Elara’s POVThe dining hall was alive with the sounds of the pack—laughter, chatter, and the occasional clinking of plates. It was an odd sort of connection, one that always made me feel like an outsider. Sitting at a corner table farthest from the others, I kept my head low, tracing idle patterns on the wooden surface with my fingertip.The hall was warm from the large hearth near the center, but I felt cold. I always did.A harsh smile tugged at my lips as I imagined the scene playing out in my head—Andrew and his pack members seated at their table, eating heartily without a care in the world. And then all of a sudden, the food turns to poison in their mouths, their smug smiles changing into expressions of agony as one by one they fell. Andrew would fall last, his golden eyes wide with shock and helplessness.For a moment, the thought brought a cruel satisfaction. A cursed wolf like me had no place here. They’d made that abundantly clear from the start. So why should I care what hap
Elara’s POVThe room was loud again, chatter and the scraping of chairs filling the room as everyone prepared for the meal, but my mind was anything but calm. My hands trembled under the table, and I clenched them into fists to stop the tremor.This couldn’t be happening.The word “mine” echoed in my head like a haunting reminder of it meant. My wolf’s voice—the voice I thought I’d never hear again—had claimed Andrew, of all people. The Alpha I had spent weeks resenting. The man I had plotted against.It was almost hilarious, but there was nothing funny about it. It was crazy. A sick game played by fate.Why now? I demanded to myself hoping for an answer from my wolf. Why him?But there was only silence. The same maddening silence that had been my companion for such long I sometimes forgot I was a werewolf. My wolf had stirred just long enough to wreck my plans and then gone quiet again, leaving me to face the implications alone.I glanced up, my eyes following Andrew as he moved with
Andrew’s POVAfter Elara's words, the silence that followed was stifling. No one spoke, no one moved. Everyone was too shock to do anything.Elara stood at the far side of the hall, her chest heaving as if she’d ran a mile. All eyes were on her now, the pack’s full attention pressing down on her as they tried to digest what she had just said. All of a sudden, the room erupted. Voices rose in outrage, disbelief rippling through the crowd.My jaw tightened as I studied her, my initial confusion quickly giving way to irritation.“Silence!” I commanded making everyone go quiet in an instant.“What’s the meaning of this?” I asked, my tone cold as I turned back towards Elara.This had to end. Everything was gradually going into chaos because she had said the food we were about to eat was poisoned. Now, I needed answers.She didn’t answer immediately, her wide eyes locked on mine. Something in her expression—panic, fear, determination—made my wolf stir uneasily. The bond I’d felt earlier, f
Andrew’s POVThe commotion that followed Elara's fall in the dining hall was deafening. Plates clattered to the floor as my pack abandoned their meals, horror-stricken murmurs and panicked gasps filling the air. My heart thundered in my chest as I knelt beside Elara’s lifeless form. Her pale face, slack and devoid of emotion was burned into my mind.The memory of the other night we were attacked at the pack’s border flashed before me. She had taken a bullet meant for me then, her body collapsing to the ground as I tried fighting off the rogue wolves, hoping she doesn't die.And now, here she was again, lying on the cold stone floor of the dining hall, and the fear that I might lose her was clawing at me with as much ferocity as I couldn’t ignore.“Elara,” I whispered, my voice breaking.My wolf growled low in my chest, restless and angry. The bond between us, faint before, was now stronger with undeniable clarity. She wasn’t just another pack member. She was my mate.“Alpha, what do w
Andrew’s POVMirabel's outburst sent a chill of panic coursing through me. My muscles tightened, and my wolf stirred with agitation, growling softly in my mind. The atmosphere in the room felt heavy, the walls pressing in as I waited for her to clarify."What’s going on?" I asked sharply, moving closer to the table where Elara lay still.Mirabel hesitated, her hands pausing above Elara's arm. She shot me a look filled with disbelief and awe.“It’s not… an issue, Alpha,” she finally responded, her voice wavering.“Then what is it?” I snapped, my patience wearing thin. “Speak up, Mirabel.”She took a deep breath, as if she were gathering her thoughts before meeting my gaze once more. “Her body… It's healing itself. At an alarming rate. I’ve never witnessed anything like it.”I looked at her, struggling to comprehend what she had just said. “Healing itself?”“Exactly, it is.” Mirabel nodded, indicating Elara. “Most of the poison has already been removed from her system. Her body is worki
Elara’s POVThe only thing I could perceive was darkness. It enveloped me like a choking shroud, drawing me further into the abyss. I felt both weightless and confined, my senses numbed and my thoughts hazy. A remote voice echoed in the void, deep and authoritative, sending a chill through my body.Then I glimpsed the source. The spirit.It emerged from the shadows, its figure cloaked in darkness, its eyes glowing with a fierce intensity. The sight ignited a blend of fear and rage within me.“Not you again,” I said, fixing my gaze on the figure before me.“That's not how you should greet a friend,” he answered, tilting his head slightly.“We are not friends.”“That is out of point. You lost,” the spirit spat, its voice slicing through the air like a whip. “Once more.”I clenched my fists, though I wasn’t certain if I even possessed a body in this bizarre, otherworldly realm. “I didn’t fail,” I shot back, my voice steely.I refused to let a strange entity, who expected me to murder som
Elara’s POVBut the burden of it weighed on me like a truth I could no longer ignore.I shifted awkwardly beneath Andrew’s gaze, his golden eyes boring into mine as if they could break down all my barriers. His unyielding look made me feel almost exposed, vulnerable in a way that felt unfamiliar.Stop looking at me like that, I thought, though I would never say it out loud. Instead, I forced a shy smile, attempting to suppress the startling energy buzzing between us.“Hey,” I stammered, my voice coming out lighter than I had hoped.Andrew didn’t reply right away. He simply continued to stare at me, his jaw tense, his expression now shadowed. For a moment, I feared he might not say anything at all, but then he leaned back slightly, his shoulders easing a bit.“Elara,” he finally said, his voice gravelly and deep, “you terrified me.”I opened my mouth to retort, but my words faltered when I caught sight of the gentle rays of sunlight streaming through the windows.Morning? How could it
Elara's POVThe applause resonated loudly in my ears, nearly overwhelming as it reverberated across the courtyard in front of the health center. The crowd's cheers were a blend of appreciation and joy, their faces lit up with admiration as they focused on me.Standing there frozen and uncertain about how to react, my chest constricted with a confusing mix of emotions. I struggled to decide whether to soak in the warmth of their gratitude or succumb to the chilling sense of guilt that threatened to engulf me.I looked at Andrew, my lips slightly parting as I sought his insight. “Why are they applauding? What have I done to earn this?”Andrew, towering beside me, leaned down a bit so his voice could pierce through the noise and reach me easily. “They’re here for you, Elara,” he said, his golden eyes softening. “To honor your recovery and express their gratitude for saving their lives.”Saving their lives.His words lingered heavily in the atmosphere, crashing into me like a powerful wav
Elara's POVThe name on the note stared back at me like a ghost from the past. Kieran. There was something about it that set me off. Was the veiled sight reacting to the name?My pulse pounded in my ears like I had been running some kind of marathon. I tried to concentrate on the way I was reacting to this but I came up blank.What was it with this name?I had never met him, and the name looked as foreign to me as a language I had no idea even existed. But judging from their faces, they knew who he was. “Mind telling me who this Kieran guy is?” I asked holding up the paper to them. “I've never heard of him before but for him to get you in this mood, he must mean something.”Despite the turmoil going on inside me, I had opted for casual tone to avoid getting them any more agitated.Lora nodded like she knew who this guy was. Was I the only one who didn't know him? I came to this pack before her yet she seemed know more than I ever did.But my guess was Michael had filled her in on who
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