Violet

I didn't let my shoulders sag, nor did I cry until I was out of the office and in my car. I rolled the windows up fast and headed straight to the place I had been calling home for all these years.

My fingers gripped the steering wheel a bit too tightly, as if I was drowning and trying to physically hold on to something.

"You know I am right here, and it's okay to let yourself feel," Rain spoke softly in my head, and I smiled despite the sadness weighing on me.

She had been nudging me to let go of Nate, but after I truly did it...she was surprisingly quiet.

No blunt reminders, no scorned words...just a calm quiet that I appreciated more than I could express.

"Thanks," I mumbled. I was lucky to have her as my wolf.

I was not Nate's official mate. He had chosen me just like I had chosen him.

But it didn't matter now.

I had promised to walk away from everything to do with Nate, so I decided to do good on it.

With an eerie calm, I drove the car into the garage, parked and dropped the keys by the stand.

He had accused me of cheating. I didn't want to be accused of robbery too.

So, I was only going to take what was truly mine.

My phone stayed oddly silent, no missed calls or texts from Nate. I bet Nicole was still there, whispering comforting words to him.

I shook my head so as to not dwell in the past and stepped into the house. I stood stiffly for a moment, unsure where to start first.

But the scent of Nate's cologne breezed towards me like usual.

Because I would use that in the scented candles to remind me of his presence when he was away. Tonight, that scent felt suffocating.

So I walked towards the side tables and threw all the candles in a trash bag. The first step had been hard, but once I started, I could function better.

The throw pillows and the soft blanket I used to hug while watching cheesy romantic movies went in next.

My attention moved to the photo frames of me and Nate hanging all around the walls, and I took them down one by one. By the time I was done with the living room, there were five big trash bags sitting by the corner.

For a moment, I simply stood there, catching my breath.

"You don't have to do it all at once," Rain whispered, but I shook my head.

"If I stop, I won't find the strength to continue"

Throwing the wardrobe open, I spent the next few hours separating the clothes I owned, those gifted by him went in one bag, ones I bought with my own money went in another.

I tore down the soft wallpaper with almost a mechanical precision, stripping down the walls of all the warmth I had infused in them.

My books, jewellery, shoes, everything met the same fate. My gaze flicked to the potted plants I had placed all over the shelves and felt a sob working its way up my throat.

I refused to cry and put them all in another box that would go in the donation pile. I moved to his cupboard and pulled out all the stuff I had gifted him- wallets, watches and shirts.

My hand stilled over a sweater I had knitted for him two years ago. It had taken me months to learn to knit.

I almost yanked it out and threw it on the floor, found a pair of scissors and cut through the clothes I had bought for him viciously.

Tears finally began to leak out of my eyes as I put all the cut pieces and waste in a giant heap in the backyard, threw in the sweater and everything else I had gifted him, doused it all in the expensive colognes I had bought for him and lit up a fire.

My feet sagged as I sat there, quietly watching the life I had built with Nate burn down to ashes.

My phone buzzed, and for a fleeting second I thought it was a message from Nate. My fingers shakily reached for the phone to see that it was from the credit card company.

There was still no call or message from him. There would never be hence forth. I pulled out my sim card, and it joined the pile of ashes too.

Wiping my tears, I pulled my purse open, grabbed all the cards that were in my name but tied to his account and cut them up with scissors before throwing them in the burning pile.

Exhale and Inhale.

I focussed on breathing and walked back up to the trash bags, throwing them all in the blazing inferno that was my life until now.

Stepping back into the room, I took one final look at the place I had called home all this time.

Then I turned off the lights and grabbed the two boxes containing my stuff along with the donation box and grabbed my car keys.

Just two boxes...that was all my life amounted to right now.

I loaded it all into the car, stopped by an orphanage to drop the books and crisp blankets somebody in need could benefit from and thought of the place I had called home before I gave it up all for Nate.

Turning the ignition on, I drove straight towards the Night Fury pack, the pack my parents, Alpha Luke and Luna Miranda, ruled.

Mom and Dad were already in their car and about to drive somewhere when Mom saw me approaching in my car.

She stepped out of the car immediately and ran towards me.

"Where the hell have you been, Violet?" She asked me and pulled me into a hug.

"Your phone is not reachable, and neither is that dumb boyfriend of yours answering the calls." She continued while cupping my face.

"We broke up. Nate and I are officially over"

"What?" Mom looked at me in shock and exchanged a confused glance with my father.

"What happened, dear? What did he do?" She asked, but I had taken all day to forget it, and was not in a condition to voice it out.

So I simply said. "I am tired and need to sleep."

"Of...of course, my child, this is your home and will always be." She patted my back while Dad hugged me too.

It felt nice to be hugged by them, like I was still their little girl who would run to them whenever I wanted to cry.

I smiled and replied. "I lost one home, but I won't lose another. I'll marry whoever you want me to. Arrange the wedding ceremony as soon as possible."

Mom and Dad exchanged a hesitant look at that.

"What is the matter?"

"Four alphas turned down your marriage proposal yesterday. Nobody wants to associate with our pack anymore. We are on our own"

"What? Why?"

Violet

That news should have made me glad. I was nursing a very recent heartache and just erased everything connecting me to the man I'd been dreaming of marrying.

But the way my mother said that line told me our pack's situation was grave.

Dad immediately fussed over me. "Ignore your mother, you have come home after such a long time."

He pulled me into a hug and said to mom. "She must be hungry, get her something to eat."

Mom hurried inside the kitchen while servants brought my bags inside. I had mixed feelings about returning to the place I had grown up in.

I recalled how I had left happily from this home, telling my parents proudly that I was creating my own pack, my own little nest with Nate.

But I had burned everything down, stripped it bare with my hands before coming here. A lump rose in my throat that I quickly swallowed to quash down the painful memories.

"Is everything alright?" I asked my father whose tense smile didn't escape my eyes.

"Nothing you need to worry about" He smiled but I shook my head. "Please dad, I am not a little girl anymore that you need to protect. What is going on?"

Dad sighed and I could see the defeat in his eyes. It absolutely crushed me to see him helpless like this.

"I am not sure what went wrong between you and Nate but it seems all the alphas are siding with him after the video went viral."

I didn't need to ask what video. Apparently, it had been widely circulated on social media and turned me into a meme.

At least, my parents already knew and I wouldn't have to cook up an elaborate story on the reason of my breakup with Nate.

"I didn't...I wouldn't" I began but dad placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I know he spun a web of lies with that girl. But they have everybody convinced you were the culprit... and now nobody wants to do business with us."

I hated the way my father was struggling for words, like he was trying to save me from the brutal online bullying and not disclose the harsh slangs people must have hurled at me.

While I was busy deleting myself from Nate's life he and Nicole spread all the negativity and lies about me in the entire community. I had still accepted my fate somehow, but they had gone ahead and dragged my family in this??

I grew furious and instantly headed outside the door, ignoring the hot plate of food mom brought for me.

"Violet, wait, where are you going? There is no use trying to talk to Nate."

I took a deep breath, grabbed my keys and answered.

"I won't"

I didn't really have a destination in mind but I was absolutely not going to sit and do nothing. Somehow a location popped up in my head and twenty minutes later, I was walking in the same restaurant where everything began-Salt & Smoke.

Luckily, the waitress who had attended me was heading outside and I knowingly bumped into her.

"Hey, I am looking for someone. The customer you served today. Did he give you a name or number?"

I didn't waste time in idle chitchat though her eyes widened in surprise.

"You...I attended you. And then there was the attack.I'm Lucy by the way..." She began but I was in a hurry.

"Yes, then a man fought all the rogues. Do you know his name?" I asked and she blinked in surprise.

"Everybody knows his name. He is the infamous Elijah Lockwood. He returned to the city last weekend."

She looked at me as if I had grown another head, as if I was oblivious to the existence of the sun itself.

"Thanks. Do you have his number?"

The waitress shook her head. "Not his personal number but the one he made the reservation with should be in the computer that got destroyed in the attack."

Shit. Now how was I supposed to find him?

I pulled up my mobile and typed his name in the search bar but nothing popped up. Didn't she say the entire city knew his name?

I was almost at my wits end when she suddenly blurted out. "I heard him talking to someone on the phone about meeting at the Players Den tonight."

Oh thank heavens! I immediately pulled out a few notes and handed them to her without counting. "Thanks for the help."

Players Den was relatively easy to find. It popped up on the search immediately and I was once again driving through the city in the dead of the night.

I was just going on a random hunt but I prayed to the Moon Goddess to let him be there when I reached.

An hour later, I parked outside a huge, half-broken sign that read 'Players Den' and stood in front of the tall dark building that looked less of a pub and more of a mafia secret lair.

A sleek black car was parked in the corner and I felt hopeful though the place was a bit creepy.

"This is for mom and dad," I repeated in my head.

I then put on my coat, grabbed my purse and climbed the small flight of stairs that brought me in front of a huge door that had seen better days. There were no guards to stop me as I stepped in and no loud music blaring through the windows.

And a second later, I realized why.

It was an abandoned building with broken furniture, scraps of metal and discarded items lying around amid a large pool of water.

My eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness and my body was on alert mode. I only wished I had a knife or some kind of weapon.

If I was lucky there wouldn't be rogues lurking around.

I crouched low and surveyed the place, wondering if I should shout Elijah's name out loud.

But then my eyes fell on the only source of light down the passageway to my left.

A single bulb was flickering in the dark space and below it I saw someone tied to a chair. The person's head was hanging down and blood was trickling down his body and mixing into the water below.

A man was leaning over him, tall, dark and wearing black. Undoubtedly Elijah Lockwood.

"Who sent you?" Elijah asked while twirling a sharp blade in his hands.

Forget answering, his prisoner didn't even move but a second later, a shrill scream ripped out of his throat, echoing through the large space as I saw Elijah press the blade into his captive's cheek, a trail of blood oozing out of the cut.

I immediately crouched behind a pillar and peeked outside, heart thundering wildly.

When the scream died down, I gulped and wondered how to run towards the exit without making a sound but then Elijah's voice echoed again.

"I was talking to you, little girl"

Shit.

Violet

My heart almost dropped out of my mouth and thrashed on the floor like a dying fish.

My knees turned wobbly and I prayed harder than ever to the Moon Goddess that Elijah would not just ram a knife into me before I had even gotten a word out.

Slowly I raised my hands all the way up in the air to indicate I meant no harm and was relieved to see him standing next to the captive, far away from me.

His eyes met mine and narrowed initially but I saw the exact second when he realized who I was.

Relief blossomed inside me as I took it as a sign that things would go smoothly but the next second, he turned his attention back to the captive, completely dismissing me.

Bracing for the worst, I slowly and cautiously approached him.

Elijah Lockwood was a wall of pure muscle, and I had appeared at the worst possible time.

Because, he was not just holding someone captive, but he was torturing the person tied to the chair.

Up close, I could see the several cuts he had given to the man and the stench of blood grew even more intense.

"Wh-why are you hurting him? Let him go!" I said and immediately realized how stupid I sounded.

Elijah threw me an amused look as he looked from me to the captive.

The next second he grabbed a fistful of the man's hair and raised his face in my direction.

A shocked exclaim left my lips as I subconsciously stepped back from him, from the rogue attacker he had dragged out of the restaurant alive yesterday.

"Look at him carefully, girl. This is the man who could have killed you. Still want me to let him go?"

I looked at the black and blue face of the rogue, the scenes of the chaos and attack flashing past my eyes as fear crawled up my spine.

Words wouldn't come out so I simply shook my head. 

"Thought so," He quipped and let go of the rogue's head.

Elijah was so tall and broad that he made me look like a kitten in front of the big, bad wolf.

And everything about him screamed bad right from his tattoos, the muscles bulging under his rolled up sleeves and the blood splattered on his hand.

I had been so focussed on finding him, I had not really thought of what to say to him once I did. My mind had gone utterly blank.

"Hi, I...I am Violet Hayes and I wanted to...thank you for saving me earlier today."

I blurted out and he furrowed his brows in confusion for a second before turning back to the rogue.

"Who sent you?" He demanded, wiping the bloody knife on the rogue's shirt.

"Please, let me go!" The rogue cried helplessly as Elijah grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked it hard while also letting the tip slice into one of the cuts, making him scream again.

I shuddered and took a step back as the rogue's unconscious head lolled to the side.

Elijah then turned his attention to me and cocked an eyebrow as if to ask why I was still around and not running for my life.

"I need your help. My pack is in danger..." I said automatically but he had already strutted past me and was walking towards the door.

"Hey, I am talking to you!" I shouted and ran to follow him.

"Go home" He said dismissively and opened the door of his car and I could see the chance of my parents' safety slipping by.

So I acted without thinking and placed a hand on his arm, yanking hard that took him by surprise. He lost his balance for a second.

My foot slipped and my back got plastered to the passenger window with Elijah's face inches away from mine.

"What the hell are you doing?" He sounded mildly infuriated.

And up close, I could see the faint scars on his face, the old bruises disappearing under the fabric of his shirt.

I was also acutely aware of his chest pressed against mine, of the way his body caged mine.

Elijah sprang apart not even a second later and I quickly adjusted my clothes and hair.

"Sorry. I...want to marry you." That totally came out wrong.

"Girls do ask for a night of sex but hiding it under the guise of marriage, that's new! Besides, you look sixteen." He snorted and began to reach for the car's door again.

"No, I am not asking for sex and I am twenty-three" I clarified, feeling my cheeks burn as those words left my mouth.

But that made him knit his brows.

"You want to marry me and have sex with others? Also, you are like a decade younger to me."

"So what? We are both adults" I croaked.

That response sounded way better in my head.

"Are you leading me on?"

I groaned.

"Stop saying sex. And no, I was talking about an alliance. Usually, packs secure that through some trade or marriage and my pack doesn't have the money or resources for a huge trade right now."

I vomited out words and hoped they were making sense to him.

But that only made him scowl in confusion.

"So, you want to pawn yourself off in a marriage with me, not even offer sex, and expect me to save your pack just because I didn't let you die yesterday?"

I felt my cheeks flush again and I pushed my hair behind, moving my hands in the air animatedly to explain everything without sounding like a blithering idiot.

"I said stop talking about sex. I am discussing an important matter...."

Elijah, however, didn't feel the need to let me complete my sentence. Instead, he leaned closer, invading my personal space.

"Why? Didn't your mate tell you that I am a cruel bastard or that a sweet girl like you shouldn't be around a monster like me?"

My eyes widened realizing he had heard everything Nate said.

Elijah's breath tickled my ear as he added in a low whisper. "Everything he told you about me is true so if you value your life, run, little girl."

His voice was thick with promise yet I stayed rooted to my spot, trying to quiet my thundering heart.

"Nobody else will help my pack and the threat of war is looming over us. Please, everybody already thinks I was trying to lure you into some trap because of the video."

"What video?"

"The restaurant footage where you saved me...it's too complicated to explain."

He shrugged like it didn't bother him in the slightest. He ignored it entirely, something I wish I had the strength to do.

His gaze hardened. "So that asshole left you?"

I looked him in the eye. "I left him. And now I need your help. I'll do anything...except sex. I mean, if we marry and then you want..." 

I hated to sound so desperate, to beg a random stranger who could just snap my neck like that captive rogue if I kept bothering him. But then I could see his strength and felt my pack would benefit from a valuable ally like him.

"Stop talking!"

A muscle in his jaw worked, and he rubbed his temple, clearly agitated.

I shut my mouth abruptly but was ready to fall to my knees and plead if that meant saving my family.

"Find something that will interest me enough to provide an alliance to your pack." He said at last.

"What do you mean, find something? Just tell me!" I shouted, but he had opened the car's door and slipped into the driver's seat before I could blink.

"You said it's either trade or marriage for an alliance, right? Marriage is not my thing, and sex isn't yours, clearly...so find something to trade off in the next twenty four hours or the next time I see you, I will tie you to a chair and make you scream like that rogue."

I had definitely pissed him off.

I opened my mouth to apologize but then he added the next words in a low whisper that sounded a lot like promise.

"But the only difference is that you will love every second of it."

What?