My Unfated Mate

Chapter Three

Elen woke with the uncomfortable feeling that something inside her was different.

For several seconds, she remained still, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling while fragments of the previous night returned to her. Stanley. The rejection. The fight. Drew. His claws. The pain.

Then the memory of the severance breaking came back, and she sat upright.

Her breathing quickened.

Something had happened to her.

Elen pushed the blankets aside and looked down at herself. She was wearing the clothes she had been in when Drew carried her away. Her shoulders were no longer bleeding, but the scars remained, red and bold.

She touched them cautiously.

There was barely any pain.

That was strange.

She climbed out of the strange bed and stood beside it, waiting for dizziness or weakness. Instead, she felt stronger than she ever had before. Her body seemed lighter, sharper, more alert. Every sound in the room appeared clearer, from the faint movement of the curtains to something scratching against a tree somewhere outside.

Then she felt her.

Her wolf.

Elen closed her eyes, and the presence that had been silent for eighteen years answered immediately. It was no longer distant or buried behind the magical barrier that had kept her powers suppressed. It was awake, aware, and powerful.

A strange smile touched Elen’s lips.

“So you’re finally here.”

Her wolf stirred inside her.

‘Finally? I never left.’

Elen almost laughed.

She had spent eighteen years wondering what it would feel like to have a wolf of her own. She had imagined strength, speed, perhaps even the exhilaration of shifting beneath the moon.

She had never imagined feeling another power at the same time.

Magic moved through her body like a current beneath her skin. She could feel it, although she did not yet understand how to control it. When she concentrated, something inside her seemed to respond, but it remained just beyond her reach.

And then there was the other presence.

The unfamiliar one.

It was quieter than her wolf and less recognizable than her magic. She could sense it somewhere deep inside herself, but whenever she tried to examine it, it seemed to retreat.

Elen opened her eyes.

“What are you?”

Nothing answered.

She frowned, then looked toward the window.

The curtains were heavy and dark, blocking almost every trace of morning light. She walked toward them and pulled one side open.

Sunlight poured into the room.

Elen screamed.

She stumbled backward, clutching her hand against her chest. The skin across her fingers was red and blistered, as though she had placed them against a flame.

For a moment, she simply stared.

Then the damage began to disappear.

The redness faded.

The blisters vanished.

Within seconds, her hand looked completely normal.

Elen’s heart pounded.

“No.”

She looked at the window again, then at her hand.

She approached it cautiously and held one finger toward the light.

Pain immediately shot through it.

She jerked away.

“No.”

Her mind raced through everything she knew.

Werewolves could walk beneath the sun. Mages could walk beneath the sun. Humans could walk beneath the sun.

Vampires could not.

Elen backed away from the window as though it had become something dangerous.

She had grown up hearing stories about vampires. She had learned to associate them with betrayal, blood, death, and the destruction of her family. She had spent years hating everything they represented.

And now sunlight burned her?

First it was the moon goddess, now fate too was making a joke at her expense.

Before she could drawn herself in self-pity further, the door opened.

Drew stepped inside carrying a tray in one hand and a bundle of clothes in the other.

He stopped when he saw her standing several feet from the window, staring at it like there were monsters jumping through it.

“What happened?” he asked.

She stared at him and turned around, giving him a deadly glare.

“You tell me.”

Drew placed the tray on a nearby table. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you don’t.”

His eyes narrowed.

Elen hated how handsome and calm he looked. She hated the fact that he seemed completely unaffected while she was losing her last but if sanity.

He held out the clothes.

“I brought these for you. Your other clothes are dirty.”

Elen stared at them.

“How thoughtful.”

“I try.”

She did not take them.

Drew studied her for a moment. “You’re angry.”

“Very observant.”

“I thought you would be grateful.”

“For what?”

“For saving to last night and protecting you and bringing you here after you lost consciousness.

The answer irritated her more than it should have.

“You were the one who caused this.”

Drew’s expression became more serious. “Caused what?”

Elen opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

She didn’t know.

That was the problem.

She didn’t know whether she was blaming him for the pain the she had felt, for whatever Alina power had entered her body, for the fact that she was now standing in his mansion away from her uncle, or for what vampires had come to mean to her- murderers of her parents.

Maybe she was blaming him for all of it.

“I don’t know,” she admitted bitterly.

Drew watched her carefully.

“Then perhaps you should figure that out before accusing me.”

Elen glared at him.

“You vampires always have an answer for everything.”

“That’s an interesting assumption.”

“It’s an informed one.”

Something flickered in his eyes.

Amusement.

Elen found that infuriating too.

“You don’t trust me,” he said.

“No.”

“Because I’m a vampire.”

“That would be one reason.”

“What are the others?”

She folded her arms.

“You dragged me away from the Storm Pack without asking. You brought me to your mansion. I woke up with things happening to my body that I don’t understand. And somehow, through all of this, you expect me to believe you’re simply being kind.”

Drew considered her words.

“I never claimed to do it out of kindness.”

“Then why did you help me?”

His expression became unreadable.

“Because I could.”

“That doesn’t explain anything.”

“It explains enough.”

Elen shook her head. “You’re impossible.”

“So I’ve been told.”

He moved toward the door.

Elen glanced at the tray.

“Wait.”

Drew stopped.

“I need a phone.”

He reached into his pocket, pulled one out, and held it toward her.

Elen took it.

“Thank you.”

She hesitated.

“There is something else she needed to ask. Please.”

He looked at her.

“Can I stay here? For a while. I promise I'll move out as soon as possible.”

His eyebrow rose.

“You want to stay?”

“For a while.”

“That’s surprising.”

Elen looked away.

“I need somewhere safe while I figure out what happened to me.”

Drew studied her face.

“You seem to have quite a lot of favors to ask from someone whose guts you appear to hate.”

Elen said nothing.

For a moment, neither did he.

Then Drew shrugged.

“Stay as long as you like.”

She looked at him.

“Really?”

“Really.”

He turned toward the door.

“Eat something,” he said. “You need the strength.”

Then he left.

Elen waited until the door closed before looking down at the phone.

She immediately dialed Greg’s number.

He answered almost instantly.

“Elen?”

Her heart tightened at the sound of his voice.

“Uncle Greg.”

“Where are you? What happened? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“I’m okay.”

“You’re okay?”

“Yes.”

“Then where are you?”

Elen hesitated.

“I’m at Drew’s mansion.”

“Drew? Who is Drew?” He asked.

Then in the next breath he answered, “You mean Drew the rogue, the vampire? That same Drew?”

“Yes”

Silence.

The silence lasted long enough for Elen to pull the phone away from her ear and check whether the call had ended.

Then Greg’s voice exploded through the speaker.

“You’re where?”

Elen winced.

“Uncle please, calm down.”

“Calm down? Elen, I spent the entire night looking for you! I was told you were attacked. I was told a vampire took you. And now you’re telling me you’re sitting in a vampire’s mansion?”

“I’m fine.”

“That is not the point! What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t exactly given much of a choice.”

“You could have stayed with the pack!”

“Stanley and his friends were trying to capture me.”

Greg went quiet again.

“Yes, I heard all about the mate rejection issue.”

Elen continued before he could continue.

“Drew helped me. He got me away from them. He brought me here, treated my injuries, and gave me somewhere to stay.”

“You cannot trust a vampire simply because he helped you once.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you still there?”

Elen looked around the room.

Because she had nowhere else to go.

Because she needed time.

Because something inside her had changed and she needed to understand it.

Because, despite everything she had been taught, some instinct told her Drew was different.

“I don’t completely trust him,” she admitted. “But I don’t think he wants to hurt me.”

Greg sighed heavily.

“Elen.”

“I know what you taught me about vampires.”

“Then you should remember every warning I’ve ever given you.”

“I do.”

She looked toward the closed door.

“But I also have to learn to make some decisions for myself.”

Greg was silent.

Elen softened her voice.

“Please trust me.”

Another long silence followed.

Finally, Greg sighed.

“I trust you. I don’t trust him.”

“I understand.”

“Keep your distance. Don’t let your guard down. And if anything feels wrong, you leave immediately.”

“I promise.”

“Call me if you need anything.”

“I will.”

The call ended.