Page 57 of Dark Sold Mate

The following day, when Elle woke up, she formed a plan. If her power wasn’t useful, then maybe she could train harder and be useful in the field, rather than depending on powers that had a mind of their own.

Elle asked Rael to demonstrate more advanced defensive techniques to her after breakfast. They spent hours in the training yard, and by the end, her muscles screamed in protest, and her clothes were soaked with sweat.

“You’re a fast learner,” Rael said as he wiped his sweaty brows. “Another couple of weeks, and you will be able to stand on your own against most shifters.”

“Most shifters are no good. I have to be able to stand my own against any shifter.”

Rael smiled. “Ambitious. I like it.”

During the following week, Elle plunged into the world of investigation and training. She accompanied the brothers on all their hunts, and touched everything at every place, but nothing was useful.

Her magic never did more than reveal the past to her.

Her frustration increased day by day, and the fact that she could not stop thinking about Silas added to it all. She just couldn’t forget that night. She couldn’t help but want him, and it scared the shit out of her.

By the end of the week, Elle was wound so tight she felt like she might shatter.

One morning, Elle was in the training yard before dawn, and August showed up. “You know you are overworking yourself. You need a break.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re exhausted.” August crossed his arms. “When was it last that you did anything that was not training or hunting, or trying to make your power work the way you want?”

Elle couldn’t remember.

“Take the day off,” August continued. “Go into town. Buy something weird. There are better things in life than what you’ve been doing.”

“But I—”

August gave her a look that reminded her of when she was a child. He’d refuse to let her skip meals or stay up past her bedtime.

“Fine,” Elle grumbled. “One day.”

She borrowed Silas’s truck, who was having meetings all day with other Alphas, and went to the town center. It was a Sunday afternoon. It was warm, sunny, and the main street was busy.

Elle aimlessly strolled into stores, window-shopping. The investigation, her useless magic, all the ways she was not helping, still dominated her mind.

She was walking by a bookshop, and there she saw him in the window—Silas.

Her lips curved into a smile. She wanted to go inside and ask why he was not attending his meetings. But right before she stepped in, she saw a woman beside him.

She recognized her as the shop owner. A beautiful wolf shifter with long red hair. She rested her hand on Silas’s arm, laughing at something he said.

No. She was flirting with him.

Elle felt something irrational bubble in her chest at the sight. She had no right to be jealous. She told Silas that what happened between them was nothing, and whenever he tried to discuss it, she shoved him away.

She had no right to him. But seeing that woman touching him and smiling at him, she wanted to go into that shop and make it very clear to him that Silas was hers.

Which was insane. She wanted nothing to do with him.

Elle turned and walked quickly away from the bookshop, her hands clenched into fists. She made it halfway down the block before she heard her name.

“Elle!”

She kept walking.

“Elle, wait!”