her, bringing those pesky tears back all over again.
She swiped a finger beneath her eyes as she walked back to the lawn.
Did he just end things? Had he decided it was all too much? Was he leaving her to her own devices, to an unwanted marriage and a mediocre life with Jared?
Jared.
She had to find a way to solve this problem.
However she broke the news to her forced fiancé, she couldn’t let him find out about her lover. He didn’t love her, but pride alone would compel him to punish Elijah.
Their strength was evenly matched, but what about their motivation?
Jared had a hundred reasons to win. Losing would not only cost him Mila, but without a mate, he wouldn’t be allowed to rise to the position of Alpha. Beyond that, it would humiliate him to yield to an Omega. He would rather die — or kill Elijah — than face a legacy of defeat.
And Elijah? As far as she could tell, he only had one reason to fight. Her.
She wanted to believe his love for her was strong enough to fuel him through any challenge. But after the way he just walked out on her, leaving her swimming in uncertainty, Mila didn’t know what to think.
As she rounded a corner and stepped onto the lawn to approach the mothers, she plastered a pleasant smile on her face. She had all night to come up with a plan. For now, it was important to play the part.
Maeva frowned as Mila approached. “Where in the world have you been?”
The hint of suspicion in her eyes gave Mila pause, but she swallowed her apprehension and forced a shrug. “I’m sorry, Mother. My stomach was a bit upset, but I’m fine now. It must be all the excitement over the wedding.”
Charlotte brushed off her disappearance and snapped back into planning mode. “We came up with a compromise.” Her face brightened, and she waved at someone approaching behind Mila. “There you are darling! Come, come!”
Mila stiffened.
Please don’t let that be Jared.
She looked over her shoulder, hoping her panic stayed hidden beneath her slow, controlled movements. Sure enough, Jared was crossing the lawn to meet them, his head held high, his broad chest leading the way as he strode toward them with a clear purpose.
“I was just offering Mila a suggestion for the wedding. She’s simply so overwhelmed with excitement, she hasn’t been able to make a decision on her own.” Charlotte reached out to pat Mila’s shoulder.
Jared raised an eyebrow at Mila as he took his final steps to join their circle. “I’m sure Mila has other things on her mind as well,” he replied.
His voice was as smooth as melted butter, but something about the way his gaze raked over her made Mila’s skin tingle with fear. Jared was a predator in the purest sense of the word. And in that moment, Mila felt like a helpless prey animal, trapped between his razor sharp teeth.
“We’ll have the ceremony on the lawn, overlooking the lake. Then a cocktail hour in the gardens, followed by a reception in the grand ballroom.”
Mila nodded. “That sounds wonderful, Charlotte. The best of both worlds.” She bit back a twinge of guilt as she lied. Charlotte really was a nice woman, and she felt bad about he putting so much effort into an event that would never come to fruition. But now wasn’t the time to tell her — or Jared — there wasn’t going to be a wedding.
She had to tell her own parents, and then they could tell Jared’s family. But first, she had to speak to Elijah.
“Well, we should go,” Meava interjected. Her mother’s tone, bright with a counterfeit cheerfulness, was jarring. Mila waited for Charlotte to realize something wasn’t right, that everyone around her was entirely too tense, but she seemed oblivious.
“Of course. There is still so much to do, and I’m sure you and Mila have all sorts of preparation to attend to before the big day.” She leaned forward to kiss Maeva’s cheek, receiving a reciprocal parting.
Mila endured the sticky brush of Charlotte’s lips against her skin, resisting the urge to wipe at the pink lipstick print she was sure the woman had left behind.
She took a deep breath as she turned to Jared and held out her hand. To her surprise, he ignored their standard way of meeting and parting to lean in close, as if about to kiss her.
Instead, he inhaled deeply, his brow furrowing. Mila’s stomach churned with anxiety as he stared at her, sniffing lightly. Did he smell Elijah on her? She held her breath, wondering if all hell was about to break loose. He leaned eased his lips against her cheek, whispering in her ear as he pretended to give her a chaste kiss.
“You have until sundown tomorrow to bring him to me. Or I’ll find out who he is and hunt him down myself.”
Jared gave her arm a hard squeeze, just shy of causing pain, and stood up straight to lock his eyes on hers. She gave a small, almost imperceptible nod to acknowledge that she heard his warning. With a sharp nod, he turned toward the main house and strode away as confidently as he came.
9
As soon as they entered the Marceau home, Maeva called for Niall. Mila winced at the strident tone of her mother’s voice and resolved to disappear to her room before her father tore himself away from the stock reports to answer her mother’s summons.
Maeva had other ideas. Her nails dug into the skin of Mila’s arm when she arrested her flight in mid-step. “No, you don’t.”
Niall appeared, looking annoyed at the interruption. He squinted at them, his glasses pushed onto his forehead. Although he did most trading from home, he still insisted on wearing a suit each day. The cut of the brown jacket he wore did nothing to conceal the subtle softening in his physique, and the buttons strained against the small paunch he sported. Still, he was an imposing figure and more than capable of enforcing his position of Beta.
Mila swallowed down a protest at her mother’s hold and waited. Her stomach sank into her feet as her mother began speaking, her voice brittle with fear.
“Mila is deliberately trying to sabotage the wedding.”
Her mouth dropped open in much the same way as her father’s, before he composed himself. Mila shook her head when his stern gaze settled on her. Although he had never given her cause to fear him, under his powerful gaze, she shivered with dread. “I’m not trying to sabotage anything.” The words flew from her in a rush, and heat scalded her cheeks.
Maeva shook her head. “She told me last week she didn’t want to marry him. Today, she disappeared. I don’t know where she went, but when she came back your daughter was disheveled, and there was hay stuck to her clothes.”
Mila looked down, horrified to see a couple of golden stalks lodged in the gauzy fabric of her dress.
“Where were you?” Niall’s level voice was all the more intimidating for its lack
of force.
“That’s not all, Niall,” Maeva continued. “When Jared joined us, he seemed cold, angry. He certainly was not happy to see Mila.”
As Niall stepped toward his daughter, his nostrils flared. He cocked his head, peering at her as if seeing her for the first time.
Mila was determined not to let their tag team tactics intimidate her. She raised her chin, firmed her shoulders and met her father’s eyes. “I’m not marrying Jared.”
“Oh, Mila! Not this again!” Maeva shouted.
“Shhh,” Niall held a hand up at his wife. “Let the girl finish.”
“I don’t love him, Daddy.” Mila’s eyes pleaded with her father, begging for his understanding. “And he doesn’t love me. I deserve better.”
A wail escaped Maeva, who was not given to fits of hysteria. Niall jerked in response, and Mila held her breath, wondering which of them would start in first.
Her mother began listing all the reasons why she had to marry Jared, but in such a high-pitched, fast voice that few of the words were comprehensible.
Mila shook her head and turned to face her father. His expression of disappointment was worse than the stern look he had given her just moments before. “Who is he?” He asked, his voice quiet, his tone calm.
“W—What?” She stuttered.
“I can smell him on you, Mila.” Niall shook his head. “I can’t believe you would be so reckless.”
Mila’s head dropped. She couldn’t bear to see her father so upset with her. For a moment her resolve crumbled. But then Elijah’s face filled her mind, strengthening her determination. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I didn’t plan for this to happen. But it did. And now I belong to someone else. I can’t marry Jared. I won’t.”
“You don’t have the luxury of choosing a mate for love.” Niall sighed, as if bearing a heavy burden. “Your role was decided from the moment of your birth.”
“By you, not me.” She shook her head, ignoring the dart of shock in his gaze when she spoke back. “I’ve made my decision.” Her mother wailed again, and she glanced briefly at her. “My mind is made up.”
Before either could respond, Mila turned and walked from the sitting room, ascending the stairs with what she hoped was poise and grace. She swore she could feel their eyes boring into her as her mother’s hysterical sobs echoed through the room below.
Still, she kept walking, determined they wouldn’t change her mind.
She had to reach Elijah before it was too late.
10
“But where will you go?” Alyra asked. She handed a neatly folded t-shirt to her brother and watched him roll it into a tube before nestling it in his suitcase.
Elijah shrugged as he spun around in a slow circle, scanning his apartment for necessities. “It doesn’t matter. Anywhere but here.” He stepped into the bathroom and tossed some travel-sized toiletries and a toothbrush into a bag. “I said goodbye to Mom this afternoon.”
“And Mila? Is she going with you?”
“I’m not sure yet. I hope so,” he answered. He shoved his toiletry bag into the center of his luggage and flipped the top down before dragging the zipper around the length of the suitcase to close it.
“You haven’t talked about it?”
He shook his head. “We haven’t had a chance. Between sneaking around at night and stolen… kisses… in a barn and sneaking around at night, there hasn’t been much room for serious discussion.”
Alyra laughed. “I see. Well. What’s your plan?” She sat on the bed, calmly observing as he paced across his bedroom.
“Mila deserves to make her own choices. And that includes whether she wants to come with me or not. I can’t ask her to give up her entire life for me. But if she offers to come with me freely, if it’s her idea? Nothing would make me happier.”
Alyra nodded. “I want you to be happy. I want both of you to be happy. Together.” She stood, smoothing the comforter down as she spoke. “But what if she says no?”
“If she says no?” He raked a hand through his hair, biting back a growl. “Then I respect her wishes and go as far away from here as I can possibly get. Jared won’t be able to claim her as his true mate, but that won’t stop them from getting married if that’s what they want. But whether she married Jared or stays with her parents, her life here will be comfortable. Safe.”
“And what about you? Alyra crossed to him, taking his hands in hers. “Will you be able to move on?”
“Depends on your definition of moving on.” Elijah’s face darkened. “I’ll be able to give Mila the space she needs to try and find happiness without me,” he answered. “That’s the most I can hope for.”
“That doesn’t seem fair. You deserve to be happy, too.”
“I’ll never love another. Any chance of that was over the night I claimed Mila. He yanked open a drawer and pulled out a shoebox filled with cash. “Besides, now that I’ve tasted true love? Now that I know how it feels to be mated to someone, to be bonded forever? I couldn’t settle for anything less.”
Elijah counted out the stacks of hundred dollar bills as he shoved them into a leather satchel.
“Do you have enough money?” Alyra asked.
He nodded as he counted. “Enough to get a last for a few months at least. I’ve been saving for years.” He reached the end of the cash and frowned down at the small red velvet bag at the bottom of the shoe box. He picked it up, fingering the worn fabric as he removed the contents.
Three platinum rings — a wide band with a single red one carat diamond, a slender eternity band with hundreds of red diamond baguettes, and another matching eternity band topped with a brilliant red three carat diamond.
He set his jaw, determined not to let the tears win as he held them up for Alyra to see.
“Mom and Dad’s rings.” She stepped forward to take the engagement band, a wistful look on her face. “I didn’t know you still had these.”
“Mom gave them to me when we left, told me they would come in handy if we ever needed money. Red diamonds, to represent our pack colors.” He slipped the two wedding bands back into the bag. “But even as tight as things got around here at times, I could never bring myself to sell them.”
“Red diamonds are some of the rarest in the world,” she said as she handed the engagement ring back to him. “I’m sure they’re worth a small fortune. Are you going to sell them now?”
“Not if I can help it,” he said. He placed the final ring in the bag and tucked it in a zippered pocket inside his satchel. “I want to propose to Mila,” he explained. “If she comes with me, I’ll give her the engagement ring.”
Alyra smiled. “She’d be crazy to turn you down.”
He laughed. “She’d be even crazier to say yes.” He grabbed his passport from the top of the dresser and tucked it into the satchel with the rings and cash. “But if she does, and things get really hard, we still have the other two rings to fall back on.”
He lifted his suitcase from the bed and slung his satchel over his shoulder and across his chest.
“I’m really going to miss you, you know that?”
“Same,” he said. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”
“No,” Alyra shook her head. “I have a life here.”
“If Jared finds out about me, you may be in danger,” he cautioned. His face grew serious. “I can’t protect you if I’m not here.”
“Lighten up, big brother.” She grinned, giving her brother a playful punch on the shoulder. “You’ve taken care of me my whole life. I’m a big girl now. Besides,” she narrowed her eyes in a conspiratorial expression and gave him a wink, “I have reasons of my own for staying.”
Is my little sister in love, too?
Elijah cocked his head, waiting for her to elaborate, but she didn’t share any additional details. Instead, she flung her arms around him in a warm embrace, planted a kiss on his cheek, and stepped back.
“Go on. Get out of here,” she urged.
“Alyra, I—
“If things get bad here—
“If things get bad, I’ll follow. You have my word.”
Elijah’s shoulders slumped. He could see there was no arguing with his sister. All that was left to do was say goodbye, and hope for the best.
He brought her in for another hug, squeezing just a bit harder, holding her for just a bit longer, than usual. Finally, he released her, and with one final glance around his small studio apartment, he headed out the door.
When he reached his SUV, he turned back to look at Alyra as she stood in the doorway. The tears threatened to fall again, and this time, he let them come. She was being strong as always, but for all he knew, this could be the last time they ever saw each other alive.
11
“Elijah?” Mila kept her voice to a whisper, pressing her mouth into the receiver to avoid alerting the security guards posted outside her door.
The guards’ presence still shocked her. She never would have believed her father would lock her in her room until she “came to her senses” as he phrased it.
“Mila?”
“Yes.” Relief swept through her at the familiar sound of his voice. “I need you, Elijah.”
“What’s wrong?”
The worry in his tone comforted her, and she knew he would come for her. “My father has me locked in my room like some fucking princess in a tower. Can you come get me?”
She might be able to scramble down the trellis and make her escape as she had done at the last full moon, but the thought of running away alone frightened her. The feminist side of her urged her to ignore her fear and go it alone, but her heart yearned to have Elijah at her side.
He didn’t hesitate. “I’m already outside.”
She blinked back the tears threatening to overwhelm her at his affirmation. “But why—? How—?”
“I love you more than life itself, Mila. No man or wolf on this earth could keep me away from you.”