The Exiled Alpha

Chapter nineteen

We stay like that for a long time. Me sitting on the hood of the SUV and Elliot leaning against it, next to me. We sit only in silence, both of us enjoying each other's presence. He doesn't try to ask me questions and I return the favor, watching the lights all over the town below flicker on. I hug my knees close to my chest and look down at Beacon Hills, wondering if my brothers are already home.

"I've missed this place." Elliot suddenly says, watching the sky turn a darker shade of red. It was a beautiful sunset, painting the sky in reds and deep purples. I finally glance over to him, after what felt like ages of just staring down the hill. Elliot turns to me and offers me a small smile.

"I hardly remember anything of it, since we've been gone for so long. I just know it felt more like home than the territory we had in Canada." He explains, leaning his weight further on the SUV. I furrow my eyebrows, something he said making a question form in my mind.

"Had?" I ask, making him hum quietly. He looks to me, to show me that he's paying attention. "You said you had." I repeat and I notice some kind of emotion, like he'd regret saying that. "Oh." He suddenly says and my eyebrows furrow together, creating a deep line between them. "Elliot, why are you actually here?" I ask him, making my mate look down to his hands. He turns them into fists and then hides them in the pockets of his jeans.

"We lost the territory in Canada. We were overrun and had to run back here." Elliot finally says after what feels like forever. I raise an eyebrow at him, waiting for the details of the story, but I don't receive them. "You were overrun?" I repeat, but he doesn't look to me or nod. It's like he's in his own world, reliving the memories from Canada. I sadly know how that feels, so I don't prod on.

"I'm sorry about your territory." I say after some time, getting his attention again. He glances back to me and nods a little. "If we wouldn't have lost it, I'd have never met you. I guess the Moon goddess planned all of this." Elliot answers and looks up to the sky again. I follow his look, noticing the moon already showing in the darkening sky, no matter if the sun is still peeking out of the hills.

"You believe in her?" I ask him, watching the sky darkening. It turns into a darker shade of blue behind us, but in front of us I still see shades of purple and red. "Why wouldn't I? She's the very reason I'm alive, right?" His answer makes me press my lips together. I wonder if it's really how we became to exist. Or is this just a story for little kids. I feel Elliot's eyes on me, making me glance over to him. He notices he just got caught staring, so he gives me an awkward smile and looks down to the ground.

"What's your favorite color?" He suddenly asks me and I almost burst out laughing at the standard question. When I said I wanted to get to know him, I didn't mean these standard questions. "Lilac." I still answer, rubbing the wedding ring with my fingers. Elliot hums a little, a small smile graces on his lips.

"What?" I ask him and that's when he chuckles. My lips tug up into a smile after hearing his chuckles. "I would have never guessed." He answers, still smiling when he looks at me. His eyes soften at the sight of me, his smile becoming genuine and soft.

"You have a really pretty smile." He tells me and I feel my ears heat up. My cheeks become a reddish color and I try to hide them by looking down, my hair falling down my face. "T-thanks." The stutter is a slip up and I almost curse out loud. I feel his fingers against my face, pulling my hair back behind my ear so he sees my face. "Don't hide." He mutters, his voice making butterflies fly in my stomach. My wolf purrs at his touch and if I wouldn't be holding back, I'd probably lean into his touch that lasts a little longer than usual. His fingers linger on my cheek before he moves his hand away, the veins pulsing a dark shade of blue on his hands.

"Is it always going to be like this?" I ask, glancing at the veins. He shakes his hand to get rid of the veins, glancing over to me. "No. This stops after your mate accepts you completely." Elliot explains, making me raise one of my eyebrows. "With other words?" I cross my arms over my chest, letting my feet slip down the hood. Elliot gets an awkward smile on his face, glancing over to me with a shy expression in his eyes. "After the first mating process." He says and I press my lips together. It makes me uncomfortable to think that I'll have to mate with Elliot one day. If I actually do accept him as a mate completely. I clear my throat and look away from him, looking down the hill.