I ended the call and turned my eyes toward Elias, who was standing in the living room staring at me with a puzzled expression, his travel bag still in his hand.


    “Who’s Neil?” he asked again, more firmly this time.


    “He’s the son of one of my father’s Alpha acquaintances,” I exined, my voice low.


    “And doesn’t he think you’re dead?” Elias asked, clearly trying to piece everything together.


    “No. Neil and his dad both know I’m still alive. My father tried to arrange a marriage between the two of us, “I told him.


    “You were engaged to him?” Elias asked, his eyes briefly darkening to ck before shifting back to their


    usual blue.


    “I guess you could technically call it that. But I wouldn’t. It was more of a deal between our fathers. Neil


    was on board because it saved him the trouble of searching for a mate–and he’s every bit as cruel as the


    rest of them. I didn’t want anything to do with it. I swear. To him, I was nothing more than a convenient punching bag,” I said, watching Elias’s expression shift into something unreadable.


    “Did he ever actually hit you?” Elias asked quietly.


    “Yeah. He did. The first time we ever met. My dad left us alone in the attic so we could ‘get to know each other,‘ but Neil just saw the bruises I already had and assumed he could get away with more. And he was right,” I said, eyes dropping to the floor as shame crept in.


    I heard Elias lower his bag to the ground, then his footsteps approached until he stood directly in front of <ol><li>me. </li></ol>


    “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before. I honestly didn’t think Neil would ever resurface,” I said, my voice


    trembling slightly. Elias ced his hands gently on my shoulders, then pulled me into a firm embrace,


    wrapping his arms securely around me.


    “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t havee at you like that. I had no idea someone else out there knew you were still


    alive,” he murmured against my hair.


    “I know. And I never wanted you to find out. I never wanted to see Neil again,” I whispered.


    “Lyra… was it just physical abuse?” Elias asked, his tone tense. I shook my head slowly, not trusting myself


    to speak.


    He didn’t need me to say anything more–his chest vibrated with a low growl, restrained but threatening, the sound echoing in the air between us.


    Somehow, he managed to keep himself from losing control and instead tightened his hold on me.


    “None of that was your fault,” he said firmly.


    175


    < CHAPTER 37


    “I wish I could believe that. But I didn’t even fight him off that hard,” I admitted quietly.


    Mate Rewards


    “I remember what you were like when I first saw you in that house. If Neil was an Alpha’s son, you wouldn’t


    have stood a chance. You didn’t have the strength. And if you’d resisted <i>too </i>much, he might’ve killed you,”


    Elias said, gently but firmly lifting my chin so I would meet his gaze.


    “I’m sorry I kept it from you. I didn’t want to tell anyone,” I said softly.


    “I understand. But don’t worry. He’s not going to get to you here. All he has is a phone number–<i>someone </i>


    could’ve passed it along. It doesn’t have a tracker, I made sure of that. He can’t trace <i>your </i>location


    through it. You’re safe,” he assured me.


    “I’m really d you’re home,” I told him, feeling some of the tension in my chest ease.


    “Me too. Even being away just one night felt like too long,” he replied.


    “Why don’t you take a shower? I’ll start dinner,” I suggested with a small smile.


    “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day,” he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead before picking his bag up


    and heading upstairs.


    I moved into the kitchen and began making dinner–steak with a side of vegetables and a fresh sd. Everything was nearly finished by the time Elias came back downstairs.


    “That smells amazing,” Elias said as he stepped into the kitchen.


    “It won’t be too long now,” I replied, flipping the steaks onest time.


    “No rush,” he said. Then, after a pause, “Hey, can I ask you something?”


    “Of course,” I said, ncing over at him.


    “Did you sleep in my bedst night… with my shirt?” he asked, his tone yful but curious.


    My face flushed instantly. I hadpletely forgotten to tidy up his room before he came back.


    “Yeah… I couldn’t sleep in mine. So I went into yours. Your scent helped me fall asleep,” I admitted, feeling more embarrassed than I expected. But Elias just grinned at me, clearly amused.


    “I don’t mind,” he said, eyes twinkling. “So… does that mean you’ll be sleeping there again tonight?”


    “Probably,” I muttered, avoiding his gaze.


    “Works for me,” he said casually.


    Of course it did. He was practically glowing. A sixteen–year–old girl cuddling up in his bed, wrapped in his shirt–every guy’s fantasy, especially for someone like Elias, already twenty–four. But he didn’t push it. He just looked… happy.


    We sat down to eat, and as usual, Elias acted like he hadn’t eaten in days, practically inhaling the food like it was hisst meal on Earth. I knew he loved my cooking, but it still made me smile every time I saw him


    <b>eat </b>like that.


    < CHAPTER 37


    More Rewards >


    After dinner, I started stacking the dishwasher while Elias cracked open a beer and started telling me about the mission they’d just returned from. They’d managed to rescue around twenty children, and now they were working to find them proper homes. I could hear the pride in his voice, and I was genuinely impressed. He didn’t talk himself up often, but this mattered to him.


    Then the wind outside suddenly shifted–sharp, unexpected.


    “Princess…”


    The voice was faint but unmistakable. It whispered through the air like it had shape, like it could reach inside and twist something in me.


    I jerked upright, staring out the window.


    “Princess…” it came again, riding the wind like a warning.


    “What is it?” Elias asked, already standing.


    “There’s something out there. It’s calling me,” I said quietly, my eyes scanning the treeline.


    Elias stepped up beside me and looked out. He saw the wind moving, but he didn’t hear what I did. Not the


    voice. Not the name.


    Without a word, he stepped outside, checking the yard, the tree line, everything. But there was nothing. No movement. No presence. When he came back in, he double–checked every door and window, locking them tightly.


    “There are patrols out across the whole territory,” he said. “Nothing’s getting in without being seen.”


    “Ghosts have gotten in before,” I reminded him, “without anyone seeing. They’re being controlled… by the ck witch.”


    “Well, ghosts can’t hurt you,” he said automatically.


    I pulled the neckline of my shirt down just far enough to reveal the faint, scorched imprint of a hand on my


    chest.


    “This one can,” I said quietly.


    His jaw clenched, and his eyes widened as he stared at the mark. Rage flickered in his expression. <fnfe32> This content belongs to FιndNovel</fnfe32>


    “Alright. That’s it. You’re staying with me tonight. You don’t sleep alone. If you hear <i>anything</i>–even if I don’t -you wake me up. Got it?”


    I nodded silently, the weight of everything suddenly pressing down on me again. I tried to stay calm, but my hands were beginning to shake.


    Then my phone rang–again. Same unknown number.


    Neil.


    Before I could even reach for it, Elias snatched it up and answered.


    “Lose this number,” he snapped before hanging up without waiting for a response.


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    Elias took me upstairs, his hand resting lightly on my lower back. He didn’t say anything, but he could see it–I wasn’t holding it together nearly as well as I wanted to. And now that Neil had reached out twice in one day, I was rattled.


    I needed a shower. Something to clear my head.


    I left the bathroom door cracked open just slightly–not enough for Elias to see anything, but enough that if something went wrong, he could be in here in seconds.


    Just in case.


    Once I stepped out of the shower, I hurriedly got dressed and climbed straight into bed without wasting a


    second.


    Elias was already lying there; he had turned on the television and selected a movie for us <i>to </i>watch


    together. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, like a protective shell, and wey there in silence while the film yed.


    I tried to pay attention to the movie, but staying focused was incredibly difficult. Elias wasn’t fully watching


    either–I could tell. His entire body was tense, his instincts on high alert, locked into that protective mode.


    Suddenly, I heard my phone ringing from somewhere downstairs. But I didn’t move. The only people who


    had that number were Elias and Luke. And Luke had no reason to call me directly–he’d go through Elias if anything was urgent. So we ignored it. But a few momentster, I noticed Elias stiffening as he started receiving a mind link.


    “What’s happening?” I asked him.


    “It’s nothing,” Elias responded quickly.


    “Don’t lie to me,” I shot back.


    “There’s something happening near the border. I told the patrol team to handle it. That’s their job. I’m not leaving you right now<i>,” </i>he told me.


    “If it’s something important and you need to defend the pack, you can go,” I said quietly.


    “No, I said it’s under control,” he replied.


    “What exactly is going on at the border?” I pressed.


    “They don’t have a clear visual. But they’re picking up sounds–wolves howling from a distance. No confirmation yet whether they’re hostile or not,” Elias exined.


    “If you want to go and check it out for yourself, I understand,” I told him.


    “I’m not leaving,” he repeated firmly. And I knew he meant it–he wasn’t going to abandon me under any


    circumstances.


    4:5


    More Rewards


    But only a short whileter, he got another mind link, and this one was different. I could see it in the way his body tensed up all over again. Then came a noise–chaotic movement right outside the house.


    I quickly climbed out of bed, walked to the window, and peered through the ss. What I saw made my breath catch–several pack warriors were dragging unfamiliar men into the territory, marching straight


    toward our home.


    Elias had already gotten up. I watched as he threw on a shirt and left the bedroom. I followed behind him.


    We moved to the front entrance, and while I remained just inside, Elias stepped out onto the front porch to


    confront whoever wasing.


    The men they had brought in looked like they were Native American, and the warriors weren’t being gentle


    about how they handled them.


    “Who are you?” Elias demanded, his voice cold andmanding.


    “We’vee to warn you about her,” one of the men said, pointing straight at me. Elias turned his head to


    nce back at me, and I felt all the other warriors‘ eyes shift in my direction, too.


    2


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