로그인Elara's POVThe smoke cleared slowly, revealing a courtyard that looked like a battlefield from a nightmare.Bodies lay everywhere wolves from both packs, some dead, some wounded, some barely clinging to life. The cobblestones were slick with blood, and the air was thick with the smell of smoke. Our warriors moved through the carnage, tending to the wounded, gathering the dead, and securing the place. The enemy had retreated, dragging their wounded and their humiliated Alpha back across the southern border.But the victory felt hollow.I stood beside Kaelen, my hands still trembling, my power still humming beneath my skin. I had used more of it than I ever had before unleashed it in ways I hadn't known were possible and now I felt drained and empty and strangely fragile. The silver light had faded from my palms, but I could still feel it inside me"We won," I whispered. "We actually won.""We won this battle," Kaelen said, his voice grim. "But the war is far from over."I looked at hi
Elara's POVJulian's claws were inches from my throat when Kaelen hit him.The impact was explosive,a collision of two massive wolves that sent shockwaves through the frozen courtyard. Julian was knocked sideways, his attack aborted, his body crashing into a pile of broken barricades. Kaelen didn't stop. He lunged after him, his black fur bristling, his silver eyes blazing with a fury I had never seen before.They collided again?teeth and claws and snarls and the ground shook beneath them.I stood frozen, my hands still raised, my power still humming beneath my skin. I had never seen anything like it. Two Alphas, both powerful, both deadly, both fighting for supremacy. Julian was faster, more agile, his attacks vicious. But Kaelen was stronger, more relentless, his attacks brutalThey fought across the courtyard, crashing through barricades and scattering debris. Our warriors watched, their faces pale, their weapons raised but useless. The enemy wolves who had been frozen by my light
Elara's POVJulian had seen me alive, radiant, glowing with silver light and he had not been surprised. He had been furious.He had known."You're alive," he said, his voice cold and steady. " I knew you were hiding somewhere, licking your wounds, waiting for your chance to strike."I stared down at him from the battlements, my heart pounding, my hands still glowing with silver light. "You knew?""I felt it," Julian said. "The mate bond. It never broke. It never faded. I felt you every day,your fear, your pain, your anger. I felt you when you arrived in Blood Moon territory. I felt you when you retrieved the evidence. I felt you when you severed the bond just now."I felt the blood drain from my face. He had felt everything. Every moment of fear, every moment of hope, every moment of love. He had been inside my head, inside my heart, and I had never known."You monster," I whispered."I'm not the monster," Julian said. "You are. You're the one who betrayed me. You're the one who stole
Elara's POVI was standing on the battlements beside Kaelen, my hands still glowing with the residue of my power, when the first wave of Julian's vanguard broke through the wooden walls. They had regrouped faster than we expected and now they were pouring into the courtyard im multitude."Hold the line!" Kaelen shouted, his voice carrying across the chaos. "Don't let them reach the mansion!"Our warriors surged forward, meeting the enemy in a clash of snarls and blades. I watched from the battlements as the courtyard became a battlefield,wolves shifting and fighting, blood spraying across the cobblestones, screams and howls filling the air. It was chaos. Julian's forces were too many. For every wolf we cut down, two more took its place. Our warriors were being pushed back,slowly toward the mansion doors. If the courtyard fell, the mansion would fall. If the mansion fell, I would be captured. And everything we had fought for would be lost."Elara!" Kaelen yelled. He was below me now,
Elara's POVDawn looped over the Blood Moon estate, and I woke in Kaelen's arms.For a moment, I forgot where I was. The armory was cold and quiet, the stone walls lit by the first pale light of morning. Kaelen was lying beside me, his arm wrapped around my waist, his breath warm against my neck. We had fallen asleep together after the kiss,too exhausted to move,wrapped in each other to care.I turned my head slowly, careful not to wake him, and looked at his face. He was peaceful in sleep,the tension gone, the lines around his eyes softened. He looked younger. Less like the most feared Alpha in the region and more like the man I had fallen in love with.I reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. His eyes fluttered open, and he just looked at me"Morning," he murmured."Morning," I whispered.He smiled the kind I had rarely seen on his face and pulled me closer. "We should do this more often."I laughed softly, though the sound was tinged with sadness. "We mig
Elara's POVThe armory was silent, and I was falling apart.I had come here to escape,to find a moment of quiet, a moment of peace, a moment where I didn't have to pretend to be strong. The war room had become too much. The maps, the scouts, the endless preparations for a battle I wasn't sure we could win. Every time I looked at the markers on the map, I saw Julian's face. Every time I heard a messenger arrive, I felt his hands on me again. Every time someone said the word "attack," I felt the blood between my legs and the emptiness in my belly and the scream that had torn through my throat when I realized I had lost my child.I had been holding it together for weeks. I had been strong for Kaelen, for the pack, for myself. But I couldn't hold it together anymore. The walls I had built around my heart were crumbling, and I didn't know how to stop them.I sat in the corner of the armory, my body trembling,The tears dropped, fast and unstoppable. I pressed my hands to my face and wept,







