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

twenty-nine.

The tension brewing between the three of them was as taut as a bowstring. Dominic's expression turned from that of kind affection towards Celeste to one full of betrayal as though Celeste had deliberately gone ahead and chosen someone else as her mate.

How in the moons would she have known that it would be Elliot? Would she have chosen him, even if she could have? How would she have known that Dominic still wanted her in the same way as he had in their early years of friendship? She still thought of him as her friend, and it had been long since they had breached the topic.

He staggered back, pulling himself out of the drunken state, he squared his shoulders and straightened himself.

"Well, I mean, congratulations are in order," his smile was tight-lipped that clawed Celeste's heart. It felt akin to being trampled beneath an elephant's foot. What could she say to make it better? Her face crumpled on looking at her friend in such a situation and hurt even more to know that she was responsible for it.

It was simpler before when all they had to worry about was them playing house and Celeste's habit of melting doll heads with candles. Would things have been different had she talked to Dominic about it clearly since the very beginning?

"But, how would you have known, Celeste?" Elliot's voice intervened, reading through her thoughts.

'No! You don't have the right to step between my friendship with Dom,' she fumed, but a part of her knew that he was only trying to placate her. She slammed a door shut on him in her mind. For a moment, she saw hurt flash his features which then was replaced with the calm anger making her wonder whether she had imagined the hurt.

"Dom, believe me when you finally find her," she emphasized, "it'll all be worth it. You'll laugh at this situation then it'll all make sense." She placed a hand on Dominic's, gently squeezing it.

Her friend's next question left her out of breath and words.

"Does it make sense to you?" He gazed at Celeste wistfully and sighed, clawing at his hair, "best of luck for the future, I guess. I don't want to keep you from the feast that they are throwing in your honour, supposedly."

Elliot, an air of seriousness hanging around him, had been quietly watching the scene unfold in front of him until that point. He took Celeste's hand out of Dominic's and looked sympathetically at his mate's friend then back at Celeste, "we should get going. They'll be waiting."

Celeste, still facing Dominic, nodded faintly as she didn't have it in her to speak anything without ruining everything even more.

Dominic smiled at his friend, "stop treating me like a wounded pup. You're bruising my ego, Cel."

She exhaled in relief when he used his nickname for her. "I'll make it out alive," he winked and walked out the room, leaving them alone.

For Elliot, this was foreign territory. He didn't know how to proceed, so he did what he knew best, stood by her like a rock, for her to pull as much strength from him as she wanted. For her, he was ready to stand there forever if that's what it took to wipe that forlorn expression from his mate's face. At that moment, it was only her that mattered. Fancy feasts and announcements could wait.

She inhaled a staggering breath and looked up at Elliot - trying to show that it didn't impact her; still trying to be damn strong.

He realized how much she must have had to pretend from the beginning.

Time and again, life, along with the people around her, had only expected her to profess and no one had ever realized how it might have been affecting her. She had to be the strong daughter of the Rogue Alpha at first, then the girl who was raped mercilessly, yet to keep showing that she was stronger than those assholes, getting to know her family's origin, her father's condition and now a mate who was set to kill her kind.

Elliot would trade places with Celeste in a moment if it were possible; to save her the pain. He felt her erecting an invisible barrier again, thinking that she was not at all permitted to be anything but stone-cold strong.

Before the barrier could lock into place, Elliot stepped closer to her. She emanated warmth. Of ire or mortification, he couldn't unravel.

Mindfully slipping his arms around her, he held her close and felt her stiffen. Ready for resistance and a show of strength, Elliot braced himself.

Instead, her body slumped against his, relaxing and rejuvenating as though getting to breathe after hours of being underwater. And then, she began to shiver and wrack. He had no inkling of how to go about in such situations. His only experience was with Lea, and he had never seen that girl cry in this manner.

So, he held her tighter, letting her release all that pent-up stress and agony without so much as judging her. He sent bouts of warm and comforting emotions her way through the bond and felt her calming down by the minute.

As if nothing had transpired right there in his arms, Celeste stepped back. The bitch face was back in place.

Her makeup had smudged a little, the eyes were red-rimmed, but it made her look even more beautiful to him.

'Mine,' Karamat growled possessively and proudly as her face turned stoic and she took his arm in hers for him to lead them towards the hall.

Clearing his throat, Elliot began to say something when she gave him a death glare, causing him to zip his mouth.

It was at that moment when he realized how deeply and infinitely he had fallen for her; mate or not. He swore to himself then that this woman who was holding onto him would never shed another tear because of him and whoever else tried to hurt her would have to go through him first.