Dante’s POV
Have you ever smelled rain before it even thinks about falling? That static, sharp tang sticking to the back of your throat? Yeah. That’s how the whole palace felt lately, storm tension, thick enough to choke on. Especially around Dominic. He watched me like I was a bad itch he couldn’t scratch. Elora barely blinked in my general direction and there he was, clinging to her hand like she might break if I breathed too close. Always another job, another reason to shove me out: patrolling, hauling supplies, anything that kept me busy and as far from her as possible. He honestly must have thought I was clueless. Like I didn’t notice the way jealousy twisted him up from the inside out. The edge in his voice when he so much as spat out my name? Subtle as a sledgehammer. Too bad for him, I’m not blind. Or stupid. And I would die before I let Elora get caught in his crossfire. So this particular morning, I stumbled back from another one of his urgent border runs. There’s still half the southern mud glued to my boots, my shoulders feel like concrete, and I’m doing my absolute best impression of someone who isn’t about to topple over in sheer exhaustion. Elora was waiting in the courtyard, hands fidgety, worry stamped across her pretty face like it’s permanent. She came at me fast, eyes sharp, her voice nearly a whisper. “Dante, you have to stop letting him do this. He’s running you into the ground.” I gave her this half-assed grin and grazed her arm with my knuckles, just for a second. “I’ll survive. Always do.” She looked like she wanted to slap me and hug me at the same time. “That’s not the point. He’s punishing you. Because of me.” I wanted to tell her she was wrong. Lie to her face, maybe. But then, boom, Dominic’s silhouette at the top of the palace stairs, Mira drifting behind him like a leftover nightmare. His gaze could freeze water. “Dante.” He didn't yell, didn't have to. More like he was ordering the ground to swallow me whole. “My study. Now.” Elora stiffened, but I squeezed her wrist. Calm down, I’m saying, except my heart was pounding. Inside, the study is this cave filled with burnt wood and pent-up anger. Dominic hunched behind his desk like he owned gravity. He doesn’t even look up. “You disobeyed me.” Voice like a knife, straight to the gut. I set my jaw. “By returning home, seriously?” “You were supposed to stay at the southern line until nightfall.” His glare could melt steel. “But here you are. Talking to her.” Wow. “Her?” I scoff. “She’s not just some job, Dominic. She’s your Luna, not a pawn that Mira moves around when she gets bored.” That got his attention. He finally looks at me. “Careful, Dante.” “You need to be careful,” I snapped, closing the gap. “You’re so tangled up in Mira’s bullshit you can’t see you’re tearing apart everything, Elora, the pack, just to keep your head above water.” He whacks his fist down, shaking the desk. “Don’t say her name like that.” “Why not?” My voice climbs, adrenaline rushing. “Because it guts you when she looks for me instead of you?” Silence. He was panting, I was shaking, but under it all, the mess, the rage, there’s the truth. “You’re jealous,” I said. For a split second, his mask slips. He looked hurt. “Jealous? Of a bond that shouldn’t exist?” He stalks forward. “Don’t kid yourself, brother. She may want you, but she’s mine. By oath. That’s how it works.” “Then mark her,” I spit back. “If she means more than duty, prove it. Otherwise, stop this charade.” He falters. His mouth tightens, eyes slamming shut. And then, just when I thought he was going to lunge at me or start reciting rules again, he said quietly. “I will never mark her. Because she isn’t the one I love.” Time basically stops. My heart slams around, and I forget what words are supposed to sound like. “You...you don’t love her?” My voice breaks on it. He just shakes his head. “No.” The air gets thick, storm-pressure building. Years of brotherhood flex and threaten to shatter. I stepped closer, everything softening. “Then let her go, Dominic. You can’t chain her to you just because you’re scared or Mira told you to. If you won’t love her, at least let her choose.” He refused to meet my eyes. That was enough of an answer. My fists bunch up, fighting the urge to swing at him is the hardest thing. But we both know, if I throw the first punch, the pack will split right down the middle. So, instead, I kept my hands at my sides, and I said the promise I’ve been carrying around like a second heartbeat. “I’m not leaving her undefended, Dominic. You, Mira, the rest of this mate-marking mess, you’ll have to pry me off her.” He looks ready to eat nails. “Then we’re not brothers anymore.” That one lands. Deep. But I don’t look away. I sure as hell don’t back off. When I stepped out of his study, there was Elora just standing there, eyes darting between us like she was hoping for some sign, some spark of hope, or, hell, just a straight answer. Pain shot through my chest as I brushed past her. Still, the warning tumbled out. I couldn't help myself. “Watch yourself, Elora. He’s not the guy you remember. Not anymore.” Fear and confusion were plastered on her face, big, sad eyes staring right through me. Did I stay to clear things up? Not a chance. If I started explaining, I would cave, and neither of us needed that weakness. First time in my life, I’ll admit it...I hated my brother. I really hated him. She already knew more than I had ever wanted for her, so what was the point in trying to protect her? “Elora,” I muttered, softer now, softer than I liked, “don’t let his crap wreck you.” She opened her mouth but nothing came out, just silence and that raw hurt Dominic left bleeding under the surface. She tried to pull herself together, that Luna ice queen vibe, but I wasn’t fooled for a second. I leaned in, voice dropping, meant for her ears alone. “You think this is it, huh? Like, if he doesn’t claim you, you’re done here.” That anxious swallow of hers. “Isn’t it?”Mira’s POVThe air was ice against my skin. Standing there, breathing slowly by that damn open window, eyes fixed on her...Elora. Gliding into Dante’s room like she owned it or something. I was supposed to be asleep, right? Curled up with Dominic, all safe and spoiled. Except, sleep took one look at the mess tonight and noped out the door. She hadn’t even realized I was listening, the idiot.So I trailed her. Quiet, careful, heels not even cracking on the marble. Found her kneeling at Dante’s desk. Of course. Her hands were all over the letters I’d written, every word perfectly placed to ruin her. Yeah, Dante's betrayal, gift-wrapped by yours truly.Can't lie, I grinned in the dark. Watching her try to piece it together, like stumbling through a maze I'd built just for her. She called herself Luna, thought she was some genius with secrets...please. She was just a puppet and I’d purposely left a couple breadcrumbs in those stupid papers. Not enough to give her proof, just enough to gna
Elora’s POVDripDripDripThe halls were dead quiet, except for that annoying drip-drip-drip echoing. Night guards had swapped already, so their route had these tiny little gaps like, almost inviting, right? I knew their patterns now, not because sneaking around was my thing or whatever, but... well, desperate times. If I wanted to see him, to give him one stupid sliver of hope, I had to be basically invisible.Heart pounding like hell, the guilt gnawing at me, I crept down that skinny spiral staircase that always felt a mile long. First thing that hit me? The stink...like wet rocks, mold, and rusty metal. Dungeon smell. The Alpha’s beloved hole for enemies and traitors, not for Dominic’s brother. Not Dante.I hugged the basket to me like it was a lifeline. Bread, a dented flask, some sad dried meat I had managed to sweet-talk off the kitchen lady. Pretty sure she knew what I was up to, but you know, we don’t talk about it. The pack gossiped enough, I seriously did not need them spre
Dominic’s POVThose walls were closing in, squeezing tighter every hour. It felt like I was getting crushed alive in a tomb lined with my father’s regrets. The fireplace kept spitting out noise, all crackle and pop, pretending it could melt the ice that’d taken root in my bones. I just sat there, hunkered in that ancient chair, knuckles going white on the armrests, nearly splitting the wood.Why the hell, Dante? What are you playing at? I don't know what he needs to achieve by this when we literally have the kingdom. It belonged to us both. Nobody ripped the throne away from me. Dad handed it over, dying breath and all, his voice shaking as he said, “Keep the pack safe. Lead them, Dominic. Dante’s at your back, but all this is yours.” I had clung to that, like some prayer. Figured my brother had too.So where’s this crap from? The notes, the sneaking, the whispering? Dante’s betrayal hangs in the air like smoke I can’t clear from my lungs.My jaw locked up. Could almost taste the bit
Elora’s POVThat dungeon chill just wouldn’t quit, like it wormed its way straight into my bones and set up camp, even after I had left Dante behind in the dark. My wolf whined with every step, practically begging me to turn around, run back, wedge myself against those damn iron bars, just to catch one more breath of him. But I forced myself to move forward. Heart heavy, throats hurting from all the sobs I was holding.The hallways felt like they went on forever, torches flickering and stretching monster-shadows all over the stones. I was just about to walk around the corner, heading for Dante’s...well, his old chambers, the ones that used to smell like pine and woodsmoke, before suspicion stank up everything. That was when I spotted her.Mira.Strolling down the corridor like some evil queen, her dress trailing behind her like she was gliding on pure self-satisfaction. That smirk. It was like she was telling me she won and I lost. Something inside me snapped.I straightened up, squa
Dante’s POVThat chamber could freeze hell over. I swear, I’ve been in dungeons with more warmth, and not just because of the actual temperature. Every eye in that place, burning holes straight through me. The council, the soldiers, even the serving girls peeking from behind those ridiculous curtains. Didn’t take a genius to guess what they were thinking. Judging me before the damned trial even started.The chains were not even subtle. Heavy as sin and about as delicate as a slap in the face. Pure theater. They wanted everyone to see me messed up, so the rumors wouldn’t be rumors anymore. They would just be facts, right? Dominic waved those stupid letters around, his chest full of pride and people taking all in. But what twisted the knife was her. Elora. Sitting there, her fist folded, it turned white, barely breathing. Luna of the pack, my Luna, really, if you asked my heart. The bond between us hummed, an electrical itch under my skin. I could feel her fury. Her fear. Both aimed
Elora’s POVHe snarled, barely holding it together. “Why’re you so keen to save him, Elora? Is he your lover?”I wasn’t expecting that curveball. “What?” Just that, mouth gaping.“Don’t lie.” His hand clamped my wrist, not bruising but hot with all his ugly jealousy. “You run to him. You defend him. You give him some look you’ve never wasted on me. So, come on, have you just always belonged to him?”Sometimes it feels like my inner wolf’s voice is louder than mine. She was ready to rip something apart. I kept myself steady, probably shaking like a leaf. “He is not my lover. He’s your freaking brother, Dominic. And if he ever was, if I ever was, you’d know, wouldn’t you? Because you basically gave us your blessing once! Remember the meeting? He’s got no shadows with his love, D. He never could.”He just...he looked like he wanted to explode. When he let go, it was like I burned him. “Do not. Follow me.” Words sharp as knives. “If you do, Elora, you’re an accomplice. Don’t test me.”Tha