chapter 31

The library fell silent.

Elsie stood frozen, unable to process what she had just heard.

Her mother...

Injured?

The woman who had sat beside her bed day and night after the mate bond ceremony...

The woman who had cried as she watched her daughter leave for Nightcrest...

Might not survive.

"I have to leave."

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"I have to go home."

Without hesitation, Rowan nodded.

"We leave immediately."

The messenger looked relieved.

"My Alpha, the Beta specifically requested only the Luna return. He feared bringing an army would create panic among the pack members."

Rowan's silver eyes turned icy.

"My wife does not travel alone."

The messenger immediately lowered his head.

"I... I understand."

Frank stepped forward.

"I'll prepare twenty of our best warriors."

"No."

Rowan shook his head.

"Thirty."

"If this is a trap, twenty won't be enough."

Frank nodded before disappearing from the library.

An hour later...

The gates of Nightcrest slowly opened.

The morning mist still clung to the mountains as Rowan mounted his black stallion.

Elsie climbed onto her horse beside him.

She hadn't changed out of the clothes she had worn to the Moon Shrine.

Her face was pale.

Her thoughts were elsewhere.

Rowan noticed.

He gently placed his hand over hers.

"We'll get there."

She looked at him.

"What if we're too late?"

"We won't be."

"But what if—"

"We won't."

His calm certainty somehow eased the fear tightening around her heart.

She gave him a small nod.

"Thank you."

Without another word, the procession rode out of Nightcrest.

The journey to Bloom Pack took nearly two days.

Unlike the peaceful trip that had brought Elsie to Nightcrest after their wedding, this one was filled with tension.

Every rustle in the trees made the warriors reach for their weapons.

Every unfamiliar scent caused Frank to order another halt.

The Crimson Fang had vanished.

But no one believed they had gone far.

On the evening of the second day, they stopped beside a river.

The warriors busied themselves setting up camp.

Elsie sat alone near the water, watching the current flow quietly over smooth stones.

She remembered this place.

Not exactly.

But it reminded her of the riverside where she had first met Rowan.

The night she thought she had found a stranger bathing in the woods.

A small smile appeared on her lips.

"What are you smiling about?"

Rowan sat beside her.

"The first time we met."

"You mean the first time you stared at me while I was naked?"

Elsie's eyes widened.

"I was not staring."

"You were."

"I was shocked."

"You looked for quite a while."

She covered her face.

"I wish you would forget that."

"I don't think I ever will."

Despite everything happening around them...

Elsie laughed.

A genuine laugh.

Rowan smiled quietly.

"I like that sound."

"What?"

"Your laugh."

She looked away shyly.

"I thought we were supposed to be serious."

"We are."

He skipped a small stone across the river.

"But that doesn't mean we stop living."

His words lingered in her heart.

After a long silence, Elsie spoke.

"Do you think my mother will be alright?"

Rowan didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he reached over and gently intertwined his fingers with hers.

"I don't know."

"I won't lie to you."

"But whatever happens..."

He squeezed her hand gently.

"...you won't face it alone."

Elsie looked at their joined hands before resting her head lightly against his shoulder.

Neither of them noticed Frank smiling from a distance.

Their relationship had changed.

It was no longer a political marriage.

It had become something real.

The following afternoon...

The familiar walls of Bloom Pack appeared on the horizon.

Elsie's chest tightened.

Everything looked exactly as she remembered.

The watchtowers.

The training grounds.

The great oak standing in the center of the village.

Only...

The usual laughter was missing.

Smoke drifted through parts of the village.

Several homes had been damaged.

Warriors patrolled every street.

Fear hung heavily over the pack.

As Rowan's party entered through the gates, people immediately began whispering.

"Luna Elsie..."

"She's back..."

"That's Alpha Rowan..."

Many lowered their heads respectfully.

Others looked ashamed.

They remembered how they had once mocked the girl who couldn't shift.

Now she returned as the Luna of the strongest pack on the continent.

The palace doors opened before they even reached them.

Beta Thomas came rushing down the steps.

He looked exhausted.

Dark circles framed his eyes.

"My Luna."

He bowed deeply.

"Thank the Moon Goddess you've come."

Elsie hurried toward him.

"My mother?"

Thomas hesitated.

"She's alive."

Relief flooded through Elsie.

"But..."

Her heart sank again.

"...she hasn't woken up."

Without another word, Elsie ran into the palace.

She raced through the familiar corridors she had once called home.

Servants stepped aside as she passed.

Finally...

She reached her mother's chamber.

The room smelled strongly of medicinal herbs.

Her father sat beside the bed, looking years older than when she'd left.

His hands tightly held Amelia's limp fingers.

When he heard footsteps, he looked up.

His eyes immediately filled with tears.

"Elsie..."

She slowly approached the bed.

Her mother looked so pale.

A thick bandage was wrapped around her shoulder and chest.

Her breathing was weak.

Almost painful to hear.

Elsie gently took her mother's free hand.

It felt cold.

"So cold..."

A tear slid down her cheek.

"I'm here, Mother."

"You told me..."

"...that no matter how far I went..."

"...this would always be my home."

Her voice broke.

"So please..."

"...don't leave before I get the chance to tell you..."

"...that despite everything..."

"...I never stopped loving you."

Behind her...

Rowan stood quietly in the doorway.

But something else caught his attention.

Near the far window...

A servant slipped silently out of the room the moment Elsie arrived.

Rowan frowned.

He hadn't seen that servant before.

And when the man looked back briefly...

Rowan caught sight of a small crimson tattoo behind his ear.

His eyes narrowed.

Crimson Fang.

They were already inside Bloom Pack Palace.