ELIAS'S POV

Cece snored as I laid her down, Damini’s cedar scent still clawing my throat.

‘That was exhilarating’ My wolf said in my head. ‘You didn’t hold me back, yet you told her you don’t want to do anything again’

Frustration gnawed at my ego. I ran my hand through my hair instinctively, then stepped to the balcony for fresh air. “I don’t know, Owen. I really don’t know. She’s slowly dominating my mind. I might mark her accidentally if care is not taken”

This was true. The day I came back from New York to settle down here, I’d glimpsed Damini in traffic, reading in the cab and for the moment she wound the window down to see what was happening, I was captured and mesmerized.

Then when I got a job at the college to teach what I study, it was shocking she was the top student and yet, always bullied and keeping her head down.

I’d saved her from such of those bullying by appearing to scare others away, watching her from afar as she read, but I never got the chance to talk to her privately.

I couldn’t tell anyone including my mother. If it gets out that I have any romantic interest towards my student as a teacher, then, I’d be done for.

Until prom night…. “Help me professor” her eyes cried out when they made her dance shamefully before the whole school.

That was when I lost my mind and my bearing.

Only if I hadn’t acted rashly, perhaps i would be over her now that she was my stepdaughter.

‘Enjoy the moment while it lasts’ My wolf advised. ‘Remember everyday for the thief, One day for the owner’

I said nothing, but my heart was in flames until mum’s call interrupted.

“Hi Mrs Marsh. Still awake?” I chuckled. Seeing her call was another calm aesthetic that always seemed to bring hope to my problems.

“How’s the wedding night going?”

I heaved a sigh. How do I even tell my own mother that I didn’t have a drop of feeling for the wife she chose for me but for her daughter.

“Eli?” Mum called again. “How is it going! You okay?”

“Humm… Yes mum. I’m fine. Did you take your medicine? Eaten? Showered?”

Mum’s laughter was everything to calm my soul.

Since dad’s death when I was twenty, and I had to leave her alone as the only child to study, she was very lonely that she would make sure to video call me every night.

She was part of the reason why I resigned at New York university to come back. Who knows she was pushing me into a marriage as soon as I came back.

“How is Cece? Are you two getting along?”

I looked at her, already turned the bed to her sleepwalking field.

“She’s fine. But Mum, you never told me her daughter was this old”

Mum cleared her throat. “Em… I think I have to hang up now and…”

“Mrs Marsh! Don’t run away, answer me”

She had this habit of excusing questions like this. Same as when she didn’t tell me about the ‘coincidence’ meeting with Cece at the mall, until I made her talk.

“It’s your fault” Mum blamed me at last, as expected. “Look at how old her daughter was at just forty! You’re thirty eight, and you still need me to find a wife for you”

“Mum, she’s older. You can’t compare us”

She didn’t answer, my mind racing madly again. What if mum knows. What if she…

“Why do you sound so hollow anything troubling you?”

Now it was my turn to space out.

‘Tell her now’ My wolf advised. ‘She might have a solution… She might call the marriage off’

“Eli?”

“Mum, I…”

“Yes dear, tell me?”

“I think…”

“Mum! Mum are you asleep?” Damini’s voice interrupted, my heart snapped. “Professor are you there?”

Why would she suddenly need her mother?

“Mum let’s talk later” I moved to the door. “I need to attend to something.”

Mum didn’t hang up. “Hey, before you leave… come back home when you’re free. The pack elders sent an emissary, and they…”

My hand froze on the doorknob upon hearing this.

Pack emissary since when?

“Why did they show up now? It’s been so many years and I’d almost forgotten we had a pack”

She sighed. “Eli, we can’t run forever. You belong to the Clawshade, and you should be there. In the future, your children and grandchildren would want to know your real origin. We can’t…”

“Goodnight, mum”

I opened the door as I put the phone down.

“Why did it take you so long” She hissed and barged inside angrily. “What if it’s an emergency”

I closed the door, followed after her to the balcony.

“What happened?”

She dropped her phone with annoyance. “My grandma was on the phone earlier. She must have heard about the marriage”

Another problem?

I reached out and took her shaky hands. “She’d eventually learn about it. Why are you shaking”

“Eli, my grandma is a seer!” She cried. “Dad said his family was exiled from the pack when grandma saw a vision that the alpha wouldn’t live to see his grandchildren. If she sees us, she’d know everything between us, and… even on call, she was able to guess I found my mate”

How should I react to this. So she wasn’t from this pack too?

“Where’s your father from?”

“I don’t know, I think its some… claw whatever, but it doesn’t matter. Let’s..”

“Clawshade?”

Damini’s eyes widened. “Exactly! How’d you…?”

My blood iced. She was from Clawshade pack too? The same pack I swore never to touch? Same pack that broke my mother?

‘Things are getting complicated, Eli’ My wolf whispered. ‘Tell her who you really are. Tell her you’re the heir apparent to the throne, the son whose father didn’t live to see grow” My heart crashed. No. Not again. No Clawshade in my life again…

DAMINI’S POV

“Damn that old woman!” Mum cursed as she made breakfast. “Why was she even awake at 11!”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, my heart pounding. “I should have switched my phone off. It’s my fault”

“So what did she want?”

“Nothing much” I sipped the coffee. “Asked about school, you and…” My breath hitched.

I can’t tell her about the mate bond!

“What else?”

“Em….The house, She’s asking if we still lived there”

Mum hissed, serving the food as she scoffed. “Her son took after I think. Always asking unnecessary questions. Anyway, call Eli, food is ready”

I throttled upstairs absentmindedly, Grandma’s call and the mate bond replacing my usual early morning thoughts on how to escape bullying at school.

“Come down, breakfast’s ready” I knocked lazily, ready to turn to leave, but the door opened itself.

“Are you there?” I ventured inside. “Mum said, breakfast….”

“Breakfast?” His magnetic voice rang from the bathroom, turning my head, he was naked- stark naked, like an Adam.

I was breathtaking for what I couldn’t count to be minutes or seconds. Green eyes blazing beautifully like an hollywood actor, and the hair….

“Hey” He snapped me out of my trance. “You okay?”

I shook my head and straighten my back. “You.. You shouldn’t be walking around this house like this….”

His brow furrowed. “Miss Love are you okay? You came into my room”

“Oh…”

Fuck it! I’d spaced out too much. “I… I’m fine. I’m just thinking about last night. My grandma…”

He’d drapped a towel around his groin, the furrow dissolved into something I couldn’t call confusion or reluctance.

He advanced towards me. “What about last night? Do you want to do it again?”

“Eli, that’s not what I’m saying, I…”

He grabbed my jaw, cutting me off. His expression now properly decoded- he was trying to skip my question, distracting me from talking about the call by sounding sexual.

I wanted to push him off, that this wasn’t the time f0r this but heavens know I loved this. Perhaps this would wake me up from this new delusion.

“Your wife is downstairs, Dad”

His playful smirk contradicted the same man that shut me off yesterday. “Your mum sent you to me…..for breakfast”

His hand was already on his favorite spot—my chest. The neck top i had on making things easier than last night and because of how loose the dress was, I had just a tube on, with no bra.

Electric gushed to my blood veins as his hand touched my nipple. “I prefer this breakfast to your mum’s”

“Remember she made me?”

“I don’t care”

Within a blink of an eye, we were on each other by the wall. His fresh showered body heat warming me up and corrupting my thought.

Last night didn’t end well, and even the goodnight kiss felt bland. But this….. I caught his already bulging member through the threathning towel, my second hand on his chest, playing with his nipple as he kissed me wildly, madly, and hungrily.

The towel was almost slipping off his groins, my hands off it, he stopped. “Would you love to suck on Eli, Love?”

“What do it get for that?” My voice surprisingly turned seductive, back sliding down, ready to devour.

“Anything Love wants, Love gets” He slowly let loose of the towel, and dancing before me was his eight inch cock, with invitingly pink cap.

“You… You’re so big” I couldn’t help but confess.

He pulled my hand on it. “Get to work, or get caught by Cece”

I set to work, rubbing it slowly… abut to dip it in….

”Darling!”

Mum!

I was on my feet in the next minute, both of us frozen in shock.

I wasn’t ready to get caught, even though my desperate wish right now is to end this shitty marriage, but definitely not this way.

“What are you doing!” I snapped, pulling the towel to cover him, “She’s coming!”

Just as I was about dropping my hand from his groin after tying the towel, Mum came in.

“Surprise….” Another voice said beside her.

Elias turned at the sight of that. “Mrs Marsh?”

••••

The breakfast table was cold. The old lady’s glare was like an hawk, eyeing a chick it would soon devour.

Elias was on a hot seat, I could guess. Grinding his teeth and trying to get his mother’s attention.

“Mrs Marsh, you didn’t tell you were coming, and last night….”

She shot him a deadly glance. “Last night what!? So it’s a crime to come to my son’s place unannounced?”

My mum emerged from the kitchen with an additional dish. “No, aunt. It’s good that you came”

“You’re such a good woman” The woman smiled at mum. “I’m happy I choose you”

I almost laughed at that. Lucky to chose my mum?

“Then I’d go get ready for classes. Eat without me” Elias said, getting up like he was pressed.

His mother’s glare was commanding, showing off the badass Alpha lady energy as she commanded him. “Sit down! I came to have breakfast with you and your new family”

Elias sat back without complain, but his actions and expression showing that he wasn’t ready to receive his mother yet.

I used this as my cue to jump to my feet. “I’m still a student and the class monitor, I shouldn’t arrive late.”

Before anyone could stop me, I was at the stairs, bolting to my room like thunder.

Sitting before his mother could drain my energy, if not my sense with those hawk eyes.

“That was close” I breathed when I got to my room at last.

A few minutes later….

I’d dressed up, ready for school when Mum came in, her expression different from the ‘good woman’ earlier.

“go and have your meal, the woman has gone out with her son” she said, sitting on the bed.

I said nothing. Resumed my arrangements.

She scoffed when she got no response. “Damini, can we talk about us?”

“What about us, Mum?”

Mum jumped to my side, almost angrily. “What were you really doing with Elias earlier! Why are you two that close!?”

My heart sank. She still hasn’t forgotten even though Elias and I lied perfectly?

“Mum, what are you talking about. I told you he was helping me check my eyes”

She grabbed my hand with an evil smirk. “Were you going to tell him anything about my wolf or my past?”

“What!?” I had to yell for a second. “Mum! What do you take me for?”

“Stop your tomfoolery now and tell me what the fuck is going on!” She snapped at me. “Did you think I didn’t notice? Daddy this. Daddy that!”

I became perturbed looking directly into her eyes. She noticed something…. Finally… is this the end?

“I… I can explain” I began with gated breath. “I didn’t know….”

Dropped my hand, now scoffing. “You didn’t know what!? You wanted to ruin my happiness so bad that you have to do this to me, Damini?”

Tears choked my throat. Perhaps this was the best time to tell her what I had and shared with Elias.

The least she could do was to disown me — which is exactly what I seemed to need right now.

But… why does it feel so hard to just say.

“Mum, I will explain!”

“Yes! Explain how he knew I was forty years old and not the thirty-five that I lied about, and explain what you’re telling him about me yesterday when you guys went to the mall alone!”

I blinked. “Wait, What!?”

“Who else knows my real age except you!”

Her shriek would have scare the hell out of me but dawg! I felt relieved. She was still on and about her vanity!

“Mum, I’m late for class”

I rushed out before another outburst from her.

ELIAS’S POV

Mom’s dead silence only meant only one thing — anger.

“Mrs Marsh, are you not happy to see your son today?” I beamed trying to sound enthusiastic. “Why is your face so…”

“Eli, what is going on between you and that girl!?”

As if I knew this would be her first question.

“Mum. You married Cece for me, I didn’t even know what she looked like until last week! What are you expecting to happen between her daughter and me?”

She leaned beside her car, the look on her face not welcoming.

“I heard she’s still a college student. I will tell Cece to transfer her to the school dorms or rent a house for her outside”

My heart dropped. “Mum! Why would you do that? We were leaving perfectly fine like you wanted, right?”

“She’s an adult! I don’t trust these nowadays kids.” She looked away, but the worry on her face was unavoidable.

For some reason, I felt a sense of guilt.

‘She badly wants to see you get married,’ my wolf pointed out. ‘I can feel her desperation’

I swallowed hard, grabbed her hand, and pulled her cheeks.

“Are you jealous on Cece’s behalf? You should have thought of all this before getting married to her. She’s years older than me”

Mum snorted. “If you had listened to me when you were her age you would have a daughter as tall as that by now. All you know is to pet and study plants. Where has that taken you now?”

“Mum…”

She snapped her hand away from me. “Focus on getting her pregnant! I want a grandchild before the end of this year and if you can’t give me that, don't call me your mother anymore!”

She turned to her car, ready to leave.

But the expression on her face didn’t look like she was ready to leave.

How would I give her what she wanted?

“Mrs Marsh. Give me some time. I don't love Cece. You arranged everything so quickly, I didn't even know the type of wolf she was until her daughter told me!”

She turned sharply. “You’re on talking terms with her daughter? Eli, do you know the meaning of what you are doing?”

I stepped back.

Staying too long is useless.

“I will work on what you said Mum, have a nice time driving back home.”

“Eli, I want a grandchild!”

“Damini could be your grandchild” I didn’t smile this time to show her I wasn't interested in this conversation anymore. “I’d bring her over to spend the weekend with you.”

I turned to leave.

“The pack” Mum called back after me. “You didn’t say anything about it”

I stopped but didn’t look back. “I'm a rogue… no. We are rogue now. We don’t belong to any pack!”

“Eli!”

“Goodbye Mrs Marsh”

••••

Everything that transpired between Mum and me was temporarily forgotten the moment I laid my eyes on Damini’s hot body at school.

“Shall we complete what we started, Love?” The smell of her panties is also getting harder for me.

She curled her leg, not minding the scattered assignment sheets. “This office room is not enough to ride you, Eli”

“But enough for me to worship that cunt.”

I didn’t waste any time, I got on my knees and slid her panties down slowly.

Mum, the pack, the college, Cece, and anyone else could come later.

She swung her head back, the low moans setting my wolf on fire as we both morphed together to eat Damini out.

“Fuck it, Eli. You’re so good at this” Her squeezed my hair.

I took a break to look up to her obediently. “For you alone, Love”

In my past life in New York before coming here I never had any serious romantic relationships.

Women felt uninteresting in those days. All I wanted was to get my darn certificate and get a job.

But with Damini, who was twelve years younger than me, I feel like doing the naughtiest things with her.

“The bell for next class will soon ring, shall we stop?” Her voice was quivering.

I kissed her hole goodbye before rising to my feet to explore her mouth.

She pulled me closer than usual, her body shaking under mine as we kissed.

I couldn’t understand my own body reactions either.

None of us wants to let go.

“I..” She breathed out when we finally broke out of each other’s breath. “I love you, Eli. Can…Can we stay like this for longer?”

She looked so small as she said this.

This wasn’t Damini — my stepdaughter talking. This was Damini — My mate pleading.

I pinned her closer, savoring her scent. “Be my guest, Love. Let’s sin together in love. Let’s fight for this, even if the world throws stones at us”

“Will Mum ever forgive me?”

Her words felt like a punch to my heart.

Will Mum forgive me too? She wanted a grandchild, a daughter-in-law….

“Will the world accept us?” She asked again, now whimpering. “If my dad were alive, he would have accepted.”

Slowly, I released her. “I’m here, Love.” Placing a kiss on her forehead. “We shall walk on the hot coals together… no. I will walk on the hot coals, carrying you protectively in my arms”

“You…sure?”

“Never been so sure”

“You wouldn’t get tired of me?”

“Not while there’s still life in my body.”

She refused to untangle me until a knock interrupted. We quickly controlled ourselves.

Halfway to the next class, my phone rang from Cece.

“Mrs Marsh is back again, Honey” She said.

I blinked. “Mum came back? Why? For what reason?”

“I…I don’t know. She came with her bags, so when you’re coming back, please call Damini and pick her up….”

“Wait. I should pick Dami from school?” I blinked, didn't she know she’s my student? “What school?”

She went silent for a while. “Call her up and ask. Two of you buy more groceries while coming back”

Then she ended the call.

“That pathetic….” I stopped realizing I was in front of the class. “Let’s continue…”

A mother who doesn’t know where her daughter schools?

‘Love Damini,’ Her picture flashed in my head. ‘What kind of life did you live in the past?’