The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 63

Aftermath

***Will***

I fill a pint glass with chilled water from the jug in the fridge and down it in one go, appreciating the chilling effect on the way down.

I needed it.

What just took place upstairs was hot and it had nothing to do with the fire Ella had ignited in the log burner. It was the fire she had ignited inside of me and on today of all days. I usually had better control than that, but not since midnight had come around…

“Will? Are you okay?” I hear Ella ask quietly from behind me. I turned around, seeing her standing there looking at me with concern. Her chest and cheeks are flushed, her lips rosy and swollen; she looks radiant, and she looks like she more than enjoyed our heated kiss. I look at her fondly with my head tilted

to the side.

“I’m more than okay, Ella. I never dreamed that there would ever be a time when you’d have any sort of feeling like that, for me…and yet…here we are. Fire magic side effects or not…. that came from somewhere, “I say to her gently, leaning back against the worktop. She smiles and looks a little shy, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously.

“Are…you okay?” I ask.

“Yeah,” she says, a little fiercely. She was still a little under the side effects of using fire magic for the first time. I bring her aura into view in front of me; it is an absolute mess at the moment. The deep conflict she’d been feeling lately was even more apparent than ever before, swirled with her desire for me, which had grown tremendously since I last looked at her aura out in the garden. I sigh loudly; we’d only made things worse. I wonder how my own might look, considering what today was and what had now happened.

“What is it?” she asks, slipping onto the bar stool at the breakfast bar between us.

I lean forwards on the breakfast bar with my arms folded.

“I turned eighteen today. My alpha tendancies are therefore very…fired up right now. I should have had more control, upstairs. I usually would have. I am so sorry,” I state. Her eyebrows rise a little and she looks down at the bar, biting her lip.

“You could soon sense your mate,” she murmurs quietly.

“Just like you sense yours,” I reply kindly, looking at her with a serious expression.

“WILL-,” she begins defiantly.

“-NO, Ella. I know your concerns about being bonded to Austin and I understand them and I GET why you’re conflicted about it all. But hell…right now, after what we just did upstairs? I want to go do that all over again. I want to do that and so much more, to YOU. I wish to my very core that it was me you were bonded to, not Austin, but it isn’t. You were made for him and he was made for you. Regardless of how much you affect me, or how much I so badly want you…our destinies are separate,” I say rather passionately, trapping my hands behind me, physically stopping myself from picking her up off the stool right then and there. Judging by her aura I don’t think she would stop me if I did, mate bond or not.

1/3

< Aftermath

+25 Points >

“Because, Ella…you’re meant for Austin. I promise you, it’s what is meant to be. A higher power made you for Austin, and he was made for you. Like it or not, darkness is coming and soon. The world needs you to be at your strongest and that can only be with Austin,” I say firmly, leaning away from the bar and back against the worktop. It is taking every ounce of control I had to stop what we had been doing on the sofa, and I was still trying as hard as I could. I needed to be me, not the newly come of age alpha inside…

She looks away and blinks multiple times. I can see she is trying to blink away tears. She suddenly lets out a very sobering sob and I immediately go to her, pulling her against my chest into a hug, my feelings of lust immediately replaced by concern and care.

“I have no idea what I am doing!” she sobs, her shoulders shaking. I feel a rapid wetness against my t-shirt from her tears, but I don’t care. I know how torn she is and a rather heated kiss between us after doing fire magic hadn’t helped matters in the slightest.

“Els, you need to talk to Austin, you really do. Particularly about what worries you about the whole Luna thing. Regardless of whatever you may feel about me, I know how strongly you really do feel for him and it is him you are meant to be with,” I say quietly, stroking her hair. I feel her nod her head against me and I continue to hold her tight.

“Ella. You know how I feel about you, and every fibre of my being is thrilled that you feel anything for me at all. But I simply refuse to stand in the way of a mate bond, because would be completely against my core beliefs,” I explain, a lump in my throat, as I know what I am giving up, right now.

“But…I didn’t even feel the bond this time, there was no pain; it’s gone,” she sobs. I laugh a little and look at her fondly.

“It isn’t gone, trust me. You’re nowhere near him at the moment and that’ll be the reason why it didn’t hurt. Proximity matters, Els. When we head back to school in a few days, it’ll be a week from when he comes of age, and then it is going to hit you hard,” I reassure her.

She pulls away and pours herself some water before turning to me.

“Also, I think you should absolutely stay away from the fire magic unless you are in mortal peril,” I say before she could say anything, with a little teasing tone to my voice.

She laughs and nods, “you weren’t kidding when you warned me. I felt so…gosh I’ve never felt anything like that before. Part of me wants to keep feeling it, but that would be dangerous.”

“Definitely wasn’t kidding, but I did try to tell you,” I reply. I remember the Victoria sponge cake and get it out of the cupboard.

“I thought I might treat myself,” I explain, opening a drawer that I’d seen a candle inside when I had made breakfast this morning. I find it and stick it on the middle of the cake.

“I feel bad, I wish I’d known it was your birthday,” Ella says as I click my finger and light the candle.

“I think it has been more than special,” I said with a smile, “I got to spend it with my best friend.”

“Make a wish,” Ella whispers with a smile. I wish wholeheartedly…for me to soon find my own mate…and then, I blow out the candle.

< Aftermath

***Ella***

+25 Points

The next couple of days went by in a blur of TV, movies, pizza, sponge cake and copious cups of coffee and tea.

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