Chapter 15
Elias was keeping his ever–watchful eye on Fay, as he had been doing for the last few days, when he saw her walking in on bullying session. Even though his wolf was encouraging him to intervene, for her sake, he held back so he could observe
He was left speechless when Fay stalked up to the group with her head held high and a fury unlike anything he’d ever seen. But he was absolutely stupefied when she stood up for Cassidy.
Elias just couldn’t believe his own eyes. He never saw her stand up for herself, not to mention others. Yet, there she was, shielding the person who nearly killed her, standing up for someone who didn’t deserve her care or sympathy
“Leave me alone!” Cassidy shouted before running off.
Fay moved to follow, but Sabel, who just walked out of the locker room, grabbed her arm. “What on earth are you doing?”
Fay broke out of her grip. “I’m helping.”
Without saying another word, Fay followed Cassidy into the woods, stunning everyone. Elias stood there for a second, trying to come to terms with what he’d just seen. But then his wolf reminded him that Fay might be in actual danger, so he gave chase.
Once he breached the treeline, he lost track of the girls, but that didn’t slow his pace. Fay’s sweet scent was lingering in the air, and he would use that as a guide. Elias kept running and before he knew it, he was surrounded by houses.
“Go away! I don’t want your pity,” he heard Cassidy cry out. “You’re just like all of them!”
Elias followed the voice. He was about to take a corner when the girls came into view, and he decided to just see what happened.
“You know that’s not true,” Fay said. Her voice was calmer than ever. “I would never do anything like that.”
“No, what you did was far worse!” Cassidy used all her strength to push Fay. “It wasn’t enough for you to steal Elias from me. You had to get Jonathan as well. Are you trying to ruin my life?”
Cassidy was obviously very angry and upset about the hand life had dealt her. It was apparent in the redness that spread across her face and neck, in the way she balled her fists, and in the tears that so rarely marred her face.
But that didn’t give her the right to blame Fay for her misfortune. It also didn’t enable her to be so aggressive toward the only person who was trying to comfort her.
“You ruined my life! You! A loser who can’t even defend herself. I can’t believe this.” Cassidy shoved Fay again. “Are you happy now? Does it give you pleasure to watch me wallow in self–pity?”
The growl that Elias had been trying to suppress finally escaped. Standing on the sidelines while his mate got insulted was pure torture. He didn’t know how long he’d be able to stand there on the sidelines.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Fay asked. “I’m trying to help because I know exactly what you’re going through. You weren’t the first to bully me, and you probably won’t be the last.”
Fay took a seat on the grass before patting the spot next to her, but Cassidy shook her head.
“Since I was born, people have hated me,” Fay continued. “They used to say that I was cursed and used that as a reason to explain why they hurt me… They left so many scars that even I lost count of them.”
Cassidy moved a bit closer. “Why did you allow it to happen?”
“Why did you?” Fay queried. “You’re a strong, capable she–wolf, but instead of fighting back, you cried. Could it be because you didn’t want more problems than you already have?”
“I don’t know…” Cassidy finally started relaxing, and she took a seat next to Fay. “I was so overwhelmed with heartache and then they started calling me these names… The horrible things they said…”
Fay nodded in acknowledgement. Elias could see the pain in her eyes, and for a moment, he wondered if she was reliving those terrible memories.
“You knew that it didn’t matter what you did, because whatever it was would be used against you in the future.” Fay pulled at the stalks of grass. “Sometimes it’s better to just keep quiet, to let them tire themselves out.”
Elias leaned back against the wall. It felt like the air had been forced out of his lungs, but it was his heart that had him bending a knee. It felt like someone had grabbed onto it and squeezed it as tight as they could.
He never knew, didn’t think things were actually that bad. Yes, he saw the scars. He knew that they were spread across her body, but he couldn’t begin to comprehend what she had actually gone through.
“I know this is harder for you than it was for me.” Fay added. “I never had friends, but I was used to that, yet these people were always there for you. Now the people you trusted with all your secrets turned against you. I can only imagine how hard that must be.”
“It’s not that,” Cassidy admitted. “I don’t give a damn about them or their opinions. What hurts me is that I managed to push my mate away. It was my chance to have everything I’ve ever wanted, but now it’s gone.”
Cassidy started plucking some grass of her own, but she was more aggressive than Fay.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I should never have treated you the way I did. You didn’t deserve that. I know that now.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me,” Fay declared. “We’re both just trying to make the best of our lives. We’ve both made mistakes. We just have to learn from them and move on.”
“The thing is, now that our roles are reversed, I realize how much I’ve actually hurt you.” Cassidy turned to face Fay. “It was wrong of me to act the way I did, but I promise I’ll be a better person in the future.”
“That’s a good plan.” With a satisfied smile, Fay extended her hand. “Friends?”
Cassidy gripped it firmly and nodded.
Elias had to admit that he was very impressed by Fay’s growth. The first day she walked into his house, he took her for a fragile girl who constantly needed the protection of others. Even though his opinion of her had changed over the past few months, he still thought of her as fragile.
But today he was pleasantly surprised. He learned something new about her, and that was that she could stand up when she needed to. She could defend not only herself, but others as well.
Fay was exhausted after all the excitement she’d had, so she decided to just cut the day short so she could get some rest. She returned to the Pack House, but when she stumbled into the kitchen, she stopped dead in her tracks.
Elias was there, wearing nothing but a pair of tracksuit pants. As her hungry eyes roamed over every single delicious inch of his body, her desire flared. It was like a flame, setting her body ablaze in the most mind blowing of ways.
Moisture instantly pooled between her legs, and a strange urge crept through her. She wondered what it would be like if he pinned her against the kitchen counter while he claimed her lips, what more she might want if those capable hands groped
her.
Fay bit her lip. She wanted that. She craved it like a drug, like she was an addict and he was her only fix.
“Hey,” he said as he turned around. “I didn’t realize you were there.”
Fay cleared her throat, but it did absolutely nothing for her thoughts. “Hi… What are you up to?”
“I’m making us all some dinner,” he said, looking very pleased with himself, until the pan caught fire. “But I’m not really good at it.”
“I can see that,” Fay giggled. “You want some help?”
He grinned. “I’d love that.”
Fay tied up her hair before putting on an apron. Since nothing he tried to make survived, she threw the pans into the sink and looked through the cupboards. There was so much to choose from, but a wolf was still a wolf and they loved their meat, so she decided to go with that.
Fay pulled out a few steaks, some potatoes, and a few greens, which she laid on the table.
“So what can you do?” she mocked.
“I can chop stuff.” He looked a little unsure of himself. “Okay, okay, I’m technically a bachelor, so I can order stuff.”
Fay burst out laughing. “Well, that’s something.”
Since his only specialty was pushing some buttons on his phone, Fay decided it would be best for her to keep the reins. She did her prep before moving on to her specialty, the steaks.
As Fay put the first steak in the pan, Elias came up to her. He was looking over her shoulder, his body pressed against hers, and her desire shot through the roof. Their close contact had her on edge… It was making her mind run wild.
She swallowed hard as embarrassment flooded through her. It wasn’t because of what was happening, though. It was because of what she wanted to happen.
“I never knew you were so brave,” he whispered next to her ear. “What you did for Cassidy was truly something to be admired.”
Fay spun around, surprised that he knew about that. She wanted to explain herself, but she didn’t get a chance. As she looked up at him, he kissed her.
It was unlike the kiss they shared before. This kiss was more intense, more urgent, it was filled with passion. With each second that passed, each flick of his tongue against hers, she wanted more.
“I want more of this,” he said between kisses. “Since you’ve walked into my office, I felt something for you, and I want to explore that. I want to get lost in the depths of your eyes and I want to win your heart.”
“Each time I look at you, I wonder what it would be like to be yours. I feel what you feel. I want what you want, but…” She pulled him in for a deeper kiss. “We shouldn’t cross any lines.”
“Why not? Why should we keep denying what’s right in front of us?”
“Because I’m holding out for my mate. I don’t want to end up like Cassidy,” she mumbled.
With that, Elias broke the kiss and walked away from her. As he turned, she thought she saw a flicker of hurt in his eyes, but it just happened too fast for her to be sure.
“I respect that and I won’t push you to do something you don’t want,” he muttered. “All I’m asking for is a chance.”
“I’m giving us that,” she said confidently.
“That’s good to know. You can finish dinner. I’ll see you when it’s served.”
After giving his order, Elias stalked out of the kitchen, leaving Fay utterly speechless and somewhat irritated.
