MasukELARA’S P.O.V.The throne room was bigger than I had remembered. Each time I came in here, I was in awe of the marble floors, the golden thrones, and the detailed mural covering the ceiling.But now, it was packed full with more bodies than I ever imagined could fit in here. There had to be over a thousand people present.Sunlight poured through the tall, stained-glass windows, illuminating the banners of every pack that had gathered for the ceremony. It had taken months to rebuild the kingdom. Months of meetings, negotiations, and rebuilding the alliances the previous king had shattered with his corruption and greed.But today… today was different.Today, the realm finally had a ruler again, one they… one I was proud to call our king.My fingers tightened slightly around Lucien’s hand as we stood at the far end of the long aisle. The crowd rose to their feet, turning to face us as we stood in the doorway. “You’re nervous,” he murmured.I glanced up at him, forcing a smile. I had do
ELARA’S P.O.V.By the time the last of the guests left, and the pack had either passed out or turned in for the night, it was early morning, and the house was quiet.The tables, floors, and chairs had empty mugs, half-eaten plates, spilled drinks, and from the sharp smell that had irritated my nose when we were leaving the great hall for the night, there was at least one pile of vomit somewhere. Even if we all pitched in to help clean up, which we would, it would take hours to get the house back to normal.I leaned against the balcony railing outside our room, breathing in the cool night air. The moon hung high above the forest, illuminating the courtyard below, and I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of a couple leaning against one another as they stumbled home, giggling.It was peaceful and calm, yet behind me, Lucien was pacing.He had forced a smile through the rest of the celebration. He laughed when he was supposed to. He accepted congratulations and clapped warriors on the
ELARA’S P.O.V.The celebration only grew larger from there. A few women pouted that their chances of catching the Alpha were gone once again, but even they quickly rallied and began to enjoy themselves. The room was quickly filled with drinks and laughter once more as we intermingled with our pack. Even I had a drink, wanting to enjoy myself, but that quickly stopped when I spotted a dark figure moving through the crowd.As soon as I turned to get a better look, they were gone.For a moment, I thought it was my imagination, but then I noticed the way that area of the room was quieter and a few heads were turning, as if they were looking for the figure, too. The rest of the room had been oblivious to it.The music was echoing through the hall, warriors were chugging their mugs and slamming them down on the table as cheers erupted around them, and some people had even started dancing. For the first time since I had arrived, the pack house felt alive. Lucien’s hand rested on the sma
ELARA’S P.O.V.Lucien’s head fell back, and he laughed. It wasn’t a light chuckle. It was a deep belly laugh that made his cheeks go adorably pink. I blinked up at him, stunned with my jaw dropped. He was laughing? My heart was shattered… and he was laughing.“You think this is a reward?” he asked between breaths, running a hand down his face. “You think losing our bond was some kind of gift?”My throat tightened, and I wanted to speak, but I didn’t know if I could without crying.“Elara,” he cut in, stepping closer, cupping my cheeks. “When we stepped out of the Source, and I couldn’t feel you, I felt like I was dying. I was ready to summon the Gods and demand answers from them right then and there, but I needed to get you to the pack doctors.”The words hit something deep inside me, making my voice shake as I spoke again.“But you didn’t want a mate…” I whispered, but paused when I saw the shadows around him stir slightly, as if reminding me that they were still here.“I didn’t w
ELARA’S P.O.V.The great hall was louder than I had ever heard it.Laughter bounced off stone walls, glasses clinked together, and the long tables were overflowing with food and drinks as the pack celebrated.My parents sat near the center among the warriors, right next to Thorne. Sarah was wedged between them, her face still blotchy from crying. She hadn’t stopped touching them, holding their hands, gripping their sleeves, as if afraid they would vanish if she let go.I was too, but I had been guided to the head table… a place I no longer belonged. I glanced across the room where Lucien stood with a glass in his hand, smiling and laughing with Braden as if he didn’t have a care in the world, until his eyes met mine. Then I would see the flicker of something unsettling. Without our bond to tell me what he was feeling, I didn’t stand a chance of knowing what he was thinking. He could have been thrilled by our new situation, and I had no way to know until I could get him alone tonigh
ELARA’S P.O.V.Walking through the pack house felt different. It wasn’t because my parents had returned from the dead or the newfound lightness in my chest. The air felt cleaner, the shadows softer, and the lights brighter.It felt as if life had returned to the house.My parents walked on either side of me, their shoulders brushing mine occasionally as if they, too, were afraid this might dissolve into a dream.Lucien walked ahead of us, silent and powerful, but even his shoulders weren’t as tense as they used to be. At the bottom of the stairs, I paused as the front doors were thrown open and a familiar and very tired-looking old man rushed in. His silver hair was disheveled from his patrol shifts, but his eyes were bright with excitement, widening the moment they landed on my parents. “Tom,” Thorne breathed, rushing forward to hug my father. My father smiled, clasping his hand on the man’s back. “Thorne.”“You stubborn bastard,” Thorne muttered thickly. “You always said I was







