Free Web NovelChapter 29: Chapter 29
Elara POV
I wake up cranky and miserable. I did not get an opportunity to search the library for books on the Great Wars. I faked a migraine to avoid going to dinner, but Erin brought me a plate and stayed with me. Cooing and taking care of me. Which is a great gesture and very sweet of her, but she spoiled my plan.
I am not ready to face the twins this morning, I decide as I brush my teeth. When they agreed to my banishment, my heart stopped. I do not understand why. It is not a surprise that they do not want me, but it still stings. And I should consider that I am a masochist since I want to stay with them, even though I know it will mean a lifetime of misery.
Sure, I can sense Kane and Axel’s presence, even their emotions, and we are more connected through the mate bond than I initially thought. But that does not mean shit. It does not mean like, respect or love.
I throw my bag over my shoulder and grab a bagel before I walk towards the lake. I really hope Braden can finally tell me everything. These bits and pieces of information are frustrating.
The closer I get to the lake, the more anxious I become. I do not know what it is about Braden that attracts me to him. It could be because he is a vampire. Maybe vampires are designed to draw their prey to them. Or maybe because he has all this knowledge. I am unsure. All I know is that I want to see him.
Yesterday, I name-dropped vampires and witches in front of Axel and Kane, just to see if there was any flicker of recognition behind their eyes. But they ignored the comment altogether, which made me think they had no idea how deep the Council’s lies ran. All the more reason to slip from their grasp and wash my hands of all of this, sooner rather than later.
But first, I needed answers.
A wave of relief crashes over me as I see Braden. His back is to me, but I recognize the clean-cut hair, the flannel shirt, that tight ass in those perfectly fitting jeans ... Goddess, he is gorgeous.
For one wild second, I imagine sneaking up behind him, wrapping my arms around his lean, muscular torso, pressing my face to his back, and inhaling deeply, letting his spicy, intoxicating scent wrap around me.
“Are you just going to stand there?” Braden calls out, before turning around to face me. He flashes me a wide, dazzlingly white smile, and his green eyes twinkle mischievously.
I walk up to him slowly; the scent I have been craving wafts over me on the cool fall breeze. Even though I am not in wolf form, his smell is still strong enough to send pleasant chills down my spine.
As I get closer, his eyebrows knit together, and I fear he is going to call me out on my dirty thoughts.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
I am taken aback, and his question makes me feel vulnerable in a different way, like he can see straight into my soul.
“I can scent your distress, remember?” He smirks when I do not answer right away.
“Guess I can’t get away with anything around you, can I?” I smile wryly. How could I forget? He said it was what had intrigued him in the first place.
“Nope,” he smiles, patting the red blanket he is sitting on, indicating that I should join him.
Warmth blooms from my chest at the gesture, and I am suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to tell him everything.
“Kane and Axel took another mate,” the words tumble out as I sit beside him. “Their first love, Alice. The High Elder has commanded them to have pups with us both. They’re going to start making every Alpha take two mates.”
The more I tell him, the easier the words come, and I realise how desperate I am to tell someone who cares and maybe could help.
I do not know how I expected him to respond, but I am surprised by the sympathy in his expression.
“Those ancient bastards,” he says, his voice dripping with vitriol. “They’re returning to the old practices.”
“What old practices?” I ask him. This is why I came. For more information and confirmation that the Council has a plan ... and that none of us are privileged to know. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
“You want to know what really happened during the Great Wars?” Braden takes a deep breath. “Then here we go.”
Braden POV
0The look on Elara’s face as she tells me they are reverting to the old practices makes my stomach turn. Those sick assholes. I really thought the Council had moved past that.
Her sadness and confusion are etched on her face, and I have an overwhelming urge to run my finger across her face and smooth it back out. But instead, I bend my knees upwards and wrap my arms around them.
“A few hundred years ago, the mating practices were even more barbaric than they are now,” I start telling her. “There were fewer she-wolves, too, so some would be assigned to three or four men. Their only jobs were to cook, clean, and most importantly, fuck. If they didn’t produce pups, they were worthless.”
Elara’s eyes widen, and her mouth forms a little “o” of surprise.
It strikes me again how beautiful she is and how, if she knew everything, she might not come back to see me again. But it is unfair to trap her here like those barbaric wolves trapping their mates.
“Over time, the she-wolves, and eventually some of the men, stopped putting up with the Council’s bullshit,” I continue. “And they started being mated to fewer wolves, taking some leadership positions, getting more power of their own, but most of the men weren’t having it.”
“And instead of backing down, the she-wolves started a war?” A wide grin spreads across Elara’s face.
“Bingo,” I nod, pointing a finger at her.
“Damn, that’s kind of badass,” her face twists into a look of confusion. “Wait, but how the hell do you know so much about this and I don’t? You’re not even a shifter!”
“And what about the witches?” Her emotions rise like an angry tide washing over me in hot, crashing waves. “And why did you fight in the war?”
“I said I’ll tell you,” I reach out and place my hand over hers. She freezes, looking up at me, and when our eyes meet, it takes everything from me not to lean in and kiss her. “And I don’t break my promises.”
