All Chapters of Claimed, then cast aside.: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Elara's POVSqueaky sneakers against an unyielding polished wooden floor repeatedly echoed through the pack academy gymnasium. That thrumming beat felt especially potent today; it felt like a rhythm that told me I didn't belong. Every thump of basketball rushed through me and squeezed my grip even tighter on the tired notebook pressed against me like a shield.Not that anyone noticed me.No one ever did.Well, except for that time Darius Blackthorn decided I was funny to laugh at.He was always at the center of the maelstrom—certainly, he was tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired, and that hair managed somehow to fall just so, even when sweat-drenched. But golden wolf eyes gleamed at me under fluorescent lights, and his smile—God, that smile—could light an entire room if he wanted it to. And right now, all of Blackthorn Academy seemed to orbit around him.You could tell from the huddled bleachers, not for the game, but for him. Darius Blackthorn: the alpha heir. Every shot he made sent

Elara's POV“You are pregnant, Elara.” Elder Mira said.The word came to me like a fist."Pregnant."It was Elder Mira's typical calm, practiced way that one must have to use at least a hundred times a day; but in my ears, it was thunder. I could not breathe, could not move.The sterile white walls seemed to lean a little closer, the scent of antiseptic turning sharp in my nose. Pregnant. The syllables echoed and drowned out everything else she said—hormones, options, steps forward. The pulse hammered so hard within me, it felt in my throat.Beside me, Finn's hand tightened over mine. I turned, searching for a solid expression in his face. The shock was evident as his mouth was clamped tight, but his eyes stayed on me, steady, worried. A flicker of anger crossed his features, but not at me. Never at me."Come on," he said gently, though his voice trembled. His grip anchored me, tugged me up from the fog. "Let's get you home."I nodded vacantly. My body obeyed while my mind was still m

Elara’s POVI struggled to open my eyes, my vision still in so much blurriness mixed with white that it took me a while to understand that the beeping sound was from the monitors next to me."Finn?" My voice cracked as it came out, sounding small, like some stranger's.His head shot up in a flash, relief flickering into his tired eyes. "Elara! Oh, thank the Moon." He leaned over and gripped my hand with both hands. "You scared the hell out of me.""Where am I? What...what happened?" I blinked, attempting to shake the fog of understanding from my head.Finn seemed to close up. He drew a slow breath in, almost as if he was bracing himself with every breath to respond to me. "You were hit, Elara. In the market grounds. A drunk rider backed into you and left before anyone could stop him. It was a hit-and-run."The memories flashed through my mind in fragments—paws screeching, bright glow-eyes, hearing Finn howl my name. My heart jumped as I felt myself instinctively touch my stomach."Fin