The moment he stepped away from her, rage took over Elara. Her anger burned, filling her chest as she lifted her arms and hit him square in the chest. The impact was minimal. He barely moved. He didn't flinch. But then he did something unexpected. He tilted his head slightly and, with a smirk on his lips, said, "Oww."
Elara seethed as his eyes gleamed with mirth, that devious smile curling up at the corners of his lips. The audacity of him. It was infuriating. And yet, there was something about his smile—handsomely devious, as if he knew he had the upper hand.
"What are you doing here?" Elara's voice was sharp, bubbling with frustration. She wanted to ask him a question she had longed to ask, but the words stuck in her throat—Are you okay ?
"I'm fine, thank you." He answered her unspoken thoughts , his smirk only deepening .
'Can he hear my thoughts?' she wondered, a flicker of disbelief crossing her mind. She took a slow breath, trying to center herself.
He leaned forward then, his presence overwhelming. Elara instinctively stepped back, but there was nowhere to retreat to. The door was right behind her, and she was trapped. His arm came up beside her, trapping her between him and the cold wood. And there, she drank in his scent—musky, intoxicating—and it enraged her how much she was drawn to it , how she couldn't stop her body from reacting. This man betrayed her. He betrayed her , and she silently vowed to resist liking him while she sought out the truth.
"I missed you," Darius said, his voice low and deep, and something in his eyes burned with an intensity that made Elara's heart flutter against her will.
'Blue and silver go very well with each other.'
'No , they were meant for each other .'
She steeled herself, taking a small step away from him, her eyes hard."You don't even know me," Elara replied, her voice softer than she intended, as she moved a step away from him. She found some semblance of space, but Darius was not done. He stepped forward, closing the distance, as though he craved to be near her—too near her.
But as if the distance pained him, he closed the gap with a single, deliberate step. "I know you," he said, his voice low and firm, laced with an intensity that sent shivers through her. "And you know me too—you just don't remember me yet . But you will, won't you? Try to remember me along the way."
There was something in his words, in the way he spoke, that stirred a part of her she didn't recognize. It awakened something within her—her heart, her soul, or maybe a piece of herself she thought she'd lost. It felt like a remedy she'd taken daily in the past, now rediscovered. Yet, even with the familiarity, something about it didn't feel entirely right.
"Along the way?" she whispered, swallowing hard. Could she?
Elara's chest tightened. She didn't want to hear this. Her heart seemed to stutter in her chest, trying to make sense of the words he was speaking, but they were all too familiar, like an old memory that refused to surface.
"Yes," he said, his voice low, but his words carrying more meaning than she could have anticipated. Before Elara could react, his hand slipped around her waist in the blink of an eye. She hadn't seen it coming—his speed, his closeness, it was all so addictive."Along the way," he whispered, his lips dangerously close to her ear. She could feel the heat of his breath on her skin, and despite every warning in her mind, a part of her wanted to lean into it. But no. She had to pull away.Right now. "Let's walk away," he murmured, his voice like velvet. "From all of this. Let's leave and go spend our lives together in silence. We can live the life you envisioned when you first came to find me."
His words were like a lure, pulling her in despite everything she knew to be true.
Her heart twisted. Run away ?
"I can't trust you," she managed to say, even as her mind raced. His touch lingered, and her resolve faltered for a moment, but she fought it down.
"Why not?" His voice was so calm, so steady. He released her from his grasp, his gaze searching hers. "Why can't you trust me?"
"You once betrayed me," Elara replied, the words tasting bitter on her tongue. There it was. The truth. She couldn't hide it anymore.
"You remember?" His voice was lower, his hands twitching as if craving her touch. He wanted to hold her—needed to hold her—and his wolf was clawing on the inside. Touch. He just needed her touch.
"Not everything," she said, the confession making her feel lighter than ever.
"No, but you will." He took her hands in his, his grip firm but tender. "I need you to remember what happened, really. Yes, I betrayed you, but remember what you did, what you said. Remember how we ended up together in the dungeons . All of it ."
A lump formed in Elara's throat, and she struggled to find her voice. "Why can't you just tell me?"
"There are things that only you can remember. Only you can unlock. I can't tell you, but you can remind yourself," he said, his hands reaching for her, brushing the side of her cheek with his fingertips. The touch sent a shiver down her spine.
"But I can't," she whispered, the words thick with her frustration. The memories, the pain—they were all too much. How could she remember when she couldn't even piece together what had happened?
"You can," he insisted, his voice firm. "Don't force others to tell you. That will only break you. You have to break free from the chains inside you, starshine . You need to come back to me. Come back to us."
A soft laugh bubbled from Elara's lips, though she was not sure why. "When did you become so wise?" she asked, surprising even herself with the words.
Darius chuckled, the sound deep and rich, like thunder rumbling in the distance. It was intoxicating. Elara found herself momentarily lost in it, her anger fading into something more complicated.
When his laughter died, he stared at her again, his eyes dark with intent. He cupped her face gently in his hands, his thumb brushing along her jawline. And then, before she could protest, he pressed his lips to her forehead, a soft, lingering kiss. Then he kissed the bridge of her nose.
"I need you to remember," he whispered. "Tonight, I'll come to see you. Make up your mind."
And with that, he was gone.