Chapter 39: Chapter 39

Elijah

Even with the full moon rising that night, Elijah had never felt more at peace. For now, the sun hung hazily on the horizon, dew making the dawn dusky. The training grounds were filled with his surprisingly bright-eyed pack members, following orders barked at them by his four most experienced Warrior Wolves.

It was as easy as breathing to pick Lily out amongst them. She’d scraped her hair back into a ponytail, its long waves shifting against her back as she moved through a series of defensive stances. He’d worried that it was too soon for her to start training, but she’d been adamant – and who was he to deny her anything?

“Stop gawping, Alpha,” Caslein tittered beside him. Elijah rolled his eyes, and moved swiftly to the side to kick Caslein’s legs out from under him.

“Dick,” he muttered. Elijah grinned at him.

“When you find your mate, you’ll understand,” he said, offering Caslein a hand. Hauling his friend to his feet, they began to circle one another.

“If it makes me half as moon-eyed as you, I hope I never find them.”

As they danced back and forth, throwing punches and kicks in perfect tandem, neither one of them ever managing to touch the other, Elijah found his gaze drifting over to Lily.

He simply could not comprehend why Atticus had rejected her. Her jaw was set as she rehearsed the motions, sliding one foot back, then dropping her shoulder, and then lifting her palm to meet the imagined chin of her opponent. Her lips pulled back from her teeth as she swung her other hand forward, her focus entirely on the battle taking place in her mind.

She was fire incarnate, flame given form, and she was beautiful.

But as the day progressed, Elijah knew something was wrong. They strode hand-in-hand back to his cabin after training, their palms sweat-slick despite the dawn chill. Lily smiled at him as they spoke, but her shoulders remained tense despite the stretches they’d done before leaving.

“Everything okay?” he asked, squeezing her hand.

“Fine,” she said, giving him a quick smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Not willing to let the matter rest, he pulled her up towards the pack house and away from the still-quiet market square. In an hour or so, it would be bustling with wolves selling their wares – at least, those that did not have other responsibilities to attend to. It was rare to see a Warrior Wolf at the market on any given day, let alone the morning of the full moon.

They would be discussing strategy after training, and Elijah would be leading them. As for Lily… Elijah thought Lily should come.

She’d proven her ability to think logically about high-pressure, high-risk situations, and had then gone above and beyond at her first pack barbeque, introducing herself to everyone with a wide, warm smile. And, if she was to be his Luna, then he wanted her to be involved in every inch of pack planning.

Leading her by the hand towards one of the picnic benches dotted outside the front of the pack house, Elijah nodded for her to sit down. She slid onto the bench next to him, and as their thighs touched Elijah shivered. Tingles shot up his body, like gentle nails scraping down the sensitive skin of his back.

“It’s nice here,” Lily said, though she pulled away from his touch as he shifted closer. Elijah frowned.

“It is. Though the pack house isn’t somewhere I come unless I have to, usually.”

“Why not?”

“It reminds me of my parents,” he said softly.

“Oh.” A pause. Lily inched towards him. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” A lie. Elijah wondered what internal battle Lily was fighting as she fidgeted beside him. Her fingers wound her mother’s ring around her index finger, and she chewed at the inside of her cheeks.

Edging nearer, he wrapped an arm around her waist. He held it loosely – giving her ample chance to move away from his embrace. Instead, she shuffled until her lean body was pressed against his, and she rested her head on his shoulder. His heart did flips at the press of her against him, and more so at the trust implicit in the gesture. Something was wrong, he was sure of it – but she felt she could come to him for comfort. Despite his concern for her, despite it all, fireworks exploded in his chest.

“It was a long time ago,” he said eventually, hoping that if he opened up it might encourage her to do the same. He glanced around quickly. Except for Ithia and Caslein, he’d told none of his wolves about his experience with his parents’ deaths. Even then, he’d just scraped the surface – detailing the facts rather than explaining his feelings.

“That doesn’t matter.” Lily’s eyes widened, as if stunned by what she’d said. “I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry. I just meant that it can still hurt. Everyone says time helps.” She looked down and twisted the ring with greater fervour. “It muddles things. It blurs your memories, and makes them easier to bear. But…”

“But it doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t make the pain lessen.”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t speak for a month after it happened.” Elijah lowered his voice. His pulse thudded in his ears. He’d never told anyone this – only those that had known him well at the time knew. “I hardly left the pack house. Their death made me the Alpha, but I… I was just a child. I had to sit through council meetings, but I was in a daze. I let them make the decisions.” He huffed out a humourless laugh. “What did I know? They were warriors. They were experienced.”

And he’d trusted them. They’d taken down the elders, after…

“Elijah…”

He flattened his hair over his ear with one hand. With the other he gave Lily a small squeeze.

“You’re right, about time. It smoothes over the edges; it removes the sharp corners. Nothing can make it go away fully.” He caught her chin and gently lifted it, pulling her gaze from the dew-damp grass. “Time cannot lessen it. But other things can.”

* * *

Though his plan had not worked as intended, Elijah felt lighter as he bathed and dressed for the meeting. While Lily undressed he experimented with his fire, heating the water faster and with more precision that he’d managed before.

The decision to come had to be her choice. So as she dressed, he handed her one of his clean shirts with a smile and said, “Are you busy this morning?”

She frowned at him. “No?”

“Would you like to come to your first pack meeting?”

“Is that what the shirt is for?”

“If you’d like it to be, then yes. Otherwise, you’re still more than welcome to wear it.” He glanced at her small canvas bag, within which all of her clothes – now at least freshly laundered – lay. He’d not seen her sword since they’d arrived home, and he wondered where she’d hidden it – and why.

She took the plain white shirt from him. “Thanks.”

Elijah was desperate to know what she was thinking. Rather than pressure her, he tucked his own shirt into his trousers and looped a belt around his waist.

“I’d like to come. If… if that’s okay.”

“Of course that’s okay.” His heart swelled, and excitement fizzed beneath his skin. For the first time since Leahne, he’d have a teammate by his side. And, more than that, it would be a chance for Lily to demonstrate what she’d shown him – that she was already thinking like one of them, and that she cared for the Sea Pine pack. Being at the meeting would only further that impression.

He also hoped that it would brighten her, help relieve the stress she was carrying. Perhaps she did not wish to talk about it, and that was fine. He just wanted her to be okay.

And though there was still tension lacing her features, her determination fought with it, masking some of the strain as she buttoned the shirt. With deft fingers she wound her hair into a fresh braid, brows furrowed, and then she held out her hand for Elijah to take.

“Lead the way, then,” she said.

He was glad to do so.

* * *

“We’re staying here?” Nethia groaned. A few of his Warrior Wolves joined the chorus. “Last month you sent ten of our number to assist the Goldtails with their scuffle. It was over in five minutes – we barely even got to show our teeth.” Nethia raised his eyebrows for impact. “It’s been months since all of us have fought together.”

Elijah held up a hand. “We are, indeed, staying put this full moon. The safety of our pack is paramount. However, the floor is open to anyone who can provide a good reason to fight.”

Silence. At his side, Lily smiled. The sight made something in him shatter, warmth sluicing through his veins. He put a discreet hand on her thigh.

They’d gathered downstairs in the pack house, in a long room adjacent to the kitchen. A handful of his Omegas had been there to serve coffee, but he’d dismissed them upon his and Lily’s early arrival. They could hand out mugs and drinks themselves, and their time would be better spent preparing for the festivities tomorrow.

Lily had been quiet throughout the meeting so far, watching rather than speaking. She’d been friendly and warm to those that had arrived just after them, but her relief had been palpable when Ithia had marched through the door, boots clapping against the floor with every bold step.

“Won’t they think we’re weak?” asked Bolton. He scrubbed a hand through his close-cropped hair, the movement making his muscles bulge. Elijah wanted to roll his eyes, but knew to do so would be unbecoming of a leader.

Caslein pulled a ring from his finger and flicked it at Bolton’s eye. “Better to be weak than dead.”

Jeering broke out. Bolton rubbed his eye, but handed the ring over when Caslein held out an expectant hand.

“That makes you look weak too, you know,” Lafey laughed.

Beneath the chaos, Lily leant over to whisper in Elijah’s ear. “Who’s that?”

“Bolton,” he murmured back. “He’s three things: young, inexperienced, and bloodthirsty.”

“He sounds charming,” she said, and Elijah struggled not to grin at her dry tone.

“Silence, please,” called Ithia, standing up. “The battles waged tonight will be bloody. They will be unforgiving. And, most of them are being fought for that exact reason, Bolton: Alphas do not wish to appear weak. But losing a battle fought over nothing shows a far greater weakness – and a lack of care for our own.”

Bolton sighed. Taking hold of the moment of peace, Elijah stood also. “Thank you, Beta Ithia.” He’d known he’d have to convince some of his pack, and the formality was an easy guise to slip into. “Loss of life is of far greater import than perceived weakness. We may also need to take the opportunity to observe tonight. The unrest between packs is rising, and new alliances may show themselves – as might the disbanding of old ones. If there was ever a time to sit back and watch, and, might I add, in doing so protecting our people, our home, tonight is it.”

Ithia and Elijah nodded at one another, satisfied, and both sat down. The meeting felt as though it was naturally coming to a close. They’d discussed smaller matters first, like tomorrow’s festival, and Elijah had explained his decisions regarding food and tree farming. Things were settled.

But then Benest stood up, his insolent gaze fixed on Lily. “This was her idea, wasn’t it?”

Lily stilled. Elijah touched her side, wanting to reassure her, but it was as stiff as wood.