Brownies & Kisses

Scarlett

G randma Amelia is watching me intently, and for the first time in my life, I'm a little worried about her intuitive instincts. It really is an entirely different feeling when you have something to hide.

"I agree, I've seen it too. It seems they are putting their differences behind them," Dad says with a small smile.

"Which we are so happy to see," Mama adds with a nod. Elijah's eyes flash, casting them both a cold glare as his anger rises again.

Seriously, this man. I wish I could mind-link and tell him to calm down.

"Not that it's any of your business whether we get on or not, you two can't see past your own selfishness anyway," he spits icily, eating some of his quesadillas.

Frowning in concern, I observe him; them marking each other has really hit him hard. Will it make things more difficult for us too?

Just the thought of things becoming even harder makes my heart hammer loudly.

"Well, let's enjoy the meal. That's what I'm here for," Grandma Amelia says dismissively.

I look down at my plate, suddenly losing my appetite. Mama and Dad fill Grandma Amelia in as we continue eating. Elijah's completely silent now, and so is Indigo.

I contribute when I'm asked a question, but the weight of my mark and our parents' bond weighs down on me like an anchor tied to my ankle dragging me to the bottom of the ocean where I cannot breathe.

What isn't even half an hour feels like hours, and when Mama asks me to go get the dessert, I leave the room quickly, taking a few of the dirty plates with me, relieved to get out of there.

"I'll help," Elijah states, standing up, much to Grandma Amelia and our parents' surprise. I glance back, feeling scared that they'll figure it out. This is all so complicated.

Indigo wrinkles her nose and looks disgusted but says nothing, and I'm grateful for that, especially after she saw us in the bathroom. I don't want her making a comment which might make this all even more suspicious. Fuck, she almost caught us. We need to be careful.

I take out the hot, freshly baked brownies and begin cutting them into small, equal-sized squares. Elijah enters the kitchen, closing the door behind himself. I turn in time to see his eyes on my ass.

"What are you doing here?" I ask quietly, turning back to the brownies. He places the dishes down and walks over to me until he is standing behind me, his hand slipping under my dress, settling on my ass.

"I came to tell my girl that the food was amazing," he says softly, making me smile. His hand travels dangerously lower and I bite my lip as pleasure zips through me.

"Elijah…" I say breathlessly, my core clenching.

"Yes, Kitten?" he whispers, bending down and kissing the side of my neck, making me shiver.

"Someone might come in. Stop," I remind him, although I make no attempt to move away. Smirking, he steps closer, tapping my ass lightly.

"If we weren't werewolves, I would take you right here, but the smell of your arousal would be a dead giveaway," he whispers huskily.

He removes his hand from under my dress and instead wraps his arms around my waist. My eyes widen as I look up at him. He gives me a small smirk.

"I can be a gentleman," he says, giving me a charming smile that makes him look dangerously sexy.

"I guess you can. So does my handsome gentleman want to taste my brownies?" I ask, taking a small gooey piece and turning in his arms.

"If my doll feeds it to me," he counters, opening his mouth, that sexy tongue piercing flashing. I smirk.

"You can be really cute sometimes," I whisper, placing it in his mouth. He takes it, tugging it free from my fingers. Bending down, he brings it towards my lips, making me blush as I gaze into those amazing eyes before they dip to his lips that hold the brownie piece.

I lean up and bite into the other half of it, my lips grazing his. My heart thuds, my eyes flutter shut, and my entire body tingles as pleasure wraps around me. His closeness, his scent, his touch, it all drives me crazy. The taste of chocolate mixed with each other's sweet tastes only makes it more addictive.

He kisses me softly, our mouths full of chocolate before moving back slightly, he swallows his half and licks his lips as he watches me eat my half.

He then bends down and licks my lips slowly. He slips his tongue into my mouth, causing a moan to escape me, and the next thing I know, he has me lifted onto the worktop beside my brownies, kissing me passionately.

His hands are on my thighs as he leans over me. My entire body ignites with fire as I arch my back, pressing my chest against his; I kiss him back when suddenly the sound of the door handle turning makes us tense. Our eyes fly open as I quickly jump off the worktop and Elijah backs away, our hearts still racing. He wipes his mouth swiftly just as Mama pops her head in.

"Scarlett, is everything ok?" she asks. I don't turn towards her; my lipstick is a matte red, but I still don't trust the fact that my face will be completely clean.

"Yes, I just need to cut the blondies," I say, reaching for the second tray.

"Okay." Mama glances at Elijah, who just stands there not even looking towards her. "Elijah? Are you ok?"

"Yeah," he says shortly as I begin cutting the blondies. I see Mama nod at Elijah from the corner of my eyes and give him a small smile. The moment she leaves, I turn around.

"We need to stop doing this; we were almost caught by Indy first and now Mama?" I say in a hushed whisper, hurrying over to the oven and crouching down to see if my face looks okay in the glass oven door.

Elijah walks over to me and takes me by my shoulders, turning me around as he makes me stand in front of him. He brushes his thumb along my lips, wiping off any crumbs and smeared lipstick.

"I know… and I know you need time. We'll take it slow. I'll try to be careful, but that isn't easy when you look so good."

"Mm, thanks. There's just a lot going on. That also means you can't go around going bat-shit crazy on anyone who compliments or checks me out. Like you did with Liam!" I say, rubbing a hint of red from the corner of his plump lips.

"Oh yeah? I think it was valid. He needs to stop flirting with his Luna," Elijah growls, his eyes flashing blue. My eyes widen in shock, his words ringing in my ears.

"Luna?" I repeat quietly. Elijah raises his eyebrow.

"I said I'm not giving you up, no matter what. That means you will be my Luna… and I can't wait until I can tell the fucking world you're mine," he says quietly.

I look into his cerulean blue eyes. Is he really the fuck boy who used to sleep with several girls in the same week? Right now, it is hard to believe. I smile, locking my arms around his neck, and hug him tightly.

A thought crawls into my mind, one that makes my stomach plummet a little. I wonder who his mate is, what she looks like. Sure, I wish by some luck it is me, but my luck isn't that good. Fate gives me shit after shit.

There is no way I will get him as my mate. I'm sorry that I'm taking your mate from you , I say in my head to a woman I never want to meet. But I don't regret it, and I won't ever let him go .

Elijah holds me to him, inhaling my floral scent, kissing the side of my head. He kisses my shoulder before both of us force ourselves back.

The words to express my emotions are on the tip of my tongue, but I can't say them. It still scares me. Nothing good ever lasts long in my life and I am terrified of losing him – of jinxing this. But I promise myself that I will tell him soon.

"Well, I better get these to the dining room before they wonder what's taking so long." I pick up the baked goodies and leave the room, casting one final glance at the handsome alpha who has stolen my heart.

Elijah

I am about to turn and follow her out when a sudden feeling that we're not alone overcomes me. Sensing someone outside, I turn sharply to the window, scanning the garden outside.

I see a flicker of movement in the far bushes and rush to the patio doors that lead to the huge garden. Stepping out into the night sky, I sniff the air. The smell is faint, hidden under several other scents. It is very familiar; one I place instantly. However, it shouldn't be here on Dad's private grounds.

Even the omegas only come when Jessica calls them for a full clean of the house. No one should be out here tonight, and the fact they have tried to disguise their scent…

What was he doing here?

Hank.

Lately, something has felt off about him.

My lips curl into a cold smirk. He had probably seen me and Scarlett. I walk back inside; I won't do anything right now. I'll wait and watch to see what he does. Will he stay quiet or not? Anyone who isn't blind can see he's been into Scarlett. Probably more than Liam.

I will wait and watch. One wrong move and I'll fucking kill him.

It's later in the evening and the old hag was still there when I left. I need to talk to Liam. I'm fucking pissed, but at the same time maybe I did fucking step out of line a little. He has always had my back; in an ideal fucking world, I would want him as my Delta.

Dad has this weird mentality about hierarchy and how the delta family blood is what makes them the delta, but I personally feel it should come down to capability.

Hank versus Liam, it's not a hard choice.

I need to come up with a way to let everyone know about us. So much is going on, from Zidane and then her mark, that right now just doesn't feel like the right time without putting more strain on her.

I don't care what anyone will say, but I know Scarlett is already going through a lot. If it was up to me or just about me, I'd drop the damn bombshell.

"Elijah, I wasn't expecting you," Liam says as he answers the door. I shove my hands into my pockets.

"Yeah, I'm half wondering why the fuck I came," I remark, not bothering to tell him as I turn and begin walking. He instantly steps out, shutting the door behind him.

"If this is about earlier, it's cool. She's your sister-"

I growl, cutting him off, and he sighs. "Ok, I'm still offending you, but I do want you to know I never have ill intentions towards her. I genuinely like her, Elijah… but I know she might find her mate-"

"Yeah, she might, so back the fuck off and don't complicate shit," I say roughly, hating to admit that I just don't want him anywhere near her.

"Or she may not. Who knows? So is everything alright? She seemed different. And I tried to speak to her via the mind-link at the door-"

"So I couldn't hear?"

"Come on man, you were overreacting. I was just asking if everything was ok, and I couldn't."

My anger fades slightly as I look at him. "Yeah, well… shit happened. Someone marked her against her will, so the pack-link broke," I mutter.

He stops in his tracks, his face paling. "An alpha. Damn, it has to be an alpha for the pack-link to completely break. Who did it?" His eyes flash and I can see anger like I've never seen before in his eyes.

"We'll be dealing with it soon; I just need to speak to Dad and see if he will allow me to take the lead on this. It's fucked up, Liam, but as soon as I have the details, you and Aaron will be the first to know."

He nods. "Yeah, I'll be waiting."

I sigh, looking up at the sky. "Also one more thing… Hank, what kind of guy is he? I've been away for a while."

Liam frowns slightly. "Well, is my Alpha asking or my friend?"

"Friend."

"I don't really like him. I don't know what it is, but his attitude rubs me the wrong way."

"Hmm…"

Why does that not surprise me?

"Thanks. Well, I'll head back. I'll see you for training tomorrow."

He pats my arm before he turns and heads back to his home. Sighing heavily, I look at the clouds in the night sky that obscure the moon.

The Blood Moon will be here soon.

Am I ready for it? I'm not so sure.