Page 26

Scarlett

W e’ve been on the road for a while and we’re not too far from London. Elijah is quieter than normal and I know it isn’t because of the Blood Moon. There’s a frown on his face and at times his eyes flicker cobalt, his knuckles whitening on the steering wheel of his car.

Dad’s car, for that matter, apparently his car needed fixing since Liam did some damage in their scuffle. I bet Elijah said something that pissed him off because Liam doesn’t get angry quickly. But when I made that remark earlier, Elijah had simply scoffed.

“What’s on your mind?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Arden, whose territory we’re headed to – hate the guy. He’s a fucking prick.”

“He’s really that bad, huh?” Elijah’s mentioned it a few times now.

“Yeah, he is. The plan is to avoid his extremely stiff hair and that smug mug of his while we’re there.”

“Sure.” I am a tad amused. I’ve never seen Elijah have issues with anyone like this. Being the Alpha, he’s always at the top of it all in the pack. Everyone has to show him respect, but another alpha, now that is different. I’m actually curious to see how things are. These Mating Balls often have alphas from other packs, and they are always full of egos.

“Shall we stop at a service station? Get some hot drinks?” Elijah asks.

I think he needs the break, just delaying going to the pack where our fate might just be revealed. I nod. “Yeah, that would be great, plus Mama packed us some brownies, blondies, and cupcakes. A hot drink to go with them would be amazing.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He gives me a sexy smile and once again my heart skips a beat, thinking he’s mine. We stop, I use the restroom, and we top up on fuel and grab some hot chocolates before we get back on the road.

Elijah pulls out onto a country road and parks up down a side winding road. If I was alone, I might have found it a tad creepy, but with him it’s perfect. He motions for me to get out, leaving the car headlights on.

“We’re getting out?” I ask.

“Yeah, come on.” He grabs the hot drinks and I get Mama’s tub as he lifts me onto the hood of the car. I smirk as I scoot back.

“If this was your car you wouldn’t dare do this, because of the risk of scratching your paint,” I snicker.

“True,” he admits, popping the lid off the tub and taking a brownie. He offers it to me and I’m about to take it when he places it to my lips and I smile, biting into it before he kisses me and hands me the brownie.

He takes one for himself as we both stare up at the sky, you can see a few stars but it’s quite cloudy.

“Thanks,” I say.

“For being incredibly sexy?”

“For showing Mama some love earlier.”

He looks at me, his eyes softening slightly as he becomes serious. “I’ve never had an issue with her. I just felt like Dad moved on too quickly, and I think that’s why I just couldn’t accept her. Even though she wasn’t at fault.” He sighs, taking a gulp from his styrofoam cup.

“I get it. I don’t think Dad ever considered how you were feeling about the loss of your mama. I think he always feels like you’re just strong enough to deal with it, or that you should deal with it. Like he never stopped to consider your feelings on it. Losing your mama was hard on you too, but he just expected you to move on.”

“Pretty much,” he scoffs.

I tilt my head, looking at him. “You should talk to him. I think he doesn’t realise sometimes. He just wants to pretend like it’s all ok. So maybe you need to make the first step, where he failed to,” I suggest. I know Dad has a good heart. Sometimes it just takes time to get through to him.

“Yeah, we’ll see,” he says, wrapping his arm around me and giving me a squeeze. “And to think I thought you were a cold-hearted… you know.”

“Bitch?” I smirk.

“Kinda.”

I chuckle. “I can be.”

“Well, Red, I think you’re fucking perfect.” He kisses the top of my head, making my heart go wild. I close my eyes as I lean into him, inhaling his scent; it’s sexy and masculine.

“I know,” I answer, making him laugh softly. I look up at him and he takes hold of my chin, leaning in and claiming my lips with his own…

We reach the Shadow Wolves Pack territory and we are met with none other than the Alpha heir himself, Kenneth Arden, and I’m certain he’s here to annoy Elijah. He has a group of men around him and I almost roll my eyes.

He looks like a rich brat with his flunkies.

“Westwood,” he smirks scornfully.

“Arden.” Elijah’s voice is pure poison as he makes no attempt to hide his hatred.

“Welcome to the strongest pack in England.”

“Hmph, self-titled. You’ve got our information. We’re here for the Blood Moon, so if you’re done, shall we carry on to our hotel?” Elijah asks, his eyes hard. He’s doing his best not to disrespect the other alpha on his own turf, but he’s finding it hard.

“That we do, but we have a no-weapon rule. You’re going to have to be scanned through.”

Elijah steps forward. “No.”

“Excuse me?” Kenneth says, his eyes cold.

“I said, no. If you want to dispute it, I’ll speak to the actual Alpha,” Elijah challenges.

Their eyes are filled with hatred as they glare at one another. “Are you trying to disrespect me on my own grounds?”

“Don’t disrespect me then.”

“Alright, let’s just all calm down boys,” I intervene. “Alpha Kenneth, I can assure you that we are not carrying weapons, but if we are, we will be punished accordingly. However, the rulebook does not include any checks unless we are entering pack grounds, which we aren’t. The event is held in the human city, just like our hotel is. So… step aside.” My eyes flash and his narrow, a glimmer of intrigue in them.

“Very well then,” he says reluctantly as he steps aside.

What an asshole. I don’t think anyone disagrees with me. He really is one. We head to our hotel and check in. Angela causes a right scene, well a hushed one, demanding that she wants me to share a room with her for the night, saying Goddess knows if I’ll ever want to share with her again once I find my mate.

The girl is damn dramatic. Elijah reluctantly agrees as he says he has a few things to tend to tonight and I would end up being alone anyway. Not that I would have minded, but in a way, I’m glad Angela pushed for it. Maybe it’ll keep me distracted from what’s to come tomorrow.

“Wake up, baby girl!” Angela’s cheery voice comes. I groan as the curtains covering the hotel window are pulled open to reveal the bright sun that shines outside.

“Piss off, Angela, you made me stay awake so damn long last night. Now let me sleep!” I snap. We had barely slept all night, and she didn’t let me sleep either until after four in the morning.

She kept going on and on about her dress, her future mate, how she is going to demand he mark her then and there, and how she is ready to mark him straightaway. And on top of that, she had put on a movie, which was way too loud to sleep through, even if she hadn’t been talking the entire time. I sure hope her mate can tolerate chatter because this woman sure can talk a lot.

Angela throws a pillow at me. “Listen here! It’s past noon! Elijah’s texted you several times. He even came to see you before he left for a meeting. I told him you were still asleep!”

“I missed him?” I ask, now jolting up and glaring at my friend. “This is your damn fault! I at least wanted to see him once before tonight…”

“Oh honey, the way that man looks at you, I don’t think you need to worry about anyone taking him from you.” Angela waves her hand dismissively. “Now, we have an appointment at the salon at five. So, how about we get lunch, do a bit of sightseeing, and then head to the salon from there? I’ve chosen how I want my nails…” She carries on talking as she goes into the adjoining bathroom.

I simply groan, blocking her out, and pick up my phone to see Elijah has indeed sent four messages. Unlocking it, I push back the duvet and look at the messages.

ELIJAH: Hey Kitten, awake yet?

ELIJAH: If you’re up by 10, we could maybe catch breakfast?

ELIJAH: Sleeping without you was fucking hard.

ELIJAH: I love you, seems you’re still sleeping, which is great because then I get to keep you up tonight. I’m heading to my meeting now, I’ll see you at the ball.

My heart skips a beat, wishing I had been able to have breakfast with him. This is all Angela’s fault… I frown in disappointment before sending him a text back.

SCARLETT: Afternoon handsome, sorry, Angela did my head in until 4 am! I’ll miss you today and I can’t wait to see you tonight XX

I stare at that one message where he’s written ‘I love you’. He’s said the words to me several times, but I haven’t said them back. I do love him, truly, madly, deeply. And I will tell him tonight if he chooses me. Although I do believe he will, I still doubt it at times.

Tonight can be a dream or a devastating nightmare, but either way, I am going to be that beautiful goddess who will turn heads. With a deep breath, I get out of bed, ready to get started with our day.