Chapter 76
Chapter 76
Elvira
Why did the moon goddess make Cedar my mate? He is colder than snow and definitely not someone I can see raising wolf pups with.
Has there been a mistake?
I watch Eden train with him from the edge of the tree line. Eden is kneeling in the snow, her wild red hair plastered to her face. Lips are parted. Sweat is dripping from her eyebrows despite the cold. Her chest rises and falls with exhaustion. Cedar stands in front of her. He might be my mate, but his expression is unreadable. There’s not even a hint of fatigue in his silver–blue eyes.
“Again,” he says.
Eden groans and raises her hands. They are shaking, yet she summons her fox magic. Tails, nine of them, flare out behind her in a fan of red light. It’s beautiful. Almost holy. But I know she’s nearing her limit.
“Too slow,” Cedar says, dodging her spell with minimal effort.
He’s so calm. Too calm. Like this is a performance, and he already knows the ending. The thought of that makes the hair on my neck stand up. There’s something off about my mate, but my focus goes back to Eden when she stumbles.
She is exhausted. Cedar says nothing. Just waits. Eyes sharp. Watching.
I’m watching my friend, too, because I’m trying to win her back.
I was Eden’s best friend once. Before I betrayed her. I let Paris and Hilda manipulate me. I let my insecurities speak louder than my loyalty. But I’m here now. Fighting. Helping. And still, there’s this distance between us. Like I’m the ghost of a mistake she hasn’t forgiven yet.
I want to change that. I want to prove myself.
So while she trains with the mysterious, too–pretty fae who barely speaks, 1 sneak away.
The house is quiet when I slip through the side door. Axel is out hunting with the other pack members. Since Eden doesn’t have a wolf form, he does a lot of the Alpha work. He is a good Beta, I must admit. And I? I’m just a normal werewolf in the pack, but I intend on making myself useful.
Cedar’s temporary room is in the basement. He claimed he didn’t need much. just a bed and privacy. But I know there’s more to the elusive high–fae. I’ve seen the way he watches Eden. Not with lust or affection. No, with/calculation.
The stairs creak under my feet. The room is dim. Shadows cling to the corners. His bed is unmade. Sparse belongings.
I start searching. Drawers. Wardrobe. Nothing unusual. Then I spot it. A lump under a gray blanket near the far corner. I crouch and lift the blanket.
A crystal orb rests in a bowl of salt, pulsing with blue light.
My stomach knots.
I reach out, fingers trembling, and the orb ripples. Magic stirs, and a vision forms.
Azriel.
Chained. Bleeding. Definitely not enjoying his time.
And a woman. Beautiful. Terrifying. Dressed in black, with a smile sharp enough to slice bone. Her fingers trail over Azriel like she owns him.
She whispers something, and he screams.
I recoil.
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Chapter 76
Mara. That has to be her.
My heart slams in my chest.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” whisper.
Then-
Footsteps. Upstairs. Then on the stairs.
Shit.
Cedar.
I throw the blanket back over the orb and dive under the bed.
The floor is freezing. I curt up, hand clamped over my mouth, willing my
heart
stop hammering.
His boots enter the room. He pauses. The silence stretches thin like a blade.
Please go away.
A shift.
Then a hand clamps around my ankle.
I scream–only in my head–as Cedary yanks me out with one swift pull. I hit the floor, gasping, blinking up at him.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
I don’t answer. His silver–blue eyes pin me in place.
He’s shirtless. Blue tattoos curl over his collarbone. He smells like seawater and danger.
“What were you looking for?”
I should lie. I should fight. I should scream.
But I panic.
And I kiss him.
It’s clumsy, desperate. His mouth is hot. Surprising. I half expect him to shove me off.
He doesn’t.
He kisses me back.
His hand slides to my waist. The kiss deepens. I melt into it, angry with myself for how much I want this. He tastes like wind and storm, and his body is hard against mine.
I gasp into his mouth.
Then he pulls away, murmuring against my lips, “If you’re going to kiss me, at least admit it’s not to distract me from the fact you were:
room.”
ng my
My cheeks burn. “Maybe it was both.”
He’s still way too close, looking at me like he’s trying to decide if he should drown me or just be annoyed.
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Chapter 76
OB
Eventually he says. “Nice recovery. Do you always try to make out with people you’re stealing from?”
I don’t like the slight smile on his lips. Not one bit! Who cares if he is hot? Not me!
“Don’t flatter yourself. That was a panic kiss!“, I hiss.
Cedar arches an eyebrow, still smiling. “Never heard of that one.”
“Oh, it’s real,” I say, wriggling out of his grip. “It’s very rare, usually happens when you’re about to get caught snooping by a half–naked fae with commitment issues.”
He snorts softly. “That so? Because it felt pretty convincing.”
“Trust me,” I mutter, grabbing the edge of the bed for balance, “if I wanted to kiss you for real, you’d know.”
A flicker passes over his face. Maybe amusement, maybe something else. He straightens, arms crossing over his chest like he’s Athena’s statue instead of just an ass.
“Okay,” he says. “How do I make you want to kiss me?”
I stare at him, momentarily speechless. Is he messing with me? His expression is unreadable, those silvery–blue eyes revealing nothing.
“You don’t,” I finally manage. “That’s the point. You’re my mate, but you hate that fact. You’ve made it perfectly clear you have no interest in me.”
He tilts his head slightly. “I didn’t say I had no interest.”
“You called me a dog.”
“I call everyone something. It’s part of my charm.”
“You have charm? That’s news to me.” I try to step around him, but he blocks my path. The basement suddenly feels smaller, warmer.
“The orb,” he says, his voice dropping lower. “What did you see?”
My heart stutters. “Nothing.”
“Liar.”
“Fine. I saw Azriel being tortured by Mara.” I lift my chin, defiant. “Are you spying on them?”
Cedar’s jaw tightens. “It’s complicated.”
“Uncomplicate it.”
“I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
His eyes flash. “Both.”
Silence falls and I spent the next upcoming minutes trying to decide whether or not I could take him. Most likely not. Cedar is large and he has magic.
But that doesn’t mean I can surrender just yet. I want Eden to trust me again. I want to us to become friends and if that means risk
life to finding
out the truth from my asshole mate, then so be it.
A growl leaves my lips. “Whose side are you on?”
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