All Chapters of ELDER'S BLOOD : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Elena's point of view."I forgot to mention it yesterday—Serena can start as soon as tomorrow. You, on the other hand, need to wait until your wrist heals and Rose clears you for shifting. Your sessions will be at eight in the morning, and Serena’s will be at five.""In the morning?" I ask, adjusting the leather brace around my wrist."Evening," Vanda corrects.I nod, digesting the information. "Okay, I'll let her know before she heads out."Just as I turn to leave, Vanda speaks again. "Come back up here afterward, okay?"A strange flutter stirs in my chest at the request. "O-okay," I say before quickly heading downstairs.I find Serena in the kitchen, drying dishes while Ben washes them. As soon as I relay the information, Ben encourages her to go, saying it’ll be good for her. She agrees, albeit with a bit of hesitation.Meanwhile, my own doubts creep in. The idea of joining the running group unsettles me. What if I'm the slowest? I’ve never had a reason to run unless I was moving b

Elena's point of view.I wanted to ask Elizabeth more about the precautions Vanda had instructed her to take, but she didn’t seem eager to discuss them. I knew I wasn’t the only one affected by Alpha Kane’s infiltration—it left a bitter feeling in her as well—but my curiosity wouldn’t let it go. If Alpha Walter managed to break through our borders, Vanda wanted Elizabeth to take me under… Under what?If there was a hidden space beneath the packhouse, like a basement, I would have known about it by now. But perhaps other buildings had concealed rooms. Wherever this supposed hiding place was, I hoped I’d never have to see it.---The hours leading into the moonless night passed in a blur of intimacy, whispered words, and quiet comfort. Elizabeth was sent home, and a note was delivered to Mark, instructing him not to come by. Vanda and I spent the day in our bedroom, only breaking away briefly when he gave me a report on the previous day's losses. In that brief window of time, I shared E

As I walk alongside Elizabeth, my thoughts spiral."How am I supposed to handle this when Vanda is off fighting all the time?" I ask, frustration creeping into my voice. "What if something happens to him? What if I'm left alone? I can’t do this without him. I don’t want to."Elizabeth links our arms and gives me a reassuring squeeze. "You’ll be fine. Just keep walking, okay?"A heavy sigh escapes me. "I'm scared. I didn’t think I would be, but I am. I used to judge Alexa when she worried about getting pregnant and trying to please everyone. I thought she was just overreacting. But then Vanda’s mother looked me in the eye and asked if I understood what it meant to be Luna. I told her I did, but honestly? I only said what she wanted to hear."Elizabeth glances at me. "You don’t want to have kids?""I do. I want a family, but I never really felt the pressure Alexa talked about—at least, not until Vanda told me he wanted me to get pregnant. That made everything real. And since we’ve been m

Elena's point of view.I wake up with a start, my name ringing in my ears. My head turns, strands of hair falling over my vision, and I see Elizabeth leaning over my bed, shaking me urgently."Wha... What's going on?" I mumble, still groggy."Get up," she commands, yanking the covers off me. "Good, you're already dressed."I grab at the blankets instinctively, my mind sluggish as I try to process what's happening. "Why are you waking me up like this?""There's been word of an attack. We have to go—now.""But Vanda said—""I'm following Alpha VuK's orders," she interrupts firmly. "Let's move."My head spins, but I force myself to get up and follow her out of the bedroom. She keeps glancing back at me as we hurry down the stairs."Vanda knows?" I ask, trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep."Knows about the attack?" Elizabeth scoffs. "No. Alpha Walter obviously realized he’s gone. I’m just doing what I was told—keeping you safe.""But Alpha Walter couldn’t know. The only ones wh

Vanda VuK's point of view.On my sixteenth birthday, I experienced my first shift in the heart of the open fields, surrounded by a hundred men. My body twisted and contorted, muscles stretching in ways I had never known. I couldn't cry out, couldn't shed a tear. Instead, I bit down hard, grinding my teeth until I cracked two in the back of my mouth. The sharp fragments fell onto the grass, and when I looked up, my father stood there, arms crossed, nodding in approval.Among those watching was Charles, standing beside his father. He had shifted a year before, but his father—our Beta—kept a firm hand on his shoulder, making sure he didn’t intervene. Helping me would have been seen as a weakness, an insult to my strength.When we were children, Charles and I spent most of our time together, imagining battles and fending off pretend rogues in the forest. It was our sanctuary, a place where we could create any story we wanted. Alexa often played along, crawling under tree roots and pretend