Chapter 5: When the Wolf Finally Let Go.

"We have entirely cut off connections, just as everyone wished."

Outside the hospital room, Drake's hand was balled up so tightly his nails almost pierced his skin. Teeth digging into his lower lip. Even with Amelia's calm tone, the disdain lingered in his bloodstream, unmanageable to overlook.

The room held its silence as Ezra breathed out, tension uncoiling from his shoulders for the first time that morning.

His wolf had been pacing beneath his skin, worried Elena had gone to the authorities purely to earn Drake's sympathy or attention. But her words made it clear that this wasn’t about Drake. It never was.

Ezra adjusted his boots from where he was standing. His eyes softened as he observed Elena. Her form was fragile, but the bruises along her neck and collarbone whispered of quiet resilience..

“How about we withdraw the case?” Ezra's voice broke the silence, smooth but tentative.

Elena’s gaze sharpened. Her silver-gray eyes locked onto him, steady as moonlight slicing through shadows. “I didn’t report it because of Drake,” she replied, her voice low but unwavering. “I did it because I was the victim of what your pack did.”

Her voice resonated, piercing like a broken bone.

“I don't hail from a strong lineage,” she went on, her fingers gripping the delicate hospital coverlet.

“If my reputation is ruined, what’s left for me? How do I finish my education? How do I build a life? How do I survive?”

The photos from the night before had already rippled through the pack university's network like wildfire. No alpha or elder could muzzle the gossip, no matter how hard the Hamilton family tried. If the police didn’t clear her name, even being the top-ranked student wouldn’t shield her from pack discipline—or the pack’s judgment.

Without her academic future, she was nothing. Just a lone human-turned-outcast among wolves.

Ezra’s expression softened. He could see it now, the determination in her and the quiet desperation. She had no powerful family behind her. No backup in the pack, and no allies. Just herself. And that made her dangerous in a different way.

So, he tried again, voice careful. “Then how about this? Join our company. We’ll sign you to a lifetime contract. You pick the country, name your salary. Whatever you want.”

His eyes searched her face. “Of course, it’s just an offer. “Regardless of your agreement, I will ensure Arthur provides all the details to Drake.”

Elena felt the wolf within her react to Drake's name, but she forced the feeling away, suppressing it under a weight of fatigue. Her eyes shut momentarily as she steadied herself.

The offer sounded tempting, but it wasn’t freedom. It was a gilded cage.

“I don’t want your compensation,” she said flatly, eyes reopening, fierce as steel. “Or your arrangements. I just want to quietly finish university.”

She aligned her back, disregarding the pain in her ribs.

“If Drake makes a public apology and vindicates me,” her voice sliced through the room like a suppressed growl, “I’ll withdraw the case.”

There was a loud bang on the door as the door swung open. Drake's arrival was the quiet threat of a storm cloud impossible to ignore. His imposing figure occupied the entrance, shoulders tight, eyes shining with restrained rage.

Elena met his gaze, her face blank, unreadable. But her pulse betrayed her.

Drake's eyes swept across Elena, halting at the bruises along her delicate throat. His wolf's growl vibrated in his chest, anger winding through his body like a live wire. His frustration stemmed not only from the circumstances, but from the vacant expression in her gaze. Her serenity. Her apathy.

His hands clenched into fists at his sides, talons poised to break free.

“If you consent to conclude our divorce at the courthouse today,” his voice was gritty, tinged with a growl, “and vow to keep your distance from me and Cassandra, I’ll issue the public apology tomorrow.”

Ezra moved ahead, surprised by Drake’s unexpected entrance.

His hand lifted instinctively, palm out. “Actually, the drugging incident—it was Maya. She was the one behind it. She was trying to get you two back together. Elena had nothing to do with it.”

But Drake’s head snapped toward him, eyes flashing like a storm about to break. “Tired of this little act yet? What is it now? Worried the police will find out Elena’s the one who drugged me, so you’re scrambling to cover for her?”

Drake's lips curled into a smile laced with contempt. “Or do you honestly believe I’m that easy to deceive? Maya hasn’t been anywhere near me.”

The bitter edge of a laugh rose in Elena’s chest, but she forced it back. Thus, this was it. He truly believed she was guilty. Guilty enough that now he was ready to humiliate himself with a public apology, just to be rid of her. That’s how deeply he wished for her departure.

The awareness coiled like a knife in her heart.

It no longer mattered. She didn’t need his belief. She just needed her name cleared so she could return to what little future she still had.

Ezra opened his mouth, frantic now. “Drake, it really wasn’t Amelia. she…”

But Elena cut in, voice devoid of emotion, cold as winter wind. “Alright. I’ll go with you now.”

The room stilled. Both men gazed at her, momentarily astonished.

This wasn’t the Elena they remembered. No fire. No defiance. Just quiet, steady acceptance. Like a solitary wolf fading into darkness to tend to its injuries.

Drake locked his jaw. That blankness and her detached calm, raked against his nerves like claws. It shouldn’t bother him, but it did.

“Let’s go. Now.”

Elena shifted, her movements fluid but careful. She sat up, pulling on her worn-out jacket. Ignoring Drake entirely, she turned her attention to Ezra. “You can head home. I’ll drop the charges.”

Ezra paused, uncertainty flashing on his face. That was it? Just like that?

Drake, maintaining his frown, nodded his head in the direction of the door. "Great." I didn't come with a car.”

You drive us. “Ensure that she doesn’t withdraw.”

Elena's expression stayed unreadable.

“I need to go home first. I need my ID.”

Drake scoffed, the sound low and sharp. “Who knows what stunt you’ll pull? “We'll accompany you.”

Her only reply was a slight shrug.

The journey was devoid of sound. The city roads streaked by the windows. As they eventually turned onto Elena’s street, both men tensed up.

The tight alley was hardly spacious enough for a vehicle. Vendors lined the perimeters, their stands filled with herbs, furs, and other goods typical in werewolf-controlled areas. The structures were deteriorating, their concrete surfaces fragmented, cables winding along the walls like plants.

Drake's nostrils flared in repulsion as they came to a stop. His gaze scanned the environment, and there was an undeniable odor of poverty lingering in the atmosphere.

Ezra scowled, his look intensifying. "Elena, how do you manage to live here?"

If you don’t want to stay in the dorm, at least come live with Maya. This place isn't safe.”

Elena remained unfazed. "I can manage it.”

She moved quickly through the tight passage, and the further they went, the deeper Drake's frown etched itself across his face.

Their steps halted before a modest metal door, its surface scuffed and worn with age. The lock made a sound as Elena entered. The space beyond was faintly lit and minimally decorated. A tiny bed. An unstable desk. A shelf filled with organized books and papers.

She acted with subtle efficiency, pulling her ID from the desk drawer and placing it into her pocket.

Outdoors, the stress trailed behind them like a ghost.

At the Civil Affairs Bureau, the divorce process was quick. The clerk droned through the formalities. Papers were signed. Stamps pressed down with finality.

It was done.

Drake did not anticipate it would proceed this easily. A restless growl rose from within, the wolf shifting against its cage of skin. Unfamiliar emotions twisted tight like coils in his chest.

From the depths of his mind, a forgotten memory rose. Elena, buttoned up in uniform, but with rebellion stitched beneath every thread, with their first heated exchange, she backed him against the wall, defiance crackling between them. Her eyes are on fire.

He pushed the thought into the quiet corners of his mind. “Where you’re staying is not secure,” he murmured, desiring to unshackle his tongue. “I’ll change the apartment ownership to your name…”

“No need,” Elena interrupted, her voice ice-cold, sharp enough to draw blood. “I’ve done what you wanted. Now do what I want.”

She slid the divorce certificate into her pocket, her movements precise.

“Once you make your public apology,” her eyes met his, cool and steady, “I’ll leave Glendale.”

A pause. The final nail.

“You’ll never see me again.”