Elijah
Elijah awoke slowly, the world shaping around him in soft, blurred lines as the sun rose outside. He became aware of the steady sound of Lily’s breathing, finding his own lungs moving in a gentle rhythm along with hers.Her warmth seeped into his skin through the thin layers of their clothing. The night before formed itself in his mind’s eye as dawn light spilled across his frame of vision. They had shared a moment of peace, bodies pressing closer and closer as the moon had rolled across the night sky. His hands had tangled in her hair, in the fabric of her clothes, then splayed across her bare skin.
Though they’d edged around the darkest depths of their buried truths, he had learned other facets of her, of who she was, under the shroud of night. They had spoken until sleep had pulled at their eyelids and, at last, they had succumbed to it, entwined toge
LilyLily hadn’t known Elijah long, but she had picked up on some of his habits: the twitch in his fingers that signalled he wanted to toy with his shaggy hair; chewing the inside of his cheeks; rocking back and forth on his heels. She hadn’t known him long, but Lily knew that Elijah was nervous.About what, she had no idea.They crossed a small, sparkling stream, wobbling across a casually placed log. Dense forest formed around them, blocking out the sunlight as they left Entra behind.They walked in silence for a while, the soft sway of their steps and the occasional slice of their swords through thick underbrush the only sounds to fill the air between them. Lily weighed her new sword in her hand, garnets glinting dully in its hilt, guilt gnawing at her insides.Elijah had paid for the sword. He’d paid for everything,
AtticusOnyx eyes surveyed Atticus keenly. He sighed at Ralphin, and rolled his eyes for good measure.“I have nothing new to tell you.”Ralphin sighed dramatically, pushing away from the tree he’d been leaning against. “I’m not here for news, and you know it.”“So you truly are just here to pester me, then?” Atticus folded his arms across his chest. Before Ralphin could retort, he spoke again: “We’re meant to be running. This seems an awful lot like talking to me.”“Fine.” It was Ralphin’s turn to roll his eyes. He slicked back his inky hair and grinned. Letting out a howl that curved around his laughter, he sprinted into the grassy plains bordering the southern edge of the Blood Moon pack.For a moment, Atticus remained. He surveyed
LilyPine trees arched above them, bottle-green needles thick enough to cast the day in shadow. Lily wriggled her fingers, her hand snug against Elijah’s.“Look.” He pulled her gently to a halt. “Just there.” Using their joined hands, he pointed to the blur of green ahead of them. Even squinting, her eyes better attuned to the world than most of the creatures that shared their continent, she was hard-pressed to make out more than a smudge of brown and grey amongst the brush of green that made up the horizon.“What is it?”“That’s my – home.”She frowned over his sudden pause, loosening her grip on his hand as she wondered what it was he’d originally intended to say. She’d softened towards him during their journey – alarmingly so – and yet she still
ElijahLily stumbled backwards, her dark eyes shining with unshed tears. Clenching his hands into fists, Elijah forced down the need to reach for her, to comfort her.He should have told her sooner. He knew it, and yet…And yet he still didn’t understand why she was reacting like this. Surely, if anything, his being the Alpha was a good thing? She had to know what they were to each other, and, once they’d dredged up enough courage to come clean to one another, should she want to be with him then her pack rank could only improve.Unless she’d been the Luna of the Blood Moon pack, but Elijah doubted his spies and allies would have let that information slide. Even more so, he doubted that Atticus could refrain from being smug long enough to keep his mouth shut about his mate bond.Lily swallowed hard. Takin
Lily“You’re my mate, Lily, and I am yours.”Nothing felt real. In that moment, stars could have fallen from the sky and Lily would not have noticed – or cared.His words made something deep, something sacred, stir within her. She’d known all along; hearing it aloud was acceptance. It was peace.Elijah watched her, just as she watched him. His eyes were quiet, their grey alight in a way she’d never seen before. The silence between them stretched, though in it a thousand words were said.Everything that had mattered seconds ago fell away. Alpha or not, Elijah was not Atticus. The eyes that watched her now with such intensity, such affection, were grey, not green. Lily unpicked Elijah, bone by bone. She traced the scar running from his temple to his lip, followed the hard lines of his cheekbones and jaw.
AtticusThe grounds were coming together nicely, Atticus thought. He stood on the steps to the porch, his father beside him, surveying the gardens as Jarine and his mother strung decorations from the blooming fruit trees. Omegas scuttled around them, taking orders from their Mother Luna.Were they assisting so much as they were getting in the way? He raised a cool eyebrow at one of the younger Omegas, a cowering girl whose hands shook every time Nearyn gave her an instruction. And, though his mother looked upon the girl kindly, Atticus wanted to throttle her. It was hanging bunting; there was nothing to be nervous about.“Walk with me,” his father said abruptly, clapping a heavy hand on Atticus’s shoulder. “Let’s take a turn through the gardens.”“I’m not some doe-eyed girl you’re trying to woo,&r
Elijah“Well, where is she, then?” Caslein asked. His pale eyes twinkled, though his dark skin was sallow with exhaustion.Elijah sighed. He’d missed Caslein. But he hadn’t missed the light, joking tone that weaved between his every word. Lily was… serious. She wasn’t a joke to him.Ithia flicked a stray lock of golden, wavy hair behind her shoulder. Elijah’s heart lurched, and then a fond, familiar warmth settled in his chest. He’d missed them both.“Yes. I did so wish to meet the girl that dragged you away from us for – how long was it again, Cas?”Caslein brought a sweeping hand to his forehead. “The pain makes it hard for me to recall. I only know that each day felt longer than the last.”Elijah rolled his eyes. “She’s rest
LilyLily knew she had to leave.She splayed her fingers across the worn blanket. Her hand – the skin darker than usual from prolonged exposure to the sun – blurred into the dark reds and oranges of the fabric. Tears gathered in her lashes and made her throat swell.Elijah had been kind to her. No, it was more than that – Elijah made her feel. He’d held her hand as he’d brought her to his cabin, to his home, and as they’d brewed a pot of tea he’d welcomed her with a warmth that she was unaccustomed to.His kisses were sweet, and his arms were safety. Elijah wasn’t the problem. She was.Lily stood suddenly, knocking aside a cushion with a hand-stitched wolf on its front. “Sorry,” she muttered, brushing it off and placing it upright against the pillows.