3. Elara

Elara sits in the passenger seat of Laith's car, the sun having set an hour before. They spent the whole day training. Denzel had been adamant that Laith couldn't slack off because the war with the shifters is imminent. So, they pushed their bodies to the brink.

Despite the fact his muscles have got to be aching like hers, Laith has a contented smile on his face as Elara looks over, wondering what he thinks of all he learned. It has to be a lot to process, and yet, not once did he get angry or freak out.

"What do you think?" she says, trying to make sense of his reaction.

"I can't believe it. It"s just so amazing," he answers, turning onto the main road back to her house. "I"m so afraid you're going to pinch me and I'll wake up to this not being real."

Elara nods, even though she doesn"t understand it. Part of her wishes it had all been a nightmare and she could go back to being a typical college student.

"Yeah, but what about all the pack stuff?"

"I know it"s a lot to take in, but there"s this sense of belonging," he explains, his eyes lighting up like a little kid at Disney World. If only Elara could see things that way, maybe it would be easier on her. "Everyone looks out for everyone else."

She relaxes in her seat, looking up at the roof of the car, listening to Laith rave about all the things they learned and experienced as if it's a lullaby. She can"t help but smile, glad he's not scared and angry about it. It"s a good sign, but it doesn"t guarantee he won"t be upset that she didn"t tell him everything from the get-go.

There's a pause, and she thinks he may have finally run out of steam.

"So, how did I become like this?" he asks.

Elara sighs at the loaded question. A foolish part of her was hoping they wouldn't get to this bit.

"I'm no expert. I've only been one for a month if you count the days since I first turned," she explained. "But I can tell you what Denzel told me when he found me."

"Hey, it"s better than nothing at all. I want to know everything I can." Laith glances at Elara while they sit at a red light, and she sits up straight in her seat, twisting her body toward him as she tells him everything...except for one tiny detail.

The one about her being the one to scratch him.

She still can"t even believe she did it. Without even remembering she'd done it. Will her memory ever come back, and if it does, will she even want it to?

"I"m going to find out who turned me." Laith bites his lip. "I want to know who it is."

Elara looks out the window as they approach her parents" house so he doesn"t see her react. "And what will you do when you find out?"

Laith laughs and runs his hand through his hair, stopping the car and putting it in park. "Hell, I"ll probably be thanking the person." He sweeps his hand over his body. "My normal life was so boring and empty. I"m always all alone in that house. Now, I finally have a family. A pack I can go to. I know it's not conventional, and it's crazy, but it's mine."

Elara unbuckles and looks at Laith in a whole new light. She knew his parents were already gone and that he was shy and quiet. She hadn"t realized that he was so lonely, though. "Hmm, I hadn"t thought about it that way," she admits. She opens her mouth, ready to tell him the truth, when he grins broadly.

"We're going to be great friends, Elara. I can just feel it."

She smiles, even as her heart clenches, then goes to tell him the truth. But Laith engulfs her in a hug, squeezing tight. She hugs him back, allowing herself the small comfort even though she doesn't deserve it. They're more than friends. They're forever connected by the sire bond.

Laith's cell rings and he picks it up, his smile growing even as his cheeks flush. "It's Kira."

Elara quickly opens the door. "I'll leave you to it," she says, slipping out of the car. Maybe now's not the time to tell him everything…

"I won't tell her," Laith promises, then bites his lip as he realizes that means keeping secrets.

Elara shuts the door as he picks up, her stomach tightening. What will this mean for Laith and Kira's budding relationship? Laith pulls away and she stops her shoulders from drawing in. Is Laith about to learn that this life isn't all rainbows and unicorns?

Elara bites her lip. She should've said something. She should've told him her part in this. Telling him the next time she sees him has to be her priority. She's about to take a step when a hand comes out of the shadows at the side of the house and grabs her.

She's about to turn and punch whoever it is, but a hand blocks her fist with pure muscle, and Elara finds herself face-to-face with Kade.

She ducks them behind the hedges at the edge of the house and whispers, "What the hell, Kade? I thought we"d solved this problem. Stop following me around!"

"I had to," he says intensely, the facade of anger and darkness not there this time. Actual worry creases his forehead.

"What"s going on?" she hisses, exasperated that she still has to resist the pull to be near him. The closeness in the dark makes that pull even stronger, and she doesn't have much strength left to resist. Not after that kiss… "Wait, it doesn't have to do with the shifters, does it?" Her eyes go wide with fear, and her heart skips a beat at the thought. She's not ready, and Laith certainly isn't no matter how cool he thinks all of this is.

Kade shakes his head. "No, not that. It's the Shadowgrace pack. Why did you join?"

Elara rolls her eyes and turns to walk away, not wanting to have this conversation when the answer is obvious, but he grabs her again, her skin on fire when he touches her.

"Seriously, Elara, joining Shadowgrace was the worst thing you could do."

"What was I supposed to do, then?" she asks, glaring at him and yanking her arm away. "You wouldn"t tell me anything, and Denzel offered me answers, protection, training. Besides, how am I supposed to know what would happen to me if I did turn him down to join the pack? Wolves are dangerous, and I"m new to this. What choice is there?"

Kade grits his teeth, jaw hardening. He knows he can"t refute that. "Look, you"re right that I"ve been an ass, but I"ve been trying to protect you. And Denzel"s pack won"t allow you to be what you are. There"s no way they"ll allow you to use the full extent of your powers when they come to know your true nature."

Elara laughs but then covers her mouth, not wanting her parents to come find them out here like this. Surely, they"ll think something much different than talking about magic and werewolves is going on. It"s not exactly something she wants them meddling in, and college student or not, that"s just the way her mother is.

"My true nature? What exactly is that, anyway? I have no idea what you mean, and you know that. How can I make these decisions when I know nothing?"

The urge to smack him across the face is just as strong as the urge to grab onto him and never let him go. Elara doesn"t know how much more of these conflicting emotions she can take.

"Whether I tell you or not isn"t going to make a difference. You"ll know what your true nature is soon enough," Kade tells her, his face coming close to hers. She can practically taste his breath. His lips are so close. So tantalizing.

"Are you back to being cryptic? What"s that supposed to mean?" Elara asks though the conviction isn"t there in her tone. Instead, she's distracted by his closeness. Isn"t she too old to be so boy-crazy and hormonal? Or too smart for that matter? She's never been the type to lose it over a guy, and yet Kade makes her head foggy every time he's near.

Even though he's the one who dragged her into this.

"The shifters are planning something," he answers. "When the time comes for them to execute their plan, everyone will know your true nature. Who you truly are. Denzel only agreed to let you in the pack so he could watch over you. They"re scared of you."

The thought of anyone, especially Denzel or any of the other powerful wolves she's recently met being afraid of her, a bumbling fledgling werewolf with powers she knows nothing about, is ludicrous. What could there be to be afraid of? Even if she is something special, she doesn"t know anything about it. She certainly can"t use it against them.

Then again, maybe that"s the point.

She looks over at Kade, trying to decipher if he's telling the truth. Though she knows she can"t fully trust him, there"s no hint of deception. "Scared of me? How?"

"Being an alpha, Denzel has formidable senses. He knows you have more power inside you than the pack combined, even if you don"t know what to do with it yet. They want to keep you close because they're wary of you. They want to keep your power contained."

Elara paces a few steps away and then comes back, grabbing her skull in frustration.

"Look," Kade adds softly, "I'm just asking you to be careful."

"Why do you care about me so much, and if you do, why turn me? For once, just tell me the truth."

Elara hates that she's begging, but what else is left to do?

"I don"t have the whole truth, so I can't give it to you." He steps closer. "The prophecy has begun."

Elara stills. "The prophecy?"

Kade's eyes turn dark, his hand reaching out and stroking her cheek. She's so stunned that she doesn"t move to stop him. "It's the only way to win the war."

His touch is intoxicating. She wants to believe it's all because he sired her, but this is something else. Laith doesn"t seem to feel this way about her.

She closes her eyes involuntarily, but when she opens them again, Kade"s gone.

"Damn it! Shit!" she says, stomping as she comes out from the hedges and heads to the front door again. She feels like a fool. There are too many sides to this war, and she doesn"t know whose she's supposed to be on.

Something deep inside tells her that Kade was telling the truth about the shifters and whatever big plans they had for the war and her. What if he's right about the pack?

Elara hopes she's doing the right thing by joining Shadowgrace, especially now that Laith's said yes, but she isn"t sure.

What will be the consequence of her mistake if Kade's right?