Page 8 of Possessive Mate

“That won't take a second,” he heard Elena say. “I only have the one bag.”

Curiosity battled concern. What could the beautiful she-wolf possibly be running from that caused her to travel through the night with only a single bag to ask for sanctuary?

Chapter 4 - Elena

Why did she keep doing this to herself? Sitting on a sun lounger on the patio at the back of the manor, only a day after arriving in Nightstar, Elena was already doing the one thing she had told herself she wouldn’t do. She was reminiscing, looking at a photo on her phone, one that had once brought so many happy emotions to her every time she looked at it.

Now, the photo only brought pain and heartache and a longing for what might have been. Looking at the photo of herself and Jason, his arms wrapped around her and both of their hands cupped around her swollen belly, she felt the emptiness inside her deepening.

Why couldn’t things have been different? How happy she might have been now, if things had only gone her way. Instead, she was alone, heartbroken, wondering whether there was even a life left for her at all.

Not even the glorious sun beating down on her and the wonderful weather could cheer her. Her sunglasses only hid the tears in her eyes, stinging them more than the sun ever could.

“Hey, it’s Elena, right?”

The voice that came up from behind her made her jump so violently that she barely had time to lock her phone screen before she whipped around. Whoever it was, she didn’t want them to see the photo and start asking questions. She hadn’t even told Eddie yet—like hell she was going to go and tell a stranger.

“Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump,” the woman said, holding out her hands as if to help Elena. “Please, don’t get up. I just wanted to come and introduce myself.”

As the woman settled down on the edge of the sun lounger opposite hers, Elena swung her legs down off the edge of hers and slipped her feet into her sandals.

“Don’t apologize,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m just a little jumpy lately.”

The blue-eyed woman cocked a brow and examined Elena closely. Likely she sensed the emotional state she was in, but if she did, she didn’t mention it as she said, “I’m Bonnie, Jack’s wife. They tell me you’re Eddie’s sister?”

The woman held out one slender pale hand and smiled. Elena glanced down at it, wishing she could deny the handshake. She was over-emotional and wanted nothing more than to be left alone. But this was the alpha’s wife. How could she deny her anything when they were opening their home to her?

And so she took the woman’s hand and shook it, letting go quickly when she thought an acceptable amount of time had passed.

“Yeah, unfortunately, I am related to the blonde buffoon,” Elena said, unable to stop from chuckling at the reminder of what her and her packmates had always called her brother back in the day, before he had upped and left her to join the military.

“Ha!” Bonnie chortled, clearly amused. “So he’s always been a buffoon then?”

Elena nodded, still smiling. The ache in her chest eased just a little when she remembered all the idiotic things her brother had done during their childhood. “He once tried to prank one of our cousins by putting glue in his shoes. All he managed to do was glue them to his hands.”

Together, the women laughed, and Bonnie slapped her knee. “Well, I shall have to remember to get him with that one.”

“And don’t let him near any glue,” Elena joked, and Bonnie laughed again. The sound lightened Elena’s heart further. Maybe coming to Nightstar wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Things were certainly more laid back than they were elsewhere. Apart from the tension she had felt between her damn brother and his packmate, that was.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Bonnie assured her. She cleared her throat then before she added, “I just wanted to come and introduce myself and let you know you should come to me if you have need of anything. Jack and the guys are all good when it comes to protecting the pack and the town, but they are truly horrendous when it comes to hospitality.”

Elena laughed then, a genuine laugh, and one that felt so strange. It was possibly the first time she had laughed since…

She didn’t want to think about it. Biting back more tears, she said, “It's not my first rodeo. I stayed with the guys at their last place a couple of times while visiting the buffoon.”

“Well, then you know to come straight to me for anything you might need,” Bonnie said, smiling warmly.

When Eddie had first told Elena that Jack had found himself a mate and a wife, she hadn’t quite been able to believe it. Jack Blackwell and all of his men had the makings of a bachelor pack. Every single one of them had seemed far too happy in their own skin, and far too happy to jump from bed to bed, to ever settle down.

But just looking at Bonnie, feeling her energy, Elena could see exactly why Jack had picked her. His wolf had good taste. She was beautiful, with her raven black hair, pale skin and blue eyes, and she was radiant with positivity. So much so that Elena couldn’t help but feel better in her presence.

“I appreciate it,” Elena said, smiling. “I appreciate being allowed the chance to stay.”

“Good. Nightstar has been good place since Jack and the others arrived,” Bonnie said, glancing out over the lawn and the woods and the town beyond. “It would be a shame not to be able to share it.”

“I can see why you’d think so,” Elena said. The view from the manor was remarkable. The hill was set among many others, some even big enough to be considered mountains. Rolling hills as far as the eye could see, with only a small town in the dip of the valley at the bottom of the hill. Everything was green and filled with life, and save for the sounds of nature and the bustling of the town, all was quiet. There were no car horns honking or service vehicle sirens screaming. Everything was peaceful.

“So, can I get you anything? Maybe a glass of Layla’s homemade lavender lemonade?” Bonnie asked and Elena’s eyes snapped back to her.

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