“Not really.”
Elliot nods.
“I’m not surprised. The Inquisition cleaned it up pretty quickly. But you remember that girl went missing?”
“Oh, yeah, Serena Vankemp? Or something?”
“Serena Vandame,” he corrects, still focused on our feet. “The pack declared it an accident. Some stupid lie about falling down the marsh.” He shakes his head, frowning, like it’s the dumbest thing he’s ever heard. “But it wasn’t an accident. And she didn’t die from a fall. She was mauled.” He pauses, swallowing down a lump in his throat. “Imauled her.”
“What?”
He takes a deep breath before lifting his head to meet my gaze, and I can tell he’s expecting concern or shock, maybe even fear, to be written on my face. But really, all I am is confused.
There’s no world in which Elliot mauls an innocent girl.
Sure, he likes to fight, but it’s usually a sanctioned challenge. And when it isn’t, it’s always because they deserve it.
Serena Vandame was a quiet girl, from what I recall. Short and polite. Sweet in every sense of the word. If Elliot hurt her, I’m sure there was a reason.
“Some idiot thought it would be funny to hex me,” he explains. “A berserker hex, to be exact.”
My mouth drops open, and I cover it quickly with my hand.
“Any wolf would’ve done some damage, but with my power…” His voice trails off, and his eyes grow distant. “You can imagine what that was like.”
Yes, I can. But I’m not sure I want to.
He shields his eyes as if trying to run from the memory, eventually dropping his head in shame.
“The only thing that managed to rein me in was Damien. He’s the only alpha my wolf has ever listened to. But by the time he made it out back, she was already gone. The Inquisition decided I was a liability. My mother managed to reduce the sanctions after another hefty donation, but they were insistent upon a dampener. Told me I could either voluntarily wear it or they would bind it to me against my will. You can guess which option I chose.”
He lifts his head to find me watching intently.
“What happens if you take it off?”
“I don’t know. I never have. Not before last night. They’d probably expel me if they found out.”
I frown at the leather lying limp in my hand.
Such a seemingly insignificant piece of hardware. Yet somehow, the greatest oppression he’s ever known.
Suddenly, Elliot’s snap decision to hide my crimes makes all the more sense.
“Elliot.” I hold his face in my hands. “I’m so sorry.”
He doesn’t look at me, but I continue holding him anyway.
“You know it wasn’t your fault, right? That’s not who you are.”
He nods solemnly, drawing his arms around me as he rests his head on my chest, and I say nothing as I fasten the heavy leather strap around his neck.
When I’m finished, I kiss him, because I’m not sure what else to do.
I can’t tell if it has the same effect on him as it does on me. Knowing his curse, it probably doesn’t, but he plasters a grin on his face anyway and proceeds to drag me downstairs into the kitchen.
Isaac still isn’t home, which means he likely found something better than dessert. Good thing too. Feeding a werewolf after letting him fuck you into next Tuesday takes more than I’d expected, and Elliot spends a good hour scarfing down everything in sight. But it isn’t until he’s sniffed out a few snacks from the pits of the pantry that he starts to slow.
“Fates, do you always eat like this after?” I ask, watching as he shovels a fistful of popcorn into his mouth.
