Chapter 1 Broken hearts and mystery gifts
Antonella Erickson - POV
“Merry Christmas, Luna.”
Merry Christmas.” I said as the pack member walked past me to join the vast crowd in front of me. A permanent smile was fixed on my face. The air smelt of cinnamon and coffee as I continued walking down the trail.
The sky was pitch dark, engulfing the forest in darkness, while oil lanterns suspended in the air with magic lit the pathway. All around me there were greetings and wishes when I finally stopped in front of the magical Christmas tree.
Thousands of gifts lay under the decorated tree, which shone in white, gold, silver and many more colours. “Merry Christmas, Ella!” I heard a cheery voice before I saw the person, and as I turned around, I saw a woman almost running towards me, her curly blonde hair bounding when she pulled me into a hug.
“Merry Christmas, Zuri.” I told her as I pulled back.
“Where is Elijah?” She asked me as she looked around with a scrunched eyebrow.
“He has work. So I came alone.” I told her.
“Ella, are you sure he is…” I raised my hand, stopping her mid-sentence.
“Zuri, Elijah is my fated mate, and I don’t think he would ever cheat on me.” I argued when a stoned look appeared on her face.
“But I saw them together at the Italian restaurant last week, Ella. Why don’t you believe me?” Her voice sounded desperate, and I almost felt guilty for not trusting her. Zuri was my childhood best friend, but I don’t think I could ever doubt Elijah in this matter.
The mate bond is formed by the moon goddess, and no one could ever come between fated mates. “Let’s just celebrate this Christmas and maybe think about your accusation later.” I told her, and even though she wanted to argue, she kept quiet. Together we walked to the tree where the rest of the pack were gathered around, along with wolves from our neighbouring packs as well.
Soft music played in the background while omegas moved around us, passing glasses of champagne. “So what did you get me this year?” Zuri asked me when a mysterious smile appeared on my face.
“You will know in a few minutes, Zuri.” I told her when she rolled her eyes at me.
“Come on, Ella. It wouldn’t hurt for you to…” She trailed off when the lights around us suddenly vanished and the only light was coming from the Christmas tree. Alpha Evan of the Sunset pack stepped forward with his wife.
“One minute to Christmas. So shall we begin the countdown?” His voice boomed across the forest when I heard a loud 'yes' from the count, and soon the countdown began.
“Seven, six, five…” I looked behind, hoping to see Elijah, when my heart sank to the pit of my stomach. “Three, two, and one! Merry Christmas, everyone!” 'Alpha Evan,' I said, and right then the Christmas tree turned bright red when I heard loud cheers and laughter.
Soon it was time for presents, and Zuri grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to the tree. “I will meet you when I find my gift?” Zuri asked me when I nodded my head as we parted ways. After looking around for ten minutes I finally found my presents.
I edged closer, and I was most astonished to see four gifts addressed to me. Ever since my parents died, I have never received any gifts from anyone except for Zuri and later from Elijah. My heart began to hammer against my chest as I knelt down on the snow-covered ground and picked up my presents. I opened the present that was from Elijah when my heart sank even more. It was a book about how to be the perfect Luna, the same book that I have been getting from him every year. I unwrapped the present that was wrapped in white, which was from Zuri, when I found a beautiful pink dress.
I placed it aside and turned my attention to the other two gift boxes. One was wrapped in green wrapping paper, while the other was wrapped in shiny black paper that had gold reindeer on it, and both of them had no sender’s name on them, which made me frown. I opened the black one when I took out a small jewellery box, and inside was a beautiful platinum chain with a pendant shaped like a snowflake that was made out of Swarovski crystals. My eyes almost watered at the beautiful piece while I looked around to see who sent it, but no one was looking at me.
I placed the chain back in its box and put it inside my coat pocket before I opened the second gift. As I opened the box, I found a single sheet of paper, and as I opened it, there was a message.
Come to room number 211 at Hotel Clover after midnight.
“Ella, don’t do it.” Blair, my wolf, urged reading my thought.
“Maybe it’s Elijah, Blair. I guess he wants to surprise us.” I told her as I took a sniff of the box when I got a faint scent of cinnamon and cedar, his scent.
“But something doesn’t feel right, Ella.”
“We are the Luna, Blair. And moreover, Clover Hotel is located inside our pack. I know it’s safe.” I told her when I got up from the ground. My knees were frozen after sitting on the snow, and without turning back, I fast-walked out of the forest.
As the trees cleared, I saw my car parked at the curb, and I quickly went towards it and unlocked it and placed my gifts in the back and climbed in before speeding back to the pack. It took me thirty minutes to reach the pack as I drove straight to Hotel Clover.
After parking the car in the parking lot, I got down and rushed into the hotel. The hotel looked deserted since it was past midnight when I rushed to the elevator and pressed for the second floor.
A permanent smile was etched on my face while my heart kept hammering against my chest. It’s been almost two years since Elijah surprised me like this. He is a good mate, and we do have a beautiful relationship, but as the workload increased, I felt like a bridge appeared between us.
As the elevator doors opened, I stepped out into the warm hallway and continued walking. The closer I got to room number 211, the more I felt a mix of anticipation and anxiety when my steps slowed as I saw the door was left ajar.
I was about to walk in when I heard his voice along with another voice that made my heart shatter. “I love you so much, Elijah.” It was Madison.
“I love you more, sweetheart.” My throat tightened and my eyes filled with tears as I stared at the door that was left ajar. Zuri wasn’t lying.