The walk back to the Silvercrest grounds felt longer than ever.
Every sound—the rustle of branches, the distant hoot of an owl, the whisper of wind through pine—pressed against Elara's chest like a weight.
She wanted silence. Peace. But her thoughts wouldn't stop echoing.
I came for you.
Kael's words played again and again, wrapping around her like chains she couldn't break.
She hated that they didn't sound like a threat. She hated more that part of her wolf had stirred at the sound of his voice.
By the time she reached the clearing, most of the pack was waiting. Their expressions were mixed—fear, curiosity, resentment. The scent of tension was thick enough to taste.
Roran stood at the center, face pale but jaw set. Beside him, Beta Rowan and several warriors lingered uneasily, watching Elara as though she might explode into chaos herself.
"What did he say to you?" Roran demanded before she could speak. His voice wasn't calm—it was sharp, brittle.
Elara hesitated. "He wanted to talk."
"That's not an answer," Roran snapped. "What does Kael want? Why would he—" He broke off, glancing around as if afraid someone might overhear the rest. "Why would he ask for you?"
The words hit harder than she expected. There it was again—the disbelief that anyone might want her for something more than convenience or blame.
"I don't know," Elara said quietly. "He said the bond—"
"The bond?" Rowan interrupted. "You mean a mate bond?" His tone was thick with disbelief.
Murmurs rippled through the wolves gathered around. Someone scoffed. Someone else whispered a prayer to the Moon.
Roran's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then narrowed. "That's impossible."
Elara swallowed hard. "It's not impossible."
The Alpha's composure slipped. "You're telling me that Kael of the Blackridge Pack—the one who's torn apart half of the Northern territories—walked into my land because of you?"
Elara flinched but stood her ground. "That's what he said."
A low growl escaped Roran's throat, more of frustration than threat. "Do you have any idea what you've done? What this could mean for us?"
"I didn't do anything," she said, the words trembling now. "I didn't ask for this. You're the one who gave me to him!"
Her voice rose before she could stop it. The air shifted instantly—warriors tensed, and several wolves looked to their Alpha for permission to silence her.
Roran's expression hardened, the weight of his authority pressing down on her like a physical force. "Watch your tone, Elara."
Something inside her snapped.
"For years you pretended I wasn't part of this pack," she said, stepping forward. "You ignored me. You left me behind. And now suddenly I matter because a powerful Alpha said my name?"
"Enough," Roran growled. "You don't understand the consequences of your existence right now."
"My existence?" Her voice broke on the word. "You mean the inconvenience of it."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
For a moment, even the forest seemed to still. The moonlight carved sharp lines across Roran's face as he stared at her, fury warring with something she couldn't quite name—fear, perhaps.
"Kael is dangerous," he said finally, his voice low but trembling. "You don't realize what he's capable of."
"I do," Elara whispered. "And for some reason, he still didn't hurt me."
That struck harder than any shout could. Roran's jaw clenched.
"Go home," he said finally. "Now. Until we decide what to do with you."
"What to do with me?"
He turned away, signaling the discussion was over, but Elara's voice followed him like an echo of defiance.
"I'm not your problem anymore, Roran."
The Alpha froze but didn't look back. "You always were," he said, barely above a whisper. Then he walked away, leaving her surrounded by staring eyes.
Rowan stepped forward uncertainly, his usual arrogance dulled. "Elara," he began, but she brushed past him.
Her hands shook as she pushed through the crowd. She didn't meet anyone's eyes. Not the warriors who whispered, not the omegas who looked away in pity, not the she-wolves who'd once called her invisible.
By the time she reached the edge of the clearing, her heart felt hollow, bruised.
Her wolf stirred weakly inside her, a gentle voice in the storm. You stood your ground.
Elara swallowed the ache in her throat. And it cost me everything.
The moon followed her as she walked into the woods, silver and silent, watching a girl who no longer belonged anywhere—and a bond that refused to let her go.