chapter 6

POV: Elara

"Close the door."

Aris didn’t look up when he said it.

The moment I stepped into the Healer’s Hall again, something felt… off.

Different from before.

The fire burned lower. The air was thicker. And Aris—usually calm, distant—was tense.

Watching.

Me.

I shut the door slowly behind me, my brows pulling together. "You sent for me."

"I did."

He finally turned.

And the look in his eyes made my stomach tighten.

Not irritation.

Not indifference.

Recognition.

"Sit."

"I’d rather stand."

His jaw ticked. "This isn’t a request, Elara."

I held his gaze for a moment… then walked over and sat anyway, crossing my arms.

"Make it quick. I’m not in the mood for riddles today."

He studied me longer than necessary.

Like he was trying to peel me apart layer by layer.

Then—

He moved.

Fast.

His hand shot out, gripping my wrist before I could react.

"Hey—!"

"Be still."

His voice was sharp, commanding in a way I hadn’t heard before.

I froze.

Not because I wanted to.

Because something in his tone… demanded it.

His fingers pressed against my pulse, his eyes slowly closing.

The room fell silent.

Seconds passed.

Then his grip tightened.

And his eyes snapped open.

Gold flickered in them.

Not like Silas’s.

Not dominance.

Awareness.

"What are you?" he muttered.

I yanked my hand back instantly. "Excuse me?"

But he wasn’t looking at me anymore.

He was pacing now.

Back and forth.

Muttering under his breath.

"No… that’s not possible… it’s been decades…"

"Aris."

Nothing.

"Aris."

Still nothing.

"ARIS."

"What did you do?" he suddenly snapped, turning on me.

I blinked. "What did I—? I woke up from a coma, that’s what I did. If you have a point, make it."

His eyes narrowed.

Then slowly… he stepped closer again.

This time, more cautious.

More calculated.

"Your wolf," he said quietly. "Call it."

I let out a dry laugh. "I don’t even remember how to breathe some mornings properly, and you want me to summon a wolf I can barely feel?"

"Try."

Something in his tone told me this wasn’t optional.

I exhaled slowly, closing my eyes.

Reached inward.

Into that fog.

Into that emptiness that had been haunting me since I woke up.

At first—

Nothing.

Then…

A flicker.

Soft.

Distant.

But there.

My chest tightened.

And then it surged.

Heat.

Power.

Something ancient and wild was rising beneath my skin like it had been waiting.

My eyes snapped open.

The room felt… smaller.

Aris stepped back instantly.

And for the first time—

The Healer looked shaken.

"That’s impossible," he whispered.

I frowned. "What is?"

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he moved closer again—but slower this time, like approaching something dangerous.

Then he inhaled.

Deep.

Once.

Twice.

And then his entire body went rigid.

"No…" he breathed.

My patience snapped. "Will you stop talking in half-sentences and actually say something useful?"

His gaze locked onto mine.

Sharp. Intense.

"You’re pregnant."

The words landed differently this time.

Heavier.

Real.

My fingers instinctively moved to my stomach.

"I know."

His expression didn’t soften.

If anything—

It darkened.

"You don’t understand," he said. "This isn’t just a pregnancy."

A chill slid down my spine.

"Then explain it."

He hesitated.

And that was when I knew—

Whatever he was about to say…

It mattered.

A lot.

"I’ve treated wolves for over forty years," Aris said slowly. "I know every scent. Every bloodline. Every variation of power that runs through this region."

He stepped closer.

Too close.

"And yours…" his voice dropped, "doesn’t belong here."

My heart skipped.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," he said carefully, "your scent carries something I haven’t encountered in decades."

My throat went dry.

"Say it."

He held my gaze.

Then finally—

"The Moonstone Royals."

Silence.

Deafening.

The words echoed in my head like a distant memory trying to claw its way back.

Moonstone.

Royal.

Power.

"I don’t even know what that is," I said, but my voice lacked conviction.

Aris watched me closely.

"That’s exactly the problem."

My pulse started to race.

"You think I’m lying?"

"No," he said immediately. "I think you’ve forgotten."

That hit harder than anything else.

Forgotten.

Not unknown.

Forgotten.

"You carry royal blood," he continued. "Ancient blood. The kind that doesn’t just produce wolves… it produces rulers."

My stomach twisted.

My hand pressed tighter against it.

Against the life inside me.

"Our child…" I whispered before I could stop myself.

Aris’s gaze dropped briefly to my stomach.

And when he looked back up—

There was something close to concern in his eyes.

"That pup," he said quietly, "is not just an heir to the Silverfang Pack."

My breath caught.

"It’s something far more dangerous."

The room felt colder.

Smaller.

Like the walls were closing in.

"Then I should leave," I said immediately, standing up. "That just confirms it."

"Yes."

I froze.

Because there was no hesitation in his answer.

No argument.

No delay.

Just—

Yes.

"You need to leave," Aris said firmly. "As soon as possible."

My chest tightened. "They’ll hunt me."

"They will," he agreed.

"Silas already locked down the borders."

"I know."

I let out a sharp breath, running a hand through my hair. "So what exactly are you suggesting? I walk out and hope the forest adopts me."

Aris stepped closer.

Lowering his voice.

"You don’t run blindly."

His eyes held mine.

"You disappear."

Something about the way he said it…

Made my skin prickle.

"I can help you," he added.

Suspicion flared instantly. "Why?"

A pause.

Then—

"Because I’ve seen what this pack does to things it doesn’t understand."

My jaw tightened.

"And my child?"

His expression hardened.

"You keep that pup away from them at all costs."

The warning in his voice wasn’t subtle.

It was absolute.

"Silverfang is not a place for something like that to grow," he continued. "Not with the politics. Not with Genevieve. Not with an Alpha who confuses control for protection."

Silas.

My chest stirred at the thought of him.

Confusion.

Anger.

Something else I refused to name.

"He won’t let me go," I said.

Aris didn’t respond immediately.

Instead—

He reached into his robe and pulled out a small vial filled with dark liquid.

He held it out to me.

"What is that?"

"Your way out."

I stared at it.

Then at him.

"You’re asking me to trust you."

"I’m telling you," he corrected, "this is the only chance you and your pup have."

Silence stretched between us.

Heavy.

Risky.

Decisive.

Slowly—

I reached out.

And took the vial.

The glass felt cold against my skin.

Final.

"What does it do?" I asked quietly.

Aris’s gaze didn’t waver.

"It will erase your scent."

My heart skipped.

"For a while," he added. "Long enough to get past the borders."

Hope.

Sharp. Dangerous.

"But once you take it…" His voice dropped, "There’s no turning back."

I closed my fingers around the vial.

My decision forming.

Solid.

Unshakable.

"Good," I said.

Because I had already made up my mind.

I wasn’t staying.

I wasn’t begging.

And I definitely wasn’t raising my child in a cage.

I looked up at him.

"When do I leave?"

Aris held my gaze for a long second.

Then said—

"Tonight."

My pulse spiked.

Fast.

Everything was moving too quickly.

But still—

Not fast enough.

Because as I turned to leave—

Aris spoke again.

One last time.

Low.

Grave.

"There’s something else you should know."

I paused.

Didn’t turn.

"What?"

A beat of silence.

Then—

"Silas isn’t rejecting you because you’re weak."

My brows pulled slightly.

"Then why?"

Aris’s answer came like a blade.

"He can’t read you."

My heart skipped.

"And an Alpha," Aris continued, "will always fear what he cannot control."

A slow realization crept in.

Dark.

Dangerous.

Behind me, Aris’s voice dropped even lower.

"Which means, Elara…"

My fingers tightened around the vial.

“You were never the weak one in this bond.”

Silence settled between us.

Heavy.

Shifting.

And for the first time since I woke up

I smiled.

Not soft.

Not unsure.

But sharp.

Because everything was finally starting to make sense.

Silas wasn’t rejecting me because I was nothing.

He was rejecting me because I was something he couldn’t control.

Good.

That meant I had leverage.

Real leverage.

I slipped the vial into my cloak, my mind already racing ahead.

Escape… yes.

But not like a coward.

Not like prey.

If I were leaving

I was going to burn the bridge properly.

I turned toward the door.

“And Aris?” I said without looking back.

He hummed in response.

“I’ll take the vial.”

A pause.

Then

“But I’m not running first.”

That got his attention.

“What are you planning?” he asked, voice sharp.

My hand rested on the door handle.

A slow smile curved my lips.

“Ending this properly.”

I pulled the door open.

“But unknown to me”

A faint shift in the shadows outside caught my attention for half a second.

Too quick.

Too subtle.

Gone.

I stepped out anyway.

Unaware.

Those golden eyes had not only seen the vial

but had heard every single word.