The Alpha's Door

The healers rolled Elaris away from Caedmon's ward, and she did not look back. There was nothing left for her there—nothing to warm or to comfort, only the man who turned his face away from her in her hour of need.

"Elaris," one of the healers that walked with her whispered. "What do you want me to do with you?"

"Home," Elaris murmured, then bit off the word. "To the house. I have to collect my things."

"Are you sure you're strong enough to—" he started to protest.

"I need to do this."

They did not try to convince her otherwise and found a carriage to take her home.

The house looked unchanged. But Elaris stood on its threshold for some time before forcing herself into it, her feet shaking beneath her.

Everything in it looked exactly as it had when she had left that morning, before her life crumbled to pieces.

She went through the rooms methodically, taking whatever was hers. Dresses. Her mother's hairpins. The collection of letters she had saved for years.

"Where to?" The carriage driver asked when she finished.

Elaris blinked up at the sky , thinking about all the places she might go and the people who would welcome her in without making inquiries or demanding explanations she couldn't give.

Only one name stayed with her.

"Averic," she whispered. "Averic Thorne."

By the time they reached the gates of the Alpha's place, Elaris could hardly stand straight.

She paused in front of them for a moment. Some prideful part of her did not want Averic to see her so weak and defeated, thrown out of her own house like garbage. For so long, he had known her as the competent, collected woman who never showed her true weakness.

Her body no longer afforded her such luxury.

"Pleas—" she whispered to the guard at the gate, but could barely force out her request. "Tell him it's Elaris. Tell him I need his help."

The guard vanished inside the Alpha's property, and after several minutes, the gates opened, revealing Averic himself.

"What's wrong, Elaris?" He covered the distance between them in a matter of seconds, holding her by her shoulders to keep her steady as her legs started giving way. "What happened? Why aren't you in Caedmon's place?" He realized something and his eyes narrowed. "Where is Caedmon?"

"He is not—" Elaris choked back her sobs. "He does not want me in his place anymore."

"What are you talking about?" Averic frowned.

"Please, can't we discuss it inside your house?" she whispered desperately.

Somehow, he understood and softened his look. "Of course, my dear, forgive me." He turned to guards. "Fetch a healer and get a room ready."

She was taken to the room gently, supported by his hand, and only when he sat her on the chair and put a warm cup of tea in her shaky hands, Averic asked:

"Tell me what happened."

"I had to donate blood to save his life," Elaris replied quietly, still staring into her cup. "His condition became critical and I could not find another donor who would make a donation immediately. But I was pregnant with our child, and he died because of that."

Averic went very serious. "That's why you made a donation despite the pregnancy."

"I had to do that and he is alive now. But…" She could not finish the sentence. "I lost the child."

Averic looked at her with sympathy and said softly: "I am sorry for you, Elaris."

"But it is not the worse thing that happened to me," she continued and raised her head to look at him. "After Caedmon woke up from his sleep and I told him everything, he did not thank me but blamed me and said that I have no right to make such decisions myself. He said that I took away the child he wanted." She clutched her tea cup even harder. "And he ordered me to leave his place as soon as possible."

His jaw hardened, there being something vicious and angry burning behind his gaze, but he still kept his tone gentle for her sake. "He said that to you? With all the sacrifices you made for him?"

"I had nowhere else to go," Elaris said softly. "You're the only one I can think of."

"You did the right thing coming here." He laid his hand gently on top of hers, which was lying on the armrest of the chair. "You'll be staying with me for however long you need. No matter how long it takes. You have my word."

Before Elaris could say anything, the healer came, rushing to take her pulse, her breathing and noticing the way the blood drained out of her face, even with the warm tea in her hands.

"She needs to rest now," the healer announced, helping Elaris to get up from her chair. "Her body is too weak."

"Do whatever she needs to be done," Averic said instantly. "There are no limits."

The healer nodded and showed Elaris the room, which had been prepared earlier, while leaving Averic alone in the hallway, his look filled with anger and outrage at what happened to her.

Only minutes later, when the healer had made a more detailed examination of Elaris' condition, she noticed something was wrong somewhere. Leaving Elaris alone in the room with Averic's instructions and going out of it, she rushed to the place, where she found Averic just outside the room.

"Alpha," she said, almost whispering. "Her wolf is still connected to him. She may die."