X - Death is here

My room felt colder than usual. I lay upon the vast bed, the soft duvet offering no solace, only amplifying the hollow drumbeat of waiting.

Waiting... Waiting for the news.

I was part of the pack. Yet, as though I won't be affected, I was hoping for a war. A war that would keep Jonathan and the Alpha King out of the palace for a while.

Every creak of the floorboards, every distant voice, snatched my breath, twisted the silence into a knot of anticipation.

My fingers traced the delicate embroidery of the pillowcase, a futile attempt to anchor myself to reality. The silence stretched, a taut wire ready to snap.

Then, the door swung inward without a knock. Isabella. Just as she entered without a knock when she caught I and Jonathan.

Her presence was a storm front, her eyes twin shards of ice, dissecting my quiet despair. A smirk, a venomous snake, curled her lips.

"So, the wolf comes home," she purred, her voice a poison drip.

She sauntered into the room, her movements a deliberate taunt, settling herself on the plush armchair by the window.

I sat up and looked at her.

"I've heard the news, darling. Jonathan and the Alpha King, they're returning." Her words were tiny daggers, each one finding its mark. "I guess your little fantasy is over."

My hands clenched into fists beneath the duvet, the fabric scrunching into a tight ball. My heart became a frantic hummingbird, trapped in my ribs.

"You'll be… I don't know what will happen to you," she continued, her gaze a mocking caress. "All I know is that I'll have Jonathan to myself." Her voice held the triumphant ring of a bell announcing victory.

The air in the room suddenly thickened like a suffocating blanket. I could feel the blood drain from my face, leaving it a stark white canvas.

After delivering the news I didn't ask for, Isabella floated out of the room, leaving behind an emptiness that screamed.

There was nothing I could do but rest my head back on the bed. I rolled onto my stomach, pressing my face into the cool linen of the duvet.

The fabric became my shield, muffling the rising tide of panic. My vision blurred. I pushed myself up, stumbling towards the window. Running!

The world outside, usually a tapestry of familiar greens and blues, now seemed a blurry threat. The sprawling estate, once a haven, transformed into a fortress, trapping me.

How would I survive? How could I exist if the Alpha King, a colossal mountain of tradition and expectation, ever discovered my secret?

Later that evening, a muffled knock announced his presence.

I rushed to the door. My heart battered against my ribs.

The door opened slowly, revealing Jonathan. His head hung low, like a defeated warrior returning from a lost battle. His shoulders, usually broad towers of strength, seemed slumped, burdened by invisible weights.

I stared at him for a while. He lifted his head and pressed his lips together. He had failed. But my hunch told me there was something else.

"Jonathan, what is the problem?" My voice was a thin whisper, barely audible in the vastness of the room. A cold hand gripped my stomach.

"I'm sorry." The words were brittle, cracking the fragile peace that had settled in the room. "I'm sorry I couldn't prolong this."

My breath hitched. Tears, hot and traitorous, welled in my eyes, tracing scalding paths down my cheeks. Each drop was a tiny explosion, mirroring the shattering of my hopes.

He stepped closer, his hand reaching out, a hesitant butterfly. His fingers, warm and gentle, cupped my cheek, brushing away the tears. "It's not over," he murmured, his thumb stroking my skin. "I'll do all in my power to…" His voice trailed off, lost in the echoing void.

A sharp rap on the door, a sudden disruption.

He took respective steps back. He shouldn't be seen that close to me. I was his father's wife.

"My Prince!" A voice sliced through the tender moment. It was Roric, his beta, a loyal shadow. "The Alpha King commands you, Alpha Prince. Prepare Miss Elara for the wedding, and for your wedding too."

Jonathan’s body stiffened, a coiled spring. His eyes locked onto Roric. "Get lost!" The words were a ferocious roar, a beast unleashed. Roric flinched and retreated, the door closing with a soft click.

The tears on my cheeks became cold and suddenly dried off. My wedding? I understood. It was a fate I was familiar with. Something I wanted to avoid. But his wedding? What was happening? A thousand questions clawed at my throat, suffocating me.

"What's happening, Jonathan?" My voice tore through the silence.

He turned to me, his gaze pleading. His hands gripped my shoulders. "Listen, Elara, nothing is changing. You're still my mate and there's no competition." His words were a soothing balm, yet they carried a dangerous undertone. "But… for power, for the surface, I have to get married to Princess Asante…"

I took a step backward. Forcing his hands off my cheek. I turned from him, the ground beneath my feet crumbling. My mind, a whirlwind of chaos, spun with a dizzying speed. A thousand thoughts crashed and merged, each one a desperate attempt to grasp meaning.

Everything was happening with a terrifying speed and a relentless current dragging me deeper, drowning me in a sea of despair.

He had been my shield. He promised to be more. Now he'd be another's. The realization pressed down on me. I was a pawn, a sacrifice on the altar of political power. My love, my future, dissolved into thin air.

He held my shoulder. "I will find a way, Elara, I promise." His voice was a solemn vow, yet it sounded hollow, a promise whispered into the wind.

He leaned in, his lips brushed my cheek, a feather-light touch that felt like a goodbye. Then, he was gone. The door clicked shut, leaving me alone in the sudden, echoing silence.

"Death is here," I whispered, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. My life, like a fragile glass, had just shattered into a million pieces.