Chapter 36

Third POV

Roman didn’t sleep that night after his parents told him of the past. His mind kept replaying the words of the Alpha and Luna. A deal with the devil. A curse that could only be broken by him marrying Sylvia. Elisa would suffer if he didn’t give her up.

Every part of him hated this. She didn't want her to suffer and at the same time he doubted if he could stay a long time without being with her.

He decided to wander over to the lake at the back of the pack house. He sat on a rock by the lake, watching the water move. His wolf paced inside him, restless and angry. He wanted to change this condition.

“They’re lying,” Roman muttered under his breath. “They always lie, I can't believe this.”

“First they had said I was kidnapped and raised in a foreign pack, that it was all a plan to keep me secret till the time to take over, then I heard my deceased brother’s health state was orchestrated to keep him from becoming the Alpha later on in the future because I was the one prophesied about.” He murmured within himself.

“It's high time I stop looking into the past and fight for the future,” he declared.

“But if this love would seem to be a distraction, I'll let go of it.”

“After all I was raised to be a werepriest.”

But even as he said it, he remembered the Luna’s trembling hands, the fear in her eyes. That had not been fake. Something was wrong in Helves. Something bigger than what he had been told.

The thought of Elisa’s face cut through his chest. He had seen her broken, her eyes swollen from crying. He had been cruel to her, pushed her away, rejected her, because he thought that was the only way to protect her. But now, with this new truth, everything was more complicated.

If he didn't know about the real problem, how could he find the solution?

Roman’s jaw tightened. He couldn’t let her know. Not yet.

By evening, Roman returned to Sowfield Pack. He felt every moment in Helves presented a burden that was increasingly getting too hard for him to handle. He had just got into his apartment when his phone buzzed with a message. It was from Sylvia.

“We need to talk. Meet me.”

Roman deleted it without replying. He had no interest in seeing her.

But Sylvia had a way of showing up even when he didn’t want her to. And sure enough, when he reached the street near his place, she was already standing there, leaning against his car.

“Roman,” she said, smiling. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

He walked past her without stopping. “I don’t owe you anything, Sylvia.”

Her heels clicked on the ground as she followed him. “That’s not true, and you know it. Your Alpha and Luna parents already told you what must happen.”

Roman stopped, turning sharply to face her. His eyes were cold. “Stay away from Elisa.”

Sylvia’s smile widened. “You still care for her. That’s sweet. But useless. You can’t have her. You’ll kill her if you try.”

Roman’s fists clenched, but he said nothing.

“You belong to me,” Sylvia whispered. “Our wolves will make sure of it. Remember you claimed me, right?”

Roman stepped closer, his voice low and sharp. “Listen to me. I will never belong to you. It was all your manipulation and my parents.”

“I do not belong to you and will never belong to you. Never! Do you understand?”

Her smile faltered for the first time. She looked at him with narrowed eyes. “You think you can fight this? You think you can stay away from me for a long time? Roman, you’re already caught in the net. Elisa doesn’t know it yet, but soon she’ll see what you are. And when she does, she will never forgive you.”

Roman’s chest tightened. Her last words got him puzzled, he didn't get what she meant and at the same time didn't want to sound bothered by whatever she meant.

Not seeing him react, Sylvia wondered what he was hiding.

He brushed past her and walked away. He didn’t turn back, though he could feel her eyes burning into his back.

That night, Roman sat in his apartment. His hands were pressed against his head. He couldn’t keep holding this secret forever. But telling Elisa meant putting her in more danger. He just wanted her to keep living the carefree life she was living if actually she was.

His secret wasn’t just about the curse. It wasn’t just about Sylvia.

It was about himself. How he had linked up with Sylvia and no girl can peacefully be with him without being hurt by her.

He thought perhaps this is somehow linked to Sylvia. Roman carried that mark inside him. His wolf was bound to it. Elisa wasn’t safe because the mark would poison their connection. His whole life was complicated.

Roman had kept this to himself while at his parents’ pack. Only Elisa and Sylvia that they were both his mates. He gripped the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white.

“I won't let these problems weigh me down,” he growled, determined to focus on his goal of being the serious professor, doing what he loves.

Meanwhile, Elisa was sitting in Maya’s dorm room, staring at the text Roman had dropped her. The meeting Roman talked about at the chapel still haunted her. The way he said, “They’re watching us. I had no choice.” The way Sylvia had appeared from the background.

It was a nightmare, she sensed danger, Sylvia was going to hurt her. She couldn't trust Roman to protect her, Sylvia had come closer just enough that she did the next best thing she could do.

Kick her so hard in the groin and dash off, running away. At that moment, she didn't care about anything other than leaving their presence. She didn't even care what Sylvia would do to her.

She was still thinking about this.

Maya asked her twice what was wrong, but Elisa kept saying nothing. She couldn’t explain it. Her chest hurt too much.

She wanted to hate him. She wanted to erase him from her mind. But her wolf wouldn’t let her.

Back in his apartment, Roman poured himself a glass of water. His reflection before the mirror looked so tired and worn out. He had called Elisa out to reject her but she didn't even let it before hitting Sylvia and dashing off.

Then his phone buzzed again. This time it wasn’t Sylvia.

It was a hidden number.

He opened it. One line of text appeared:

“If you don’t choose soon, Elisa will pay the price.”

Roman’s breath stopped. His wolf snarled inside him in anger at this disturbance. He rushed to the peephole by the door, scanning  outside. He didn't see anyone. But he knew whoever sent the message was someone close.

One of those stalking him.

In panic, he returned back to the living room.

He typed back quickly: “Who is this?”

No reply came.

Roman’s heart pounded. He looked down at the phone again, the words pulling over before his eyes.

Elisa will pay the price.

“Why does she have to pay?” He growled within himself.

At the same time, Elisa was on campus, walking back from the library. It was late, and the hallways were quiet. She felt like someone was following her. She turned twice but saw no one.

Her wolf sensed, “Danger.”

When she reached her room, another message dropped on her phone.

“You’re nothing but a pawn. Leave Roman, or you will regret it.”

Her hands shook as she read it. Her knees felt weak.

She dropped onto the bed, staring so hard into her phone.

For the first time, she realized it wasn’t just about Roman’s rejection. Someone wanted her gone. Sylvia was the first suspect.

Roman grabbed his jacket and left his apartment. He moved fast, his wolf pushing him toward Elisa. He didn’t know how, but he felt she was in danger. He was bent on saving her.

It was night but he didn't mind.

The streets were empty, few cars and no one in sight. It took ten to fifteen minutes to reach her apartment outside of school. Unknown to him, Elisa wasn't there.

All that bothered him was that, if anything happened to Elisa, he would burn everything to the ground including those responsible for it.