Lockwood City: The Tale of Eloise

Five

Motionless In White- Another Life

Elias:

Her family is waiting when I get to the lobby. I felt like I had been up there a f*****g eternity but it was mere minutes. The elevator door shuts behind me and I fall back against it. My body slides all the way down until my ass hits the floor. I pull my legs up wrapping my arms around them tightly and I just explode. A roar erupts out of me so loud my throat and my chest burn.

"Elias," Luna Bes comes over to me and crouches in front of me. My eyes meet hers and I instantly hate her. All of them for letting this happen to her. Why didn't they protect her?

"Get away from me," I growl. With tears streaming down her face, she nods and moves away.

"Is she okay?" Alpha Tec asks. I push myself up. My eyes lock with his.

"That's a pretty stupid f*****g question, don't you think?" I ask him. He looks away. "What did you do to trigger her wolf?"

"It was my fault," Blitz has a huge gash going down his neck. It's already healing. It's not permanent like her scars are. She held back. "Her little wolf attacked me and I kicked him. He tried to run at me again and I moved out of the way. When stepped back, he ran under me and I stepped on his leg. It was the sound he made that triggered her,"

"Pack up her things. I'm taking her with me tomorrow. She can't be up there anymore,"

"Elias, if she rampages like this in the city-" her dad starts to protest.

"She'll kill anyone in her way," I finish cutting him off. "I am well aware, Alpha Tec. But if she stays up there any longer, she'll die. You can bet your f*****g life on that. I rather her kill her way through the city than let her die," I turn my attention over to Victoria and Margrette. "Just her belongings. Everything else stays,"

"Elias," my dad calls out as I make my way toward the exit where Jax is. He's waiting for me. I stop and glance back at my father.

"It's going to have to wait," I say. "You're going to have to hold off as long as you can. You want an alpha and I will give you one. She will lead this f*****g city. I swear it on my mother's grave. Just give me as much time as you can. Please,"

"Okay," Alpha Tec answers for him. He places his hand on my father's shoulder. "Do it,"

"Alpha," I bow and turn away to meet Jax. His eyes land on my shoulder.

"Rapunzel," he sighs. "What do you need?"

"She's going to be moving in with me tomorrow. I need you to have a cleaning crew sweep my loft. Replace everything. The mattress, the towels, the couches. Where is Tiff?"

"She's in Old Town," he scratches the back of his neck. "She's going to be pissed,"

"I know," I agree. He holds up a black t-shirt. I pull it over my head.

"I'll be done by tonight," he nods clapping my back. "Good luck, man,"

I get on my bike and begin to slip my gloves on. I can feel her all over me. I smell her on my skin. Her deep husky voice filled with lust is echoing in my head like a song stuck on repeat. I don't regret it. None of it. It was never a question of if it was always a when. The moment she pushed her hoodie off. I knew.

Eloise might be a stranger now. I know nothing about her anymore. That woman is not the little girl I remember. She's not the best friend I lost all those years ago. It hurts to think of it this way but that little girl is gone. Even if there's a little sliver of her left in this woman. Ellie is gone. I can't go into this thinking I'm going to get her back. I know better than most that there is no going back. We can never be the people we once were.

I ride down to Old Town and spot her green convertible parked on the strip. I park my Ninja next to it. She's sitting in a cafe surrounded by her friends. They're laughing, having drinks. Hot anger burns inside of me knowing that Eloise never had this. She never stood a f*****g chance. Those who were supposed to protect her failed. We all failed her. But I won't. I won't fail her ever again.

I pull my helmet off and set it down. Tiffany spots me and excuses herself from the group of girls. They all turn to look at me and the fun ends. My fresh mark is on full display. This is the last thing I wanted to do to Tiff. We've been good for two years now. Her mate died in a raid four years ago and I didn't think it would ever happen to me but we have talked about it. The what if. Her eyes land on my neck and she hesitates for an instant before she takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

"Who is she?" she asks. "Our new beta female?"

"No," I shake my head. "She's not our new beta female,"

"You're marked up, Elias," she growls. "I will-"

"She's an alpha," I stop her. Her anger slips away and she takes a step back.

"An alpha?" she repeats. Her lower lip trembles as she tries to fight her anger. Her eyes fill with tears and she looks away knowing that even if she wanted to do something about it, she'd never be able to. "It's her, isn't it? Rapunzel?"

"Yes," I nod without taking my eyes off her.

"You saw her?" she looks me over. "Where?"

"Lockwood Tower,"

"You went looking for her?" it's an accusation. She had been out of town on an errand with Luna Bes. I wasn't home when she arrived this morning.

"No, it just happened. It happened yesterday but today-"

"She claimed you," she nodded. "You can still-"

"I want her," I say wholeheartedly. I get off my bike and step up to her. "I'm sorry, Tiff. We talked about this,"

"It's not fair," she shakes her head, her voice breaking.

"I know it's not, but I did tell you before we moved in together. I told you before we-"

"Stop," she puts her hand up like she's heard enough.

"I'll set you up with a new apartment tonight,"

"Tonight?" she scoffs. "Already?"

"You don't understand,"

"No, I don't. So she's your f*****g mate. You're going to kick me out of our apartment and move her in? She has you by the balls already? Does she know we're engaged?"

"It's not like that,"

"Isn't it?" she swats my neck. I grip her wrist and shove her.

"Don't ever reach for my f*****g mark again, Tiffany," I warn her. "I'm doing the right thing here. I didn't- I do love you, Tiff but this is different. You know that. She's my mate. I belong with her. The moment she crossed my path, things changed,"

"Right," she lets out a low laugh. "You're not just a beta anymore. You're the alpha. Alpha Elias Graeson. That's what this is. Your chance to finally get rid of Max,"

"This has nothing to do with Max,"

"Doesn't it?" she scoffs. "I hope she believes you cause I sure as f**k don't,"

"Tiff,"

"I don't need you to set me up with a new apartment, Elias. I don't need s**t from you. I was perfectly fine when we met and I will be just fine without you," she looks me over with contempt. "As you were, alpha,"

"Tiff," I reach to grab her arm. She looks down at my hand and then up at me. The look on her face is hopeful.

"Eli-"

"If you f**k with her in any way. I will f*****g bury you. Do you understand? In anyway. You and I are done. There is no more us and even if she doesn't accept me I will never come back to you. I want you to remember that when you tell your little girlfriends who my mate is. The same goes for them. Got it?" I let her go and she stumbles away from me.

"You're serious?" she shakes her head.

"I'm dead serious. You've seen me work. Not to mention her brutality. If I don't get to you first, she'll f*****g skin you alive, Tiff. She's a Lockwood. You've heard the rumors. I can tell you right now that they're all true. Her mother, her father, and her siblings. Nothing compared to Rapunzel in that tower. She's not up there for her own protection. She's up there to protect us from her. And let me tell you, we need it,"

"Good, I hope she f*****g kills you, motherfucker," she takes the ring on her finger off and throws it at me. The ring bounces off my chest and hits the floor.

I look down at the eighty thousand dollar ring on the floor and step back. I don't want it. What the hell am I going to do with it? It's worthless now. It's part of a different life. A life where I didn't feel the coldness of the princess locked up in the highest tower. I know it now and nothing else matters anymore. I slip my helmet back on and start my bike. She stands there looking down at the ring.

"Pick it up, Tiffany. It's worth more than everything you own," I say as I back out of the parking space. "For what it's worth, I really am sorry,"

"Sorry you're breaking up with me or sorry you didn't wait for her?" she asks. Her tears finally betray her and slide down her flawless makeup.

Things were so easy with Tiff. She's sweet and gentle. There's a charisma about her. She draws people in. I remember the day we met. Her hair was teal then. She would always wear it up. Glasses, cute little goth girl dresses. She was shy and reserved. She's different now. Better. Confident, arrogant. We made each other better. We grew together. Took what we wanted.

"I don't regret it," I say in all honesty. "I never will, Tiff. Thank you. I don't think I'd be able to help my mate now if it weren't for you," she looks up at me her expression angry. "I mean that. I'm sorry I can't be the person you want me to be. I hope you find what you're looking for,"

"f**k you, Elias," she scoffs.

I slide my visor down looking back to let the car approaching pass before I turn my bike around. I can't regret my time with her. It wasn't wasted. Before I met Tif, I was a f*****g ass hole. I didn't have the patience I do now. She taught me that. She gave me skills that are going to be useful to me for the rest of my life. I have to tell Eloise about her. A part of me thinks she already knows.

I head back to my apartment. My loft is as big as her room alone but it's not the catalog bullshit she lives in now. Jax and a few others already stripped the entire place. They even packed up Tiffany's things.

"What do you want me to do with this?" Jax asks pointing at the boxes.

"She's staying with Kim. Take her things there," I sigh, taking a seat on one of the stools.

"Maybe you should replace everything. Get a new apartment. If things are as bad as I think they are, she's not going to like that this place smells like another female, Elias. She's an alpha,"

"I'll ask her when she gets here. If she can't stand it, I'll get a new place. I don't want her there anymore, Jax," I wave him off. He comes over leaning on the counter.

"Is it really that bad, man?"

I place my hand on my chest feeling the cold inside of her. It's steady now. Calm, like a cool breeze in the fall. Nothing like the ice storm I felt when she bit me. The sounds echo in her soul. The feeling of helplessness. The fear and pain. All of it. It's not just the tower. It's her. She's stuck in that cell.

"Yeah," I nod. "It's really f*****g bad. She's dying up there, Jax. Slowly and painfully. I don't know if I can bring her back or if she even wants me to but I have to. I need to. I can't leave here there anymore. Whatever it takes, Eloise has to join the world of the living again. Lockwood City has been waiting on her for way too long,"

"Way too long," he agrees. "What do you want to do about Max?"

"Let's keep an eye on him. Eloise showed me a few interesting things about him last night. She might be alone up there but she's not unaware of what happens down here. This Rapunzel isn't some princess waiting to be rescued. She's a beast waiting for someone to take her leash and coax her out of that cage,"