It was a quiet drive back to the Callisto compound, and riding alongside her mate did not help. Every now and then he would glance at her, as if he wanted to say something but decided not to. Within a mile of their arrival in the borough, they could see the towering Callisto compound.Life had gotten away from her, and she no longer had any control over the way things were panning out. In her obsession with finding and punishing Lucian, she had forgotten to live. With a huff, she ran her fingers through her hair.“Everything OK?” Lucian asked.“I have no words for you,” she replied.When the driver of the saloon limo glanced at them from the rearview mirror, Elyssa glared at him, and he looked back to the road.As Lucian faced her, he smiled warmly. “You’re upset with me?” he asked. “How do you figure that?”“Can we not do this?” Elyssa replied.“I don’t see

Elyssa shrugged in response, as he watched her in an unfamiliar way. But it felt good to get that off her chest. “How did you manage to survive it?” “That night, I snuck out to a party, and by the time I got back home the next morning, all that was left was ashes.” Hanging her hands on her hips after she tossed her hair, she shook the image of that night from her mind. He walked over to her and just stared at her. He said, “I am so sorry for your loss.” His voice was soft and comforting, and his reaction was far from what she expected to see. “How have you survived without a pack?” “I’ve got the Ewings.” Lucian shook his head in disbelief. “You never truly accepted them as your pack. It’s evident by how you act. You’re a lone wolf.” “After the fire, trust was not something that came easily to me. No matter how much I wanted to, and believe me I really wanted to. I felt I would be letting my family down by pledging another pack.

For a moment, Elyssa stood staring at him in confusion. It wasn’t just that he knew she had a gift, he also knew she’d used it.“That’s incredible. You can peek into people’s minds.” He folded his arms across his chest, and her gaze followed his massive arms.“How did you know?”“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He flashed her a dazzling smile, and she could see he looked a lot like her mate.She did not want to admit it, but Alfred was gorgeous. Tawny hair perfectly styled and a well-groomed beard that almost made her want to touch it.“Yes, I would. How could you tell?”Almost as quickly as Lucian, he propped her up against the wall. Elyssa gasped, and then her eyebrows creased in a frown.“Oh, I’ll tell you later, once you tell Lucian you let that Ewing prick touch you.” Alfred held her arm in a firm grip behind her back. “I’m not

Elyssa groaned as Taylor checked herself in the mirror for the millionth time. “Seriously?” she asked Taylor. Their dresses were superb, and although she hadn’t cared what she wore before, the red studded dress matched her to perfection. She and Taylor were alone in the private room of the main lounge close, just beside the ceremony hall. The other females who made it out of the lair were in the general room, waiting to be present by their mates. The females of the alphas were separated from the rest and once all the elites had presented their mates, the alphas, if any, followed. That placed her and Lucian right after Antonio and Taylor. “I look incredible, let me enjoy it,” Taylor said, in a gorgeous black dress that complemented her in a way that Elyssa could not convey in words. “Ivan’s a wizard of clothes,” Elyssa admitted. “His skill is unbelievable. I’ve never felt–” A soft knock interrupted Taylor, and the two of them gl

It was a long night. In the foyer of the Callisto main hall, Elyssa and Lucian bid the guests’ goodbye. She painfully realized then that she could no longer come and go as she pleased due to her apparent duties as Luna and host. Most of the Alphas had already left by now, including Antonio and Taylor, who whispered to her that they needed to talk before he and his mate left. Elyssa glanced around the almost empty ballroom in search of Zuker. They hadn’t seen him yet, did he leave already or what? Let’s. The rest of the guests can find their way out. Lucian’s voice echoed in her head, and she turned her attention to him. The real joy was hearing her mate in her mind, and not the thrill of finally feeling connected with her Alpha and her pack. As he guided her out of the main house, his fingers curled into hers. He led her into the hallway that led to the private courtyard. Following him quietly, Elyssa soon realized he wasn’t leading h