ELIJAH'S POV
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Watching Diana swirl her waist, letting another man touch her, made my blood boil. Damn it. I didn't deserve her—she was too good for me, too far out of my reach. But I would lose my mind if I couldn't have her.
If I can have you, I can have everything.
That mantra had haunted me for five years. I still remembered the way she looked at me—eyes wet, pleading for me to accept her. It tore through my chest like a blade, yet I said the words that pushed her away. I let her go. I was a coward. A fool.
And now, seeing her again, my wolf stirred. He wanted her as much as I did. We couldn't live without her. We'd already gone half-mad these past years. Without her, we'd be lost completely.
Diana's eyes clung to the stranger she held—some man from another pack, someone she barely knew. His hand rested on her waist, sliding dangerously up her neck.
My chest burned. Damn it, my goddess. He was holding my goddess.
I called her that the first time we met. She was only ten, I fourteen, bleeding from a fight I barely escaped. I had run into the woods, broken and angry, when she appeared. A little girl in a white sleeping dress, silver hair spilling like moonlight, olive skin glowing under the night sky. She pressed a white kerchief against my wound, even though it healed on its own.
That night, I thought the goddess herself had come to save me. But it was her. From then on, she was my goddess.
She never knew, but I felt the bond long before she did. I knew she was mine. But she was weak then—always sick, wolf dormant, no strength to raise a sword. And I was the Alpha. Protector of the pack. How could I take her as Luna when she couldn't even protect herself?
I was a fool. Blind. But not anymore.
Now I know. She's mine. She has always been mine. And I would rather die than let her slip away again.
"It's your fault," my wolf accused. "You let her go."
Dammit, I know. But I can't let her go anymore.
"Then do whatever you can to keep what's ours," my wolf growled.
Then Aj's hand brushed her waist again and my blood roared. My goddess—my mate—pressed against another man, laughing as if it didn't shred me apart.
I gripped the glass so hard it cracked, shards biting into my palm, but I didn't care. She was mine. The wolf in me howled, a relentless chant in my skull: Mine. Ours. Claim her.
But she wouldn't even look my way. Not once. Every smile she gave him was a dagger, every brush of their bodies fuel for the fire burning me alive.
"Go to her," my wolf urged.
And I almost did. Almost tore Aj's hand from her and dragged her back into my arms where she belonged. But I froze, because the truth gutted me—she'd rather dance with him than even glance at me.
I wanted to believe she was just trying to hurt me back, to make me jealous. But then Aj leaned close, whispered something, and she laughed. A real laugh. My heart cracked clean down the middle.
"She's ours," the wolf snarled.
"Then why won't she come to us?" I whispered.
I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I was dying in plain sight, and nobody noticed.
And then Mariah's hand touched my shoulder.
"Why torture yourself like this?" she murmured, her eyes flicking to Diana. "She's gone. You should let her go."
Rage bared its teeth inside me. If only she knew—Diana was not gone. She was everything. The air I breathed, the blood in my veins, the only reason my cursed heart kept beating.
"Mariah, I have to..."
She cut me off, her golden eyes locked on mine, her voice low and sultry. "People are going to talk if you make a scene." She flicked a glance at Diana before meeting my gaze again, then slid her fingers into mine. "Let's dance."
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DIANA'S POV
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Five years ago, I thought it was just a ploy to chase me out of the picture. But watching my stepsister dancing with him now, I knew better. They had something. Why it should matter to me, I couldn't explain.
"You wanna stop?" Aj whispered against my ear.
I stiffened, caught staring at Elijah. Aj's frown told me he'd noticed.
"No," I said quickly, shaking my head. "Let's dance."
"Are you sure?" His tone dropped, gentle but probing. He was doing this for me, and I knew it. I should stop—but I couldn't. I had to keep dancing, to prove to them all I wouldn't cower.
"Yes," I insisted. "Keep dancing."
Aj didn't press further. He simply spun me again. As I turned, my gaze found Elijah and Mariah. His eyes locked on mine before he looked away too quickly.
Mariah's gaze caught mine, sharp and cold. I met it without flinching. She had her Alpha now, so why cling to hatred?
The dance, thankfully, came to an end. Aj and I slipped to a corner, and under my breath I muttered, "Damn, I need a drink." I hadn't meant to say it out loud, but the words escaped anyway.
Aj heard. He offered to get me one, and I nodded, murmured thanks, then turned to the crowd. I caught the way Mariah slid up to Elijah, all coy smiles and pitying touches. Fury lit up my chest. How dare she?
Not wanting to see more, I shut my eyes and rested my back against the wall that's when I heard her voice:
"I see you're back, sister."
Straightening my spine, I opened my eyes, my chin high. "Mariah."
Her smirk widened, sharp as a blade. "Well, well. Look who finally found her voice."
I smiled back, sweet as poison. "You must be disappointed, then. You won't find me as easy to step on as before."
Her eyes glittered. "Bold words from a weak little girl."
"Careful," I said, leaning in so only she could hear. "You mistake kindness for weakness. I don't roll over anymore."
Mariah's smile faltered for a heartbeat before snapping back into place. She tilted her head, gaze flicking between me and Elijah. "Do you even know who I am, Diana?"
"Someone desperate enough to chase a man who doesn't want her?" I shot back.
Her eyes darkened, her voice dropping to a lethal purr. "I'm not just someone. I'm his Beta."
The words hit me like a slap. My stomach dropped. Beta? To Elijah? Of course. I turned, finding him right behind her, and the way his hooded eyes didn't deny it told me she was telling the truth.