Chapter 54: Beneath the Surface

The wind whispered secrets as it stirred the high branches of the trees surrounding the pack house. Moonlight spilled over the veranda where Serena stood, arms wrapped around herself, her thoughts a tangled thread of confusion and longing.

Inside, the warmth of the pack gathering pulsed with life. Laughter, music, clinking glasses—but it all felt like noise to her. A distraction she couldn't afford.

“Are you going to keep hiding from me, little wolf?”

His voice came low and deep from behind her, wrapping around her spine like fire. Serena turned slowly, already knowing it was Elias. His presence had become a constant pull—magnetic and maddening.

“I’m not hiding,” she said softly.

“No?” He took a step forward, his dark eyes scanning her face. “Then why do you run every time I get close?”

Serena met his gaze, refusing to shrink. “Because you still make it hard to breathe.”

For a second, something flickered in Elias’s eyes—something raw and human. “And is that a bad thing?”

She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Her silence said more than words could, and he stepped closer until there was barely a breath of space between them.

His hand lifted, hesitated, then brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek. “You’ve changed,” he murmured. “But you’re still mine.”

Her chest squeezed. “I was never yours to keep, Elias. Not when you couldn’t choose me.”

“I did choose you,” he growled. “Again and again. Even when it broke me.”

They were so close now she could feel the tension trembling between their bodies—old memories, stolen kisses, the bitter ache of betrayal. She hated that she still wanted him. Hated how her body remembered him even when her mind screamed to forget.

Just then, the door creaked, and Theron stepped out.

His silver eyes flicked between them. “Am I interrupting something?”

Serena jerked back like she'd been caught doing something wrong. “No,” she said too quickly.

Elias’s jaw ticked, but he stepped aside, letting her put distance between them. Theron’s expression was unreadable as he walked toward her, but his voice held a cool gentleness when he spoke.

“Alpha Doran wants a word. About the border patrol situation.”

Serena nodded, grateful for the excuse. “Tell him I’ll be there shortly.”

Theron hesitated, then looked at Elias again. “Don’t keep her too long.”

As he turned and left, the tension between Serena and Elias remained, now charged with something else—unspoken rivalry, unresolved feelings, and a bond that refused to be severed.

“I should go,” she murmured.

Elias grabbed her wrist gently. “Wait.”

She froze, her pulse thundering. He stepped in once more, voice husky. “Whatever happens next, just remember this—you’re not the only one bleeding from what we lost.”

Their eyes locked, and in that moment, the weight of everything between them settled like fog. She pulled away before she could fall into him again.

Inside the pack house, Serena found Alpha Doran and the others in the war room. Maps were spread across the table, marked with border activity, enemy movement, and red-inked warnings.

“The northern line has been breached again,” Doran said. “Smells like rogues—but smarter. Organized.”

“Could it be connected to the attacks we faced last winter?” Serena asked, scanning the map.

“Possibly. But there’s more.” He motioned toward a sealed folder. “Intelligence suggests someone from inside the allied packs is feeding them information.”

A traitor.

Her spine stiffened. She didn’t have to say it. The air turned heavy around the table.

“We’ll double the patrols,” Doran continued. “And I want you”—he looked at Serena—“to lead the southern scouting mission.”

She nodded. “I’ll leave at dawn.”

As the meeting ended, Theron waited for her outside, his posture rigid.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Serena nodded, but the look in his eyes told her he didn’t believe her. He touched her shoulder lightly. “You don’t have to carry it all alone, you know.”

Her throat tightened. “I’m not. Not anymore.”

He gave a slight smile. “Good. Because no matter what you think, you’re not just a warrior or an heir—you’re still allowed to feel. To love.”

His words struck something deep in her. She blinked away the sting behind her eyes and turned toward her room.

That night, sleep refused to come. Serena lay awake, staring at the ceiling, memories chasing each other in her mind—Elias’s touch, Theron’s steady gaze, the whispers of a war brewing beyond the walls.

She didn’t know who she was more afraid of losing—herself, or the hearts tangled around hers.