Chapter 101

Agnes

The bouquet fell to the ground, pink and white petals scattering across the floor around my feet. I stared down at them in shock for a moment, my mind racing as the fog of alcohol slowly began to lift.

What had I done?

I had been cruel to Elijah, snapping at him, pushing him away when all he’d done was try to explain. He didn’t deserve that. No matter how much the image of him and Olivia kissing had hurt me, I knew Elijah wasn’t the kind of man to betray me intentionally. And I’d seen all too many times just how easily Olivia could manipulate their bond to her advantage.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself as I bent down to pick up the bouquet. The flowers were beautiful—soft pink roses and white tulips, some of my favorites. It was clear that Elijah had gone out of his way to get them for me.

“You need to apologize, Agnes,” I murmured as I scooped up the flowers.

A few minutes later, once I had taken some time to splash some cool water on my face and wrists in the bathroom, I found Elijah sitting at the bar, his broad shoulders hunched as he stared into his drink. He looked… defeated, and the sight made my chest ache.

I hesitated for a moment before sliding onto the stool beside him. He glanced at me, his expression as unreadable as ever, but he didn’t say anything.

“Elijah,” I began right away, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

He cut me off with a wave of his hand, signaling the bartender to come to us. “Water, please,” he said, jerking his chin toward me without looking at me. “For her.”

The bartender nodded, and a moment later, a glass of water was placed in front of me. I stared at it, my throat tightening at the gesture. Even now, after everything, he was still looking out for me.

“Thank you,” I whispered, taking a sip. The cool liquid helped clear my head further, and I felt another pang of guilt for how I’d acted. Elijah remained quiet, simply sipping his bourbon, although I could see a muscle feather in his jaw every so often.

We sat in silence for a while, the noise and chatter and music of the rowdy bar fading into the background. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Elijah, I really am sorry,” I said again, my voice trembling as I turned to face him. “I shouldn’t have let my emotions get the best of me. I just… I saw the picture, and I thought…”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know. And I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have gotten so angry. But hearing you badmouth me to Gertrude… It made my wolf react. I couldn’t help it.”

I bristled a little at that, wishing he would stop blaming his emotions on his wolf all the time. Why couldn’t he just admit that it was him who felt that way? That it was him who cared?

But I kept the thought to myself, nodding instead. “I understand. I shouldn’t have said those things.”

He shook his head, his expression softening just a touch. “You had every right to be upset. If I were in your position, seeing you kiss another man… I might go feral.”

The implication of his words hit me like a punch to the gut, leaving me stunned into silence. I looked at him, my heart pounding as I searched his face for any sign that he was joking. But his gaze was steadily fixed on me, his eyes holding a question I wasn’t sure I was ready to answer.

Briefly, I remembered the conversation we’d had weeks ago, about letting out our… sexual frustrations without Olivia finding out. How we’d both wanted it, for better or worse. We both knew just how attracted we were to one another despite everything.

The memory sent a flush of heat to my cheeks, and I quickly looked away, my throat bobbing.

Truthfully, I’d thought about that night more times than I cared to admit. Sometimes, late at night, when the house was quiet and I couldn’t seem to sleep for various reasons, I would let myself imagine what it would be like to sleep with him.

First, it started as imagining literally sleeping with him; feeling his warm body pressing against mine, holding me close, the slow rise and fall of his chest. Then, it shifted. I began to wonder what it would be like to feel his hands on my skin, his manhood filling me, his lips grazing every inch of my throat and mouth and jaw.

Sometimes, those thoughts kept me awake until I had to pleasure myself just to get some sort of relief.

But I quickly pushed those thoughts aside now, telling myself it was just the alcohol or the loneliness talking.

I took another sip of water, trying to steady myself. “Elijah, I… I didn’t mean to—”

He cut me off with a shake of his head. “You don’t have to explain. I get it. And I’m sorry for how things went down today. Olivia… She manipulated the bond again. I didn’t want to kiss her, but my wolf… he reacted before I could stop it.”

There it was again: his wolf.

I frowned, trying to consider how I might feel if I were in his position—mated to someone who manipulated me time and time again. Knowing, logically, that I didn’t want to be with someone and yet my wolf and my heart and my body acted otherwise.

I’d feel trapped. Helpless.

Hopeless.

“Is there any way to break the bond?” I blurted out before I could stop myself. “Without hurting anyone?”

The moment those words slipped out, I clamped my hand over my mouth, feeling awful. But he just sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure it out, but it’s not exactly something you can just… undo.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, but I did truly feel for him.

“But I did make it to your fashion show, you know,” he said, his voice softening. “Thea and I watched from the back. We were going to come find you afterward, but Thea got sick from the sweets Olivia coerced her to eat. I had to take her home.”

My chest tightened at the thought of Thea feeling sick, and I felt another pang of guilt for how I’d acted without even knowing the whole truth. “Oh. I… I didn’t know.” I looked down at the glass of water in my hand. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. If I were in your position, I’d probably react the same way.”

I looked at him, my heart aching with a heady mix of emotions. Gratitude. Longing. Regret.

Before I could say anything else, the other Lunas appeared.

“There you two are!” Evelyn said, her cheeks flushed from dancing. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“Come on,” another added, grabbing my hand. “We’re about to start another round of drinks!”

I hesitated, glancing at Elijah, but he just smiled and stood, offering me his hand.

“Let’s go,” he said. “The night’s still young.”

We joined the group, the tension between us easing as we laughed and celebrated the success of the fashion show. The other Lunas were in high spirits, and their energy was infectious as they toasted to the night.

Then, the music shifted to something more sultry, more intimate. Couples began to move together on the dance floor, the lights dimming to soft shades of purples and blues. I moved, excusing myself to the bar for a fresh drink.

But before I could get far, Gertrude’s face appeared behind me, grinning from ear to ear. She looked impish as she suddenly shoved me and Elijah together, gesturing for us to dance.