Chapter 19 – Shackled in Silence

The whiskey wasn’t able to quiet the voices. At least not anymore.

Cole woke up with the taste of the whiskey still on his tongue, bitter and clinging, the ache in his head was sharper than the firelight spilling faintly through the cracks in the shutters. He rolled onto his back, pressing the heel of his palm into his eyes, trying to force away the heaviness that never seemed to leave him now.

The other side of the bed was cold. Empty.

He wasn’t surprised that the other side was empty. Ella always rose up early, slipping out like she were a shadow, nothing was left behind but the faintest trace of her scent on the sheets. She never lingered on the bed, never waited for him. And yet—every time she was gone, like a wound in his chest, the bond throbbed. It felt like it had refused to heal.

He hated feeling that way, Hated her for the feelings and even more he hated himself.

For a long while, he sat by the side of the bed, his elbows feasting on his knees, his head felt heavy in his hands. The silence of the cabin had become unbearable to him. It was too clean, too sharp, it felt like a knife carving at the edge of his control.

He later caught sight of her at the dining hall.

She was sitting across the room with Mia and Jasper, with her back straight, her hands folded in her lap. More than she spoke, she listened, nodding gently whenever Jasper muttered something low that could make Mia laugh. A faint smile tugged at her lips, it was small, but it was real.

Seeing this made something twist deep in his guts. He told himself that was he was feeling was only irritation but the truth rang louder than the lie he told himself. He knew what he was feeling was envy.

She shouldn’t have looked so composed, not after everything that had happened. Not after him.

Their eyes met for the briefest moment, When her gaze lifted. Cole expected her to be the one to look away first, but she didn’t. Her eyes were steady, calm, unreadable. Finally, He was the one who turned away, he cursed himself as he stalked out before the knot in his chest could tightened any further.

Sasha found him near the training grounds. She had always been able to find him from wherever.

“Still playing house with your little human?” Her voice dripped like honey over venom. She circled him with the slow prowl of someone who thought she’d already won. “It’s actually pathetic, Cole. Everyone can see it.”

He clenched his fists, jaw working. “I don’t have the energy for this now.”

But Sasha only stepped closer, her nails dragging lightly across his arm. “You don’t have to suffer like this. All you need do is to reject her. One word, and it’s all done. You’re all mine—you’ve always been mine. Why bother torturing yourself by pretending otherwise?”

The bond pulled again, sharp as teeth in his chest. He thought about Ella at the table, the way her silence spoke louder than Sasha’s poison ever could. He hated that he actually gave her a thought at all.

His voice came out rougher than he meant. “You think all of this is simple? You think I can just walk away from the bond? From her?”

Sasha’s eyes narrowed, her smile tightening. “She’s already begin to change you. Making you all weak.”

Cole barked a laugh, bitter and hollow. “Weak? Sasha, I’m actually drowning. And she—” His throat closed around the words. He shoved past her before he could say more words, before the cracks in his resolve could show any deeper.

When he finally returns to the cabin, Victor was waiting. The presence of his father filled up the space even before he could utter a word, the weight of his authority made it impossible to ignore him.

“You’re beginning to lose focus,” Victor said, eyes like steel. “The pack are always aware whenever their Alpha falters.”

Cole bristled. “Maybe I no longer want to lead, maybe I don’t want to be an Alpha.”

“You don’t get to choose,” Victor snapped. “You carry both the bond and the pack. And you have to honor both.”

More than he would love to admit, his words struck deeper. Cole clenched his jaw, trying to force himself to holding his father’s gaze until his father Victor finally turned and left, the slam of the door echoed like judgment.

Alone again, Cole tried to drown himself with another drink.

The night still wore on, the fire burning low as the whiskey blurred the edges of his thoughts. But no matter how much he drank, he couldn’t drown the images that haunted him—Ella sketching by candlelight, Ella walking past whispers with her chin high, Ella’s calm eyes locking with his in defiance of everything he told himself was true.

He hated it. He hated her.

He hated the way her silence made him feel exposed.

Sasha was so familiar, predictable, sharp-edged in ways he understood. Ella was… totally different. And that difference was what gnawed at him until he couldn’t breathe.

By the time the bottle was nearly empty, his chest ached with a pull so fierce it dragged him to his feet before he realized what he was doing. As he crossed the hall, his steps became unsteady, under his weight the floor creaked.

He stopped just outside her door.

Between them, The bond roared. It felt so strong that he could feel her presence on the other side, it was warm and steady like a heartbeat against his own. His hand hovered over the handle, shaking.

One push and that’s all it will talk to break the silence.

But what could happen then?

He dropped his hand, swearing under his breath.

Turning away, Cole staggered back to the fire, while he collapsed into the chair with his head in his hands. He stayed there until the flames died, the cabin became swallowed by the darkness, from within him, the bond was still gnawing at him.