Chapter 70

Elora’s POV

It hurt, but I pulled away

“We’ll get Mira,” I said, forcing myself to sound l wasn't afraid. “But until then, this stays between us.”

His eyes were like a storm was brewing in there. He nodded. “Yeah. For now.”

Whatever was between us, it was alive. Restless. And honestly? That silence we kept? It was only a matter of time before it

Man, Dante’s words were still rattling around in my skull the next morning. I couldn’t get rid of them, the heat of him, the way he pressed his forehead to mine like he was branding me. I may have had a couple of hours, kept flipping between guilt and just plain old stubbornness, brain tripping over itself until the council dragged me in. My heart was beating so hard I thought it’d bust right through my ribs.

That council room was always snapping like they wanted in on all the drama. I walked in, chin up, even though my legs were screaming at me to run.

Dante was already there, moving off to the side, stiff as a warning sign, back straight, eyes sharp. Didn’t even need to open his mouth for folks to get the hint: mess with him, pay the price. And Mira? God, Mira, perched all regal and venomous, silk draped like she was born in it, hands folded and smug as a cat. She caught my eye, flashed a razor-edged smirk. Like she’d already won.

"Elora," Elder Bran started, voice heavy as a sledgehammer, "we’re worried about your ability to lead while the Alpha’s down."

I had to remind myself to breathe, keep my voice from breaking. "Worried?"

Mira slid right in. “It pains me, really. But our Luna’s been… distracted.” She gave me this look, all sparkly-eyed and fake concern. “She ignores the council, sneaks out at night, puts her faith in bonds that’ll break us.”

The whole room started hissing. My fists clenched, but I wasn’t giving her the satisfaction of seeing me shake.

"I’ve given everything to this pack since Dominic got sick," I shot back, voice steady even though my insides were filled with rage. "Kept the borders locked down, sat through every council meeting, took care of the Alpha myself."

Mira tilted her head, all mock sympathy. She slid a folded letter across the table, slow and dramatic. "Is that so? Because I found these letters suggesting our Luna’s not as loyal as she says."

Gasps.

My stomach did a nosedive.

"What letters?" I snapped.

She nudged the paper at me. "Read it. Correspondence with outsiders, hinting at weakness. Looks like our Luna would hand over the throne if it meant saving her own skin."

The place blew up, shouting, chairs scraping, the whole circus. I grabbed the letter, my handwriting, but… nope. Too crisp. Whoever tried to fake my scrawl clearly failed. My pulse was a stampede in my ears.

"This is a lie!" I slammed the letter down, probably leaving a dent in the table. "I didn’t write this. Looks like a desperate, cheap copy."

Mira gasped, all wide-eyed and dripping with false innocence. "Elora, denial won’t help. You’ve been spending… suspiciously long hours with my brother-in-law." She let her gaze slide to Dante, letting the accusation hang. "Maybe your heart’s somewhere else."

Elders started muttering, some shooting daggers at me. Accusations piling up like snow.

I sucked in a shaky breath. "You’re really gonna pull this? No proof, just rumors while the Alpha’s dying? You’d rather rip us apart than risk not getting your claws in?"

But I caught it...the little flicker of doubt on Elder Bran’s face, the shifty glances. Mira’s poison was working.

And then, Dante moved. His voice sliced through the chaos, sharp as a blade.

"Enough." Cold, deadly, he was done with the games. Every warrior in the room snapped to attention. "I won’t watch my Luna’s name get trashed with forged evidence. If you really think Elora would betray us, stand up and say it. To my face."

He stared at them down. No one moved.

Mira’s smile wobbled, just a crack. "Dante," she purred, "your loyalty’s adorable, but not exactly surprising. You’re bonded. It's easy to lose your head when you’re in too deep."

Dante’s jaw clenched. "Bond or not, I know her better than any of you. She’s kept this pack alive when the rest of you would’ve folded. She’s got more honor in her fingers than you, Mira, could ever dream of."

The silence rang in the room. My throat is dry, but they weren't going to see me cry.

I said the words out, barely holding my voice steady. “I’m not gonna waste my breath defending garbage forgeries. If you want me out, say it. Say it to my face, right here, right now. Quit hiding behind gossip. And get this straight, if I go down, the pack’s coming with me. Y’all keep dithering, and our borders are just sitting wide open. Our enemies aren’t going to sit around waiting for us to sort out things.”

The elders shot each other with these nervous little looks. Mira tried for her usual ice-queen thing, but yeah, I saw her jaw twitch. Cracks showing.

Then Bran...old, cranky Bran finally raised his hand. “Enough,” he snapped. “These accusations are serious, but so’s our timing. Luna Elora stays. For now. But don’t kid yourself, this isn’t over.”

Everyone shuffled out. Nobody looked at me.

My heart raced so loud I half-expected someone to call me out for it. Dante was right behind me. I waited till we hit the empty hallway, then spun on him, voice low. “You didn’t have to go off like that. Now they’ve got even more to use against us.”

He just stared at me, stubborn as a mule. “Let ‘em. No way am I gonna stand around and watch them shred you with their bullshit.”

Man. The way he said it… like he’d torch the whole damn world for me. For a second, my chest stopped aching. Almost.

But the guilt? Still there. Heavy, gnawing. Wouldn’t let up.

I pressed my fingers to my temple, trying to ease the headache. “I can’t fall apart now, Dante. If I do, it’s over.”

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