Chapter 10
1379 Words
Luke’s POV:
When I used to touch Iris I felt fire; the contact burned through my body. I guess that’s why I never questioned a mate bond. I knew she wasn't mine, hell my wolf knew it but I didn't care.Well until now. When Ellie touched me I felt peace, I felt a shock that awoke my body for the first time in years. Just by grabbing my arm, my wolf weeps inside my head, begging to pull her in, to claim her right f*****g here!
“We have to go.” Kimberly grabs my other arm, and I know she’s right. I look from Kimberly back to my mate. Do I have to go? How could I ever f*****g leave that beautiful face?
The softness in her brown eyes invites me in, daring me to stay. And I want to. God, I want to. I want nothing more than to pull her into my arms and stay, but I don’t live a life of freedom. I’m not in a position to choose her. I would never be a man worthy of her if I did that right now.
I turn and run to leave before my heart betrays my mind, pulling me back to her.
“Luke!” Ellie’s voice rings behind me, but I don’t dare look back.
It was never Iris, it wasn’t. I’m a fool to see that. I’m stupid for not seeing Ellie as my mate from the beginning. I’m stupid for accusing her, for not seeing the real passion and love behind those beautiful brown eyes.
Why would the Moon God give me someone so perfect? Someone so pure? I don’t deserve her, not even a tiny bit of her. I would taint her; I could never give her what she deserves in a mate. I’m not worthy of her, of this beautiful, powerful woman before me.
“Who was she?” Kimberly asks after we shuffle into the back of the limo.
I look out the window, secretly hoping Ellie comes out so I can steal one more glance her way. I’m not sure how to answer Kimberly’s question. Or maybe I am, I just don’t trust the answer I desperately want to say.
She is the woman made for me. She is a gift from the Moon God. She is my mate, my Moon God Mate.
But I can’t say any of these things. I can’t drag her into the fate I’m currently living. She doesn’t deserve that, and I don’t deserve her.
I’m thankful for the silence on the ride back to the packhouse, fighting with myself internally to go back for Ellie…
When we pull in, I feel even more empty than before. I have to find a way out of this, a way out of here.
A way out for both of us.
“Take me to her,” I call after Declan as we make our way up to the house.
Declan turns and searches my eyes before giving me a flat “no.”
I step up to get in his face, “it’s not a f*****g question.” I hover over him even though we are the same height, “it’s a command!”
He meets my glare, and I can see him fighting the submission before he shakes it off, looking away from me.
“Even if he wanted to. He couldn’t; only an elder may give you access.”
I look past him at the lady standing at the entrance to the packhouse. A silver-haired witch stands there watching me. Declan gives her a look of hate before nudging her shoulder and heading back into the house. Kimberly also walks past her and follows her brother in.
This witch looks familiar. I just don’t know where I know her from. She can see me searching her face when she answers.
“We don’t know each other, but perhaps you remember my daughter.” Her eyes go cold as she says that, which tells me her daughter probably isn’t around anymore, and I probably have something to do with it.
“That’s enough, Sage. You may take him down to see her.” An older man comes out of the house behind her. His hair all grey, his brown eyes tired.
“I don’t think—”
“Did I ask what you think!?” He shouts, shutting the witch up.
She makes her way back up to the house, and I follow behind her, ignoring the glare from the man.
As if today isn’t already full of surprises, why not knock this one off the list too. My life is already f****d—what can’t I handle at this point?
We pass through the kitchen where a few rogues sit on the counters eating. I can smell some belonging to the pack sitting at the table nearby. I wonder how many people in the pack actually belong to it and aren’t just mooching f*****g rogues.
There’s a door at the end of the hallway we go through; inside, it’s filled with books. It could have been the library at some point, but it’s dusty, and the books all look untouched now. The witch recites a spell under her breath before the bookshelf opens up in front of us.
Hindu Apuerta. I repeat the spell to myself so I’m sure to remember it later.
We follow the steps down, and you can hear crying coming from some of the cells and water dripping from somewhere. The smell in the air tells me they’re holding some of their own pack members down here. My pack members, now, I guess. As we pass through the cells, I can see some of the people cower back in fear. Is it of me or this witch Sage? I know they can tell I’m their Alpha since I was sworn in already, but I’m not my uncle. Madoc was the reigning Alpha until they found me. And since I was the next in like, the traditions this pack so religiously follows forced him to step down and me to step up.
We pass all the cells and stand in front of a heavy black door.
The witch cuts her hand with a small silver dagger, dripping blood into the door before us. It slowly creeps open. I push past her, looking inside. The room is padded all over with a pile of blankets folded in the corner. One nightstand to the right of the blankets filled with books and a small lamp that lights the dim room just enough. It has another door off to the side, which I assume is a bathroom.
The door opens, and my breath catches in my throat when she comes out. She isn’t as I expect her to look, not that I ever imagine what she would look like in the first place.
My eyes lock onto hers; they are the same blue shade as mine but even brighter, if that is even possible in this dark-lit room. They are like glass, a beautiful blue glass. Her long black hair lies straight down her back.
I always thought I looked like the pictures I saw of my mother, but I am so wrong. When I look at her, she is her spitting image.
“Lilah?” I finally breathe out.
Anger fills her eyes as she makes a run for me, punching and crying at my chest.
“Why are you here! You can’t be here, Luke! You weren’t supposed to let them find you! You can’t be here!”
She cries at my chest, still hitting me. The witch shuts the door, closing us both in, and I grab Lilah's wrists to stop her blows to my chest.
“Tell me you didn’t do it! Tell me you’re not Alpha!”
“I wish I could.” I breathe out.
“No!” She cries and falls to her knees in front of me. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to say.
I drop to my knees beside her and do something I’ve never done before with someone I didn’t even know existed.
Sitting next to my sister, I wrap my arms around her and just hold on.
- Writer
