Behind Bars
734 Words
Elijah
If any member of my pack caught sight of their King bound in chains like some common prisoner, it would spark a war before sunrise.
I’d reached out to Hazel through the mind link the second they threw me in here. She’d been furious, naturally. Her first question was how in the hell I’d ended up in White Crescent territory in the first place. Honestly, I didn’t have a good answer. I’d been so consumed by my thoughts during that run through the woods that I hadn’t even realized when I crossed from our lands into theirs.
I told her I’d explain everything later. Right now, the priority was making sure they knew who I was before they decided to string me up. I couldn’t let Lisa get what she wanted. She’d been gunning for Adriana’s death, and I’d be damned if I let that happen.
“Hey Ezra!” I called out to my wolf. Silence greeted me. “Wake up! We have important s**t to do.”
“First of all, I wasn’t sleeping,” his voice finally filtered through. “Second, that’s incredibly rude to say to your best friend.”
“Whatever. Where the hell were you when I actually needed you? We should’ve taken those guards down. Maybe then we wouldn’t be rotting in this cell right now!”
He had the luxury of existing inside me without consequences. Sometimes I wondered if he truly grasped what it meant to be me and be responsible for an entire kingdom.
“I was occupied, actually. Trying to work out some things about Adriana. And giving you space to get to know her properly.” I rolled my eyes.
I did not have time for this.
“And why exactly would I need to get to know her?”
“Because she’s your mate, clearly.”
I let out a long breath. It was like nobody was listening to a damn word I said about not wanting to fall in love again.
“Ezra, I swear to god—”
“I’m being serious, Elijah. She’s the one this time.”
“That’s bullshit. I would’ve felt it the instant I laid eyes on her. The mate bond doesn’t just—”
“Her wolf is hiding,” he cut me off. “There’s something strange going on with her. I could barely pick up on her presence, but I knew she was there. That’s the reason Adriana has no clue you’re her mate. She can’t sense it on her end either.”
For the first time since being thrown into this godforsaken cell, I actually sat down. I’d known Ezra long enough to tell when he was messing with me and when he was dead serious. This was the latter.
My mate. I’d run from love after what happened last time, convinced I’d never put myself through that again. Yet here I was, separated by prison bars from my second chance mate who had no idea what we were to each other.
“So she really is the one…”
He let out a defeated sigh.
“Yes. I keep wondering why her wolf would hide like that. God, I can only imagine how beautiful she must be. I can’t wait to—”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Ezra. We have no idea if this is even going to work out.”
“What? Why the hell not?!”
There were too many reasons to count.
“Elijah?” Her voice drifted to me from the neighboring cell, soft and uncertain. I was on my feet in an instant, hands wrapping around the steel bars.
“I’m right here.”
I heard her release a heavy breath.
“I’m so sorry. This whole mess is my fault. I never meant for things to go this far.”
Every instinct screamed at me to tell her none of this was her doing, that she bore no responsibility for the situation, that I was going to get us both out of here. But I held back.
My thoughts wandered to Emily and the devastation she’d left in her wake. It had taken years to climb out of that darkness. I’d be a fool to dive headfirst into that same trap again.
“It’s okay,” I said simply.
“You’re a cold-hearted bastard,” Ezra growled in my head.
- Writer
