Unchained

UNCHAINED ELITE OF ELMWOOD ACADEMY BOOK FIVE J.L. WEIL Published by J. L. Weil Copyright 2023 by J. L. Weil www.jlweil.com/ All rights reserved. Edited by Xterraweb Cover Design by Wicked by Designs Photo by Lindee Robinson All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. CONTENTS Also by J. L. Weil Prologue 1. Ainsley 2. Grayson 3. Ainsley 4. Ainsley 5. Grayson 6. Ainsley 7. Ainsley 8. Grayson 9. Ainsley 10. Grayson 11. Ainsley 12. Grayson 13. Ainsley 14. Ainsley 15. Grayson 16. Ainsley 17. Grayson 18. Ainsley 19. Grayson 20. Ainsley 21. Ainsley 22. Ainsley 23. Grayson Epilogue Read more by J. L. Weil About the Author ALSO BY J. L. WEIL ELITE OF ELMWOOD ACADEMY (New Adult Dark High School Romance) Turmoil Disorder Revenge Rival Unchained DIVISA HUNTRESS (New Adult Paranormal Romance) Crown of Darkness Inferno of Darkness Eternity of Darkness DRAGON DESCENDANTS SERIES (Upper Teen Reverse Harem Fantasy) Stealing Tranquility Absorbing Poison Taming Fire Thawing Frost THE DIVISA SERIES (Full series completed – Teen Paranormal Romance) Losing Emma: A Divisa novella Saving Angel Hunting Angel Breaking Emma: A Divisa novella Chasing Angel Loving Angel Redeeming Angel LUMINESCENCE TRILOGY (Full series completed – Teen Paranormal Romance) Luminescence Amethyst Tears Moondust Darkmist – A Luminescence novella RAVEN SERIES (Full series completed – Teen Paranormal Romance) White Raven Black Crow Soul Symmetry BEAUTY NEVER DIES CHRONICLES (Teen Dystopian Romance) Slumber Entangled Forsaken NINE TAILS SERIES (Teen Paranormal Romance) First Shift Storm Shift Flame Shift Time Shift Void Shift Spirit Shift Tide Shift Wind Shift Celestial Shift HAVENWOOD FALLS HIGH (Teen Paranormal Romance) Falling Deep Ascending Darkness SINGLE NOVELS Starbound (Teen Paranormal Romance) Casting Dreams (New Adult Paranormal Romance) Ancient Tides (New Adult Paranormal Romance) For an updated list of my books, please visit my website: www.jlweil.com Join my VIP email list and I’ll personally send you an email reminder as soon as my next book is out! Click here to sign up: www.jlweil.com PROLOGUE AINSLEY JUNIOR HIGH Some people have a shine to them like gold glittering in the sun. Bright. Breathtaking. Beautiful. That was how the Elite looked the first time I laid eyes on them—golden gods sparkling in a beam of sunlight. My jaw dropped to the ground. I stood stunned motionless, the clicking of keys, the buzzing of timers, the smell of spilled pop, and the jingle of victory all whirling around me. And yet, I gaped like a fool among the other girls who also stared as the Elite walked by, heading into the arcade. Even in middle school, they didn’t look or act like their peers. Pretty wasn’t the right adjective, but at fourteen years old, it was all I could come up with. Flawless. Intimidating. Popular. Demanding. They drew eyes, even from the workers. Whether it was out of curiosity or suspicion, they had everyone’s attention. Brock Taylor. Micah Bradford. Fynn Dupree. And Grayson Edwards. The Elite of Elmwood. They were a crew. They were untouchable. My gaze followed them as they wound through the packed arcade, talking and snickering among themselves. Just by looking, you could see they were a unit—a pack—outsiders not allowed. Their bodies carried that do-not-approach factor. I knew their names. Everyone at Public High School and the Elmwood Academy knew the Elite, but I’d never seen their faces, and yet, just from what I’d heard, I could distinguish who was who. Brock Taylor led the crew. Messy, dark hair fell over the side of his right eye, and as he shoved it out of the way, those piercing aqua eyes assessed the room. Micah Bradford and Fynn Dupree followed behind side by side. Micah’s lopsided smirk and platinum-blond hair distinguished him as the Elite rogue. He bumped shoulders with Fynn, the tallest boy in the arcade. Besides long legs, Fynn had the greenest eyes I’d ever seen and envious deep-golden skin. A runway model came to mind at the sight of him in person. If he wasn’t destined to spend his adult years on the football field, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on magazine covers or in commercials. Grayson Edwards trailed behind—the one with the twin sister—the one with a single facial expression. Grumpy. For a boy of fourteen, his eyes held a swarm of distrust. Everyone in the arcade was a potential enemy. Those rich brown eyes were sharp enough to cut a person with a sole glance. He made me instinctually want to back up and step out of his path. But another part of me wanted to do the opposite and force him to go around me or right through me if he dared. My chin lifted despite the flutters in my belly. They might be the Elite, but I bowed for no one. As they came closer, I reminded myself they were just freaking boys like every other douchebag at school, except…they weren’t. Did the arcade hush? Yes. Did heads turn? Again, yes. The four of them came my way, and I leaned back against a machine, holding my breath. They didn’t normally slum it on this side of town. Even at Public where I went to school, the four of them had a reputation, and seeing them up close for the first time, I got the full Elite effect. What an effect it was. I might be permanently damaged for life. No other guys at my school or any other could live up to them. The hype was real. So. Very. Real. The nerd at the pinball machine behind me spun toward his friends, hands lifting in the air as he bumped into me. My lack of attention had me stumbling forward, completely unaware of what happened until I hit something. Or someone. A dozen curse words went through my head as I squeezed my eyes