Chapter Ten

The pack house pulsed with life.

Voices overlapped in celebration, laughter echoing through every corridor as more guests arrived with each passing day. The air carried the mingled scents of unfamiliar wolves Alphas and Lunas from neighboring packs each bringing congratulations, admiration, and eager anticipation.

It was a celebration.

A union.

A future being honored.

For everyone else…

But for Caroline It was a cage.

Every laugh felt like iron bars snapping into place. Every congratulation tightened the walls around her. Every new arrival was another reminder that there was no escape from what was coming.

Still

She moved.

Quiet. Efficient. Invisible.

A notepad rested in her hand as she slipped through the halls, recording schedules, relaying messages, ensuring everything flowed seamlessly. She poured wine, adjusted seating, answered requests before they were fully spoken.

To the visiting leaders, she was nothing more than a nameless helper.

A shadow.

And that was exactly how she wanted it.

Her smile was polite but empty.

Her tone respectful but distant.

Her bows perfect but brief.

She never lingered long enough to invite attention.

Never gave anyone a reason to look closer.

Because if they did

They might see the cracks.

That evening, the grand hall came alive.

Golden candlelight danced across long tables filled with food and wine, laughter swelling beneath the high ceilings. Music wove through the air, soft at first, then vibrant, wrapping around every conversation like a celebration made real.

Caroline stayed near the edges.

Always near the walls.

Moving between tables with quiet grace, refilling goblets, noting requests, responding when spoken to.

The joy around her felt suffocating.

It pressed against her ribs, stealing her breath, tightening her chest until every inhale had to be forced,controlled.

Measured.

Still

She didn’t stop.Didn’t falter.She kept moving as though stillness itself would destroy her.

The night stretched on.

Voices rose. Glasses clinked. Alliances strengthened over shared meals and quiet conversations.

And always

Their attention drifted back.To the center of it all.To Klaus and Bonnie.Caroline saw it every time.The pride in Klaus’s posture.

The ease of his touch as his hand rested on Bonnie’s arm.

The way Bonnie smiled, cheeks flushed as Lunas praised her, as admiration surrounded her like a crown.

And KlausHe looked proud.

Happy.

Certain.

Each time Caroline passed their table, something twisted painfully in her chest.

A sharp, relentless ache beneath her ribs.But her face never changed.Not once.She would not let them see.And no one noticed.

No one saw the brief tremble in her hands when she turned away.

No one heard the silent howl of her wolf echoing inside her.

No one cared enough to look past the mask.

By the time the feast ended, the hall had quieted.

Guests were escorted away, laughter fading into distant murmurs as doors closed one by one.

Caroline stayed behind.Of course she did.

Her movements slowed, but remained precise as she cleared tables, gathered goblets, folded linens.

Each action mechanical.

Repetitive.

Safe.

Because as long as she kept moving

She didn’t have to feel.

But the exhaustion clinging to her wasn’t from the work.

It was from holding herself together.

Piece by piece.

Moment by moment.

As she turned with a tray in her hands, her gaze lifted

And stilled.

Klaus.

He stood near the head table, Bonnie tucked against his side, his arm resting lightly around her shoulders as he spoke.

But his eyesThey weren’t on Bonnie.They were on her.

Even across the length of the hall, Caroline felt it.

The weight of his gaze followed her, steady, unrelenting.

Her heart stumbled.

Just once.

Caught between something dangerous

Longing.

And something sharper

Betrayal.

For a single, reckless second, a thought slipped through her defenses.

Maybe…

Maybe there was something in his eyes.

Not pride.

Not happiness.

But regret.

For her.

The idea was fragile.

Tempting.

Deadly.

Caroline crushed it instantly.

Her grip tightened on the tray. Her shoulders straightened.

And she walked.

Steady.

Controlled.

Unshaken.

She didn’t look back.

She couldn’t.

Hope had no place in her anymore.

The moment she stepped outsideShe broke.

Her lungs burned as she fought back the sob clawing its way up her throat. Then she ran.

Through the forest.

Branches scraped her arms. Leaves crunched beneath her feet. The night air cut against her skin but she didn’t stop.

She couldn’t.

Not until she reached the only place that still felt like hers.

The waterfall.The sound hit her first

The thunder of crashing water, loud and consuming, drowning everything else.

Relief.

She stumbled into the clearing and dropped to her knees, the damp earth cold beneath her hands.

And then

It came.

The sob tore free from her chest, raw and uncontrollable.

Her wolf howled inside her, the sound vibrating through her bones anguished, furious.

This is wrong. This is not what the Goddess intended!

Caroline pressed her palms into the ground, tears falling freely now.

“I know…” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I know. But what choice do we have? They’ve taken everything…”

Her wolf snarled, restless, aching for justice for a fight.

But Caroline,She had nothing left to give.Not tonight.

Not when every breath felt like bleeding from a wound that would never close.

The waterfall roared endlessly before her.

Unfeeling.

Unchanging.

Mocking.

And she let herself fall apart.

Completely.

Sobs wracked her body until she could barely breathe, until exhaustion dragged her under.

Curled against the earth, drained of everything

Caroline fell asleep.A twig snapped.

Soft.

Sharp.

Behind her.

When Caroline looked around her, her breath caught in her throat.