All Chapters of Run Little Mate: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Elara's POVI sat by the stream, hugging my knees to my chest, watching how the dark water swallowed every hint of moonlight. My twenty-second birthday. Another year mate-less. Another year of whispers and pitiful looks.“She’s cursed,” they always said. “Forgotten by the Moon Goddess.”Footsteps crunched behind me, and I turned slowly. Three she-wolves stepped out from the trees, smirking like hungry wolves circling a wounded deer.Maren led them, her blonde hair tied high, her eyes glittering with malice. “Look at her,” she said, voice dripping with disgust. “Sitting here all alone like the pathetic little rat she is.”I stayed quiet, trying to stand up, but Lysa shoved me back down. “Where do you think you’re going, curse girl?”“Leave me alone,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.“Leave me alone,” Maren mocked in a high-pitched voice, making the others giggle. She crouched in front of me, eyes scanning my face with disgust. “No wonder no one wants you. Look at you. Filthy lit

Elara's POVWhen they dragged me into the east wing, I expected a dungeon or a cell. Instead, the guards shoved me into a room so beautiful it made my chest ache.Soft cream carpets lined the floor, and heavy maroon curtains draped over tall windows. I hurried forward, clutching the fabric and pulling it aside, only to find… brick. My heart sank. The windows were fake. Just wooden frames nailed to stone walls and covered with curtain fabric to mimic drapery.My wolf whimpered in my chest, feeling just as caged as I did.I turned slowly, taking in the rest of the room. A large bed with gold-embroidered sheets dominated the space. There was a carved wooden wardrobe in the corner and a table with fresh fruit and water. The scent of lavender and sage hung thick in the air, making my head feel heavy and my wolf sluggish.I moved to the wardrobe, pulling open the doors to find dresses – dozens of them – all in muted silks and satins, some still tagged. No shoes. No coats. Just delicate gown

Kael's POVI lay staring at the ceiling long after he left, feeling the warmth of his touch still burning across my skin even though it had turned cold. My wolf lay silent inside me, her presence a faint flicker of exhausted light in the darkness of my chest. She didn’t snarl or whimper or claw at the walls of my mind like I expected her to. Instead, she just lay there quietly, watching the broken pieces of me scatter like glass across the floor of my soul.Why are you calm? I whispered to her in the quiet of my mind, but she didn’t answer. She just curled tighter around herself, her silence louder than any words she could have spoken.I pulled the sheets over my body and turned my face into the pillow, letting silent tears soak the fabric as I bit down on my lip to keep from sobbing out loud. I didn’t want them to hear me. I didn’t want them to know how broken I truly was.When the tears finally stopped, I forced myself to sit up, ignoring the ache in my hips and the bruises blooming