Lahat ng Kabanata ng Marked by Gold and Ruin: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

(DARIUS’ POV) The moment I saw her, everything around me seemed to go quiet. She stood with Ronan Trueblood beside her, one hand resting lightly around his arm. For five years, I had believed Elara was gone from my life for good. I had watched her leave Ironridge after I rejected her, convinced that whatever had once existed between us had ended that day on the snowy border. Yet she was standing there. Alive. And she looked nothing like the woman I remembered. Her hair was swept back from her face, exposing the long, elegant line of her neck, but it was the look in her dark eyes that held me pinned to the spot. Strength. Unyielding strength. She stood with her shoulders straight and her expression calm despite the fact that she had just locked eyes with me for the first time in half a decade. There was no fear in her posture. No hesitation. No weakness whatsoever. Farina’s fingers tightened around my arm, her nails digging slightly into my tunic. Her voice came quietly.

(ELARA’S POV) The elder’s voice carried across the great hall, but I barely registered the words. The formal addresses had begun, and everyone faced the raised platform as the weight of the election settled over the room. I sat in the front row beside Ronan, my hands folded over the deep indigo silk of my dress. Across the stone floor, Darius sat motionless in the Ironridge delegation box. I refused to look at him again. I had spent five painful years learning to survive and build a life. I would not let one afternoon, or one man’s unexpected presence, drag me back into a past that no longer owned me. “The first candidate will now address the Council,” the elder announced. “Alpha Ronan Trueblood.” Ronan rose in a single, fluid movement. Before heading to the platform, he paused beside my chair, his gaze sweeping over the gathered Alphas, Lunas, and regional representatives. Then his eyes found mine. There was no hesitation in them, only steady resolve. He gave me a barely

(DARIUS’ POV) Several attendants carried a heavy, carved stone urn onto the central platform. The sight of it settled a cold, familiar focus inside me. The speeches were finally over; now the ultimate decision belonged to the Council. Two hundred and sixty-two Alphas had assembled here today—two hundred and sixty-two individual votes that would dictate the balance of power across our borders. An elder stepped forward to the edge of the platform and raised his wooden staff, signaling for quiet. “The speeches have officially concluded. We will now proceed with the election for the position of leader of the Alpha Council.” The ambient noise in the chamber died away completely. “Every recognized Alpha present holds one vote,” the elder continued. “Each Alpha will receive a parchment ballot bearing the names of both candidates. Mark your chosen leader, fold the ballot, and place it directly into the sealed stone urn.” An attendant moved down the rows, distributing the clean

(RONAN’S POV) I wished Farina had died. The thought came so suddenly that even I was startled by its cruelty. When Darius had told me about the accident that had nearly taken her life, I hadn’t felt anything—no concern, no satisfaction, nothing at all. Her survival had meant no more to me than her death would have. But now, watching her stand in the center of the Council chamber with that carefully composed expression, I found myself wishing the accident had ended differently. Five years ago, Farina had helped destroy Elara’s life, and now she was trying to do it again. I looked at Elara, who stood perfectly still. Her face had gone pale, but she hadn’t lowered her head; her eyes remained fixed on Farina, carrying a look I recognized instantly. She knew this story because she had lived it. “Before Elara Trueblood,” Farina began, letting the name hang in the air, “there was Elara Ironridge. And before Elara Ironridge, there was Elara Vale.” Several Alphas exchang

(ELARA’S POV) The whispers started—quiet at first, rising from scattered corners of the chamber before quickly dying beneath the tension. I stood motionless with my hands at my sides, forcing my expression to hold completely blank . I could feel the weight of hundreds of eyes pinning me down. Alphas. Lunas. People who had known me for years alongside those who had only just learned the name I carried before Trueblood: Elara Ironridge. Traitor. The word remained unspoken, yet its weight echoed across the room. I looked toward Ronan. The anger I had seen in him earlier was no longer contained; his jaw was set, his posture rigid, and his gaze locked onto Farina. “Ronan,” I said quietly, reaching for his arm. He didn’t answer right away, but when his eyes finally shifted to me, he murmured, “I’m fine.” I knew he wasn’t, and neither was I. Across the chamber, Darius remained beside Farina. He hadn’t moved since her speech ended, his eyes fixed on me with an unreadable look. Y