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Chapter 78: Old Wounds
publish date:
2026-10-06 22:12:26
Latest chapter
Marked by Gold and Ruin Chapter 83: The Armor of Belief
(DARIUS’ POV) The journey back to Ironridge was quieter than I expected. I sat in the back of the carriage, watching the familiar mountain roads recede behind us as we descended toward our territory. My thoughts should have been occupied with the election, the loss of a seat my family had held for generations, and the mountain of pack business waiting for my return. Instead, my mind kept drifting back to the hall. Farina’s voice still echoed through my thoughts, along with the stifling silence that had followed her accusation. I could still see Elara standing across the stone chamber, her face turned toward Farina as a single tear traced down her cheek. I had never wanted that piece of our history dragged out before hundreds of Alphas and Lunas. The matter had been settled five years ago when Elara was rejected and exiled. I had spent the years since rebuilding my life and securing Ironridge. Whatever she had become in my absence, whatever position she now held beside Ronan,
Marked by Gold and Ruin Chapter 82: A Seat at the Table
(ELARA’S POV) The question was polite—almost pleasant—and it made something deep inside my chest tighten. “No,” I said, keeping my tone perfectly level “You aren’t.” Farina’s smile widened slightly. “Good.” She walked toward the head of the long table without a second of hesitation. There was no trace of nervousness in her stride, no sign that she felt in any way unwelcome. Stopping a few feet from where I sat, she let her eyes wander casually across the gathered Lunas. “I apologize for arriving without notice.” Maeve let out a quiet, humorless laugh. “You’ve never exactly been known for following the Council’s schedule.” Farina turned her gaze toward Maeve. “I suppose that’s fair.” Her response was so smooth that Maeve’s jaw clenched. Farina didn’t take the bait; instead, her eyes drifted back to me. “I’ve come to formally join the Luna Council.” Silence crashed over the room. For a fraction of a second, I thought I had misheard her. Maren was the first to react, her ledge
Marked by Gold and Ruin Chapter 81: A Crack in Trust
(ELARA’S POV) The Luna Council had never been this quiet. Not even during the early meetings when we had first begun fighting for a place among the packs. Back then, the silence had come from uncertainty; we were building something from nothing, and most of the Lunas sitting around the table had been terrified of what that might mean for their own territories. This was different. Now, the silence came from people knowing exactly what had changed. I sat at the head of the long council table, my hands resting loosely against the polished wood as I looked around the room. Maeve sat to my right, her jaw set into a familiar, defensive line. Maren sat across from her, a stack of territorial reports open in front of her. Selene occupied the seat beside Maren, listening in stillness as one of the Lunas discussed a lingering dispute over healer supplies between two neighboring packs. On the surface, everything looked entirely normal. Papers were spread across the tabletop, and the faint
Marked by Gold and Ruin Chapter 80: A Forgotten Secret
(ELARA’S POV) The question fell into the quiet of the hall like a heavy stone. For a moment, I could only stare back at the elder Alpha. My injured hand remained curled tightly against my ribs, hidden as best I could manage, though the warm stickiness of blood against my palm made the effort feel futile. Beside me, Ronan’s body stood rigid, his hand hovering inches from my arm as if he feared touching me again would break something fragile. “I…” I swallowed, my voice coming out shakier than I intended. “I don’t know.” The elder’s brow furrowed. It wasn't disbelief that crossed his features, but a sudden, sharp intensity that made my breath catch in my chest. “You don’t know?” “It was with me when Ironridge found me,” I said, keeping my words quiet. “I was a child. I don’t remember anything before they brought me into their territory.” His gaze shifted downward, landing on my closed fist where blood continued to seep between my fingers. “And your blood?” Before I coul
Marked by Gold and Ruin Chapter 79: The Breaking Point
(ELARA’S POV) The whispers started—quiet at first, rising from scattered corners of the chamber before quickly dying beneath the tension. I stood motionless with my hands at my sides, forcing my expression to hold completely blank . I could feel the weight of hundreds of eyes pinning me down. Alphas. Lunas. People who had known me for years alongside those who had only just learned the name I carried before Trueblood: Elara Ironridge. Traitor. The word remained unspoken, yet its weight echoed across the room. I looked toward Ronan. The anger I had seen in him earlier was no longer contained; his jaw was set, his posture rigid, and his gaze locked onto Farina. “Ronan,” I said quietly, reaching for his arm. He didn’t answer right away, but when his eyes finally shifted to me, he murmured, “I’m fine.” I knew he wasn’t, and neither was I. Across the chamber, Darius remained beside Farina. He hadn’t moved since her speech ended, his eyes fixed on me with an unreadable look. Y
Marked by Gold and Ruin Chapter 78: Old Wounds
(DARIUS’ POV) For several seconds after Farina finished speaking, no one moved. The silence inside the assembly hall was so complete that I could hear the faint crackle of the torches mounted along the stone walls. I hadn’t known she was going to do this—not tonight, and certainly not in this room. I turned toward Farina, but she was already standing with her shoulders set and her posture composed, looking as if she hadn’t just dragged five years of buried history into a room filled with hundreds of leaders. She had caught me completely off guard. My gaze shifted back to Elara. She hadn’t moved; her face kept toward Farina, but her eyes had begun to glisten. A tear gathered along her lower lashes before slipping down her cheek. Something tightened in my chest. I had seen those tears before, five years ago in the Ironridge hall. I remembered the sheer confusion in her eyes when the evidence was laid before me, and I remembered her insisting that she had never betrayed me or
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