Page 16

Scarlett

T wo days have passed since that conversation. Elijah and Dad are at odds and we can all feel it. Although they are working on gathering our allies, the tension between them is really bad. Dad isn’t completely himself with me either, which hurts a lot.

However, I know he needs time, and I respect that. He has treated me like his own ever since I came to this pack, so for him to see the two of us together must be hard. I just hope he comes around soon because things between Elijah and I have been good.

The weather is cooler; the sun warming my skin soothingly. I turn in Elijah’s arms, looking down at his sleeping face. He truly is handsome. I brush my fingers over his brow when his eyes open, still clinging to sleep.

“Go to sleep, Kitten, it’s too early,” he mumbles, his voice thicker than usual, only making my core clench. He really makes me want him every second of every day.

“Hmm, it is, but I think I’m ready to take part in training. To take part with the rest of the pack for once with you,” I say quietly, making his eyes widen, all trace of sleep gone.

“Really?” he asks, hugging my naked body closer. I nod, feeling his hard shaft pressing against my stomach. “I’m glad.” He moves back, gazing into my eyes, but it’s the rare smile that graces his face that makes my heart flutter. I love it when he smiles like this. He looks boyish, his large eyes sparkling. A smile as precious as the sunrise.

He kisses me suddenly, making me smile against his lips before kissing him back. A small giggle escapes my lips as his fingers brush my waist, tickling me slightly.

“Why does that make you so happy that it earns a smile?” I ask teasingly when he breaks away from my lips, peppering kisses down my neck and over my mark, his soothing lips cooling the throbbing. I sigh, wondering if I will be stuck with it all my life.

“Because you’re a part of this pack and I want them to see their badass Luna’s skills,” he replies, littering kisses down my shoulder. I sigh softly and bury my head in his hair. He peppers soft kisses over my breasts as I take a deep breath.

“Elijah?”

“Mm?” his reply is muffled as he enjoys kissing and nipping at my boobs.

“After everything is over, can you mark me? I mean, I don’t know what will happen, but I don’t want this mark on me forever,” I ask softly. He looks at me sharply.

He shakes his head, “You said after because we both know it’s risky, Red.”

“I know, but I don’t want this thing on me forever. I won’t be accepting my mate. I’m stronger than the average wolf. I could maybe handle you marking me over it. We have to try.”

“Let’s discuss it later,” he says, clearly not wanting to discuss it, kissing my lips tenderly. I nod before we both get up. As much as I want to discuss it now, we need to get to the training grounds. Elijah hasn’t been there for the last few days, and he wanted to talk to the group as well.

We reach the training grounds, which is a large, open area. There are mats spread out for sparring. At least 40 people are here. This is one of three training groups and is made up mostly of young adults. They are all stretching, talking and laughing as Liam tells them to speed up with their warmups. Spotting Elijah and I, silence falls across them until it’s completely quiet.

No one knows about our relationship yet, apart from Fiona. I mean, it’s not clear she knows, but she heard us in his office. She has to know.

I glance towards her, knowing she’s probably watching us, and as predicted, when I find her, she has her eyes are glued on us. We walk to the front of the group, and I look away. I’m not going to give her any attention and instead look across the crowd. Keira, Monica and Aaron are towards the front, but the future Beta couple simply give me a warm smile.

“It’s good to have you here, Scarlett,” Liam says, smiling at me.

“Thanks, it’s not too bad being back,” I reply lightly.

He chuckles and nods. “I know you’ve been training on your own. I hope you’re still doing great.”

“I think I am.”

I can feel eyes on me. Everyone’s heard about what had gone down by now, and the entire pack also knows about my mark, although they don’t know who marked me. Many of their eyes dip to the ugly mark on my neck. Elijah looks out across at them, his eyes hard, silently challenging anyone to say something about it.

“Right, there’s one thing I want to make clear before we start. Whilst I wasn’t here, a lot of shit went down. Things I’m not proud of; things I will never approve of.” His voice rings sharp and clear as a few exchange looks of unease.

“Everyone in my pack deserves equality, whether it’s religion, gender or race. I don’t give a fuck. Here, we are fucking equal. Last week, someone notified me that someone in this pack was being picked on for being gay, then I learn Scarlett was bullied for being an Alpha Female? What the fuck is this shit? From here on out, I won’t tolerate even the slightest slur from anyone. We are one. Remember that. And if anyone, and I fucking mean anyone, decides to bully or abuse another, I will personally take charge of their punishment and I can assure you, it won’t be pretty. Am I clear?!” His voice rings across the silent gathering before the wolves erupt into claps and cheers.

“You said it, Alpha!”

“That’s damn right we are one!”

I smile slightly looking at Elijah. He really is going to make a great Alpha . I just wish Dad could see that rather than trying to blackmail him, although I have no idea how serious he is about those threats.

“Scarlett!” Angela calls out, winking at me. “Want to be my partner?”

“Scarlett will spar with me,” Elijah says, looking at Angela, who simply smirks.

“Okay, Alpha!” They all pair up whilst Elijah and I take our place on one of the mats.

“You do know these mats won’t be enough to cushion your ass,” I say, flexing my hands. Elijah smirks.

“No, but they’re enough to cushion that sexy ass of yours,” he says, looking me over as he runs that pierced tongue across his lips.

Oh fuck, he’s hot.

“Hmm, let’s see about that,” I challenge, falling into my stance. I make the first move, spinning and throwing a punch at him. He blocks, aiming a sharp jab at my stomach, and I jump back and spin around, kicking his shins. He grabs my ankle, pulling me roughly towards him – a smirk on his face. We continue; swiping, kicking, and blocking.

We both work well together, both able to keep up with the other and calculate the other’s moves, and soon we’ve forgotten about the group watching us.

Although I did hear Liam command them to start sparring, they are all too busy watching me keep up with Elijah. He isn’t going too hard on me, although I know that he had a few chances which he let go. But at the same time, he isn’t making it an easy ride either.

He grabs my ankle, making me frown, as he yanks my feet out from under me. I twist in his hold and punch him on the shoulder, forcing his grip to loosen. I give him a sexy wink, distracting him for a split second, and I smirk victoriously. I take the chance, aiming a powerful kick at him, but with immense strength, he grabs my calf and knocks my other leg out from under me.

“Fuck!” I gasp, not expecting that as my knees buckle and I go crashing to the ground.

“You’re good, Red, but I’m better,” he teases as I hit the mat hard, but I’m not about to give up. I pull him down roughly by his shirt, knocking him straight into my chest. A few of the boys whistle and boo as Elijah momentarily loses focus, moving back, his gorgeous blue eyes wide with surprise.

I smirk, raising my hand, and punch him across the jaw, making it crick. Silence ensues as everyone waits for Elijah to get angry. Instead, he rubs his jaw and moves back, still straddling me. Our eyes meet and I offer him an apologetic look, although a cocky smirk never leaves my lips.

“Oops? Did I hurt you, Alpha?” I say lightly.

“Guess all is fair in love and war, huh?” He gets off me, holding out his hand to me. I accept it, my stomach fluttering as I allow him to pull me up. Several of the pack members look at me, impressed that I held my own against Elijah.

“Hey! Watch it!” Keira calls as Fiona runs off sobbing, bumping into Keira roughly as she passes by her.

“I’ll go after her,” Monica says worriedly.

“No. Training isn’t over,” Liam reminds her, his words gentle but firm.

“She’s just lost her brother…” Monica trails off, staring at Elijah, whose eyes have darkened dangerously, stopping her mid-sentence.

“I’ll go,” I suddenly offer.

“Er, why does anyone need to go? She’s not in danger, is she? I mean, wasn’t her brother the one we needed to be afraid of? Or more like her family?” Keira’s nasally voice is irritating and loud.

“She did nothing, though,” I say quietly, glancing at Elijah. “Cool for me to go?”

Elijah looks at me with a deep frown on his face. I can see the questioning glint in his eyes, but I have to do this. After a moment of hesitation, he gives a small nod.

“Right, everyone, get back to practice,” Elijah says, clapping his hands together. “Don’t be too long, Red.”

Our eyes meet and I nod before I jog off in the direction Fiona had gone. I catch her scent pretty quickly, speeding up.

“Fiona!” I yell, slowing down as she comes into view. She freezes but doesn’t turn around, still sobbing. I walk over to her, trying to calm my nerves. I haven’t really talked to her one-on-one before, but I know we need to do this.

“Scarlett,” she says, wiping her tears as she looks at me. I can see the hurt in her eyes and maybe even some anger and I can’t blame her for it. Not when I know how easy it is to fall for Elijah Westwood.

“Can we talk?” I ask, thinking now that I am in front of her, I don’t even know what to say to the brunette. Fiona frowns slightly, looking away.

“Sure, what is it?” She turns and leads the way towards the woods. I fall in step with the taller girl as a tense silence falls between us.

“Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat this, but you know that Elijah and I-”

“Are committing incest? Yes, I do. It’s disgusting really.” Her voice is bitter as my eyes flash silver, frowning deeply. “I don’t even know what he sees in you, Scarlett. Do you really want to be the reason his reputation is destroyed? You’re going to ruin him,” Fiona says, her eyes filling with tears once again.

Those last words trigger me and I stare her dead in the eye.

“Let’s get this straight; listen here and listen good,” I say, my voice as cold as a bitter winter frost. “What Elijah and I do is no one’s business. We are not committing incest; we are not related by blood for Goddess’s sake. We do not need to prove anything to anyone. I’m here to explain one thing to you, and that’s it.” I step closer, clenching my jaw.

“And since you want to do this the hard way, we’ll do it the damn hard way. Stay away from my man or I’ll tear that hair from your pretty little head. I’m fed up with you clinging and latching on to him at any chance you get. He’s done with you, so back off,” I finish, hoping I have gotten through to her, because even hearing us fuck wasn’t enough for her to get the hint.

“I could make him happy. I’m luna-material and you’re marked by some rogue or something. He isn’t your mate,” Fiona exclaims, looking at my mark with clear disgust on her face. For once, her sweet voice sounds poisonous to me.

“News flash, hun, he isn’t yours either, and you weren’t the only woman in his life. He had several other bitches lined up. Now he belongs to me and me alone.” Her eyes widen as she steps back, a flash of fear in her eyes, but I’m not finished. “So keep your claws off him or trust me, honey, if I bring mine out, you won’t heal for months.” With that said, I turn and walk off, trying to calm the simmering inferno that is bubbling within me, leaving the shocked woman behind.