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?’

DAMINI’s POV

“Tell me about it, your frequent visits to Professor Elias’s office…” Jessica started, her voice full of mockery as she and her friends walked around me in slow circles. Their smirks made cold shivers run down my spine. “Do you think hiding there will save you from us?”

How did they catch on that I had been going to his office so often?

Fear rose heavily in my chest and my hands started shaking.

What if they knew he was now my stepfather? The thought alone made my stomach turn.

One of them pulled my hair hard from behind. “Will you keep quiet forever? Who are you to Professor Elias and why is he always saving you?”

“Can’t you tell?” another one laughed. “The professor is probably disgusted by her. But he can’t help himself from saving her pathetic self.”

I wished so badly I could laugh in their faces and tell them the full truth about who I really was to Elias.

But for the sake of my education and to protect his reputation, I kept my mouth shut.

Jessica heaved a long sigh. “Anyway, I have a deal to make with you, Damini.”

I blinked, surprised. Why would she suddenly want to make any deal with me?

“I… I refuse,” I said, surprised at how strong my voice came out.

“What!?” One of the girls smacked the back of my head. “You’re refusing without even hearing what she wants to say? Are you so full of yourself or are you just being stupid?”

I stayed silent inside my head. I was not being stupid. I was only trying to keep myself away from more trouble. Cece must not hear that I fought with anyone.

Jessica grabbed my jaw tightly and a wicked look from her wolf flashed across her face.

“I don’t care if you refuse or agree. It is a must.”

Anger built up inside me but I tried to hold my ground. “W… What do you want?”

“I want you to start stalking Professor Elias,” she dropped the words like a heavy stone. “I am interested in the man and since I can’t throw myself on his bed directly, I want you to talk to him and get his house information for me.”

My heart felt like it stopped for a moment. “Are you interested in Professor Elias? Since when?”

She staggered back a little. “How does that concern you? Don’t tell me you have feelings for him?”

My heart became very unsettled. Why did bad things keep happening every time I thought I could finally be happy?

I felt frustrated. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath of the hot air around us. When I opened my eyes again, something inside me had changed completely.

“What are you…”

I raised my hand and gave her a dirty slap before she could finish her sentence.

“Jessica!” the other girls gasped.

She fell to the floor instantly, her eyes shaking with disbelief.

“What did you just do!? Did you forget who Jessica is?”

I had forgotten at that moment that she was the principal’s daughter. But since the deed was already done, I let everything out.

“Stop having delusions about Professor Elias. He is married and he has a daughter!”

Their eyes froze in shock. “How did you know that?”

I smiled at Jessica. “Keep sniffing around like the dog that you are. Maybe one day you will find out how I know.”

That felt dangerous, but it also felt good.

This was the first time I had looked Jessica straight in the face and stood up to her.

I felt elated, like I had just won something big.

But then, she needed to know her place so that not everybody could be bullied without consequences.

I was almost at the academic building, heading to my next class, when I heard a voice behind me.

“You are fierce… just like your mother.”

I stopped walking.

Turning around, I saw Mrs Marsh, Elias’s mother, sitting calmly on the bench under the big tree.

Adrenaline rushed through my body.

“M… Mrs Marsh. Why are you here?”

Elias looked so much like his mother that I could not ignore the resemblance.

The sly smile that played on her lips reminded me of the way Elias looked when he was feeling that way.

“So you attend the same school as my son?” She scoffed. “Should I call this a coincidence?”

My mouth became dry. I could not even swallow saliva properly but I shook my head quickly. “I… I have been a student here before he arrived, ma’am.”

“Is that so?”

She stood up and moved closer to me. Her green eyes seemed like they could see straight into my soul.

“Why do you smell so much like him? And what were you two doing in the bedroom alone this morning when I came?”

Why did she sound like someone investigating a serious crime?

I began to sweat, feeling very uncomfortable as she came even closer. “Most young girls your age have sent him love letters in the past. So I would not be surprised if you have any thoughts about him.”

She was clearly trying to push me into admitting whether I had feelings for Elias or not.

Cold shivers continued running down my spine. Why was she even here in the first place?

I forced a smile on my face and raised my head, since I had been bowing slightly the whole time. “I accidentally used his perfume this morning. That was why I was in the room and why I smelled like him.”

She nodded slowly, as if she believed what I said.

I did not know I could lie this well, but she seemed to accept it. That was the important thing.

“Take me to his class. I would love to see my son in action.”

I frowned. “Why… Why…”

“Are you afraid I will find out something about you?”

The woman really had a way of making someone feel very uncomfortable.

I could only smile weakly and walk with her toward the building, even though I was the one leading the way.

My legs felt heavier with every step.

If she entered his class now and saw anything suspicious… if she smelled the way our scents still mixed together from earlier…

We reached the corridor. Mrs Marsh’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the closed door of Elias’s lecture hall.

Before I could say anything or try to stop her, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

“Eli….”