Chapter Fifteen

Elowyn sat hunched on the closed lid, the tin balm in one hand, the folded parchment in the other.

Her fingers were shaky from both the sting in her ribs and the storm in her head.

The moment the door had locked behind her, the weight she’d been holding since the dining hall shattered.

She couldn’t cry yet.

But she could write.

She pulled out the tiny enchanted notepad Mia had given her — and her thin ink pen.

She didn’t think. She just wrote.

Dear Mia,

I don’t even know where to start.

You asked me to tell you how things were going, and I keep thinking better — only for something to slap me across the face again.

Literally happened today.

Yesterday, I got beat so badly in the assessment bout that Baron Ortega (yes, that terrifying Alpha roommate I told you about) actually carried me off the field like I was some broken twig. He didn’t even look at me. Just dumped me by a column and walked away.

I thought that was the worst part.

Then this morning, Azpen — the smug jerk who lives in the dormitory — gave me a balm.

Mia, it worked. Like, actually worked. My ribs felt… like I could breathe again.

But then everything went downhill again at lunch.

I got bullied for sharing food. Then some senior — Alpha Speare — tried to humiliate me in front of everyone. Baron didn’t stop him.

He told him to “just teach me a lesson.”

There was a full-blown fight in the hall. A boy from Baron’s pack broke his leg. I didn’t do anything, Mia. I just stood there. And afterward, everyone acted like it was normal. Like the broken plates and blood on the floor were just part of the meal plan.

And the worst part?

The boys who I shared my food with said nothing. Just kept eating.

I feel like I don’t exist. Not really.

I don’t even know if I’m making progress or just surviving in slow motion.

But still... the balm helped. Isn’t that stupid?

I don’t even know how to say thank you.

I miss you.

Your Dear Friend

E.

★★★

★★★

Mia whispered the incantation under her breath. The parchment shimmered — then disappeared with a soft pop.

She leaned her head back.

Then—

Pop.

Another paper reformed gently in her lap.

She laughed.

Elowyn's reply was written in that same rushed, curly script she always used when excited or worried.

★★★

★★★

Elowyn was happy to see Mia's letter instantly appear in the fist of her hand. She laughed and opened it to read.

Elowyn,

WHAT?? Azpen gave you a balm?? Not fair. I was literally brewing one this morning with sage root and dried mint and a bit of cedar ash and thinking "ooh, Elowyn’s going to love this"— only for some broody Alpha to beat me to it.

And you say it worked?

Oh.

I’m jealous. But okay, also proud.

Are you okay mentally though?

No, don’t brush past it.

I know how you get.

The first week is brutal. But I need to know if you’re really okay. You always try to power through with silence, but I can feel it, you know. So just tell me, even if it sucks.

Also — the way you described Baron and Azpen? That sounds like tension with a capital T. (I’m not shipping yet, but… girl. I am watching.)

And you will fit in.

I swear it.

The fact that you’re already trying to understand scents? That’s HUGE. That’s something even I couldn’t do properly as an Omega. Our scent instincts were always... fuzzy. I could feel emotions but never decode them the way you describe it.

It’s like you’re tuning into something your blood has known all along.

I’m proud of you.

Balm or no balm.

Your Loyal Friend

M.

Elowyn reread it.

Then reread it again.

And this time, she cried.

Quietly. Shoulders barely shaking. But it came.

Because someone saw her.

Someone believed her.

And for tonight… that was enough.

She tried to keep it down but the emotions that filled her were too much to run from.

Mia's letter appeared.

"My Elowyn,

About the fight.

Elowyn... you didn’t start it. The wolves did.

All you did was exist. That’s their problem. Not yours.

That pain in your chest? It’s not just bruises. It’s loneliness. And you’re carrying it alone because you have to — because one mistake, and they’ll see you.

But someone did see you.

Riven.

That note? That’s proof you’re not invisible.

That’s terrifying, yes.

But it’s also hope.

Hope that someone might someday see you and not want to break you for it.

As for your mental health.... you're still writing me letters. That’s all the proof I need that your mind is fighting to stay whole.

You are a strong woman.

You’re learning scent. That’s incredible. You were an Omega once — your scent was your weakness. Now it’s your weapon. Own it.

Own yourself.

Even if all you can own today is your breath and a bar of stolen bread and ink.

I love you.

Always.

Your wild Mia.

(Maker of superior balms. Don’t forget it.)

Elowyn buried her face in her hands and let the streams strain all over.

Soon, she was able to force herself back to her feet and become the prince that she said she was.