Chapter Twenty Three
Elara’s POV-
I was so angry that I found it difficult to think straight. The sight of Damien standing in his office like he had any right to judge Julian, and to caution me on who I should and should not trust Him, of all people!
The man who’d broken my heart in my previous life, the man who had swallowed up Sabrina’s lies and never questioned his judgment. A man whose hands are stained with betrayal. How dare he call someone else a bad person? I left his office that day, my chest heaving, head full of messy anger and confusion. Sadness even
An ache that wouldn’t go away,
The following day, I didn’t attend his class. I couldn’t stand the idea of sitting there, feeling his gaze on me, listening to his voice go on about pack dynamics as though he wasn’t the one who had shattered my world. Instead, I remained in my dorm and paced the floor, replaying our fight. His words rang in my head, “He’s not a good person” and I felt like screaming.
Who was he to talk to Me? But as I thought more and more about it, I understood how much my reaction had given me away. I’d been too quick to reply, too defensive, too hurt. And that scared me. Because that meant a part of me still cared
A part of me still felt a pull toward him, though, I couldn’t let that happen
I had to kill those feelings, to bury them deep, where they wouldn’t be able to hurt me again. Damien was a part of my former life a mistake I wasn’t planning to make anymore. I had struggled too much to change my destiny, to shield my parents, to build a life far away from him
I was not going to let him pull me back into that pain
I stayed at home for two days, skipping classes, and ignoring seeing him. But by the third day, I knew hiding wasn’t a long term option for me. Missing lectures wouldn’t change what had happened, and I wasn’t about to let Damien think he’d pushed me away. And so I picked myself up, put on my clothes, slung my bag over my shoulder and walked toward campus, my resolve growing with each step
I had to face him.
I had to show him that he no longer mattered
I first saw Julian before anyone else when I arrived at the lecture halh
He was propped against a tree by the entrance, his dark hair caught in the morning light, his easy smile stretching when he caught Before I could wave, he walked up to me. “Elaral Where’ve you been? Are you okay?” He reached over, his fingers grazing my forehead “You weren’t feeling sick, were you?”
His hand was warm, his voice gentle, and for half a second, I felt a flicker of comfort. But then I noticed him.
Damien strode by, his gray eyes focused on us, narrowed a bit as they landed on Julian’s hand on my forehead. My stomach lurched and, without thinking. I stepped back, letting Julian’s hand drop.
The move felt instinctive and startled me, and I cursed myself for it Why did I give a shit what Damien thought? Why did I still get butterflies looking at him?
I shook my head to clear the fog of guilt gr whatever else it was that had settled on me. Damien meant nothing. Less than nothing If I wanted to talk to Julian, hold his hand, go out with him or anyone else, that was none of Damien’s business
Fd wasted too much time allowing him to determine my feelings and my decisions
Not anymore
was determined to prove it to myself, to Damien, to the world. And I did just that, I turned, and reached out, grabbing Julian’s
+25 BONUS
hand, my fingers interlocking with his. His skin was warm, his grip firm and I smiled as I faced him again. “Sorry, I’m fine,” I said, surprised at how much steadier I sounded than I felt “Just needed a few days to clear my head”
Julian frowned but didn’t jerk away. “Clear your head? Everything okay?” He squeezed my hand softly, his thumb skimming
across my knuckles, and I clung to that. To him instead of the heaviness of Damien’s gaze that I could still feel from across
“Yeah, it’s nothing.” I said, looking down at our linked hands. I could do this. I could then move on, and leave Damien behind
“Just school stuff.”
He agreed, but his eyes searched mine as i
as if he wasn’t buying it. We walked to the lecture hall with our hands still clasped, and I forced myself to lift my chin and walk confidently. Let Damien see. Let him see that it wasn’t his responsibility to worry about me.
We paused just outside the building, Julian facing me, his expression softening. “Hey, Elara,” he said, voice lowering to a whisper. “I want to ask you something” He paused, and I felt the twirl in my stomach, knowing where this was headed When do you think you will be ready to you know, date?”
I froze, my breath catching. I looked down, wrinkling my lip. A relationship? With Julian? It wasn’t an original idea he had flirted with me for weeks, working his charm that was winning me slowly, but hearing him speak about it made it real. Too real. My mind started to race, dividing between the part of me that wanted to move on and the part of me that still flinched at the idea of opening my heart again.
Julian didn’t give time for a reply. He took a step closer, gripping my hand tighter. “I mean, you still haven’t found your mate,
right?” he said, his voice quiet, almost enticing. “So you’re free to be with someone if you want to be. No rules against it.” He smiled. “So what do you think about-
He didn’t get to finish.
A loud and sharp voice, one unmistakable. “What are you doing over there?! It’s time for class Damien’s voice reverberated, and I snapped up my head to see him walking toward us, his jaw set tight, his eyes blazing. “Anyway, as a teacher you know not to delay students, Mr.?”
