Deal with the devil

ELARA's point of view

I heard footsteps from the hallway, I shot to my feet at once. The door pulled open, and a young man stepped inside.

I squinted at him to see him well. He looked about my age, in his early twenties, with curly brown hair and striking blue eyes. He wasn’t as intimidating as Killian, but the way he carried himself, the way his sharp gaze swept over me, screamed authority.

He wasn’t just some guard.

“You’re the human,” he said, with his curious voice smooth.

I crossed my arms. “And you’re Captain Obvious.”

His lips twitched, like he was holding back a smirk. “You’ve got some nerve for someone locked in a cage.”

I lifted my chin. “Yeah, well, if I had a dollar for every time some asshole locked me up, I’d be rich.”

He actually laughed at that, shaking his head.

“The name’s Elias,” he said.

I didn’t respond.

He sighed and leaned against the table, studying me like I was a puzzle he was trying to figure out.

“Killian’s not happy about you,” Elias mused. “You’ve got him all messed up.”

I frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means you’re his mate.”

My stomach twisted, but I kept my expression blank. “Yeah, he mentioned that. Not interested.”

Elias chuckled. “It doesn’t work like that, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Feisty.” He grinned. “No wonder he’s losing his mind.”

I scowled. “If he’s so bothered by me, he can let me go.”

Elias tilted his head. “Is that what you really want?”

I stared at him. “Are you serious? Of course, it’s what I want!”

He didn’t look convinced.

I gritted my teeth. “Look, if you’re here to mess with me, just get it over with. If not, then help me get the hell out of here.”

Elias tapped his fingers against the table. “Interesting.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What?”

“You.” He pushed off the table and walked toward the cage. “You don’t smell like a human.”

I pushed my head back a bit.

“I am human.”

Elias didn’t respond. Instead, he crouched in front of the bars, staring at me like I was some strange new species.

“Killian wants you to stay.” His voice was softer now, almost thoughtful. “But I think you’re dangerous.”

I let out a dry laugh. “Me? Dangerous? I’m the one in a cage, remember?”

“That’s what makes you dangerous.” His blue eyes gleamed. “A normal human would be crying, begging, breaking apart by now. But you? You’re planning. Thinking. Calculating.”

I swallowed. He wasn’t wrong.

Elias smirked. “I like that.”

I bristled. “Well, good for you. Now, are you gonna help me or not?”

He was quiet for a long moment. Then, finally, he stood.

“You really want to leave?”

I clenched my fists. “Yes.”

He sighed. “Then I’ll make you a deal.”

I felt tensed. “What kind of deal?”

“You do something for me, and I’ll get you out of here.”

My heart pounded.

This could be my only chance.

“What do you want?” I asked warily.

Elias smiled, slow and sharp.

“Make Killian reject you.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You heard me.” He crossed his arms. “If you make him reject you as his mate, I’ll personally make sure you walk out of here with your memories intact.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

That didn’t sound so hard.

Killian already seemed pissed that I existed. I just had to push him over the edge.

I could do that.

But something about the way Elias was looking at me made me uneasy.

“Why do you care?” I asked. “Why do you want him to reject me?”

Elias’ smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Let’s just say it’s for the greater good.”

That sounded like total bullshit, but I didn’t have time to question it.

I needed to get out of here.

I took a deep breath. “Fine. Deal.”

Elias nodded. “Then you better get to work.”

He turned to leave, but I called after him. “Wait! How do I even make him reject me?”

Elias paused at the door. “Figure it out.”

And with that, he was gone.

I let out a string of curses and slumped against the bars.

Great. Just great.

Now, not only did I have to deal with Killian, but I also had to make him hate me enough to throw me away.

How the hell was I supposed to do that?

I had no idea.

But one thing was clear, if I wanted to escape, I had to break my so-called mate.

And I had to do it fast. I spent the entire night thinking of ways to make Killian reject me.

It should have been easy. He already didn’t want me. All I had to do was push him over the edge, make him so disgusted or furious that he’d say the words.

The problem?

I had no idea what would set him off enough to completely sever the bond.

Killian was an Alpha, he was strong, powerful, and dominant. He thrived on control.

That meant if I wanted him to reject me, I had to do the one thing he couldn’t tolerate. Challenge him and make sure everyone sees it.

Footsteps approached from the hallway, snapping me out of my thoughts. My spine straightened as Killian opened the door and stepped.

His scent filled my nostrils, making my stomach twist. I hated that he smelled good.

He held a tray of food in one hand. “Eat.”

I glared at him. “Screw you.”

His jaw ticked. “You’ll eat. Whether you do it yourself or I force you is up to you.”

I snorted. “Yeah, sure. That won’t be weird at all. Big bad Alpha spoon-feeding a helpless little human.”

I leaned against the bars, giving him my best smirk. “What’s wrong? Afraid of getting too close?”

Killian exhaled sharply through his nose and set the tray down on the table with a loud thud. “You’re testing my patience.”

“Good,” I shot back. “Because I’m fresh out of patience myself.”

I pushed to my feet, my body aching from sitting too long. Killian watched me carefully, his expression was unreadable.

I needed to push harder.

I crossed my arms and tilted my head. “So? What’s your plan, oh mighty Alpha? Gonna keep me locked up until I magically turn into a werewolf? Or are you just that desperate to control me?”

His fingers twitched at his sides. “You don’t understand what’s happening.”

“Oh, I understand perfectly.” I stepped closer to the bars. “You found out your so-called mate is human, and now you don’t know what to do. You can’t stand the idea of someone weak being tied to you.”

His silence was answer enough.

I grinned. “So reject me.”

His eyes snapped to mine, shock flashing across his face before it hardened again.

“I don’t take orders from you,” he said coldly.

I shrugged. “Then I guess you’ll just have to suffer.”

His growl rumbled through the air, but I refused to back down.

I wasn’t done yet.

I took another step forward, gripping the bars between us. “What’s the matter, Alpha? Scared?”

Something dark and dangerous flashed in his eyes. In one swift motion, he grabbed the bars, his fingers inches from mine.

The sparks of the mate bond sizzled between us, but I ignored them.

I forced a smirk. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

Killian’s grip tightened, his knuckles going white.

I could see the struggle he was battling with. He wanted to reject me but something, more like his ego, was holding him back, I just had to push him a little more.

So I went for the kill.

“You know what I think?” I said, with a soft and taunting voice. “I think you’re afraid that deep down, you actually want me.”

His entire body seemed to get tightened.

I leaned closer, lowering my voice. “You can’t stand that a human, a weak, pathetic little human, was chosen for you.”

His breathing was ragged.

I smirked. “You hate it, don’t you? That no matter how much you fight it, you still feel the bond. That I, a human, make your wolf lose control.”

A deadly silence was what came next.

Then, in a blur of motion, Killian unlocked the cage door.

I barely had time to react before he grabbed me by the waist and yanked me out.

My back hit the stone wall, my breath rushing out in a gasp.

Killian loomed over me, his body flush against mine, his hand braced beside my head.

I swallowed hard, but I didn’t let my fear show.

“You think I want you?” he growled.

I forced myself to smirk. “You wouldn’t be this mad if you didn’t.”

His golden eyes flashed with something I couldn’t name, something wild, dangerous, hungry.

I’d meant to make him furious, but I had the sinking feeling I’d awakened something much worse.