Feral Lust (Feral Souls Series - I) (18+) [Currently Editing]

twenty-four.

Celeste was not someone who would hide merely because of something she had no control on but, it did not particularly mean that she would also let that feeling alone to take control over her and make her ignore all the sins that Elliot had done.

Had it been any other girl in her place, she would have been ecstatic.

Yes, she had found her mate. Yes, her wolf wanted him and even she would have accepted him before the damn attack. Now, however, she could not.

Forget about the chaining part, it was already becoming a theme in her life. She cared more for her kind and he did not.

Celeste knew one thing though – she was going to make him pay. Before that, she was going to get to the bottom of it all. And for that, she needed Callahan on her side for he was the only one who was familiar to the truth.

Last night, when she had come back from the cave, she was exhausted from the series of events. Even when she had seen Blayne looking healthier and coming to greet her, she hadn't stopped.

Instead, she went to her room and tried to sleep.

Her mind had other ideas as it kept wandering back to the claiming; replaying the time Elliot had sunken his fangs inside her.

Elliot's room – funny, how now, her inner voice called him by his name – was just a hallway away and she had to hold herself back from not giving up her resolve and walk down to his room, from loving him, kissing him senseless and claiming him all over again.

All these visions had her feeling herself twice in one night when she had never even wanted to go down on herself before.

She had once found it gross, but now it reminded her of his touch. Although, it did not even come close to the real thing.

Celeste pondered upon the time before Elliot, before she had a mate or had even thought of having one. She was better then.

'Why, in seven moons, is Angel Qaphsiel playing with my emotions? Why give me such a mate? Wait – what would happen if I reject him? Isn't living a lifetime alone better than living with a mass murderer?'

Sleeping fitfully the entire night and waking only when the feeling of wanting him near her – clothe-less – took over, did she give up trying to sleep and went to the grounds behind her rooms. She had to let out some steam, and magic combined with strength was the only feasible way to do that.

She thought of going to the dungeons first, but not wanting to sully her mind and already having had seen so much violence, she chose magic.

It was four in the morning and incidentally, no one was around.

Choosing a spot, she imagined an enemy's face and amusingly, she saw Elliot's. Then, she created a circle with a stick in the soil around her.

A breeze touched her face, calming her nerves by some notches. Visibly composed, she chanted one of the most intricate incantations that Sorcha had not practised with her completely yet.

To tap into the soul of one's mate.

When Sorcha had told her about the spell, she had done so only in theory, owing to the lack of a mate. Celeste's disinterest had known no bounds at that point in time. However, now she wondered whether the reason for her cousin's persistence had been Celeste's foreseeable future and the probability of this predicament to take place in her life.

She remembered Sorcha putting quite an emphasis on the vital part for the spell to work - knowledge about the mate. Now that she had a mate, she didn't want to stop herself from seeing if all that she thought of Elliot and had seen of him was his reality or not.

Celeste was well aware of the risk she was about to take because Sorcha had warned her of the possible outcomes; Elliot might feel the tap and something might go off inside him. Another consequence that was sure to happen was a new level of intimacy that would awaken between them that no other wolf, in Sorcha's knowledge, had ever managed to attain.

From what she had gathered about Elliot's nature, she was well aware that he was the most stubborn wolf alive.

Taking this part of his characteristics as a guiding point, she thought of his physical traits; his eyes - how they had found her everywhere in the days before she had known the extent of their relation. His lips - how they had been so soft that she had not wanted to let them go. The way he had held her - carefully, softly, possessively - all at once and the longing that had shone in his eyes which had turned to hurt when she had pulled away from him.

Celeste felt it then, like a whisp calling out to her - a tangible thread linking her heart to his, tangling both the souls.

The silver thread had intricate patterns on it which she wanted to study, was enamoured by it but her desire to take a look at Elliot's soul dominated her curiosity. She held the thread steadfast and with her heart soaring, she guided her own soul towards its alleged other half.

She had no inkling of what might transpire, how she would feel about this; so when a rush of emotions overwhelmed her entirely, she gasped and pulled out of the spell.

Her breath came in fits.

Getting a hold of what precisely she had seen was difficult. Though, there was one prominent thing that she had noticed; a feeling that had stood out of all the other ones.

Sadness; an immense dark thing that was dragging Elliot down with it, towards a deep abyss of self-loathing.

Before she could decipher much about it, she felt him running towards her.

In a moment, she was on her feet, whisked by Elliot himself and then, he crushed her in a hug that stole her breath away.

His touch was magical.

Love, raw and tremendous, filled her lungs.

Her emotions were at a war with each other. One said to claim him again until she was sated -which was an impossible feat, to be honest. The other part wanted to pierce a knife through his gut while he had his guard down. No matter how brave she was, this was something she couldn't bring herself to do.

So instead, she shoved him hard enough for him to stumble back with shock written all over his features.

"What do you think you're doing?" She seethed.

"Something a lot less intimate than what you were trying on me," he said gaining his composure - getting cocky all over again.

"What? What did you feel?" she was bewildered. She had performed her first big spell and it had actually worked. If only Elliot had let her see the end result.

"Honestly? Why would I tell you when you hate me so much?" his grin widened and Celeste wanted to slap it off. With her lips.

She broke off the train of her filthy thoughts, focusing back on what the devil in front of her was speaking, "how can I reveal it when I know you can use it against me in the future?"

And just like that, that second part inside Celeste won.