“How do you know about the Donovans, Lena?” Elia asked, “Even when I was stuck in their club, you knew them, you saved me from them. Lena please, you know you can trust me”
Lena had a conflicted look on her face as she avoided looking directly at Elia’s face.
She had spent only a few days with Elia but considered her a good friend.
And when her friend pleaded with her to trust her, Lena’s resolve weakened, “They are not humans, you must have realized it by now”
Elia nodded, “I got to know that they are wolfshifters hiding from the outside world. They kidnapped me wanting to silence me because they thought I discovered their secret”
A scoff left her friend’s lips, “How typical of the Donovans”
“You talk as though you know them very well”
Lena once again flinched at the sharp accusation.
It took everything in her to part her lips and say the truth she had been hiding till now, “It’s because I’m one of them”
Elia felt like she was hearing something wrong, “What?”
“I’m a wolf shifter too,” Lena confirmed her doubts, and when Elia didn’t respond, she continued, “A half breed to be exact, my mother was a she-wolf and my father, well, a human. Seemingly, my mom fell for my dad’s good looks and had me. Then she dipped leaving my custody to my dad to be with another male wolf”
Elia didn’t know how to respond.
She chose silence instead of accidentally blurting out something insensitive.
Meanwhile, Lena continued, “My dad took care of me as long as he could, but once he learned about my abnormalities….” As she said that, claws protruded out of her fingers, making Elia gasp in surprise, “Even though I was a half breed, my wolf tendencies made it difficult for my dad to lead a normal life. Hence, I got dumped for the second time, and that too near my mom’s doorstep. I haven’t seen my dad since then”
“I’m so sorry, Lena” Elia held her friend’s hand as she tried to comfort her.
Her own curiosity had led to Lena talking about what seemed like her most pained memories.
Then something else caught her attention, “The Donovans, did they let your father live?” Maybe he hadn’t left her on purpose.
“I know what you are thinking, but no, my dad wasn’t forced to leave me. It was his own choice and thankfully unlike crimson moonpack, my mom’s pack was tolerant towards a half breed like me”
“You mean…?”
“My mom’s place is known as Ashwood pack, they are accepting of their members being in a relationship with humans until they find suitable wolves to mate. And any child between the former union will be considered the bottom of the barrel in their society. It is their way of accumulating willing packslaves. When we grow up in such a place, everything there starts to feel normal”
“So, you were also….?”
“A slave? Yes. I had to cater to every whim and wish for those considered above me, even my half-siblings treated me like shit,” Lena said those words like it didn’t mean much, but Elia could see her hidden pain.
Elia had to take a deep breath to not let anger cloud her mind.
She felt so sad for her friend.
She had endured so much in her youth.
And in this case, it was in a literal sense.
“At least my mom didn’t belong to the crimson moon pack where the Donovans rule,” Lena said like it was the most important thing, “I would not have been alive if that had been the case. They are infamous in the wolf community for getting rid of anyone they deem a defect, the humans who accidentally discover their identity and halfbreeds like me are at the top of their hit list”
Donovans and the crimson moon pack seemed like some kind of mafia amongst the wolf community.
They didn’t like outsiders, didn’t seem kindly upon humans that accidentally discovered their identity, and were known to kill what Lena called Half breeds.
They were traditionalists to the core.
And yet Mira and some of the pack members thought so highly of her just because she was their Alpha’s mate.
That was the level of importance a mate bond held in their society.
And Elia was about to play with that exact sentiment for the next six months.
It was a fragile balancing on the thinnest rope.
One mistake and she could get killed, not by the Donovans as they made a Blood pact with her, but who was to say that their pack members wouldn’t hurt her after she serves her purpose.
After all, they didn’t like humans knowing about their kind.
What would they do if they learn about their Alphas rejecting the mate bond and Elia accepting it?
“I don’t understand, why do only Donovans care so much about getting discovered? Your father knew about wolf shifters, too. What about him?” Did the Ashwood pack really let him leave without doing anything to him?
Lena sighed, “The Ashwood pack operates differently, they don’t outright kill the humans that discover them. Instead, they erase their memory or forcibly throw them into a mental facility or cripple them enough that they don’t move or talk”
“Wait, wait,” Elia had stopped her, holding her palm up, “How is this any different from killing them? I mean, how can one even erase somebody’s memories?” It was like these people lived in a completely different world.
Lena had no more answers regarding that.
So she just shrugged, “I don’t know, they have their own ways, I’m a half breed, I don’t know much about it. I escaped from that godforsaken place when I could no longer endure their abuse”
“This is a crime, Lena,” Elia couldn’t help but voice out, “Authorities should be made aware of this. How can they think so lightly of someone’s life? This is horrible”
Her friend laughed at Elia’s words, “Okay, we will report them, and then what? Do you want to get hunted down by every wolf pack in existence? And how do we differentiate that the people in authority are Humans or other supernatural beings? They live amongst us, blending in, we will not be able to do anything, Elia. Not if we want to die. Hell, even our president might be an awolf shifter, who knows?”
Elia was startled, “Is he? Is our president a wolf shifter?”
Lena laughed, “I just said it hypothetically, but as I said, who knows?”
She was like a deflated balloon, “So reporting them is a no-go?” She sprawled along the couch, resting her head on Lena’s lap, “Guess I have to stick with the plan and act as his mate for six months”
Lena jolted in her place, hitting the back of Elia’s head, “Ouch!” She rubbed it while glaring at the former.
“What did you just say?” Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Elia rolled her eyes, “That I’m their mate”
“What mate?”
“They said something like true mate”
“Elia” Lena started, “A wolf has not recognized a truemate for almost a millennium now. You must be mistaken”
“They left me alive even though I knew their identity”Lena’s face went pale as Elia added, “That should answer you”
“Bu-but! It isn’t possible”
Elia sighed before getting hold of her friend’s hand, before dragging her towards the window, “See that car right there, that was sent by the Donovans to bring me here. I have to pack my luggage and return to the crimson moon pack”
Lena groaned, “Do you even know what you are talking about? This isn’t funny”
That made Elia spill everything that had happened from the moment she was kidnapped.
It was mentioned in the contract that she shouldn’t reveal this to anyone, but screw that!
Lena was her friend and apparently a wolfshifter too, so it was okay.
They said don’t tell other humans, but Lena wasn’t one.
Elia felt like she would lose her mind if she kept all of this to herself.
So, she explained everything in detail.
About the triplets recognizing her as their true mate, then their solution to break it.
The six months, the blood pact, and their plan to take other wolves as their mates.
“Although I don’t know why they decided to let that Asheron guy out of it, this works pretty well for me. I will have a place to stay, away from my family until I can stand on my own legs” As Elia finished, a frigid silence occupied between them.
Lena sighed and frowned multiple times before she was ready to talk, “So you need to act as Alpha Asheron’s mate until the other two take in chosen mates?”
“Bingo!”
“So, they don’t want a Human as their mate, it’s not surprising considering who they are. I’m just thankful that they didn’t kill you to end the bond. But then again, they probably wouldn’t be able to do that, knowing how sacred a true mate bond is. They can lose their powers and life if something happens to you”
“You know so much, Lena”
Lena glanced at her, “My mom used to talk about it a lot. She used to say that she wouldn’t have left my dad if he were her true mate. I knew it was bullshit; my mom only cared about herself. But your situation is far better than you think, Elia. Thank God, they didn’t accept you as their mate”
“Yes, thank God, ” Elia agreed, “Also thank God that I’m a human, I can’t feel this mate bond thing they rave about”
“Girl, that is a blessing,” Lena huffed, then she smiled sadly, “So you are going to live there from now on?”
“For the next six months,” Elia nodded before asking, “But I still need that job, Lena. I want to support myself”