Chapter 95

Elora’s POV

The letter shook in my grip, my knuckles turning white as I read it to the council. Mira’s script was all sharp angles and poison, every word practically hissing off the page.

Next, the NightShade Pack will fall. And when it does, you’ll know what it means to lose everything you tried to protect.

Yeah, not exactly subtle, right?

I dragged my eyes up, met the stares of my warriors and the old guard. Not a soul spoke.

“She’s coming for the pack,” I said. Or tried to sound tough... truth is, my stomach was doing flips. “If that falls, we’re screwed. The heart of our defense goes with it.”

Dante was pacing at the back, hand pressed to his ribs. He didn’t say a word, just locked his eyes with me.

“So, we hit first,” I said, pushing through. “We send scouts ahead, block the passageways. If Mira wants Crescent Moon, she’s gotta go through us.”

A few people muttered, fear bleeding through even the bravest faces. Could I actually lead them? I barely believed it myself. Dominic looked like he might back out of this any second.

Then Dante’s voice sliced through the mess. “You’ll need someone to lead the vanguard. I’m coming.”

I glared at him. “You’re not even healed yet.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.”

There was something softer under his words, something that made my chest ache in a way I didn’t want to admit.

“I can fight,” he said again, walking closer. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to say I couldn’t handle losing him, not on top of everything else. But the look in his eyes made me rethink my words. He could be infuriating.

“Fine,” I mumbled. “But you follow my orders.”

He gave me that cocky half-smile. “Since when have I ever done that?”

Suddenly the room exploded... shouts, maps, swords clanking. Everyone was moving, and I just stood there. This could save us, or it could blow up everything. No in-between.

By nightfall, we were already riding.

The woods felt like a tomb... dead quiet, just the horses crunching frost and the wind getting nosy in the branches.

Dante rode next to me, his cloak touching mine. Didn’t say much, neither of us did. Just talked when we had to, mostly about scouting and the lay of the land. But the silence? Not empty. It was thick, humming with all the crap we weren’t saying out loud.

“How far?” I finally broke, just to hear something.

“Two miles,” Dante said. “If Mira’s crew keeps pace, they’ll be at the pack by dawn.”

I held the reins tighter. My hands were freezing, but every time his arm brushed mine, the air felt hot all over again.

He glanced at me. “You’ve changed.”

“Yeah? How so?”

“You don’t hesitate anymore.”

I snorted. “Who’s got time for fear? Not exactly a luxury these days.”

He shook his head, a little smile on his face. “Nah. Fear’s what keeps you kicking. Makes you fight harder.”

I looked at him. The shadows under his eyes, that scar on his jaw, the way his hand shook a little on the reins. “What about you, Dante? What are you scared of?”

He held my gaze, and the world just stopped. “Losing you.”

That hit harder than a punch to the gut. I stared at him, heart racing, but couldn’t find any words. I looked away, tried to act like I was just checking the path.

“Dante…”

He cut me off, quietly. “Don’t. You don’t have to say a thing. Just needed you to know.”

The silence after that? Heavy. Not awkward, just… suffocating.

We stopped in a clearing to give the horses time to breathe. The moon made Dante's skin glow as he climbed down the horse. He reached out to steady me as I climbed off, his hand barely touching my waist, and it sent sparks everywhere.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I breathed out. “You should be… I don’t know, in bed, healing.”

He just shot back, “And you should be anywhere but a battlefield.” A little smirk. “But, well, look at us.”

Way too close. His breath, my breath, mixing in the cold—felt like the whole night was pressing down, wrapping us up in its own little secret.

“Dante…”

“Elora.” The way he said my name, like it was both a plea and a threat. “Just tell me one thing. When this ends...what even happens to us?”

I wanted to say no, there’s no us, I can’t even let myself go there. But my heart wasn’t in the mood for lying.

“If we make it out,” I whispered, “I don’t want to lose you again.”

His eyes went darker. He reached up, real slow, like he thought I’d flinch. I didn’t. His fingers tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

“You won’t,” he said, voice low. “Not this time.”

That promise felt dangerous. Like holding something made of glass and knowing you’re probably gonna break it.

Didn’t even get a chance to answer. Some noise, branches shifting, scout’s warning. Both of us snapped alert, senses kicking in. Smoke drifted in, just a hint, riding the wind.

“They’re close,” Dante murmured.

I straightened up, whatever magic was there slipping right through my fingers. “Guess that’s our cue.”

He nodded, face going all hard again, shutting me out.

We rode into the thick woods, night swallowing us up. The tension between us? Not just longing anymore, edgy, electric. Determination, maybe a little fear, maybe something like hope, too.

War was coming. Still, underneath all that, something else burned in me.

I had a reason to fight now.

Not just for the pack. Not for duty.

For him.