Andrew's POVAnger snapped through the air like a live wire-hot, dangerous. I was pacing my study, my fists firmly at my sides. It was claustrophobic in here; the walls were closing in while my thoughts spiraled inside my brain. Michael stood leaning against the door frame in the corner, his expression unreadable. It was the casual way he stood that finally set my anger ablaze.“How the hell did this happen?" I exploded, sharply turning myself back around to face him.Michael's brow rose, and his lips quivered with what I suspected, to be amusement. "You'll have to be more specific, Andrew. What do you think?”"Elara!" I said, my voice a little higher than I had intended. "How could the pack rally in an attack against her when you're supposed to be there keeping an eye on them?"He shrugged-a maddeningly indifferent motion. "Perhaps because she does not belong here, and they know it.".It led to an uncomfortable silence in the room, my chest heaving as I fought to control my breath.I
Andrew's POVCrossing back to the window, I watched through the curtain, my hands clutched on the edge such that some fabric tore off. Below, Elara stood at the center of a circle of my pack members. Her shoulders hunched, her hair stuck to her face as she mopped the muddy training grounds. Voices rose around her, mocking, and laughing."You missed a spot, witch," said one jeeringly.Another kicked water over her clean patch, laughing as the mud splashed her legs.But she didn't say a word.My jaw clenched. This was not the Elara I knew. The Elara I knew would have fought back, her words flying through the air like knives-sharp, cold, deadly-deadmise dancing in her eyes. She didn't take a problem with fighting against me, challenging my authority whenever she got the chance. But now? She said nothing. She just stood there, taking their jeers.Why?The question filled my mind, annoying and unrelenting. My frustration swelled in my chest, mixed with the growing anger toward my pack. Cru
Elara's POVThe silence in my room was deafening; the weight of my thoughts was my only companion. I sat cross-legged on the small cot, my fingers tracing the rough fibers in the blanket, staring at the wall.No different was Andrew's pack from Grimshade, I thought sourly. Cruelty, it would appear, goes wherever I go. The laughter from earlier still rang in my ears, each jeer slicing deeper than I should let it.Part of me wondered where I got the right from, caring in the first place. This wasn't my home, it wasn't my people. Yet their words still got under my skin. The way they looked at me though-like I was something dirty, something less … it was too familiar. It brought me back to Grimshade, to nights spent nursing bruises and swallowing my pride.Was I better off here?My door suddenly flew open, banging backward against the wall, sending me upright; my heart shot up in my throat, as I clenched my fists ready for another attack.Andrew leaned on the doorway, casual in his pose,
Elara's POVI shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat of the Jeep, as it continued to bump its way along the dirt trail. The silence was a thick, heavy hanging between Andrew and I, broken only by the sound of crunching tires over gravel and the occasional howl of wind through the trees. Greg sat in the back quiet, his eyes scanning across the woods as if anticipating danger to leap from the appear at any moment.I still didn't know why I was here.Andrew said it was training, but what kind of training required dragging me to the edge of the pack's territory with no warning and no explanation? He hadn't spoken much since I'd met him downstairs-just barked orders at Greg and tossed me into the Jeep like some kind of inconvenient luggage."Why am I even here?" I finally asked, breaking the silence.Andrew didn't look at me. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white. "You'll see soon enough.""That's not an answer."He glanced at me then, his sharp eyes glinting wi
Elara's POVMy ears rang as I tried to focus on Andrew's voice yelling my name. My chest heaved with my gasping for breath as my heart pounded against my ribs as if it would burst from them at any moment. Before I could wrap my mind around what had just happened, they came.Someone darted toward us with inhuman speed, followed by two more figures. The attackers didn't hesitate—they lunged with snarls that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up."Stay behind me!" Andrew barked, his voice sharp and commanding as he moved in front of me.Greg was already shifting, his body changing as fur erupted along his arms. Claws extended from his fingertips, glinting in the moonlight. Andrew followed suit, but he didn't transform fully yet, it was just as swift and deadly. The air was thick with the scent of power and aggression, a mix of Andrew's dominance and Greg's vicious anger.I had little time to watch the power they exhibited. One attacker dove directly for me, and I barely dodged, my
Andrew's POVCarrying Elara in my arms felt like carrying the world's most fragile treasure. She was too still, her body limp against mine. Blood seeped through my shirt where her head rested, warm and sticky, and I could not tell if it was hers or mine. Every step to the medical center seemed like eternity, yet I moved faster than I ever thought possible.“Move!" I barked as we approached the main hall. Pack members scrambled out of my way, their faces pale as they caught sight of the blood.Greg was right behind me, his claws still out and his breathing heavy. "We've got to get her stabilized," he said, his voice tense."I know," I snapped, though I didn't mean to. My chest felt too tight, my head too full of the memory of her losing consciousness in my arms.As we burst through the doors of the medical center, Mirabel, the head healer, was already waiting, her sharp eyes assessing the situation."Get her on the table, now!" she commanded, her voice rising above the chaotic situatio
Elara's POVMy head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, heavy and slow. Voices murmured somewhere nearby, but I couldn't make out the words. My eyelids felt like they were weighed down with something heavy, but I forced them open, blinking against the harsh light.The first thing I was aware of was the scent-antiseptic and herbs mingling in the air. It hit me like a punch to the face, and it didn't take long to figure out where I was. A hospital. No, not just any hospital-a pack infirmary. The faint markings of the crescent moon symbol etched into the beams above confirmed it.What the hell happened?I tried to sit up, but pain ripped through my side, sharp and wicked. A gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it, and my hands instinctively pressed against my ribs. That's when I noticed something else: I wasn't alone.In the corner of the room, hardly seen under the dim light of the lamps hanging from the ceiling, was a figure. First, I had thought him to be one of the healers, but
Andrew's POVI caught her scent before I saw her. That faint trace of lavender and something totally hers—something I couldn't name but had burned into my memory. It pulled me like a magnet to the hallway outside her room, an invisible hold I couldn’t break even if I tried.Elara.Two days. Two damn days since she'd been discharged, and it was like she'd vanished. Sure, the healers had said she needed rest, but avoiding me? That wasn’t part of the prescription. And she was avoiding me—I was sure of it.The weight of unanswered questions bore down on me as I leaned against the cold stone wall, debating whether to knock. My knuckles hovered an inch from the door, hesitation holding me back. What if she didn't want to see me? What if she had her reasons, reasons I wouldn’t like? But just as I decided to let the moment pass, the door creaked open, and there she was.Her hand rested lightly on the doorframe, her lips slightly parted in surprise. Her hair framed her face, loose strands catc
Elara’s POVThe tension in the air was thick enough to choke on. After the council had made their decision, it felt almost irreversible.But then Andrew stood at the center of it all—torn, conflicted, silent when I needed him loud. His hesitation was a wound that cut deeper than the accusations against me.Apart from the time he spoke up about me being watched closely, he hadn't said much. Not that it mattered now.I didn’t have time to dwell on it. There was so much to think about than a broken bond and a falling relationship.Three days. That was all I had before the trial, and I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for them to decide my fate.I needed answers. And I needed them fast. It's a good thing I enlisted the help of Micheal and Lora. With me under the kind of scrutiny I was, it would be difficult to look into certain matters without getting in trouble.It seems the troublesome duo didn't account for the fact that I would still have people willing to assist despite the accus
Andrew’s POVThe council chamber was suffocating. I can't remember the last time I had entered this place.If I was being sincere, it was probably my father died and I kicked Mara out. The council wanted to put me under trial but after some thought, they dropped everything.The former alpha had been acting off in recent times but none of them had the gal to call him out.I just had to take matters in my hands.I stood at the front, Elara beside me, but we felt miles apart. She hadn’t looked at me since last night. Not really. Not the way she used to.I didn’t blame her. I kind of—okay I actually let her down when I couldn't back her up when she needed me.But then I was still confused about how I felt about her. The bond between us was broken, and I felt the absence of it like a missing limb. But that wasn’t an excuse for my silence. I should have fought harder for her.I would. I had to. At least to make for yesterday. I just hope this turns out. At the end, It was my fault we were h
Elara’s POVI turned to Andrew. He had supported me earlier. I was counting on that support again. I didn’t think. I didn’t hesitate. I just knew he would defend me, even though our mate bond was history.Even now, with the weight of Mara’s accusations pressing against my ribs like a vice, I thought—no, hoped—he would stand by me.At least for old times sake, he would stand beside me on this matter. But when I met his eyes, my stomach dropped.He looked at me, but not the same way he looked normally looked at me. I admit that ever since I broke our mate bond, I've been avoiding him but it was not like something I wanted.It was either that or cry over what was lost and I was done crying. And I hoped he understood but it was obvious he didn't. Hiving him a good look since the day I made the sacrifice, I noticed he had changed over the past few days. He didn't come to find me, he hadn't said anything to me even though I tried to stay away. But that aside, staring into his eyes, I wa
Elara’s POVThe room fell into stunned silence immediately the words fell from Mara's lips.Mara’s words hung in the air like a curse. How the hell did she know? I made sure no one was wiser about the incident.In fact it turned out to favor me even though I had to take the poison to save the pack.But I knew no matter how I explained it to this pack, they would never understand once they found out the truth.My pulse pounded in my ears, a roaring sound drowning out the whispers spreading through the gathered wolves. Heat rushed to my face, but not from embarrassment—rage burned through me, sharp and electric. But beneath it was fear. Because it meant there was someone monitoring me in this pack. And no, it wasn't Tom. There was another traitor.I took a step forward, my voice cutting through the tension. “That’s a lie.”There was no way I was admitting to trying to kill them. Before that day, they treated me like trash. How would they treat me if they knew the truth?Mara smirked, t
Andrew’s POVThe fire crackled in the center of the gathering hall, its warmth doing nothing to chase away the cold knot in my chest.I was alive. I should have been grateful. I was grateful. In fact I was happy about it.But I felt wrong. Everything felt wrong. My second chance at life felt incomplete like something was missing.It was almost like I’d been stitched back together, but some pieces were missing. Pieces that made life have more meaning.I barely remembered the moment I came back, but I remembered the emptiness. The way I’d looked at Elara and felt nothing where there had once been everything.I have lived long and content till I found out that she was my mate and now that I've lost the said mate bond, I didn't feel the same despite living without it long ago.Now, as I sat at the head of the long wooden table, surrounded by my pack, I could feel the weight of their stares. The questions in their eyes.I didn't exactly tell them that Elara was my mate, but now they knew d
Andrew’s POVBlinding pain. That was the first thing I felt. It was raw, searing, like fire scorching every nerve in my body. It ripped through me, dragging me back from the darkness, forcing breath into my lungs like I’d been drowning.I gasped, my body jerking, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. My chest ached, my limbs felt like lead, and my head throbbed with a sharp, splintering pain.But I was alive. How? I was very sure that I had seen the white light most people spoke about when they were about to die.I sucked in another breath, the scent of earth and rain thick in the air, grounding me. My fingers twitched against cool grass, and slowly, slowly, I forced my heavy eyelids open.Blurry figures hovered above me.Voices—soft, urgent—filtered through the haze.“Elara?” My throat was raw, my voice barely more than a rasp.Silence.Then a sharp inhale. A shuffle of movement as if someone was approaching.“Elara,” I tried again, forcing my body to move. My muscles screamed in protes
Elara’s POVThe world around me had blurred into nothing but Andrew. His face was too pale, his breath barely there, his body unmoving except for the shallow rise and fall of his chest—too slow, too weak.I pressed my forehead against his, my fingers trembling as they brushed over his cheek. “Stay with me,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “You promised, Andrew. You promised.”But he wasn’t responding.His lips were parted, his breathing ragged. His skin, which was always warm, always alive, felt cold beneath my touch. A terrifying stillness settled over him, and I felt something deep inside me crack.“We’re losing him!” Lora’s voice was sharp, urgent.I looked up, desperate, my vision blurred with unshed tears. “I think it's high time you start talking.”Michael’s jaw clenched. He didn’t speak. Didn’t move. Because he didn’t know how to tell me what I needed to know. I was about to grab him and make him tell me what I needed to know when someone else spoke up.A voice. Low, firm, fil
Elara POVDorian staggered back. I'm sure he didn't anticipate that move. Did he really think I was going to soak up all his words and leave just like that?Did he really think I was some dumb fool?For the first time, his face twisted in something that almost looked like shock. His shadows flickered, unstable, the thick, oppressive weight of his power suddenly less.My energy pulsed again, silver light pushing outward like ripples in a storm. The air between us cracked, charged with something beyond my understanding.And then, just like that, the grip of his power broke. I wasn't sure what I was doing but one thing I knew was: I tried to push his power back and it worked.Dorian took another step back, his lips parting slightly, as if tasting the change in the air. His smirk returned, but it was thinner now, tighter.“Well,” he murmured, brushing invisible dust off his sleeve. “That was… unexpected.”Just as I thought, he actually took me to be a dumb person. After all the shit he ha
Andrew's POVPain blurred the edges of my vision, but I forced my eyes to stay open. I couldn’t afford to slip into the darkness. Not now.This was probably the most important part of this fight. If I allowed myself to fall into the darkness, I was potentially setting myself to accept whatever happens and I didn't want that.Not when Elara was standing in front of me, her silver energy clashing with Dorian’s creeping shadows.Not when everything was hanging by a thread. Where things could tip on either side of the scale. This is the first time since Elara was possessed that I've seen her use her power to this extent.But instead of attacking, Dorian lowered his hand. The dark energy coiling around his fingers shrank back, dissipating like smoke in the wind. He tilted his head, considering Elara the way a predator considers prey it has no intention of killing—yet.This scared me for a bit. What could he be planning?He smiled. Not with amusement but with certainty. The type I knew tha