Eclipsed Hearts

Confessions and Concessions

[Bailey]

I had never felt so refreshed and well-rested after a night’s sleep. I burrowed myself into the cocoon of warmth, relishing the sensation, and let out a sigh of pure bliss. For the first time in forever, I felt safe and at peace. I wanted nothing more in my entire life than to stay right there forever.

Unfortunately, I felt someone nearby, which compelled me to open one eye. Letting things like that go unchecked was simply too risky in my life. It wasn’t a smart move while I still had to kill that werewolf.

Suddenly, I remembered where I was and what was happening. When I opened my eyes, Keaton was right there, grinning at me. I tried to move, but something held me back and I felt a breath on my neck.

Before I could try to get away, Keaton waved at me. As I stared, I realized the only person who could be clinging onto me was Ian. I remember Ian hugging me in bed last night, and then I blacked out.

“You have night terrors,” Keaton whispered.

“I know. Sorry, I forgot to say anything.”

“We couldn’t wake you and the only thing that calmed you was when Ian held you. Every time he stopped, you would begin again, slowly building until you were thrashing and screaming from time to time. He felt it was better to stay with you and let you rest than to keep letting it happen. I’m surprised, though,” he said.

“Why are you surprised? Because someone holding me helped? Or was it just because he was a werewolf?”

“No. It is because since you woke and realized what was going on, you never once checked to see if you were still dressed. Most ladies would.”

“What would it matter if I weren’t? It’s happened before.” For the first time in a long time, I felt my stomach twist and my throat tighten when I said that.

Ian’s grip on me tightened and I could feel a growl rumble in his chest. I was a hunter. We did whatever it took to get close to our prey. It was a stark contrast to hunting animals out in the forest.

Sometimes, we had to sacrifice our women or men as bait to lure the werewolves out into the open. Sometimes we had to team up with hunter clans that were sexist and thought female hunters were just there for their pleasure.

My cousin Mari was the only one who ever got mad for me. What was wrong with me? Why did I keep gravitating towards Ian? He came clean and admitted he had plans to take me out. How did I end up trusting him more than my own family?

I never discussed my future with them or the uncertainty that awaited me after my revenge. They never knew how much I was hurting or how scared I was. My aunt tried to be there for me, but I had a feeling I couldn’t trust my dad’s family. Despite my respect for the elders and my diligent work, I knew most of them didn’t truly consider that family. They had made that abundantly clear to me on multiple occasions.

“Ian….”

“I’ll kill every single man who has ever laid a hand on you,” he murmured into my ear. “No one will ever do that to you again.”

“I don’t need you to protect me. It’s in the past. Let me leave it there.”

Ian’s embrace became even more firm, as if he wanted to shield me from the world. His grip was almost possessive. A shiver ran down my spine when he promised to protect me, a feeling that was equal parts fear and unexpected comfort. It was weird to trust a werewolf who wanted to kill me. But in that moment, I felt like he genuinely cared, and it made me realize I didn’t have to deal with everything by myself.

“We need to figure out how we’re still going to get the two of you access to the man you’re hunting.”

“Can’t we just have your people deal with the corpse and kill him here?” I asked.

Keaton laughed. “They were fine with cleaning up human bodies. They won’t dispose of werewolf bodies for hunters. You’re going to have to wait until you get back to the mainland to get rid of him. I think what is more important right now, is ensuring that you’re able to get him to believe that he is in luck and not that he is in danger.”

“How are we going to do that?” Ian asked. “He thought I was just some Alpha he could manipulate, but now I’ve inserted myself into whatever is going on with one of the most deadly Alphas in the country and a hunter he wants to kill.”

“I think it’s pretty easy,” I replied. “Tell him that you saw how much he wanted me, so you decided that I would be the p*****t for him instead of whatever he wanted.”

“He wanted one of the young teen girls from my pack as his mate. He wanted to force her into a relationship with her.”

“Sick fuck.”

“I’ll kill him myself,” Keaton snarled.

I looked up at him and could see he was fuming mad. They had a reputation for looking out for girls in their packs, and I saw how Ian did the same for me. It’s like he knew I needed protection and wanted to keep me safe. Ian intentionally looked the other way to prove he wasn’t scared of me.

Whether the girl was a human or a werewolf, it made no difference to me. Her being a child and his demand for her was sufficient reason for me to conclude that, regardless of his role in my family’s deaths, he had to be killed.

“Go tell him that you’re earning my trust and you plan to give me to him, Ian. It’s going to be enough. Tell him it’s in return for waiting until the girl is eighteen. He’ll believe it more because he wouldn’t leave you and your pack alone for just me. You would understand that he’d need an ongoing p*****t to keep him at bay. I think it’s perfect.”

“Leave us alone for a moment, Keaton,” Ian said from behind me.

Keaton nodded and walked away, giving us some privacy. Ian sighed and leaned his head against mine. I couldn’t see him because he was still spooning me. I didn’t know why he wanted to be alone with me, but it was making me a little nervous.

Ian turned me around to face him, his deep green eyes searching mine. There was a mix of emotion in them that was hard to read; concern, protectiveness, and a hint of something else that made my heart race.

“Mari, I don’t want to offer you to him. It would be extremely hard for me to do. I know you don’t really understand, but I can’t ever give you to him.”

“Because you think I’m weak and need to be protected.” I sighed.

Ian laughed. “There is nothing weak about you. You’re a Damson, a member of one of the most deadly hunter clans in the States. I may not have witnessed you killing anyone, but I can see it in your eyes. That empty soullessness that comes with taking a life. That place you have to create to forgive yourself for what you did.”

“I don’t have to forgive myself for killing monsters,” I replied automatically before I registered who I was talking to. I gasped. “Ian, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“You were programmed to say certain things, weren’t you? The things you’ve said that set me off were things you’d have to respond with when you were talking to someone like your great-grandfather,” he replied.

“Yes, it was part of my training,” I admitted quietly.

“You don’t understand werewolves very much, do you? Since I’ve started joining hunting parties, I’ve seen how much they get wrong. Just like Gino did, when he assessed my family. He was clueless about werewolf relationships. Frankly, I don’t know how. It’s understandable that you don’t realize werewolves are as caring and loving to their pack mates as regular wolves. Hunters might believe I have romantic relationships with Fern and Jaden, but werewolves know it’s about providing comfort. Like how I came to hold you last night.”

“So you’re saying it’s not s****l with them?” I asked.

“No. They’re like my younger siblings, best friends, and children at the same time. Werewolves have fated mates, and sometimes we settle for a mate if we can’t find our soulmate, but usually we patiently wait for our destined match. Do you believe in soulmates, Mari?”

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “It never really crossed my mind. I was too caught up in my training and hunter stuff to even think about soulmates. But… but my cousin did.”

“The one who got shot?”

“No,” I answered. “A different one. She was about my age and died on a hunt a while ago. I miss her. She was the only person in my clan who seemed to understand me.”

How come I felt like I could talk to him about this? I exposed my emotions, and he didn’t give off a triumphant vibe or make me feel weak. Instead, Ian looked like he understood and cared.

Ian reached out and caressed my face, his touch surprisingly tender. All I could think about were his lips as he brought me in. I hated how much I wanted this.

When our lips touched, I felt a sudden rush of desire and longing that caught me off guard. Ian deepened the kiss, his hands exploring my skin, the heat between us growing. Our bodies intertwined, and I found myself lost in the passion of the moment. The desire in his eyes was clear as we went pulled apart.

“Ian?”

“Goddess, I hate you, Mari,” he groaned and started kissing me again.

When I tried to push him off, he grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head. I bit him when he tried to stick his tongue in my mouth.

“Stop, Ian,” I breathed out, trying to catch my breath. “What are you doing? You hate me? Why do you keep kissing me?”

“Because I need you like I need to breathe. Soulmates, the human idea of them, is only a shadow of what a fated mate is. Do you understand? Do you get why I can’t even pretend to give you to him?” Ian asked.

“Why are you telling me this? Don’t… don’t do this,” I whispered as it came together in my head.

It wasn’t just him realizing he had developed feelings for me or being attracted to me. I was his enemy, but he was destined to love me. We stripped him of everything.

“Tell me your real name, so I can reject you. Do you even understand how much this hurts me? I can’t stop myself from wanting you. Please stop torturing me,” he murmured, burying his head in my shoulder.

My heart hurt, but I knew what I needed to do. Being with him would be an instant death sentence for me. He didn’t want me, anyway. That was fine. I was used to being alone.

“My name is….”