Three
Nora Connolly
“I’m sorry, you saw who on the subway?” Winter Jefferies squealed at her; her wide, blue eyes filled with excitement.
Nora sighed. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
Winter laughed. “Yes, it is. That’s Roman FUCKING ELIOT. The Prince of Werewolves. He’s The Werewolf Prince of New York.”
“Werewolves don’t have royalty, Winter,” Nora reminded her. She sat on the couch next to her best friend. She was tired, having walked all of the way home rather than risk another subway encounter. “He’s just next in line to be Alpha. And it was terrifying. Him and his guards---”
“Wait, Ares and Aion were with him too? Those aren’t his guards, Nora. Those are his friends.”
She shrugged. “Whatever. Either way, they were there too, and it was like they didn’t want me to escape. I ran. I just got off of the train and left.”
“But they knew who you were, you said?” Winter titled her head to the side as she focused on her.
Nora clenched her hands into fists. “Yeah, they knew who I was. He said my name. I just…lied.”
“You lied to him?” Winter swatted her arm. “Nora, he’s probably your mate! There’s only one reason someone like him would track down a girl like you and that’s if you were supposed to be his.”
Nora made a face. “Isn’t that whole thing barbaric? A werewolf gets to decide who he’s with and then turns the girl and she’s no longer human? And then what happens if you reject your mate?”
Winter’s eyes widened. “You don’t want to do that! That could kill him and you. Mate magic is powerful stuff, Nora. It’s not to be messed with.”
She frowned. “So, I don’t have any choice in this at all?”
Winter shrugged. “I mean, you’re not exactly attached and he’s one of the wealthiest men in New York. What’s there to run from?”
Nora looked at Winter pointedly. “Have you entirely forgotten my little sob story?”
Winters face fell. “Oh!” she gasped. “Nora, I’m sorry. I’m an idiot. I didn’t even think about that. I guess being with a werewolf would be hard after what happened with your parents.”
She nodded. “It’s not like I hate them or anything, but…that’s all I would think about. If I fall in love with someone, I would like for that someone to be a person that doesn’t strike fear into me every time I look in them. Or make my nightmares worse.”
Winter reached out and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry.”
Nora smiled softly at her. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m probably not his mate. I probably bumped into him or something.”
Winter shrugged. “Still, it is kind of cool though. The Werewolf Prince of New York out and about. Never would have taken him for someone that would ride the subway.”
She laughed. “I can guarantee he doesn’t ride the subway. He was there for a reason I just don’t want to find out what that reason was.”
“You have to be the only person in the world who wouldn’t be happy with finding a mate. Powerists are all sexy as hell and they’re usually loaded.”
Nora laughed. “I don’t know. I guess I’m old fashioned. I like the idea of people finding each other because they wanted to, not because some ancient magic is making them be together.”
Winter frowned. “I think it’s a little more complicated than that.”
“Maybe. But it doesn’t matter. There’s no way in hell that I’m----” something burned on her skin. It was sharp, and hot at the same time and it made Nora grab her wrist and double over in pain.
“Nora?!” she heard Winter calling her. “Nora, what the hell?”
Images flashed in her mind. Images of Roman Eliot. She saw him standing in a room, chanting, with a woman who had blond, curly hair. She recognized her as Glinda North, a famous witch and socialite. They were in a dark room with candles surrounding them.
Nora, she heard a deep, male voice saying in her head, it’s time for you to meet me, Nora. You know who I am to you.
“No!” she shouted. “No!”
Mate.
The word echoed through her head, and she saw a building flash in her mind. Tarum building on the Upper East Side. Home to the Eliot wolfpack. Nora Connolly, you’ve been summoned. That was the last thing she remembered hearing before everything went dark.
Her surroundings changed.
She was no longer in her little apartment with Winter by her side. No, she was in a place that most humans didn’t get the privilege of seeing the inside of. The Endymion Chapel. The Moon God. The one who ruled werewolves.
The building was a large, white one in the center of Central Park. For a long time, magic had hidden it but when the wolves went public, so did the chapel. At least for people to see the outside of. The towering structure was a constant reminder of their power.
The structure had a large dome of gold that could be seen from everywhere in the city. Inside, there was a large, towering statue of Endymion, a tall figure with a long, white beard and hair in robes that sat on a throne like the Zeus temple in ancient Greece. Standing in front of it was Roman.
His long, brown hair fell past his shoulders and he wore a black suit. He had a large, signet ring with the letter E engraved on it in gold. His back was turned to her.
“You’re running,” he said, and his voice echoed off the chapel walls as he spoke.
Nora shivered, strangely cold even though she wasn’t sure that what was happening was real or inside her head. “How can I be running when I don’t even know what I’m running from?”
He turned to look at her, and smiled softly. “You’ve been running ever since your parents died, Nora. If you stopped, you could accept who you are. I could protect you. Not all wolves are monsters.”
“I know that,” she said sharply, “but if I’m with you, I feel like I’m betraying your parents.”
“Don’t you think it’s more of a betrayal to your parents if you’re not happy and doing well?” he challenged. “Besides…if you agree to be mine, I can help you get what you’ve always wanted.”
She laughed. “What do you think I want?”
“Revenge.”
Nora stared at him. It was something she had never been able to say out loud, and yet she knew it was true. She had always wanted that for her parents. A simmering anger that had been locked inside of her for years, something she’d been unable to vocalize until Roman said it at that very moment. “You know who killed my parents, don’t you?”
He nodded. “Yes. And your enemy is my enemy, Princess. You want their heads on a spike, I can give them to you. Just come find me. You know where I am.”
Roman walked forward to her, closing the space between them. He reached out and stroked her cheek. He growled, lowly, and then walked off as if nothing had happened. And then, Nora woke up.
“Oh my god!” Winter exclaimed. “Are you okay? I thought you died!”
Nora glanced down at her right wrist. There, emblazoned in gold ink, was ROMAN ELIOT. He claimed he could give her what she really wanted. Only time would tell. Or maybe she’d end up just like her parents….
FourRoman Eliot“Well?” Roman opened his eyes, and looked into the face of Glinda North. The exceptionally pale, pretty woman smiled at him. “How’d your little summoning go?”He smirked. “She’s coming.”Glinda smiled. “Good.” The witch waved her hand, making the candles flicker out and the lights turn on by themselves. “It’s about time. You’ve been chasing this girl for far too long.”He sighed. “You’re telling me.”“Was the subway the first time that you’ve confronted her?”He nodded. “Yes.”“What do you think was different this time?” Glinda asked.Roman shrugged. “I’m not even sure. It was different this time. Before, if I got close, it was like she ran away. As if she sensed someone following her. But this time, I was able to get close.”Glinda paused, and tilted her head to the side. “That’s strange.”“Strange how?” Roman asked.“It sounds like there’s something that is alerting her of what’s happening. Maybe something magical.”“You think?”Glinda nodded. “You’ve been in the sa
FiveNora Connolly “Are you seriously scared?” Winter asked. Nora looked up at the massive sky-scraper apprehensively. The Stellarum was one of the oldest buildings in New York, and almost as tall as The Empire State Building. The windows were made of gold, and when the sunlight hit it just right, it shone brightly. You could see it from practically any point in the city “Terrified,” Nora answered. The golden tattoo with Roman’s name inked on her skin had yet to leave. From everything Nora knew about mate marks, which was what the tattoo was called, they never did. Roman would have one of his own, too, so she supposed that was something of a comfort. She hadn’t known what to expect by going to see him. So, all she’d brought with her was her purse. Robin reached out and squeezed her hand. “You’ll be fine.” “Right.” Nora peered up at the building again. “What do I do?” “Ring the bell?” Robin suggested.
SixRoman Eliot He could feel her the minute that she was in the building. He paced, anxiously in his study. The office walls were made of mahogany and there were bookshelves that lined the walls. He had his laptop set up in there and should have been answering e-mails but all he could focus on was her. He could hear her heartbeat pounding against her chest. She was nervous. Something about that excited him. He didn’t want her to run but the thought of her being nervous because of him left him unable to sit still. There was a knock on the door. “Roman?” Aion called. “Yes?” he asked. Roman wondered if Nora could hear the excitement in his voice. He hoped not. He wanted her to take him seriously, as someone that could protect her. “Nora Connolly is here,” he said, “and she brought a friend.” Roman almost chuckled. He knew that where Nora went, Winter did too. He had his own suspicions about Winter and h
SixRoman Eliot He could feel her the minute that she was in the building. He paced, anxiously in his study. The office walls were made of mahogany and there were bookshelves that lined the walls. He had his laptop set up in there and should have been answering e-mails but all he could focus on was her. He could hear her heartbeat pounding against her chest. She was nervous. Something about that excited him. He didn’t want her to run but the thought of her being nervous because of him left him unable to sit still. There was a knock on the door. “Roman?” Aion called. “Yes?” he asked. Roman wondered if Nora could hear the excitement in his voice. He hoped not. He wanted her to take him seriously, as someone that could protect her. “Nora Connolly is here,” he said, “and she brought a friend.” Roman almost chuckled. He knew that where Nora went, Winter did too. He had his own suspicions about Winter and h
Seven Nora Connolly It was a silly, little, demand. To want to have her best friend stay there. But Nora had already lost someone to a rogue wolf once. She didn’t want to think of what would happen to Winter out by herself now that she was the mate of a werewolf. Let alone someone as important as Roman. “It’s important to me that Winter is safe. The best way to do that is to let her move in here.” Roman shook his head. “I can’t allow for that, Nora.” “Why not?” she asked. “Is it because she’s human?” “No. There are plenty of humans that live here with their mates. But Winter doesn’t have a mate, and that could cause trouble. The kind that could end up with her hurt. If you’re truly worried about her safety, I could assign her a security guard.” “A security guard?” she repeated. “Who would that be?” “Aion,” he said without a beat. Nora raised an eyebrow. “The werewolf with zero personality?” He nodded. “He might not be the one you go to for a fun time, but he is the one that y
EightRoman Eliot It was decided that for now, Winter and Nora would share a room. Since Winter wasn’t entirely yet comfortable with Ares, he wanted to do what was needed to make her feel safe. Even though he hated the idea of not having his mate in his bed. She was so close, and yet he couldn’t be with her the way that he truly wanted.“Check the closet,” Roman told her as he showed the girls the room, “it will have everything you need while you’re here. The Stellarum is enchanted.”Winter had already beaten Nora to the closet. “Oh my god!” she exclaimed, any worries about Ares long forgotten, “Nora, come here!”Nora glanced at Roman then went over to the closet where Winter stood. The closet was huge. A walk-in that seemed to be filled with everything. Designer dresses ranging from summer to cocktail to award show. Lounge wear. Workout gear. Casual. The clothing styles seemed to adjust to whoever was nearby the racks and they were completely different from when Winter stood next to
NineNora Connolly “He didn’t give us any guidelines,” said Nora, “do you think this is too fancy?”She glanced at herself in the mirror. It wasn’t every day that she went to fancy events. Although she didn’t know if dinner with werewolves could exactly be called a fancy event. Except everyone knew that the residents of The Stellarum were rich and glamorous. The Eliot’s were the kind of people that went to places with red carpets and where would give away a couple grand for fun. Winter smiled at her. “You look great.”Nora glanced down at the dress that she was wearing. It was sapphire blue, with a full, tulle skirt, and rhinestones sewn into it so that it looked like the night sky. The dress was strapless, and more revealing than she was used to wearing. “It looks like it’s too much.”Winter shook her head. “You look fine,” she said.“Are you sure that you won’t come down with me?” Nora asked. “I didn’t even want a mate to begin with and now I’m stuck with one. And you were always s
TenRoman Eliot Roman has had many dinners with his pack before. They all gather in the dining hall, lined with tables so everyone that lived in The Stellarum could eat together. Young and old alike. Although for werewolves, that line usually blurred. Shifting made it so that they lived long lives. As long as they could shift, it was hard to kill them and they usually healed swiftly from most things.His mother and father were at the head of the table, centered in the middle for everyone to see. He entered with Nora on his arm. The dress that she had picked was perfect for her. He had dreamed of this moment. Nora meeting his parents, in that exact dress. It was why he had bought it.His father stood when he saw him. “My boy!”Roman smiled at him. His father, Remington Eliot, was a tall man, who had short, greying hair and gold eyes. The same gold that all alphas and their heirs had. “Dad,” he said with a smile, “This is Nora.”He smiled over at her. “Nora Connolly, you have no idea h