All Chapters of ELDER'S BLOOD : Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

After dinner, Corrine and I sat in the living room talking about her first pregnancy. The house was quiet. Vanda had gone to the study, Ben had returned home to Serena, and even with guards outside, it felt like we were the only ones for miles. The warm lamplight and the crackling fire calmed my mind. I listened to Corrine’s stories until she got to her labor. She said she was too tired to finish but promised she’d tell me the rest tomorrow.I walked her to the stairs and wished her goodnight. She kissed my forehead with a smile that crinkled her eyes, then went up to her guest room.It had been a long time since my real mother kissed me goodnight, but Corrine’s kiss brought the memory back. Mother used to tuck Serena in first, then come to my room, check the window, close the curtains, kiss my hairline, tell me to sleep well, and leave the door cracked just enough for light.I held the stair railing until I heard Corrine’s door close. I put out the fire, fluffed the pillows on the co

Elena's point of view I spot Ineo slouched on Rosa's couch, shirtless and coated in bruises—some patched, some still dripping blood. His shoulder is a mess of purple, green, and red. When he sees me, he gives Corbin a hard, disapproving stare.I’m at Vanda’s side in a heartbeat. Others—men and women alike—move around the room, tending to wounded warriors. Rosa must’ve called for help.“I told him not to get you,” Vanda says, voice worn and a little rough.He holds a cloth in his hand; I take it and dab at the sweat clinging to his brow. “Where’s Rosa?”He nods toward the back room.I don’t realize how badly my hand is shaking until Vanda reaches up and folds it gently in his. I continue wiping his forehead.“I hate seeing you like this but—”“I told Corbin—”“But,” I cut in, “that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be here to help you.”“I can handle it. I would’ve been home soon.”Rosa returns with a large bowl. “Luna,” she greets shortly, then starts lathering Vanda’s shoulder with a thi

Vanda point of view.I had barely watched my mother’s carriage disappear down the forest path toward the Gold Pack when the bond snapped tight around my chest.Grief still clung to the air—Alexa’s loss had shaken all of us—and I’d thought the worst of the day was already behind us. I was wrong.“Vanda.”Charles’s voice cut through my mind, sharp and urgent, carried through the mind link like a blade drawn too fast.“What is it?” I asked, already bracing myself.“The Eastern Wing is under attack.”I froze. The wind stirred the trees around me, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth, but beneath it all was the faint echo of danger. “By who?” I demanded. “Who would dare attack my pack?”There was a brief pause, just long enough to make my blood run cold.“They’re masking their scent.”That was all it took.I didn’t respond. I didn’t waste another second. I turned and ran for the pack house, my boots pounding against the stone steps as I took them two at a time.“Vanda!” Elena’s voice

Elena point of view.I sat on the cold floor long after Vanda left, my back against the wall, my knees pulled close to my chest. The room felt too large without him, too quiet. My thoughts kept circling the same question, over and over, until it hurt.How could I stop this without blood being spilled?Too many innocent lives had already been lost because of this title, this legacy, this weight that rested so heavily on Vanda’s shoulders. I wanted to call it foolish, cruel, unnecessary—but I couldn’t. Not when it meant everything to him. Not when it defined who he was and what he was willing to die for.The only plan forming in my mind was a terrible one. Reckless. Dangerous.I could die if anything went wrong.But for the first time, that didn’t scare me. What scared me was doing nothing and watching more people suffer while I stayed safe.I pushed myself off the floor and went downstairs. The smell of cooking met me halfway down—the warm, familiar comfort of home. Elizabeth stood by

Elena point of view.Sleep didn’t come, no matter how I lay on the narrow bed. The shadows from the candle flickered against the ceiling, twisting like restless spirits. My mind wouldn’t quiet. This was never meant to be a long stay. My plan had been simple from the start—get in, eliminate Alpha Water quietly, leave without spilling a drop of blood across his territory, and be gone before Vanda ever noticed I was gone. Simple in theory, impossible in practice.Morning arrived too quickly, sharp and unforgiving. I rose, the cold floor biting at my bare feet, and made my way to the pack house. I already knew where Alpha Water kept his office—soldiers talk, and I had been listening carefully all night. I had memorized every detail, every guard rotation, every whispered conversation. Knowledge was my weapon.Alpha Water was there with his beta, Zach, the morning light highlighting their imposing figures. My throat tightened, but I forced myself to steady my voice. I told them everything,