BOUND TO MY MATE

CHAPTER 26

Life is full of confusion. Confusion of love, passion, and romance. Confusion of family and friends. Confusion with life itself. What path we take, what turn we make. How we roll our dice. (Matthew Underwood)

The ride back to the estate with Elijah was brutal. I wasn't sure if his silence was in response to my indecision over Cal or my guilt over that indecision. I knew he was who I was meant to be with, but I also yearned to be with Cal. Maybe his imperfections made me most attracted to him—sort of like a puzzle that only I could put together. And, I must say, I have a knack for fixing broken things.

But he wasn't the only reason I was sitting there with a blank expression; my mind was going a mile a minute. No, it was much more to that. I finally understood why I was who I was. Why I had this connection to the Goddess and this power inside of me. I came from a long line of human descendants of Selene. A product of her obsessive love for Endymion. Somehow, I could be her conduit to this mortal plane. But what was the purpose of this power? Why did I need it? Having this power only led to my death and destruction the more I thought about it. Also, Elijah's death and being stalked by a goddamn psycho.

As my thoughts settled, I sighed, and Elijah gave me a brief but concerned look before he turned his head back to the road.

" A penny for your thoughts." I half-smiled.

His mouth turned slightly up, and I could see the beginnings of a smile.

"I would much rather know what you're thinking, my love." His gentle tone couldn't hide the underlying tension.

I internally shrieked. Did Elijah want to know what I was thinking? Would it be in his or my best interest if he did?

I decided to edit.

"Well, I was mostly thinking about all this power that I seem to have inside of me, the fact that I am a descendant of the Goddess herself, and oh, let's not forget that my physical appearance has changed. What will people say when they see me? They will probably think I had some plastic surgery." I gave a humorless laugh.

He grabbed my hand as he continued to stare straight ahead.

"Helena, your changes are hardly noticeable to the human eye. Yes, some things look slightly different but are still the same. As far as this power, we have always known you had it, even if you only recovered pieces of your memory. We must ensure no one knows who or what you are now. We already have one heavy strike against us: you are technically still a human, and I am a wolf. The Council will not take kindly to me breaking the rules. They will kill me and imprison you to take what is inside you or flat-out murder you for being a human who knows too much."

How can I remember this Council?

"Wait, but aren't you on the Council? Surely, they won't kill you? I don't understand why it even matters that I know. I can't believe that after eons of supernatural creatures walking this earth, no other human besides the ones on your Council hasn't found out what's out there." I shook my head, trying to sort through these bizarre thoughts.

He shook his head as soon as I finished my sentence.

"Yes, some humans have discovered our existence, but they were dealt with accordingly. Unfortunately, if our existence were known, we would be hunted, killed, and experimented on. History has taught us that humans undoubtedly fear what they can't understand. Our kind has managed to stay alive by ensuring that our secret does not get out and into the wrong hands, mainly your government. This is why a pact was made to ensure everyone stays in line, and human representatives were added to the Council."

I shuddered as I processed something he said.

"Elijah, what do you mean when you say 'they were handled accordingly'?