Chapter 79
My body tensed for a moment and when I felt his warm hands brushing the hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear, relief flooded into me. “Elliot?” I gasped, nearly flinging myself into his arms.
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest.
“Where did she go?!” I heard the gamma yelling at the others.
“I swear, I thought she went in here,” the other said.
The shuffling of feet disappeared while they searched the perimeter.
My entire body trembled out of fear.
“Just stay calm; it’s going to be okay,” Elliot whispered in my ear. “They don’t know it was you, so you’ll be safe once you transform back p>
I nodded against his chest, hating that my tears were soaking into his nice suit. I will have to apologize for this later.
I winced as more pain slammed into my temple.
Elliot’s rough and calloused fingers ran up the side of my face and massaged the side of my head, relieving some of the pain and tension. I could already feel my body relaxing into his as I clung to him. “That’s it,” he whispered to me. “Let me help you like you always help me p>
I sniffled, finally finding my voice I asked, “I help you p>
I could feel him smiling as he pressed his lips against my forehead.
“All the time,” he answered simply.
“How?” I asked, peeking up at him through my wet lashes.
He wiped the tears off my cheeks with his thumbs as he continued to massage my head. I was momentarily startled to see the red light surrounding him like a bright aura. It wasn’t a painful flash in my vision like it had been, but it was settled and perfectly outlining him.
A long time ago, I encountered a Seer who had told me I had a special gift; I could see scents. I went to her the first time I transformed when I turned 18. She couldn’t tell me much more other than that, but she told me if kept practicing, I could eventually control this power. I wasn’t sure how to practice such a thing, but at this very moment, while my mind and body were calm listening to Elliot’s words and feeling his warm touch, it felt controlled.
It was almost as if Elliot was the calm in the middle of this chaos.
“I’ve suffered from insomnia my entire life. The best sleep I’ve had was when you were by my side. I can’t really explain it, but something about your scent and your body… it calms me. Being away from you is almost painful for both me and my wolf. So, yes, you help me a lot. I owe you for that p>
My cheeks warmed from his sentimental words, and I found myself leaning into him. As I looked into his eyes, I didn’t feel like a monster. no longer felt the pain in my temple and the flashing of light was gone. I knew I still looked strange because of the transformation, but there was this tugging inside of me that drew me towards him regardless of what this might look like. It was an aching need I couldn’t explain but there was a part of me that didn’t want to explain it.
At least not right now.
“I don’t think she’s here, Boss,” I heard one of the gammas saying nearly.
“Shit,” the other gamma, the leader, muttered. “Let’s go back to the banquet. We’ll have to explain to the Alpha that we let her escape p>
With those words left in the air, I heard their feet descending from the area. I let out a breath of relief. Elliot’s eyes never left mine though; it was like he hadn’t even heard them in the first place.
He put his fingers under my chin and lifted my head so my gaze would meet his. My cheeks warmed even more under the intensity of his stare.
There was something in his eyes that wasn’t there before; he wasn’t the ruthless and cruel Alpha I had heard so much about from those around the pack. He wasn’t indifferent; he was genuine, kind, and caring. He made my heart swell in a way that it never has before.
I couldn’t exactly tell what was in his eyes when he looked at me though; could it be love?
Could Elliot possibly love me?
His lips were on mine before I could think too much about that thought.