Eternal Bonds: A Brother's Love, A Soulmate's Fate

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The Reluctant Fate



Chapter 4: The Reluctant Fate

Elijah stood in the corner of the dimly lit room, his eyes scanning the space, but his mind was far away, lost in thoughts he couldn't escape. The Cullen family had been kind, too kind. He'd met Esme in person, and though something inside of him stirred when she was near, he didn't let it show. His thoughts were clouded with doubt and confusion, a persistent internal battle he couldn't shake.

"How are you feeling, Elijah?" Esme had asked him earlier, her tone filled with kindness.

He had forced a smile, telling her he was fine, but in truth, everything felt strange. He didn't know her, didn't know why she was so drawn to him. This whole soulmate business? Ridiculous. He didn't believe in it. The idea of being bound to someone like that? It was something out of a fairy tale, or maybe a nightmare. He wasn't about to let this—this magical bond—control his life. Not now, not ever.

I'm in a different reality, Elijah thought to himself, standing by the window now, watching the world outside. This can't be real. One minute I'm just living a normal life, the next thing I know, I'm stuck in some fantasy with vampires and—wait, werewolves? He shook his head in frustration. It was too much. He didn't belong here.

In his previous life, Elijah had been content with who he was, and though things hadn't ended in the most ideal way, he had made peace with his past. The idea of being Bella Swan's older brother—someone tied to a family of vampires who lived forever, whose lives were far too complicated for his taste—was not what he had imagined when he woke up in this new body. And this soulmate nonsense? He didn't want anything to do with it.

I didn't ask for this. He clenched his fists, the internal battle growing stronger with each passing moment. He had enough problems already—being reincarnated as Bella's older brother, dealing with the constant bizarre situation surrounding Forks, the strange bond that seemed to exist between him and Esme. The last thing he needed was to get tangled up in some supernatural love story. It was too complicated. He was here to live his life in peace, to forget about the past.

I'm not getting involved with any of them, he thought stubbornly. Not with Esme, not with the Cullens, not with anyone.

The world outside the window remained unchanged, indifferent to his turmoil. Elijah's eyes softened, and he let out a slow, frustrated breath. Maybe I'm just overthinking this, he mused. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and everything will be back to normal. I'll find a way to keep to myself, to live quietly, without all this... this craziness. And if I really have a soulmate, well, she'll just have to stay a mystery.

But deep down, somewhere in the pit of his stomach, Elijah could feel the pull. It was there, beneath his reluctance. He tried to push it away, to ignore it, but it was harder than he expected. The connection was real, and he couldn't deny that. Every time Esme was near, it was as if something inside of him recognized her—like an invisible thread connecting them that he couldn't sever no matter how hard he tried.

I don't need this, he told himself again, as if willing the thought to erase the truth. I don't need her, I don't need any of them.

But as the minutes passed, and the silence stretched around him, Elijah couldn't shake the truth: no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, he had a soulmate. He didn't want one, didn't ask for one, but that didn't change the fact that it was there, looming over him like a shadow. If he had to accept the world of vampires and werewolves, maybe he'd just have to ignore the rest. He wouldn't let his heart be dragged into this mess.

It was the only solution he could think of.

But little did Elijah know, fate wasn't so easily ignored.

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