Chapter 91: Chapter 91
Braden POV
I am as surprised as I am happy when I see Elara. It has been too long.
“Here,” I say, throwing my flannel shirt at her feet. “You can shift now, gorgeous.”
“I won’t even look,” I grin mischievously, turning around and facing the trees. “Even though the last time I saw you, you didn’t seem to mind.”
There is a rustling sound behind me, and then her voice.
“I don’t know who the fuck you think I am, but you’ve got it all wrong,” she says.
“You’re kidding, right?” I turn around to face her. If I had breath to lose, it would have been gone. I forgot how unbelievably beautiful she is. That cinnamon hair, all long and wild, that perfect face, that intoxicating scent, and the way her nose wrinkles when she is irritated. Which she obviously is right now.
“Or is this all part of your disappearing act?” I ask, studying her face for signs that she is joking, but she only looks confused.
“I don’t know what act you’re talking about.” She lifts her arm, sniffs my shirt, then pulls away and sticks her tongue out as if she is gagging.
“What?” I chuckle. “The clothes aren’t to your liking?”
“No,” she shakes her head. “It smells like a vampire.”
“Oh, so you’re holding that against me now, are you?” I narrow my eyes at her.
“What do you mean ‘now’?” she asks, confused. “I don’t know who the hell you are or why you think you know who I am.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” I frown, thinking back to my conversation with Gabriela after Elara was freed from Anton’s prison. Gabriela told me Elara had chosen to leave and would be lying low indefinitely.
With the Council sniffing around Constantine and on high alert for vampires, Elara thought it was too dangerous to stay in the territory as a hybrid.
This woman standing in front of me looks like Elara, and sounds like her, but she honestly seems to have no clue at all who I am. She is either an incredible actress or something very strange is going on.
“You really don’t have any idea who I am, do you?” I ask her.
“Did I not just say that?” She glares at me. Damn, she is still as fiery as I remember.
“I’m Braden,” I say carefully, uncertain how she will take the news. “We were friends once.”
“Were we really?” She frowns.
“Yes,” I reply. Does she actually not remember, or did the Constantines do something to her? “We met here another time when you were feeling ... distressed.”
“How do you know I’m distressed?” she asks warily.
“I told you before,” I sigh. Honestly, I hope I do not have to repeat myself constantly. “I can smell you from a mile away. More boy troubles this time?”
“That’s none of your business!” She scoffs.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I laugh, and she grunts a non-response. Damn, I missed winding her up like this.
“Man, this is just like the first time we met,” I smile.
“I wish you’d stop acting like we’re besties,” she says, rolling her eyes. “I can’t imagine being that tight with a vampire.”
“You don’t like vampires?” I raise my eyebrows. Damn, did whatever happened to her make her forget that she is a vampire, too?
“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “Aren’t they, like, the enemies of wolf shifters?”
“In fairytales, maybe,” I reply, stepping closer to her. “Do I seem like your enemy?”
She looks me up and down, and I can tell she likes what she sees.
“Remains to be seen,” she replies.
But I can feel her defences breaking down already, and thank the gods for that. I missed her these last few months. I still do not know why she does not remember me or the part of herself, but I do know that I do not want to lose her again like before. We must be sneakier this time.
“You said we were friends once.” She looks at me curiously. “Could you tell me more about what it was like back then?”
So, she wants me to help her fill in some blanks. Perfect.
“I would love to help you,” I smile charmingly. “But the sun is setting, and the Alphas will lose their shit if you’re not indoors. Let’s meet tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she nods. “Same place tomorrow?”
“No, the Alphas will interrupt us,” I say, turning around to walk back into the forest. “I’ll find you, don’t worry.”
Katie POV
I take off Braden’s shirt and dive into the icy cold lake. I need his scent off me, and hopefully, the cold water will clear my head.
I am hopelessly confused, and also cautiously excited. I have found someone who knows me! Finally, I can get answers. I might even figure out who Stella’s father is.
But the encounter was weird. Lily was going crazy, scratching and pawing at me the entire time Braden was talking. I could not tell if she wanted to hump him or bite his head off.
I could not, either, if I were honest. The last thing I need is another man in the rotation, but Braden is handsome as hell, and he knows his way around some flirty banter. I shake myself out of it, step out of the lake, shift and run back to the mansion.
I collect my scattered clothes on the lawn, dress and brace myself for whatever chaos is waiting for me inside the mansion. I enter as quietly as I can, planning to make a beeline straight for my quarters, but as soon as the door shuts behind me, I feel a hand grip my arm and tug me backwards into another wing of the house.
“Fucking let go,” I hiss, yanking my hand free but my attacker grabs me with both hands by the throat and hair, and I stop struggling.
I am forcefully shoved into a room, and I crash into a couch. I turn around as the attacker slams the door shut and turns towards me.
“What am I going to do about you?” a deep, wicked voice asks.
My heart races as I look into his eyes. He is older, his face lined, and his hair streaked with silver, but I do not recognise him.
“Do you know who I am?” he asks, his eyes boring into me.
I shake my head, and Lily stirs inside me, running a defensive circle around my belly. Her guard is up. This man is making her nervous.
“I’m Orion Constantine,” he says, and his lips curl up in a half-smirk, half-snarl. “I’m Kane and Axel’s father and the former Alpha.”
“N ... nice to meet you,” I say softly.
“I know what you are,” he growls. “And if you stay here, you’re going to cause a lot of problems for me.”
