On My Knees Before the Goddess… and My Alpha

Chapter 1

Elara’s POV

“Again!” I yelled at the children, and they groaned and whined.

“You can’t be strong and defend yourself if you only see it as a chore. You need to embrace it as a part of you. Now.” I walked over to one of the students who had her leg in the air but was already shaking and about to stumble.

I placed my hand on her back, helping her stand properly, then turned to the rest.

“Again.”

They nodded and began practicing, more determined than before, and it brought a smile to my face.

Beeping sounds filled the room, and I rushed over to my bag, grabbed my phone, and placed it to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Ely, why aren’t you there yet? He has been waiting for you for hours!” my best friend, Lisa, yelled through the phone. From the screeching sounds in the background, I could tell she was driving.

“I’ve told you multiple times not to drive while taking a call. I cannot bail you out of jail again. You know I’m in the middle of a class.”

“Yes, but—” She paused and yelled profanities at a driver who was definitely trying to overtake her, and I covered my face with one hand.

“Lisa, call me when you’re out of a moving vehicle.”

I ended the call and returned to teaching the students how to throw a punch.

The bell rang, and they all fell to the floor, panting and laughing about all the new moves they had learned.

“See you next Thursday,” I said, throwing my fist in the air like I usually did.

They did the same.

They slowly gathered their things, still laughing and teasing each other about who had the worst balance and who threw the weakest punch.

I pretended not to hear some of the exaggerated complaints about how strict I was, but I caught the way they lingered a little longer than necessary, reluctant to leave.

It was always like this. They complained through the drills and cursed me under their breath when I made them repeat a stance five times, yet none of them ever missed a class.

When the room finally emptied, I bent down to straighten the mats and wiped the thin sheen of sweat from my forehead. The mirror stretching across the wall reflected a version of me I had deliberately built over the years.

My build was firm, and I didn’t look weak.

Not anymore.

My phone vibrated again inside my bag, and I groaned. I already knew who it was.

“Don’t start,” I answered as soon as I picked up.

“Elara, you are unbelievable.”

“No, Lisa. You are unbelievable, and don’t tell me you’re still driving.”

She cursed under her breath, then spoke in a cheery voice. “Fine, I won’t.”

“Lisa,” I said in a warning tone, and she burst out laughing.

“I parked, I swear.”

“I wouldn’t want you dead or arrested. Again.”

I could imagine her rolling her eyes.

“Ely, he has been sitting here for two hours. Two. He even ordered you your favorite drink.”

“You don’t know my favorite drink,” I replied, slipping my arm through my bag strap and heading for the door.

“Yes, I do. Anything with extra sugar.”

“That was two years ago.”

“And you haven’t changed that much.”

I stepped out of the hall and locked the door behind me. Students and a few teachers passing by greeted me with polite smiles and respectful nods.

“Good evening, Miss Elara.”

“See you next week!”

I returned each greeting with a small smile, aware of Lisa still talking in my ear.

“You can’t keep doing this,” she continued. “You turn down every date I set up. Blond, brunette, tall, short, rich, or struggling artist. At this point, I’m running out of options.”

“I didn’t ask you to run a matchmaking agency.”

“You didn’t have to. Your love life is a public concern.”

I sighed softly. “Lisa.”

“What?”

“I’m not interested.”

There was a pause, and when she spoke again, her voice was gentler.

“Is this about him?”

My fingers tightened slightly around my phone. “It’s not about anyone.”

“It has been years, Ely.”

“I know.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

I didn’t even know the answer to that question, and I didn’t want to know either.

Instead, I replied, “I’m fine the way I am.”

She didn’t sound convinced, but she let it go.

“One day you’re going to tell me why you really refuse every decent man I bring your way.”

“Maybe,” I said, even though I knew I never could.

I hailed a cab and rode back to my apartment.

The apartment was dark when I stepped inside. Lisa still hadn’t gotten home, and the thought of calling her crossed my mind, but knowing her, she was probably at a bar trying to get some man to pay for her drinks.

Exhaustion from teaching all day pulled a yawn from me. I trudged to the bedroom, climbed beneath the covers, and let my eyes flutter closed.

I drifted into a deep sleep.

“I reject you.”

His voice was firm as he said those words, and a sharp pain instantly tore through my chest, making me stumble and fall to my knees.

“No…” I mumbled under my breath, refusing to look at his face, afraid of what I would see.

“I, Gideon Nightshade of the Clawstone pack, reject you, Elara Demlow,” he repeated, this time solidifying our broken bond.

The pain grew sharper, and I forced myself to stare up at him. At the one person I had always trusted no matter what. At my first true friend and the man I had fallen in love with.

My mate.

Gideon’s eyes were dull and empty. He was different from the man I had grown to know, and there wasn’t any trace of the love he had once shown me.

“Gideon. You can’t—”

“I already have. Leave the pack before nighttime. I don’t want to see your face ever again.”

The pain intensified, and I felt something rise in my chest. Blood spilled from my mouth and splattered across his boots as my vision blurred.

I reached for him, desperate for help, but he only stared down at me with disgust.

“You have always been so weak, Elara. I would never want you.”

With those words, I lost consciousness.

I woke with a jolt, sweating profusely.

A lazy hand was draped over me, and for one disorienting second, I couldn’t breathe.

I shoved Lisa’s hand away and staggered to the kitchen, grabbed a glass of water, and downed it in one go.

I gripped the counter tightly and bit down on my lower lip until I tasted blood.

The full moon hung high in the sky, and seeing it only reminded me of how cruel the Moon Goddess had been in writing my fate.

“Fuck the mate bond. Fuck the Moon Goddess,” I muttered.

An instant, sharp pain tore through my entire body, just like that day.

I collapsed to the floor and screamed.

Footsteps hurried toward me.

“Are you okay, Ely?” Lisa cried, fear written all over her face.

Was the Moon Goddess punishing me for cursing at her?

My eyes slowly closed, and I fell unconscious.

Just like that day.

Chapter 2

Gideon's POV

“Let me make you feel good,” a small voice whispered in my ear.

It was nighttime, and everything was dark. The moon was the only source of light. I lay in bed while her hands roamed my chest. She tried to get on top of me, and that was when I had had enough. I grabbed her hand roughly and threw her to the ground.

She yelped in pain, and I turned on my bedside lamp. Her face came into view. She was one of the Elders’ daughters. She was in tears and gripped her bruised elbow.

“Leave if you still want your head on your neck,” I said in a cold tone.

She shivered and got up, scrambling out of the room.

Should I get the head maid fired for letting her in? No one else should have had a key to my room.

I looked out the window and stared at the moon.

“Disgusting.”

***

“Sir!” Someone pushed open the doors, bursting into my office. I snapped my head up and stared at his face. He was panting