Stolen Fate: Bound to Seven Alphas

WILLA

I said nothing.

My eyes remained fixed on the door. For some reason, I could see it clearly now.

"Answer me," Elliot demanded.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," I muttered under my breath.

He heard me anyway.

"You don’t?" he hissed.

My ears twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps. He was behind me now. Still, I didn’t move.

I didn’t turn around either. Suddenly, Elliot grabbed my shoulder and spun me toward him.

His fingers clamped around my chin, forcing me to look directly into furious granite-gray eyes.

"Look at me when you answer me," he bit out, his jaw tightening.

I frowned slightly as I stared back at him. Was this how Elliot always treated Elyse?

The possessiveness. The control. That unreasonable anger simmering beneath every word.

Honestly, it made me even more curious about what truly caused their breakup.

"Are you trying to think of another lie?" he continued harshly.

My gaze briefly drifted away toward the large map hanging on the wall before I looked back at him and gently pulled my chin free from his grip.

"I can’t control a mate bond," I pointed out quietly.

"Maybe if you hadn’t gone to that damned party, none of this would’ve happened!" he snapped immediately.

Heat rushed to my face. Right. Of course he already knew about the party too.

As House Alpha, someone must’ve informed him about everything that happened the moment he returned.

"Would it really have mattered if I stayed in the dorm instead?" I asked evenly. "It could’ve happened anywhere. At school or somewhere else and—"

My voice trailed off as sudden light flooded the room. The brightness flashed directly into my eyes, nearly blinding me.

Instinctively, I squeezed them shut and counted silently to five before opening them again slowly.

As my vision adjusted, I realized we were standing inside some sort of strategy room.

Shelves lined the walls. A large weapons rack stood near the biggest map in the room, stocked with blades and training weapons.

At the center sat a circular table surrounded by six chairs. Scattered across it were maps, a compass, two pocketknives, and several silver chains.

Elliot released my chin and stepped back slightly. His attention shifted past me instantly.

His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "What are you doing here?"

I turned swiftly toward the doorway. My breath caught. Verah stood there with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

I shot her a helpless look. Unfortunately, she didn’t look remotely sympathetic.

Her brows furrowed deeply as confusion flickered across her face. Her gaze moved from me to Elliot, then back to me again.

"Elyse," she said disapprovingly.

"I was just leaving," I interrupted quickly.

I tried stepping toward the door but Elliot grabbed my wrist again before I could move. He didn’t care that Verah was standing right there watching everything.

Verah’s expression darkened the moment Elliot pulled me back against him.

"We’re not done talking," he muttered.

"I..." I stammered weakly, glancing helplessly between them.

Verah stepped farther into the room.

"Leave," Elliot ordered coldly without taking his eyes off me.

"What?" Verah snapped, irritation sharpening her voice instantly.

"I said leave," Elliot repeated through clenched teeth.

Verah didn’t move.

"Please," I mouthed desperately, silently begging her to listen. This wasn’t Lance.

Lance might tolerate her arguing with him, maybe even hitting him. But something told me Elliot wouldn’t let disrespect slide nearly as easily.

Still, Verah ignored me completely. Her eyes stayed fixed on Elliot.

"You promised to stay away from her," she shot back.

"What I choose to do is none of your business, Hart," Elliot replied coldly. "And as your Alpha, I’m telling you for the last time—leave."

Verah stood her ground.

"You enjoyed seeing her hurt, didn’t you?" she snapped, her voice rising.

Elliot’s jaw tightened.

"You called her a cheap slut. A walking disease." Verah stepped closer with every accusation, her anger growing more vicious with each word.

He did? My eyes widened in shock as she continued.

"You called her a waste of space. A waste of your time. You denied ever asking her out and told everyone she was just some stupid bet you used to pass time—"

"Hart," Elliot snarled warningly.

His grip tightened around my wrist. Not enough to hurt me.

But Verah’s words? Those hurt. A strange ache spread through my chest, confusing and uncomfortable.

I didn’t understand why it affected me this much. None of this had happened to me. It happened to Elyse.

So why did hearing it feel so personal?

"You humiliated her in front of the entire academy!" Verah shouted.

Elliot looked down at her coldly. At over six feet tall, he towered over both of us easily.

"I said back off," he warned again.

"And now you suddenly care?!" Verah fired back, ignoring every warning he gave her. "She cried over you for days! She loved you with everything she had, but you..." She breathed heavily, her fists clenched tightly at her sides as rage burned across her face.

"You rejected her over and over again without a second thought," Verah continued furiously. "You turned her into the academy’s joke. The academy whore everyone laughed at." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Elliot said nothing. Not once did he deny any of it. And somehow, that silence confirmed everything.

Disgust twisted low in my stomach.

I yanked my hand free forcefully and stumbled backward when he released me.

His hand moved instantly like he intended to grab me again but I stepped out of reach before he could.

My gaze hardened as I stared directly at him, waiting. Waiting for him to defend himself. To explain.

To say literally anything that would stop him from looking exactly as horrible as Verah described.

But he only pressed his lips into a thin line. Silence stretched between us. Then Elliot finally opened his mouth and I cut him off before he could speak.

"No amount of pleading is going to make us get back together," I said firmly. "Respect the breakup. Respect what our families wanted."

Elliot’s expression darkened in an instant, his lips curling into a snarl. However, instead of looking at me, his attention shifted toward Verah.

"You—"

"I’m not letting you ruin her again," Verah snapped. "You’ve already done enough. I’m tired of picking up the pieces after trash like you."

Then she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. Thankfully, Elliot didn’t stop us this time.

The second we stepped outside, I released a shaky breath of relief. "Thank you—"

A loud crash exploded behind us. My heart jumped violently as I turned toward the closed door.

"We have history," Verah mumbled quickly, tugging harder on my hand. "Come on."

She barely gave me enough time to process what had happened before dragging me away.