All Chapters of The Bane And The Alpha Beast: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

EliraThere was no use in running. Not this time.I sat quietly on the edge of the bed, his blood drying in the crooks of my elbows and the hollow of my throat. Outside, the wind stirred the frost. Inside, the bond was already unraveling—its final thread snapping like a pulled stitch, leaving silence in its place.The whole pack would know soon. The moment the Alpha bond dissolved, they would feel it like a scream in their chest. And they’d come for me. They always did.So I didn’t run. Instead, I rose from the bed, peeled his cloak from the hook by the door, and wrapped it around myself. It smelled of pine and iron and something faintly sweet beneath it—Auren’s scent, still warm. But not for long. Already, it was beginning to turn.I washed my face in the basin, scrubbing as the water turned red. There was no rush. No need to hide. I braided my hair with steady fingers and laced up my boots.By the time the knock came—hard, impatient—I was seated in the center of the room, hands fold

EliraAfter I finished the last sip of tea and a slice of warm bread thick with honey, Caelan stood and motioned toward the back hall of the lodge. I followed him, still barefoot, my skin warm from the bath, my bones still humming with exhaustion.He pushed open the last door at the end of the corridor. A wide room, dimly lit, with a large bed of furs in the center and a stone hearth on the far wall. A folded blanket and a spare pillow sat on the floor beside the fire.“I’m sorry I don’t have anywhere else for you to sleep tonight,” he said. “There are extra rooms, but they haven’t been aired out. I’ll sleep on the floor. You can have the bed.”I blinked at him. “You don’t have to—”“I want you to be safe,” he said, gently cutting me off. “And I want you to rest. We’ll talk in the morning.”There was no weight to the words. No suggestion. No expectation. Just quiet finality.He stepped aside so I could enter first. The bed was wide enough to swallow me whole. I hadn’t slept on somethi

EliraI didn’t expect a room of my own.But when Mirra led me down the curved hall and opened the carved wooden door at the end, I stopped short. The scent of lavender hit first—subtle, not overpowering, tucked into the clean linens folded at the foot of the bed. A fire crackled in the hearth. The windows were flanked with gauzy curtains that caught the morning sun and scattered it like mist across the floorboards. A small armoire stood against the far wall, beside a basin and pitcher carved from stone.I stood in the doorway for a long time.“It’s not much,” Mirra said, misreading my silence. “But it’s yours.”Mine.I stepped inside, fingers grazing the edge of the bedframe. The mattress was soft beneath the furs. The floor creaked in a way that felt lived in, not neglected. There was even a small writing desk with a quill and fresh parchment, as if someone had thought I might have something to say.A folded bundle sat beside the basin—clothes, neatly stacked. Not borrowed. Not stolen

EliraI woke to birdsong and sunlight—real sunlight, not the damp gray kind that filtered through dirty barn rafters or cracked cellar windows.For a long moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling beams, breathing in the soft scent of pine and sage that clung to the wool blanket. My room. My own. For the first time in years.Not a prison. Not a cell. Not a shared nest of fear. Just… space. Mine.I rose slowly, joints stiff from sleep, and padded barefoot across the wooden floor. The room still felt too quiet, too safe, like a dream that hadn’t quite realized it was being watched. I half expected someone to barge in and drag me out by the wrist, to tell me I wasn’t welcome, to hiss the word bane like it was a curse I hadn’t earned.Instead, I opened the door. And nearly tripped over a wolf. A massive one—coal black and heavy with muscle, curled in front of my door like a living barricade.I gasped, stumbling back with a hand to my chest.The wolf stirred. Blinked.And then, with

EliraWe stopped when the fence disappeared under a collapsed pine, the trunk massive and rotted through at the center. Caelan and Ven moved in unison, untying the logs and tools from the carriage and getting to work with practiced ease. The morning sun was soft through the trees, warming the crisp autumn air just enough to make the breeze pleasant.I stayed where I was, perched on the back of the carriage with a blanket around my shoulders and an apple in hand. It was a perfect apple—crisp, sweet, with just enough tartness to make me sigh as I bit in.Ven noticed. Of course he did.“You always eat that slow?” he asked, glancing over from where he was hammering in a brace. “Or is this just a dramatic ‘watch the men work’ moment?”I raised an eyebrow. “Would you rather I get out and supervise?”Ven grinned. “Only if you bring snacks.”Caelan let out a breath, tightening a length of wire. “Don’t pester her.”“I’m not pestering,” Ven replied, straightening with a groan and brushing bark