Blue

Chapter 11

“Maire, Elaine’s in the woods, go to her. She needs you and it’s dangerous,” Neill spoke into the phone.

“I’m going to help her because she’s my friend and not because of some stupid alpha command you’re working on me, why are you not with her?” Neill heard Maire ask through the phone as he hung up. He had important stuff to cater to and he couldn’t tell Maire why he wasn’t with Elaine. He hadn’t followed Elaine into the woods because he knew she needed some time alone.

Pocketing his phone, Neill turned around to face his cousin; the blonde. She still stood there, against the tree a triumphant smirk on her face.

“What was that about, Tulip?” Neill asked pulling his shirt off and throwing it at her.

“I have my clothes cuz,” Tulip said, ducking behind a bush. She emerged a moment later, fully clothed.

“Why are you messing around with Elaine, Tulip?” Neill asked heatedly.

“You asked me to, remember?” Tulip asked, raising a brow.

“I asked you to kiss me Tulip. I wanted to make Elaine jealous. It’s over and I’m sorry. Now get the fuck out of our way!” Neill yelled towards the end.

“Neill,” Tulip said, with forced calm in her voice. “You used your alpha command and made me kiss you, just to make her jealous. I won’t forgive that so easily. But this isn’t about your cocky bossy manners, it’s about the pack.”

“You don’t have a choice but to forgive me,” Neill said, smirking. He felt bad for using his command so much these days, just to get his way. But well, he had never wanted anything as badly as Elaine.

“Let her go Neill,” Tulip said with a sigh.

“You will not interfere, do you understand?” Neill said in a deadly tone.

“A human Luna will have no self-defense you idiot. Humans are weak.”

“Well, you had a human boyfriend,” Neill retorted.

“Ian was a pleasant person, he was genuinely nice. I liked him, but I would never have put my pack at stake for him!”

Neill scoffed. “Genuinely nice!” he exclaimed.

Tulip stared at him, “The pack does not want a human Luna, Neill. You can’t mate her. The sooner you reject her and mate with a werewolf, the better. You can literally call for any girl in the pack and they won’t reject you. Our pack is known for its pretty girls, you know?”

A growl escaped Neill’s lips at the prospect of rejecting his beautiful and innocent mate. The way her eyes narrowed at him. How she thought she was threatening him with her cute as hell death glare. Her gorgeous curls bounced as she walked. Her voice turned a bit squeaky as she yelled. She was not afraid of a lot of things; including the woods, but the fear in her eyes when she was going to kiss him was just adorable. How Neill hated the fact that Tulip had interrupted her amazing time with Elaine.

“I’m guessing your perfect timing for the interruption wasn’t a coincidence.” Neill commented.

Tulip laughed, “I was looking for the perfect moment to perform.”

“And I didn’t catch your scent because?”

“Because, I, dear cousin, am the best tracker your pack has. Hence, you won’t harm me at all. And I will do all it takes to keep Elaine away from you. I’m doing this for the pack!” Tulip said.

Within a second, Tulip was backed up against the tree as Neill’s hand was around her throat. “Don’t you dare, for a second think that I’ll turn weak in front of you, just because my pack needs you. I respected you Tulip, you’re my cousin! Elaine thinks I was using her now. She thinks I’m a fucking player. Do you know how hard it was to get her in the first place?” Neill’s eyes were now a dark black colour, his anger had broken loose. Tulip was choking under his firm grip on her throat. Neill took a deep breath and let go. He turned around with her back towards Tulip and shut his eyes, forcing himself to calm down.

After regaining her composure, Tulip laughed bitterly. She was now standing a safe distance away from Neill, ready to flee.

“So what’s wrong in her thinking you are a player? Have you told her about the number of girls you’ve fucked Neill? Have you told her how you enjoyed it when girls came pleading to you to not dump them? You ARE using her Neill. You’re a werewolf. A monster who loses control. You’re an alpha who has killed rogues in conflict. You just want her because you can’t resist her. You know how dangerous our world is for her. Especially as a Luna. The pack doesn’t want a human Luna. Humans are feeble. She will be killed by the Cole pack. We will all be their servants. I won’t hurt her, because I’m not a fucking bitch, Neill, but I sure as hell won’t let her love you."

Neill stood still all the while, clenching and unclenching his fists, willing the anger to go away. He could not stand the truth that was hitting him in the face. Tulip’s outburst was not an angry thoughtless lie. It made a little too much sense for Neill’s liking.

“LEAVE!” he growled. Tulip threw her hair behind her back and walked away indignantly. She held nothing against Elaine, but the Luna for the White Fang pack could not be a defenseless human.

Before Neill could move, his phone buzzed, he accepted Maire’s call and a panicked shriek made his heart jump to his throat. “Fire!” Maire yelled. “Elaine’s house. She’s inside! Fire.”

Maire stood in the ashes of what was once Elaine’s lounge. The passage to Elaine’s room was blocked by a large piece of ceiling that had fallen off and now was on fire. Maire dropped her phone as she dodged a ball of fire that came falling down.

“Maire!” Elaine yelled, as she stood at the entrance of her room. She couldn’t come out, as the passage was blocked. She stood there, a black notebook clutched to her chest. Her face was stained with soot as the tears kept falling.

The passage that lead from the lounge to the door was clear. Maire could escape. “Maire,” Elaine sobbed. “Leave, please. Go!”

Maire shook her head determinedly, thinking of ways to get Elaine out. “Why?” Maire whispered. She did not know why Elaine had risked jumping into the fire and why she was clutching her journal like her life depended on her.

Elaine looked down and shook her head. “My Ian,” she whispered. “Ian was in it. I talked to Ian, I wrote to Ian.”

“Elaine,” Maire said, shaking her head. “He’s gone. He can’t read your letters.”

“He can.” Elaine whispered. She was now shaking with sobs. She felt stupid for putting Maire’s life in danger. But she had talked to Ian through the journal. Whenever she was sad, she used to write in it. It stuck by her when no one else did.

Another piece came crashing off the ceiling and Elaine fell to her knees, she yelled in pain. Maire stepped forward, feeling helpless. Elaine threw the black notebook at Maire. Maire caught it.

“Take this and go Maire! Leave while you can.” Maire was now crying looking around helplessly. She saw the black plastic of her now hopeless phone burn. She looked back at Elaine who was now backed up against her door frame; the fire around her was restricting all movement.

Elaine closed her eyes, expecting Ian’s smile to hit her. But it was Neill’s smirk, staring back at her from the darkness of her closed eyelids. Her cries increased in intensity as her body shook uncontrollably. The pain in her chest was unbearable. She was waiting for death to come, praying it would come faster. “I'll never say goodbye”, Neill’s words were echoing around her. The prospect of leaving him was making it hard to breathe and it had little to do with the fumes around her. Neill meant something to Elaine. Elaine did not know what or why. She just wished she had some time with him. She took a strangled breath in and looked at Maire, opening her eyes. She loved Maire for sticking around. Always. “Leave,” she choked in a whisper. It took every ounce of effort inside her to speak. The pain in her body was agonizing, she could not breath. The heat around her was overwhelming. Her body shook irrepressibly. “Tell Neill, I’m sorry,” she continued in a strained voice. Maire had never felt more helpless. She saw Elaine whisper “Goodbye” and then Elaine’s eyes closed as her head fell lamely on her shoulder. Elaine felt numb darkness consumed her.