Elara’s POVIt had barely been a few hours since Andrew left, and yet, I already felt the empty ache of his absence.I shouldn’t.I shouldn’t feel anything for a man I was destined to kill, yet here I was, doing the exact opposite. It was pathetic. Worse, it was dangerous. Dangerous for me. After his departure, I quickly had a shower to wash away the dirt and aches as well as to clear my mind. But as I laid on my bed few minutes later, sleep eluded me. Now it's the wee hours of the morning and I knew I was going to be dull due to my lack of sleep.The realization that I was going through this because Andrew pissed me off.Especially after the words he had thrown at me.“I don’t need you pointing out how my pack should or shouldn’t act,” he growled. Then his voice dropped, colder than ice. “Especially not from a cursed wolf.”His pack. The same pack that was inefficient enough not to notice when their Alpha was in danger. The same pack that was close by but was unable to do anything
Elara’s POV"What the hell are you doing?" I spat, my hand still pressed to my stinging cheek. My face burned from the blow, but I refused to let it show. Not to Mira.Her smirk still in place, she stepped deeper into my room like she owned the place. Behind her, the two girls I didn’t recognize followed closely, their eyes filled with malice. If they were with Mira, I already knew they were trouble."So, this is what the Salientmoon Pack gave you?" Mira mused, glancing around with fake admiration. "How nice of them."I clenched my fists, forcing my breathing to stay even.One of the girls, a blonde with sharp features, sauntered closer. She tilted her head, studying me like I was some rare item. "So, this is the famous Elara I’ve heard so much about." Her lips curled into a smirk. "Honestly? You don’t look like much.""Is that why you’re here?" I asked coldly. "To see the cursed wolf?"Blondie snorted. "Yes, actually. But Mira also said you know how to take a good beating. I was bank
Elara's POVAs I stood there, still contemplating where I could've gotten this strength from, Mira stirred. Before I could react, the other two were also coming to consciousness.It seems we will have to go again. Clenching my fists, I noticed the foreign energy in my body was gone.For a moment, my heart dropped to my stomach. What am I to do?But then it struck me; they didn't know the power had dispersed. They still think my strength was still there.I thought they would attack again once they set their sights on me but as they looked up, they shrunk back as if they had just seen a monster, their expressions ones of pure terror.Good. Just my luck, I thought as relief washed over me They should be scared.This is nice for a change. I got the chance to give them a taste of their own poison.I took a deliberate step toward them, watching as they cowered. Mira, still groggy from the hit, tried to sit up, but her hands shook. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but no w
Andrew's POVThough I intended to meet up with Dorian immediately after leaving the storehouse, things didn’t go as I had hoped.Upon reaching the southern borders, I expected to find him before he entered the pack, but instead found nothing. No scent, no sign, and no sound aside from the gentle rustling of leaves beneath a clear blue sky.He must have already gotten inside.A curse escaped my lips as a shiver ran down my spine. I couldn't help but feel anxious. I don’t trust him. We’ve been fierce rivals for years, constantly watching each other, waiting for a chance to clash. The fact that we hadn’t gone to war yet is nothing short of a miracle.Taking out my phone, I called Michael. Typically, I’d howl, relying on the pack’s natural instinct, but I didn’t want to create any unnecessary tension at that moment."Hey, Michael. I can't seem to find Dorian anywhere around here," I said, my voice strained. "Can you track him down on your end?""Are you serious? Give me a second, I’ll che
Elara’s POVFor one long moment, I just stood, my breath coming in long, controlled exhales as I stared at the space where Andrew, Dorian, and Mira had barely left.I shut the door behind them, leaving me in the kind of silence that made me uncomfortable especially after the conversation that just went on. What unfinished business could Dorian possibly have with Andrew?My mind replayed every interaction we’d had, searching for any sign, any hints I might have missed while everything was going on. Dorian had always been calculative, always playing a game only he knew the rules to. I didn’t doubt for a second that whatever he wanted had nothing to do with goodwill.Knowing who he is, he has an ulterior motive. There has never been any love lost between. Everything is just a game.I ran a hand down my face, pressing my fingers against my temple, suddenly feeling weary from everything.It is too early in the morning for this.Sighing, I walked toward the window, pulling apart the thick
Andrew's POVAs we trudged across the woods, I couldn't help but spear Dorian a quick glance. His expression was unreadable, his movements relaxed, but I wasn’t fooled. Dorian never did anything without a reason, and the fact that he was here, walking beside me as if we were allies, set my nerves on edge.What unfinished business do we have to discuss?The question burned in my mind, but I kept my silence. Instead, I focused on the rhythmic crunch of leaves beneath our boots, the distant sounds of warriors sparring in the training grounds ahead.I couldn't wait to get to the bottom of this.Dorian finally broke the silence. "Your pack must be excelling," he mused, his gaze flickering toward the field where my gammas and warriors were engaged in serious combat drills. "The intensity in their training is… impressive."I didn't bother looking in his direction. "Yes. They are well-trained. But I doubt this level of training is on par with what you subject your own pack to."Word of how he
Elara’s POVI rushed forward, my pulse pounding in my ears, but before I could get any closer, two warriors stepped into my path.What do they want this time?I didn't have the time to start interacting with them. I had Andrew to catch up to and I knew if I didn't get to him in time, I would miss out on whatever Dorian had to tell him.They stood tall, their bodies rigid, blocking my way like a pair of immovable guards. Their expressions were unreadable, but the tension in their stance was clear.I could already smell the sweat they worked up while training with the other warriors. And I was already tired of inhaling it as I wrinkled my nose at them.I narrowed my eyes. They obviously had an issue with me. I really don’t have time for this."Move," I said, my voice firm and clear. I didn't want to get involved with them but if they tried to stop me…The warriors didn’t budge. One of them, a broad-shouldered man with a scar running down his jaw, crossed his arms. His companion, taller
Andrew’s POVThe moment I stepped outside, a sight that made me go blind with rage met my eyes.Elara was on the ground, dirt smeared across her cheek, her lip split, blood trickling down her chin. She didn’t cower, didn’t beg, she just glared up at those who put her in that situation, fury burning behind her eyes.I had already seen what was going on from my office at the top but seeing up close made my blood boil.Max and Tom stood over her, smug and laughing, their fists still clenched from the blows they had landed.My vision went even darker.“What’s going on here?” I asked, my voice slicing through the air like a knife.The laughter died instantly. The gathered warriors stiffened. Even the ones who hadn’t taken part in the attack looked uneasy now.My Scar-jawwed pack member, Max hesitated before stepping forward, clearing his throat. “Alpha, we were just—”The other one, Tom, whose eyes were unnaturally dark smirked, cutting in. “Teaching her a lesson.”A lesson.I felt my hand
Michael’s POVThe sound of Andrew’s growl ripped through the cabin like a blade.I shoved the door fully open and charged in, heart thundering. Elara was pressed against the wall, hands up, her eyes wide—not with fear, but with something worse. Desperation. She wasn’t running.Andrew stood in the middle of the room, half-shifted, his shoulders hunched and trembling, eyes glowing that same cursed red. He let out another guttural snarl and lunged again.Greg tackled him before he reached her.They hit the floor hard. Bones crunched, snarls erupted, and for a moment it was a disaster. I grabbed Elara and yanked her out of the way just before Andrew’s claws slashed the wall where she’d been.“Are you insane?” I barked at her. “He’s not himself!”“I know that!” she shouted, struggling against me. “But I saw him—Michael, he looked at me. He knew me for a second.”I held her tighter. “And the next second, he nearly ripped you apart.”“He wouldn’t—”“He did.”Greg grunted from the floor, stil
Elara’s POVI didn’t sleep. Not even for a second.Andrew lay on the cot, drenched in sweat, the veins along his neck pulsing black like ink trapped under skin. His breathing was shallow, ragged, the kind that made my heart skip every time there was a pause between inhales.Every few minutes, he let out a soft groan, like the pain was crawling through him in waves. I held his hand and tried to stay calm, but my grip trembled. I felt useless. Like watching someone drown while your legs were tied to the shore.The fire crackled, low and weak. It was still dark out, and the cabin smelled of blood, herbs, and unease.Lora had done what she could, but even she looked helpless when she stepped away. I kept asking what else could be done, and each time she avoided my eyes.Then Greg came back.He stood in the doorway, dripping with sweat from running, his jaw clenched like it was holding back a something.“What is it?” I asked.He didn’t answer right away. He looked past me, to Andrew. Then
Elara’s POVBranches clawed at my arms as we pushed through the forest, the moonlight barely cutting through the thick canopy overhead. My lungs burned. Every breath tasted like smoke and blood.Andrew’s weight leaned heavier and heavier against me, his steps sluggish, and uneven. He hadn’t spoken in minutes. I could feel the fever radiating off him.“Just a little further,” I whispered, mostly to myself. “Come on, stay with me.”It was crazy how our positions switched. The main reason why he was caught in this mess is to help me. Now, I was the one doing the helping.Luckily that stupid beast left after doing it's work leaving me with a very sick Andrew. I didn't know how far Michael and Lora had to go in order to get help.Noticing he hadn’t responded, I looked down as his grip on me loosened.“Andrew?” I stopped and turned, my heart hammering. “Hey. Look at me.”He swayed. His eyes blinked, unfocused. Then he crumpled.“No—no, no, no.” I dropped with him, catching his head before i
Andrew’s POVI didn’t think anything could shake me after everything we’d been through—Elara’s capture, the cult, the blade meant for my heart. But the thing crawling out of that seal wasn’t from this world.It was born from nightmares. A monster made of shadows and dark moon magic.It stretched as it rose, black tendrils spilling off its limbs like smoke, jaws clicking with bone and fangs. Its eyes locked onto us, glowing red-hot—rage, hunger, purpose.It was like it had a personal issue to settle with us.“Elara,” I said, backing up slowly, “we need to move.”She didn’t answer. She looked dazed, one hand clutching her chest like it hurt to breathe.“Elara,” I tried again, louder this time.She blinked hard, snapped back, and turned to me. “I can’t feel it.”“What?”“The bond. It’s gone.” Her voice cracked. “I—I think Jacob finished the ritual.”Shit. That explained the weakness in her posture, the pale cast to her skin. We didn't have time. The last thing I want is to be caught in t
Andrew’s POVElara didn’t stab me.Despite my unwavering trust in her, I could've sworn she wanted to gut me with the knife.She stabbed the cultist to my left—clean through the ribs.The robed bastard choked on his own breath, eyes wide, blood pooling from his mouth as he collapsed.And just like that, everything just seemed to go to shit as commotion broke out around us.Screams rang out in the still air. Chants siezed as every head turned and eyes snapped open towards our direction.Someone shouted, “She’s turned!”I didn’t need more time to think. My chains were half-broken the moment they stopped chanting. It seemed like they were using magic to contain me. The pulse in my chest hadn’t stopped. It was like a second heartbeat, wild and growing louder in my ear.I wrenched my right arm free with a roar, ignoring the tear of metal against skin. The pain meant nothing anymore. The moment Elara turned that blade, I knew—we were going to live or die together.“Elara!” I shouted.She s
Elara’s POVThe blade felt colder than it should have.Slick handle. Sharp edge.They’d placed it in my hand like it belonged there. Like I’d been born to wield it.My fingers closed around it on instinct, but my heart—fates, my heart refused. It pounded hard enough I thought it might split open my chest.Andrew’s eyes locked on mine, blood dripping down the curve of his jaw. He didn’t speak. Didn’t beg. Just looked at me, like he always had—steady, unflinching, and maddeningly full of love.Kieran stood behind him, watching like a predator admiring his own trap as Jacob came around to stand beside him.“This is the moment,” Jacob said, his voice low and coaxing. “Where the universe balances itself. You break the anchor, Elara, and disaster becomes your throne. You hesitate… and it becomes your grave.”I stared at Andrew. His breathing was shallow. His shirt clung to his chest, soaked in sweat and blood. And his mark—it pulsed like it had a heartbeat of its own through his torn shirt.
Andrew’s POVThe chanting started slow.Low. Rhythmic. Like a heartbeat echoing in the belly of a beast.I sat with my back to the cold stone wall, chains digging into my wrists. My blood had dried hours ago, stiff and sticky against my skin, but the real pain wasn’t in the cuts or the bruises.It was inside.The mark on my chest that recently appeared burned like it had just been carved. A deep, pulsing throb that synced perfectly with their damn chants. Every beat made it flare hotter. Sharper.I gritted my teeth, flexing against the restraints. Useless.They’d done their homework.Silver links.Wolfsbane laced through the shackles.But they didn’t know everything. They didn’t understand what the mark meant—not really. Not what it did to a person. To me.To Elara.I shut my eyes, trying to hold her face in my mind. Before the rituals. Before the chaos. Before I let my own pain turn me into something she couldn’t reach.And then I heard his voice.Kieran.“I’d say it’s good to see yo
Lora's POVThe fire wasn’t normal. It wasn’t the kind that crackled in fireplaces or flickered in campfires.It was alive, red, deep and pulsing like blood. It didn’t just burn. It seemed to breathe.I stood at the edge of it, frozen, and unable to do a thing while I watched it wrap around her. Elara. Her skin was streaked with ash, her hair wild and tangled, eyes wide and wet with something too painful to name. She wasn’t screaming.She was whispering.“Lora…”Her voice barely reached me through the heat. But I heard it. Goddess, I felt it.“Please…”The flames swallowed her whole.I woke up screaming.I shot upright, lungs dragging for air like I’d been drowning. Sweat drenched my skin, my nightshirt clinging to me like a second layer of skin. My heart slammed against my ribs, and for a second, I wasn’t even sure where I was.The dream still clung to me like smoke. It was thick, choking, and inescapable.“Elara,” I whispered into the dark.I didn’t bother grabbing a robe. I rushed
Elara’s POVThe drums pounded through the courtyard like war cries. The smell of burning herbs and ash filled the air, thick and heavy, like it had a weight of its own. The cultists circled the altar, chanting words older than the land we stood on. Each voice layered over the next, rising into a sound that didn’t feel human.And above it all, I heard him.“Do you still feel it,” Andrew’s voice rasped, “or was it always a lie?”I froze. But before that—Before those words crawled into my bones and made my breath catch—I saw him.They’d chained him to the old execution post, like something out of a nightmare. His shirt was torn, blood streaked across his ribs, and his lip had split open. But he was upright. Breathing. Still defiant, even with all the blood on his skin and the metal biting into his wrists.Andrew.It was the first time I’d seen him since I was taken. Really seen him. Not in visions. Not in dreams. Not in those fleeting, aching flashes I told myself weren’t real.And go