Chapter 114

Elora’s POV.

That made me laugh... sort of. “Then why do I wake up with bruises?” I turned my wrist over, showed him the shadowy imprint. I had not let anyone see that, not even him.

“That’s… I mean, that’s not possible,” he said, clenching his jaw.

“Yeah,” I muttered, voice calm. “And yet, look.”

He ran his thumb over the mark, slow and careful. Like he was scared it’d burn him. “What does she want?”

“She doesn’t talk, not really. Just… little pieces. Whispers. Sometimes she laughs.” That laugh crawls into my bones.

Dante’s eyes went storm-dark. “Mira’s ghost isn’t taking you. Not while I’m breathing.”

I wanted to buy what he was selling, really. Wanted to let his confidence drown out the creeping dread. But then, there it was again, curling through my skull like smoke that won’t clear.

You took everything, Elora. Now I’ll take it back.

I flinched hard, putting my hands to my head. “Did you hear that?”

Dante went still. “Hear what?”

“Mira,” I whispered, voice cracking. “She’s here.”

He grabbed my shoulders, like he could anchor me back down. “Elora, it’s just us.”

Except I knew better. I could feel her. Cold, patient, everywhere and nowhere, like a poison you didn't even know would harm you.

I looked at Dante, my breath already shaking. “She’s not gone.”

He pulled me close, fierce. “You’re worn out. The war, everything... It’s either affecting you or messing with you.”

“No,” I snapped, shaking my head so hard that it hurts. “This isn’t just being tired. She’s in something. She’s pulling at me, trying to claw her way back in.”

He held my face and made me look at him. “Then I’ll fight her. I’ll fight anyone.”

I wanted to thank him. Really did. Instead, all I could bring out were tears, slipping out before I could stop them. “You can’t fight what you can’t see, Dante.”

He just stared at me and didn’t say a word. Just held me close, pressing his forehead to mine, as if he held me tight, the scary thing I was feeling would magically disappear.

Later, when I finally managed to sleep off, the darkness engulfed me like it knew me. Like it was something I was used to. Welcoming me back to a home or something.

I was stuck in some messed-up funhouse version of myself, my reflection all warped, eyes glowing like dying coals. And there was Mira, right behind me, her fingers light on my shoulder. Spooky as hell.

“You look exhausted,” she purred, the voice of all sugar and knives.

I turned, slow as sludge. “What do you want, Mira?”

She just grinned, too wide, too many teeth. “You think this little bubble of peace is gonna last? You really think you can build something he won’t just smash to bits again?”

“I don’t care what you think,” I said, trying to sound confident and tough, not that my voice was fooling anyone. It was shaking like a leaf.

“Oh, you will.” She leaned in so close her breath was ice on my ear. “Because every breath you take now? Yeah… borrowed time, sweetheart.”

I woke up screaming loudly, my voice choking.

Dante was right there, his hands on my arms, as he stared at me, eyes wide open with fear. “Elora! Hey, Elora, it’s me, you’re okay!”

I couldn’t catch my breath. My chest is tight, and I'm sweating everywhere on my body. The room felt like it was closing in. “She... she was here,” I managed, shaky. “I saw her.”

He pulled me in, holding me like he could shield me with his body. His voice tried to be calm, but he was scared too. “It was just a dream.”

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head so badly. “It wasn’t.”

“Elora...”

“She’s not gone, Dante!” My hands were holding his shirt, my whole body shivering. “She’s still here. She’s watching. Waiting for something.”

He didn’t try to talk me down. Didn’t say I was crazy. Just held me tighter, his heartbeat racing so loud I could hear it.

And in the heavy quiet after, I swear I heard her again. Just a whisper. Could’ve been the wind, but… nah.

This isn’t over.

Dante's pov

Peace was supposed to feel like, I don’t know, actually breathing again, like unclenching your jaw for the first time in days. Instead, every breath felt like dragging air through your lungs but not. Silence wasn’t peaceful either. It was sharp, brittle. Like the second before someone slams a door, but you don’t know when the bang’s coming.

Elora? She’s barely sleeping these days. I hear her gasping at night, half-awake, shaking, and she keeps mumbling that she’s not gone, over and over, like she was being haunted by a ghost. I keep telling her she’s safe, that I’ll make sure of it, but I’m not buying it myself.

So, I left. Early. I didn’t say a word to anyone, just grabbed my bag and slipped out before the sun rose. The borderlands have always been weird, the air’s thin, the ground feels... off. That’s where Mira’s magic first bled through, way back. If there’s anything left, it’d be lurking out here.

Boots crunching on frostbitten grass. This ugly nowhere between packs, where nothing wants to live. The whole place made me uncomfortable, like the whole place was judging me and thinking if I was worth the trouble.

I closed my eyes, tried to reach for that old, wild power that’s supposed to belong to me. Alpha blood, right? Should’ve been comforting. Instead, it just sent a jolt of warning through my bones.