Chapter Eight – Elena
Elena struggled against the ropes that bound her. She gnawed at the rope on her wrists, but all she managed was to scrape her skin raw with her teeth. When the Geisterwolf clashed with her two alphas, her heart froze. Fierce snarling filled the sawdust-scented air. Harriet was slumped at the edge of the circle that she had drawn around Elena, but the human only had eyes for the fight.
Will and Lukas worked as one against the creature, one darting in and tearing at its throat while the other circled it and grabbed its hindquarters, pulling it off balance. The Geisterwolf's blue eyes turned blood-red. It pounced on Will, tearing at his neck before it was abruptly gone.
How quickly it disappeared would have been more comforting if she knew it wasn't coming back. But it could reappear as quickly as it had appeared.
The two Alphas circled for a moment, their heads swinging from side to side, noses twitching as they attempted to scent out the creature. But nothing further happened, and they both turned their attention to Elena. Her stomach twisted into hundreds of knots as both came to her. Will used his teeth to gnaw through the ropes while Lukas licked her face and the scrapes on her arms. It felt so comforting that Elena was almost ready to burst into tears by the time she was free.
She threw her arms around Lukas' neck, holding tightly. They were both so brave and bold, so willing to fight for her. Will Shifted and stroked her hair for a moment before he moved to Harriet's side. Elena shivered, looking at the body.
"She set this all up and chanted some sort of incantation," she told the Alphas. "She said shew as going to do the Geisterwolf's work for him and summon his mate, but when she was halfway done, she started screaming. She clutched her head and fell, and then when she looked up, I knew it wasn't her anymore. I don't know what happened…"
Lukas shook his head. "She chose her own fate."
Will knelt beside Harriet and checked for a pulse. His shoulders slumped. "She's dead."
"She brought it on herself," Lukas said again, but this time his gaze was focused on Will. "And she was trying to kill our mate."
Our mate. Elena liked hearing him say that.
Will glanced over at them, and his gaze lingered on Elena. There was such sadness in them that she couldn't repress a shiver. He nodded slowly, although the movement was lethargic. There was a brief moment when Elena swore she could see tears in his eyes before he stood abruptly and turned away from the other two.
"She may have chosen her fate, but that doesn't mean I'm guiltless. I should have treated her better. I should have treated them both better. I never intended to mate either Harriet or Catherine, but I let them believe that I might. This is my fault. All of this is my fault."
Elena shivered but moved from Lukas' comforting arms to go to Will and put her arms around him. "It's not your fault that the Geisterwolf is after me."
"Isn't it? Bad enough that you were being mated to Lukas against your will, but adding me to the mixture only made it worse. And it’s a White Wolf, Elena." Will's eyes were desperate as he searched hers.
"I don't know what that means."
Lukas joined them. He bent and closed Harriet's eyes. "White Wolves are very rare. Out of all the Wolves I know, only one family has a penchant for White Wolves to be born among them."
"Mine," Will said. "The Geisterwolf could very well be my ancestor. It could be going after you because I decided that you were my mate, without asking you. All this is my fault. If I wasn't such a pig-headed, stubborn—"
Elena pressed a hand over his mouth. She hated that he was blaming himself. "It's not your fault. You couldn’t have seen this coming."
Will pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Her skin sizzled and if it weren't for the fact that the Geisterwolf's attack and Harriet's dead body lying on the floor, she would have suggested that they stay a while. Both Will and Lukas were already naked, after all. But now was the wrong time to even think about it.
"We're not going to let the Geisterwolf hurt you," Lukas said. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. But unlike previous times, he didn't try to take her away from Will, instead seeming content to sandwich her between them. "And after this is all over, I will annul the contract that my father drew up. You don't have to be my mate… I'll lease the land to your father."
"But—"
"But the important thing is we won't let that thing hurt you," Will said. He stroked her face, his eyes fiery. "We won't let it hurt you."
***
When Elena opened her eyes, it took her a moment to remember where she was. It wasn't Will's house. She remembered quickly enough. After what had happened with Harriet, they had gone to Xavier and Timothy's house. Their mate, Amelia, had taken the baby to go stay with a friend of hers who had two Bear mates, leaving the Wolves alone to strategize.
Elena got up. It had to be close to dusk, and she already heard Will and Lukas' voices just outside her room.
"So it's true," Will said, his voice heavy with regret. "The Geisterwolf is my ancestor and it chose Elena because she's my reluctant mate."
Elena flinched. She looked around for her clothes, which she had discarded when she went to bed.
"You can't blame yourself, man," Lukas said. "You didn't know. Although it is a little ironic."
"What is?"
Elena paused, wanting to know what Lukas was going to say.
"For a long time, I've had a lot of anger towards my father for leaving the pack in a mess for me to clean up. Part of the reason I wanted to bring you in was so that I didn't actually have to do anything. I wanted to be free to dote all my attention on Elena and love her the way my father never loved my mother."
Will chuckled at that. "I wouldn't hold your breath on that on, Lukas. I've never had to do anything in my life. The old Alphas are right. I'm a screw-up."
"Come off it. You single-handedly made your pack the wealthiest in the area."
"A fluke."
Elena crept to the door and put her hand on the handle, but didn't open it. Not yet, at least. The conversation she was overhearing was just too tantalizing to interrupt, even though she knew that it was rude to eavesdrop. Lukas had just said that he wanted to love her–but didn't that go against everything he had told her already? That he didn't want her for a mate?
"My parents doted on me as though I was the king. I had no experience being an Alpha when they died. I've never been held accountable by anybody before, Lukas. And Elena… I realize now what I was doing with Catherine and Harriet was a desperate attempt to fill the hole in my life that was meant for my mate. I've never felt this way before. It's like… it's like she's the most perfect thing that has ever happened to me."
"I know the feeling. I've loved her before we met, and when I heard that she didn't want to be my mate… I guess I panicked."
Warmth flowed into Elena's chest. It filled to bursting and she pressed a hand over her mouth to smother the giggle that rose up in her. They loved her. Despite everything, they loved her. It was a feeling that she hadn't been expecting. At that moment, she wanted them more than anything. But it was almost dusk–they didn't have time before the Ghost Alpha attacked again.
"As soon as you explain that to her, she'll understand," Will said. "Me, though… I don't know how she can ever forgive me for the way I treated Catherine and Harriet. I messed things up so bad. I don't know if I'm ever going to be happy."
Elena flung open the door. Will and Lukas stood in the hall, clothed for once, and both jumped when she stepped out of the room. Her heart pounded as she looked from one to the other. "First off, did you two know I was awake before you started revealing your souls to each other?"
Both Alphas stared at her in shock, as though they had never seen her before. Elena grinned–it was answer enough. She took their hands in her own and remained grinning broadly at them, though she didn't know what to say. What did one say when one overheard the men that she thought were protecting her out of a sense of duty, maybe with a little lust on the side, say that they actually cared for her?
"It's true, isn't it?" she asked. "Both of you actually love me. This isn't just some sort of Alpha thing or because of the Geisterwolf. Even if we weren't in this messed up situation, you'd still love me."
Lukas nodded. "I do. I love you. I don't expect you to feel the same way—"
Elena cut him off with a kiss. Her body pulled towards him, a throaty moan escaping. As soon as she was done with Lukas, she turned to Will and gave him the same kiss. Her eyes slid shut as both Alphas pressed their bodies against her.
"I do," she whispered. "I love you. Both of you. And after this is over, I will gladly be your Alpha female."