Chapter Seven: Back to his cruelty

(Elara's POV)

I felt a strong pull towards this man, a connection that defied logic and reason. It was intoxicating, dangerous, and utterly wrong.

"I should go," I said abruptly, dragging my feet backwards. "I have to get back home."

Kaelen's expression hardened slightly. "Home? Oh, I'm sorry, I thought the moon goddess gave you to me."

“I know you see it even though you pretend not to, I'm pregnant.”

“Yeah,” he mumbled, looking down at my obvious baby bump. “So, where's your home, I would take you there.”

"I… it's not far," I mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

He reached out, gently tilting my chin up so I was forced to meet his eyes. "You ran away, didn't you?" he said softly, his voice laced with a surprising understanding. "Something happened, and you ran. I could tell with your tone, you don't sound like you want to go back home."

I swallowed hard, the truth undeniable in his perceptive gaze. "Yes."

"Tell me," he urged, his voice a low murmur.

"It doesn't matter," I replied, pushing past him. "What matters is that I need to leave. I have responsibilities. I…" I trailed off, searching for the right words. "I'm mated," I finally blurted out, the word a bitter taste on my tongue.

A flicker of something unreadable crossed Kaelen's face, a fleeting shadow of pain that quickly vanished. "Mated," he repeated softly, as if testing the word on his tongue. He glanced at my stomach, his eyes lingering for a moment longer than necessary. "And?"

“And I have unborn babies to care for,” I whispered, my eyes brimming with tears. “I cannot afford to be here. I don’t belong here. I belong with…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. I didn’t belong with him, but I couldn’t bring myself to name my mate.

"I understand," Kaelen said, his voice now carefully neutral. But I could see the barely-there flicker of pain in his eyes. He was lying. He didn't understand. He didn't understand the suffocating weight of my obligations, the crushing reality of my life.

"I'll help you find your way back," he said finally, his voice firm. "It's the least I can do."

__

The drive back was strangely pleasant. Kaelen didn't push me to talk, but he kept me company with light conversation, his warmth and humor easing the tension in my shoulders. We drove along winding roads, his knowledge of the area making the search for familiar landmarks easier.

Finally, after what felt like forever, I recognized a familiar bend in the road. My heart clenched. "There," I said, pointing to my pack’s house. "That's it."

Kaelen pulled the car to a stop in front of the house. The air suddenly felt thick with unspoken words, with the unfulfilled promise of what could have been.

"Thank you," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

He reached across the console, his fingers brushing against mine. "Take care of yourself, Elara. And be happy."

I managed a shaky smile, then opened the car door and stepped out. As I walked towards the house, I could feel Kaelen's gaze boring into my back. I didn't look back, knowing that if I did, I might never leave.

The front door swung open before I even reached it. Alpha Damon stood there, his face a thundercloud.

"Where have you been?" he snarled, his voice laced with fury. "Do you have any idea of the trouble you’ve caused? Searching for you all night…." He roughly grabbed my arm, pulling me into the house. "I was worried sick!”

I knew he wasn’t worried sick. He was angry. Angry that my disappearance had disrupted his life, angered that I was back, and angrier that I had caused him to have to search the whole night for me. I braced myself for the storm to come, the fragile hope I had briefly allowed myself to feel, shattering into a million pieces.The sanctuary I had found with Kaelen felt like a distant dream. The abusive reality of my alpha husband was here to hit me.

“I am talking to you! Don't you dare ignore me!” He barked, forcing me to acknowledge his presence.

His grip on my arm tightened, digging into the tender flesh.

I finally met his gaze, my voice a trembling whisper. “Let go of me, Damon.”

His eyes narrowed, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before hardening into a familiar coldness. “You have some nerve, running off like that. You are my omega, bound to obedience. I could punish you for this, Elara. Believe me, I want to.”

My stomach churned. The threat hung heavy in the air, thick with unspoken cruelty. "I needed some air," I managed to choke out, "I wasn't feeling well."

He scoffed. "Pregnant omegas are always 'not feeling well'. It's not an excuse for disobedience." He released my arm, but the victory felt hollow. “Now, tell me, what nonsense possessed you to run without a word? Make it good, omega. Because lying to me will only make things worse.”

I took a shaky breath, trying to compose myself, to shield the babies from the wave of his anger that threatened to engulf me. "I…I just needed to clear my head." It was pathetic, weak, but all I could manage. I can't tell him I wandered off because I hate that I saw him in bed with that blonde and met a better alpha than him but had to come back to his cruelty because of our unborn babies.

His lip curled in disdain "So, you are going to lie?" He took a step closer, towering over me, his shadow a suffocating weight. "You really think I'm stupid enough to believe that? You just ran off because things were not going your way? After I put a roof over your head and provided for you to care for our pups?"

I always knew I was on my own but getting reminded of that by his actions still hurts everytime.