My Monster Mate (Book I)

Twenty-Nine: The Morning Swaps

The Morning Swaps
Nicholas.

Six months later

Elisha's a mess.

I've known Elisha for as long as I've known Elijah and in those years I've known them to be really strong individuals, I've never seen anything overpower them or bring them down but these months have been brutal on Elisha.

Elijah has been in this coma for six months now and I've never seen Elisha look this bad. She's just a hollow shell. I always thought it was cute when Elijah called Elisha her original other half but now I'm starting to believe it. I'm able to calm her down and get her out of Eli's room but I can't get her to eat, sleep, drink I can barely get her out of bed. I can't get her to do anything. If she's not in Eli's room, she's in her old room in that house.

Our house is a ghost town. We're never there because she's never willing to leave her sister. Most days she would leave when Alexander comes in, I doubt she would actually leave if he didn't tell her to like he does every time he gets in there. Of late though, I try to make sure she's fast asleep by then.

The two of them have even developed some kind of an understanding now. It's disturbing to watch. Truthfully, I preferred it when she was scared shitless of him because now they're all linked up. As if their individual bonds with Elijah was somehow rubbing off on them, making them understand one another better.

Mr. Vilakazi has knowledge of Eli's mate coming in every night but he doesn't know which Russo brother it is. I prefer it that way. I don't think it's fair for him to find out before Eli tells him. So, everyday Alexander Russo leaves at four in the morning by quarter past four I'm in there. That way Mr. Vilakazi catches the faint smell of the ocean. The great part about Alexander Russo's scent is the rain.

Because just like the actual scent of rain that part of his scent is easily swept away. It is only potent when he is around. Otherwise, it is gone with the wind with only the ocean left over. One would think he sprays the rain scent and the ocean one is his actual scent.

I have invested so much into this cover-up that I sound like an obsessed fangirl. I assure you though, I'm not. I'm just a concerned best friend, doing all I can for my best friend.

I missed her so much it pained me the longest Eli and I had ever gone without communicating was that week and a half before she was shot. Making this just the longest time I have ever gone without speaking to her, I missed everything about her.

Her sense of humour, her laugh, her smile and crazy enough her stories. No one could tell stories the way Elijah Vilakazi could, she would pull you right in from start to finish. Even though sometimes it would appear as though I was preoccupied whilst she told her stories, I was soaking up every last word.

I could never take time spent with her for granted although all I wanted was more time with her, seeing her like this shattered me. I just wanted my best friend back.

Honestly, Eli was more like my only friend. Sure I hung out with other wolves and I obviously know a few from work, however, I wouldn't truly consider any of them genuine friends.

My alarm started to ring and I let out a huff, I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep, I shut it off without even glancing at the time. Knowing by the darkness beyond the curtain that it was time for me to head over to Elijah's room to cover up Alexander Russo's scent. I swing my legs over the edge and get out of bed with Elisha thankfully still asleep beside me, I lazily make my way across the passage toward Elijah's room. 

Just as I swing the door open I am assaulted by the ocean and very pungently the rain, I snap my head toward Elijah's frame and I see her mate still sat beside her. I shake my head as though that will take him away bringing my head to a stop, I stare at him. He doesn't return my gaze, his eyes fixed on Elijah's sunken face.

"You're supposed to be gone." I shut the door, "Her father will be here soon. He keeps waiting for me to slip up so that he can sniff you out."

"I don't care anymore. I can't get any sleep without her beside me, I need to take her to my Pack. She should be with me." He was shaking slightly.

It's as if he were a ticking time bomb, he was always agitated and shaky when he left every morning. The shaking would get worse with every minute as if he were waiting to explode. I often wondered if he were like this in front of Elijah. 

How did she deal with him? Or was she what was keeping him from going off?

"Mr. Vilakazi won't let that happen until he knows who her mate is. He said so himself." I tried turning him away from his radical option.

"Then I'll tell him! I've wanted to tell him since the day she returned six months ago! She wanted to wait. Now, look where it's gotten her." He ran both hands through his hair.

He hadn't been looking after himself, his build was still the same so I'm assuming he was eating but his hair and beard were unkempt. He looked filthy, for lack of better wording, his hair was beyond his shoulders now and his beard looked like he was trying to compete with middle-aged Dumbledore.

"Alexander, it won't be fair to her, you know this is not what she wants. Waking up to her parents knowing the truth would mean she would have missed her window to explain everything."

She deserves to wake up to her life being as close to what she remembered it to be before the accident.

"Nicholas," His voice thicker and scarier than before. His eyes almost so dark they faded into the background, "I really don't care. I need her."

"Well, you have to care because I'm certain she would not forgive you for ruining this for her."

He opened his mouth to fight back but instead, he just muttered to himself, shaking his head as he made his way to the sliding door. He jumped off and disappeared into the night.

I shut the sliding door and moved over to her bed taking the place that Alexander Russo had just occupied.

"It's been six months and three weeks, Eli. Please come back."