Damien’s POV~Last night hadn’t cooled me. The run didn't, the blood on my fists didn't either and neither did the silence I’d left in Elara’s room.I rose before dawn, feeling too restless to sit still, and made my way to the training yard in the corner. The evening air was cold with fog covering the land.I squeezed the training sword harder than I needed to. The cuts burned as I flexed my knuckles; my injury from having punched the wall was very much still fresh. I welcomed the pain. It made me aware of the fact that I was not dead.I smacked, hard, into the wooden post in the middle of the yard. Once, to and then over and over again. Splinters popped out, but still it wasn’t enough. My thoughts kept replaying in my head, tearing me to pieces.“Don’t say you’re sorry if you actually aren’t.”I clenched my teeth, slashing once more. “Damn it!”The sword clanged against the wood, rattling my arms and making my shoulders throb. I prayed silently that the exhaustion I would feel would
Elara’s POV~I was standing in a field I knew, the grass was flowing, and the moon was shining down. Somewhere from where I stood, I could hear a child crying. The cry tore through the silent air, sounding so high and desperate, pulling me in.My heart clenched as I turned and searched. And then I saw her.On the ground was laid a baby, swaddled in white cloth. Her tiny fists extended toward me, while her mouth kept on releasing sobs that shook my bones.“Wait—” I lurched forward, stretching my hands. “I’m here. I’m right here.”But when I went to grab her, the earth under her rumbled. The soil collapsed, dragging her down inch by inch. Her screams filled the world as the earth swallowed her up, her small face kept on disappearing under the ground as I struggled to dig the dirt.“No!” I screamed with my fingers digging the dirt. “Don’t take her, please, not her! Give her back to me!”But then a woman with a large hat appeared. At first, I stared at her, but then I ignored her as I con
Damien’s POV~The night was very still, cold, and seemed good to have a peaceful night's rest, but I was too restless to sleep.It had been late after everyone had gone to bed by the time I went out for a run, turning into my wolf and allowing the forest to consume me. The biting cold that sliced through my lungs and the solid earth beneath my paws weren't enough to still my thoughts. The sound of her voice continued to chase me, no matter how far I ran. And the sadness in her eyes haunted me.By the time I walked back, my body was drenched in sweat and my chest was aching as if I’d been running for years rather than hours. I walked through the halls with my instincts screaming at me to turn around and go back to my room. To shut the door and to keep to myself.But I stalled as I reached the staircase. My wolf moved, pounding against the inside of my chest. Go to her.I let out a startled breath, scrubbing a hand down my face. “Not now.”She needs us. You felt it. Her sister is break
Lyra’s POV~I hated her face.I hated the way she stood at that grave, the way her shoulders shook, the way her lips trembled, and the way she acted as though she was the only one who’d ever lost a loved one. Elara absorbed sympathy the way people breathed. Healers stooped to whisper some silly words of comfort to her. Mother’s arms wrapped around her. Even Damien, whose mouth remained shut, stood motionless for her. His eyes… those sexy eyes had been for her.Always her.I stood there, silently fighting the urge to kill her. For even in her darkest hour, even when she was meant to be crushed, she still was loved. She still managed to bend the world towards her. And I was stuck with the leftovers, fighting for scraps of the man that should have been mine.I was steaming by the time I managed to get back to my room. I slammed the door with a force that shook the mirror in my room. I walked towards it, taking in deep breaths as I pictured an image of Elara’s shattered face on loop until
Elara’s POV~When I closed my eyes to sleep that night, it wasn’t the tomb under the Sacred Tree that I immediately thought of. It was Damien.I thought of the way he would have hugged me from behind, silently, with his eyes swollen while saying words he’d never say to me in person. I thought of how it would seem if I could or were to beg him, although not in so many words. But beg him to stay, and not to leave me in that silence. And in those thoughts, I added how he failed me again.It was strange, really. This was the first time since the goddess had cursed or blessed me with life again that I had walked away from him.I tossed that belief around and around in my mind, as though it might shield me. If I couldn’t have his loyalty, I could at least have my pick. I had walked away. But my pride didn’t last long, as I got up and I re-entered the corridors of the house, heading straight to my father's room, where he lay motionless.I opened the door gently, I feared that not be awake
Damien’s POV~The sound of fists and knives being slapped could be heard in the training ground. This went on while wolves thrusted and grunted with one another in sparring matches. I wasn’t really a fan of getting all sweaty, but today was different. I just wanted to get lost in it anyway. I ducked from one of the warriors as our swords met, and produced low sparks. But then, I lost my hold on my blade as my mind kept replaying the sound of her voice. I could hear Elara’s voice, repeatedly saying those same words that had broken me some hours earlier.The warrior slammed me backwards, and my shoulder hit the floor heavily. I tumbled, breathing hard, but before I could move, he already had his blade at my throat. “Yield,” he panted.I frowned at him, although the truth was evident. My head wasn’t here. “Stop,” he repeated, more loudly this time.I muttered some curses under my breath as I slapped the sword away, although I knew I was defeated. My inner wolf snarled in my chest, pacing