Chapter 97
Damon's POV
I'd been staring at my phone for hours.
The message sat there, delivered but unread.
Nothing. Not even the courtesy of marking it as seen.
I refreshed the screen for what had to be the hundredth time that morning. Still nothing. Something restless stirred inside me, making my eyes flash amber in the mirror across from my bed. The room had started to smell wrong—the scent that leaked out when I couldn't control my agitation.
I threw the phone onto the nightstand and paced to the window. She wouldn't cut ties with her family completely. That was Elena—loyal to a fault, even when they didn't deserve it. She'd come back. She always came back.
That is her father. And her mother. She'll come home.
I needed to move. Needed to burn off this crawling energy before I did something stupid.
The shift rippled through me as I hit the tree line behind Blackwood Manor. The forest opening up in sharper detail. I ran until my muscles burned, until the repetitive thud of paws on frozen ground should have cleared my head.
It didn't work.
Back in human form twenty minutes later, I was checking my phone before I'd even pulled my shirt back on. Still nothing. The screen taunted me with its emptiness.
That's when Scarlett's messages started coming through.
Scarlett: Miss you. When can I see you?
Scarlett: Your family keeps you on such a tight leash. I can barely get five minutes with you.
I grimaced, typing a response about "soon" before another message arrived.
Scarlett: Elena ran away, didn't she? Maybe you should too. Make it even. Right now it looks like she's the one who doesn't want you.
My thumb hovered over the keyboard. I shouldn't have told her about Elena. That was a mistake.
But Scarlett had a point I couldn't ignore. If the engagement fell apart, my parents wouldn't just let it go. They'd find someone else. Some stranger from another pack, probably worse than Elena in every way that mattered.
At least with Elena, I knew what I was getting. She was familiar. Easy. We could probably coexist without too much drama if she'd just stop being so difficult lately.
Scarlett: If you really go through with marrying someone else, I'll have to leave. You know that, right?
The words hit like a punch. There it was—the ultimatum I'd been dreading. My parents pushing from one side, now Scarlett pushing from the other. Everyone wanted something from me. Everyone had demands.
I thought about Elena, sitting quietly in restaurants while I texted Scarlett. Never complaining. Never threatening to leave. Just... there. Steady. Uncomplicated.
Until recently.
Scarlett: Damon? Are you listening? I need to know you're serious about us.
I set the phone down carefully on my desk, face-up but unanswered.
Elena had jumped out a second-story window to get away from all this. And here I was, stuck in my room, getting shit from every direction.
The irony wasn't lost on me.
---
Elena's POV
Caleb had been locked in his office since early afternoon. I could see the light under the door, hear the occasional low murmur of him on a call, the steady tap of keyboard keys. Whatever project had pulled him away was clearly urgent.
I'd wanted to talk to him about my plans—the apartment hunting, the need to find something temporary and affordable. But every time I got close to his office door, I hesitated.
He was working. Focused. I shouldn't interrupt.
Instead, I texted Lila.
Me: Free later? Need to talk about finding a place.
Lila: Swamped until 6, but I'll come over after. Hang tight.
I curled up on the couch with a book I couldn't focus on, hyper-aware of every sound from Caleb's office.
It was ridiculous how much space he took up in my head, even when he wasn't in the room.
---
By the time Lila arrived with a box of pastries and her laptop bag, the sun had started setting. I met her at the door and immediately pressed a finger to my lips, nodding toward Caleb's closed office.
"Still working," I whispered.
She rolled her eyes but followed me quietly to the guest room, shutting the door behind us.
"Okay," she said, dropping onto the bed and kicking off her shoes. "Before we get into your housing crisis, I need to tell you about Ethan's day."
I blinked. "What?"
"He was debugging code and completely forgot to eat. I had to physically shove a sandwich into his hands. He tried to eat it while typing and nearly spilled coffee all over the server rack." She grinned. "He's a disaster, but he's my disaster."
I smiled despite myself, but something twisted in my chest. Lila had this lightness about her—this easy joy that came from growing up loved and wanted. She'd never had to fight for scraps of affection or wonder if her existence was a burden.
Caleb and I... we carried different weights. Scars that matched in all the wrong ways.
"Earth to Elena." Lila waved a hand in front of my face. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Just thinking."
She gave me a long look but didn't push. "So. Apartments. I've been looking at listings."
She opened her laptop and pulled up a spreadsheet that was frankly intimidating in its thoroughness. Rent comparisons, neighborhood safety ratings, proximity to public transit.
"The suburbs are cheaper," she said, scrolling through options. "But honestly? A single woman living alone out there? The areas you can afford aren't great. Lots of drifters. It's not safe."
I bit my lip. "What are my other options?"
"You wait until you have a job lined up and then talk to Caleb about a longer-term arrangement." She looked up from the screen. "I know you want to be independent, but there's no shame in—"
"I can't keep living here," I cut in. The words came out sharper than I intended. "It's not... I can't just rely on his kindness indefinitely."
"Elena—"
"I mean it." My voice wavered slightly. "I need to figure out how to stand on my own."
Lila studied me for a moment, then sighed. "Okay. I get it. But promise me you'll be smart about this? Don't move somewhere dangerous just to prove a point."
"I promise."