Chapter 4 - Elena

Why did she keep doing this to herself? Sitting on a sun lounger on the patio at the back of the manor, only a day after arriving in Nightstar, Elena was already doing the one thing she had told herself she wouldn't do. She was reminiscing, looking at a photo on her phone, one that had once brought so many happy emotions to her every time she looked at it.

Now, the photo only brought pain and heartache and a longing for what might have been. Looking at the photo of herself and Jason, his arms wrapped around her and both of their hands cupped around her swollen belly, she felt the emptiness inside her deepening.

Why couldn't things have been different? How happy she might have been now, if things had only gone her way. Instead, she was alone, heartbroken, wondering whether there was even a life left for her at all.

Not even the glorious sun beating down on her and the wonderful weather could cheer her. Her sunglasses only hid the tears in her eyes, stinging them more than the sun ever could.

"Hey, it's Elena, right?"

The voice that came up from behind her made her jump so violently that she barely had time to lock her phone screen before she whipped around. Whoever it was, she didn't want them to see the photo and start asking questions. She hadn't even told Eddie yet—like hell she was going to go and tell a stranger.

"Shit, sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump," the woman said, holding out her hands as if to help Elena. "Please, don't get up. I just wanted to come and introduce myself."

As the woman settled down on the edge of the sun lounger opposite hers, Elena swung her legs down off the edge of hers and slipped her feet into her sandals.

"Don't apologize," she said, shaking her head. "I'm just a little jumpy lately."

The blue-eyed woman cocked a brow and examined Elena closely. Likely she sensed the emotional state she was in, but if she did, she didn't mention it as she said, "I'm Bonnie, Jack's wife. They tell me you're Eddie's sister?"

The woman held out one slender pale hand and smiled. Elena glanced down at it, wishing she could deny the handshake. She was over-emotional and wanted nothing more than to be left alone. But this was the alpha's wife. How could she deny her anything when they were opening their home to her?

And so she took the woman's hand and shook it, letting go quickly when she thought an acceptable amount of time had passed.

"Yeah, unfortunately, I am related to the blonde buffoon," Elena said, unable to stop from chuckling at the reminder of what her and her packmates had always called her brother back in the day, before he had upped and left her to join the military.

"Ha!" Bonnie chortled, clearly amused. "So he's always been a buffoon then?"

Elena nodded, still smiling. The ache in her chest eased just a little when she remembered all the idiotic things her brother had done during their childhood. "He once tried to prank one of our cousins by putting glue in his shoes. All he managed to do was glue them to his hands."

Together, the women laughed, and Bonnie slapped her knee. "Well, I shall have to remember to get him with that one."

"And don't let him near any glue," Elena joked, and Bonnie laughed again. The sound lightened Elena's heart further. Maybe coming to Nightstar wasn't such a bad idea after all. Things were certainly more laid back than they were elsewhere. Apart from the tension she had felt between her damn brother and his packmate, that was.

"I'll keep that in mind," Bonnie assured her. She cleared her throat then before she added, "I just wanted to come and introduce myself and let you know you should come to me if you have need of anything. Jack and the guys are all good when it comes to protecting the pack and the town, but they are truly horrendous when it comes to hospitality."

Elena laughed then, a genuine laugh, and one that felt so strange. It was possibly the first time she had laughed since…

She didn't want to think about it. Biting back more tears, she said, "It's not my first rodeo. I stayed with the guys at their last place a couple of times while visiting the buffoon."

"Well, then you know to come straight to me for anything you might need," Bonnie said, smiling warmly.

When Eddie had first told Elena that Jack had found himself a mate and a wife, she hadn't quite been able to believe it. Jack Blackwell and all of his men had the makings of a bachelor pack. Every single one of them had seemed far too happy in their own skin, and far too happy to jump from bed to bed, to ever settle down.

But just looking at Bonnie, feeling her energy, Elena could see exactly why Jack had picked her. His wolf had good taste. She was beautiful, with her raven black hair, pale skin and blue eyes, and she was radiant with positivity. So much so that Elena couldn't help but feel better in her presence.

"I appreciate it," Elena said, smiling. "I appreciate being allowed the chance to stay."

"Good. Nightstar has been good place since Jack and the others arrived," Bonnie said, glancing out over the lawn and the woods and the town beyond. "It would be a shame not to be able to share it."

"I can see why you'd think so," Elena said. The view from the manor was remarkable. The hill was set among many others, some even big enough to be considered mountains. Rolling hills as far as the eye could see, with only a small town in the dip of the valley at the bottom of the hill. Everything was green and filled with life, and save for the sounds of nature and the bustling of the town, all was quiet. There were no car horns honking or service vehicle sirens screaming. Everything was peaceful.

"So, can I get you anything? Maybe a glass of Layla's homemade lavender lemonade?" Bonnie asked and Elena's eyes snapped back to her.

"Lavender lemonade?" she asked, retching a little. "That sounds…interesting."

"Believe me, I thought the same thing," Bonnie said, "But it's so damn good, it's about all anyone drinks around here nowadays. She struggles to keep up with making enough of it."

"In that case, sure, I'd love a glass."

"One lavender lemonade coming right up," Bonnie said, hopping off the lounger.

Elena relaxed back onto hers, kicking off her sandals once more and swinging her legs back up. Why she had been so prepared to make a quick getaway the moment Bonnie arrived, she didn't know. The alpha's mate was quite lovely.

And the warmth of the sun was too wonderful to leave just yet. It wasn't only cats that liked to lounge in the sun on a warm summer's day. She could appreciate it, too, even if it didn't feel quite as good as the moon on her wolf's pelt during a shift.

Feeling much better, Elena grabbed her phone and unlocked it, preparing to close the photo on the screen. But the moment she did, she wished she hadn't. Just a quick glimpse of it brought it all rushing back, and her throat constricted, eyes filling with tears once more.

When Bonnie returned, she was more than a little relieved and grateful for her dark sunglasses. This time she clicked out of her photo gallery before quickly locking her phone to take the glass of lavender lemonade that was offered to her.

"Thanks," she said, giving the glass a sniff as Bonnie settled back down on the other lounger.

"Honestly, try it, it's wonderful," Bonnie assured her, taking a deep swig of her own before offering a pleasure-filled little moaning sound.

"It's that good, huh?"

Bonnie nodded, smiling.

After one more sniff, Elena lifted the glass to her lips and tasted the lemonade tentatively. The second the sweet, floral lemon liquid hit her tastebuds, her eyes widened, and she gasped.

It was perhaps one of the most wonderful things she had ever tasted.

"It's like summer in a glass, isn't it?" Bonnie suggested, and Elena realized she couldn't have put it better herself.

"Who is this Layla, and how the hell did she make this? Is she a witch or something?" Elena asked, taking another huge drink of the liquid.

Bonne chuckled at that and shook her head. "Don't let her hear you say that. She's a member of the pack. Zander's wife."

"Hold on a second. Zander's married too?" Elena demanded, but as she asked the question, she realized that he was. Eddie had told her that. He had told her Kane was, too. She remembered now, Bonnie's words jogging her memory.

She and Eddie talked regularly on the phone. There probably wasn't much going on in Nightstar that she didn't know about, but the last few times he had called, she had been so caught up in hiding her own secrets, in not spilling everything to her brother out of desperation for some emotional relief, that she had barely taken in a word of the news he had to tell her.

"Yes, it seems this old pack of bachelors is falling like flies lately," Bonnie laughed. "They are all taking bets on which one will fall next."

"Tell me about it!" Elena exclaimed. "I never would have guessed that any of them was the marrying type. They were all so…"

She bit back what she had been about to say, remembering exactly who she was saying it to.

"You can say it," Bonnie laughed good-naturedly. "They were all so happy spreading their wild oats. Don't worry. I've heard plenty of the stories."

The alpha's wife shrugged then and pointed out, "We're werewolves, not humans. Our sexual urges are horrendous sometimes. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that."

Elena blushed a little. Bonnie wasn't wrong. At least, not ordinarily. Yet, Elena couldn't remember the last time she had felt any sexual urge. Not since Jason.

At least, that was, until she had felt the fury and frustration of Hanson stopping her on the porch the night before. She had certainly felt a twinge of something then, though she would never admit it out loud.

"You're a better woman than I am," Elena said, taking another sip of her drink. "I've heard plenty of their stories."

Bonnie laughed at that. "The past is the past. So long as Jack is faithful to me now, there won't be any problems."

Elena cringed. If only she could feel that way, too. The past seemed to be her present and her future right now.

Desperate to change the subject, she sucked in a deep breath and said, "When I arrived last night, I couldn't help but notice there was some…tension."

Why it bothered her that Eddie and Hanson weren't the best of friends, she didn't know. She had always hated it whenever her brother was in any kind of trouble. Whether he was the older sibling or not, she had always been as protective of him as he was of her. Maybe that was all it was. It couldn't possibly be anything else.

Elena expected Bonnie to ask what exactly she was talking about, but instead, she shrugged and said, "Things have been a little tense here for a while, but it's nothing we can't handle. Borders are tested sometimes when it comes to pack territory, but this is our home, and we aren't about to change that."

Elena raised a brow at that. Jack and Eddie had warned her that things weren't quite so peaceful as they appeared, but Bonnie's tone was a little more serious than theirs had been.

"What's been happening?" Elena asked, her thoughts on Eddie and Hanson squashed for a minute.

"The newly turned wolves we've taken in are having a hard time settling in, that's all," Bonnie said, shrugging again before reiterating, "It's nothing we can't handle."

"Newly turned wolves?" Elena asked, her heart hammering. What was going on here? Were Jack and the others up to something illegal? That would certainly explain the tension in her brother. He had never been good with anything illegal. In fact, he had been such a goody two-shoes when they were kids, the other children had often joked about how he would make the perfect human police officer.

"I thought Jack and Eddie explained everything?" Bonnie growled, looking as if she had already guessed they hadn't.

"You know men," Elena scowled, and Bonnie huffed angrily.

"We've been having some trouble with a few old members of the pack that took it upon themselves to leave and start up their own," Bonnie explained. "Their newest alpha has taken it upon himself to start an illegal turning ring to try and build some kind of army to take Nightstar back."

Elena's eyes widened. "That's awful."

Bonnie nodded. "We're handling it, and those we can help, we will, but I assure you, Nightstar is safer now than it's ever been, and you'll be comfortable and welcome here always."

Elena gulped. She wanted to believe so, but suddenly she wasn't so sure. She'd had enough drama in her life. The last thing she wanted right now was to get caught up in something like that.

As if she sensed Elena's sudden apprehension, Bonnie leaned over and laid a hand on her forearm. "Honestly, things are a little fraught right now, but you shouldn't allow it to affect your stay."

"If Eddie had told me, I never would have brought my troubles to your door," Elena admitted. Bonnie gave her forearm a squeeze.

"Any sibling of a pack member is always welcome here, no matter what's going on," Bonnie assured her. "So long as they don't bring trouble our way with them."

"I don't plan to," Elena reassured her, but still, her stomach twisted. Trouble and death seem to be following me wherever I go lately, she thought silently, tears pricking her eyes once more. Certain that this time they weren't going to ease back off again, she shrugged off Bonnie's hand from her arm and swung her feet back down into her sandals. "Would you excuse me? I think I need to use the little she-wolves room."

"Of course!" Bonnie said, her smile warm and friendly as ever. As Elena hurried to stand and walk away, she called after her, "Don't forget. I'm here if you need anything at all!"

"Sure!" Elena called back over her shoulder, hating the way her voice cracked with emotion.

With bile rising in her throat, she hurried for the back door of the manor. Ditching her now-empty glass in the kitchen sink, she raced for the hallway. She had to get up to the guest room before these tears started to fall. Even her sunglasses weren't going to hide the sob-fest when it started.

No sooner had she turned into the hallway than she was practically flung backwards, feeling as if she had walked right into a brick wall.

"Shit!" she gasped.

"Fuck!"

The oddly familiar voice made her heart flutter. At almost the same moment, it sank into her gut. She stumbled to a halt only a few footsteps from the large, bulky form of Hanson, who looked just as surprised as she did to have bumped right into him.

"Would you watch where the hell you are going?" she snapped at him before she even had a chance to think. It was fiery, instinctual, and her hands tightened into fists at her sides, her fangs elongating from her gums.

"Whoa, hey! You ran into me, love," Hanson growled back at her, his eyes widening.

And, oh, damn those eyes. They were like deep pools of melted chocolate, drawing her in and making it impossible for her to blink. Instead, she glowered at him, trying to pull her fangs back in.

"Maybe if you weren't creeping about, I wouldn't have run into you," she grumbled when she managed it successfully, barely able to keep them retracted.

Hanson threw back his head then, laughing so hard it made her skin crawl.

"This is my home, why would I be creeping around?" he asked, and the way he took a step toward her made Elena's skin crawl even more. In fact, it was worse than that; her skin tingled. It was a burning sensation that she had felt only once before, a need to be touched.

No! she snapped at herself. That wasn't what this was. Hanson was a frustrating, great big lunk of a man, and there was no way in hell she was going to feel anything like that for him—not for anyone, ever again.

"Well, we're werewolves, and I didn't hear you coming so you must have been creeping," Elena insisted, leaning back a little to fold her arms over her chest defensively.

"What's the matter?" Hanson asked, eyebrow raised in such a way that it made Elena bit the inside of her lip. Why did he have to be so damn good-looking, especially when he looked at her like that with that frustratingly cocky brow and that little quirk in his half-smile? "Do I make you uncomfortable, love?"

His expression deepened, and Elena would have liked to claw it right off his damned beautiful face.

Instead, she tightened her arms around herself and simply growled low in her throat. "Do not call me love."

Hanson's brow lowered. He crossed his own arms and leaned against the nearby wall, somehow just a little closer to her than he was before.

"Maybe we need to stop bumping into each other like this," he suggested, the cocky tone of his voice just as frustrating as his stupid face.

"Agreed," Elena snapped, and with that she barged right on past him, shouldering him out of the way.

The second she did so, she regretted it. The simplest of shoulder touches roused the air between them, causing his scent to waft so violently up into her nostrils that it was impossible to ignore it.

She quickened her step, racing for the stairs and the safety of the guest room beyond. She'd lock herself in if she had to in order to stop herself from doing something horrendously stupid.

But even as she slammed the guest room door shut behind her, still listening for any sign that Hanson might have followed her, she breathed deeply.

Why did he have to smell good enough to eat? Why were her fangs aching to protrude, just so that she could graze them over his rock-hard abdominal muscles before trailing lower…

Fuck! Stop it! she snapped at herself, pinching her thigh until it hurt. She had to do something to stop the fluttering in her insides, the pounding in her chest, the spinning in her mind.

There was no way she could allow herself to be thinking of anything like that. She couldn't allow herself to feel any of what she was feeling.

One minute she had been about to weep for all she had lost, and then the next second, on bumping into him , she had been like a bitch in heat, angry and frustrated and more than ready to be bent over the nearest table and fucked within an inch of her life.

Guilt gnawed at her insides, fighting the butterflies in her stomach. She shouldn't be thinking like that. How could she betray her mate that way? Poor Jason. He had done nothing to deserve any of this.

"Damn it!" she growled to herself, throwing her sunglasses at the bed so she could wipe away the tears that had started to fall.

Maybe she should never have come to Nightstar, after all.