Elora barely began to speak when Raydar turned and left.
The people nearby quickly moved away, as if his presence pushed the air out of the way, She held Tarinne close, unsure of what was happening, but she moved without thinking, His tone left no option to say no.
She went after him out of the pack's area, feeling many eyes watching her.
Once they were far into the woods, Raydar stopped moving. His wolf side was close to the surface, held back but barely. He did not speak, He simply held out his hand.
Elora paused,
"You're safe with me," he said, with his authority still clear.
She took his hand,
What happened next was not gentle.
Raydar moved fast, through the trees, across the borderlands, never looking back. Elora struggled to keep up, her heart was racing, and her arms were hurting from holding Tarinne. At one point, he lifted them both without a word, carrying them as if it was easy.
When they got to his land, guards stepped aside without question. His pack house was tall, made of dark stone and wood, and looked cold in the moonlight. She was brought in without any fuss and shown to a room on the second floor.
The door closed behind her, It suddenly fell silent.
She sat on the edge of the bed, still breathing fast, while holding Tarinne tightly. Everything was happening too quickly, She hadn't had time to think or react. She didn't know what Raydar wanted or why he'd helped her, She only knew that her world had changed again.
A few moments later, the door had opened.
Raydar walked in, His face was softer now, calmer, as if the sharp parts had faded away.
"I know this is sudden," he said quietly, "But I couldn't leave you there, Not after finding out what I did."
Elora's voice was very quiet, "Why now?"
He looked at her, then at Tarinne, whose eyes were starting to close, "Because I didn't realize it sooner."
He sat down across from her, resting his elbows on his knees. The tension had left his body, replaced by something more personal, almost weak.
"You don't remember the night we met," he said, not as a question, but a fact.
Elora blinked, "What night?"
"The night after the mating event, at the bar, You were drunk, and I.. I didn't know your name, I just knew you seemed to be in pain, Like you were heartbroken, You didn't say much, I should've tried harder to find you."
She gasped slightly,
"It was you," she said slowly, with her voice weak, "You were the one that night."
Raydar nodded,
She looked down at her daughter, seeing her in a new way, The dark eyelashes, the way her small nose wrinkled in sleep, She had more than just her mother's spirit, She had her father's blood.
"She's yours," Elora whispered,
"I know," he replied,
Silence filled the room again, and it was heavier than before.
He leaned back a bit as he looked at her, "I don't need anything from you, Not because you feel you have to, But I want her to be safe as she grows up, I can make that happen for her, I can make that happen for both of you."
Elora didn't say anything, She didn't know how she could, Many thoughts rushed through her mind, but she couldn't focus on any of them.
Even so, his voice didn't sound like a threat or a demand, It just sounded honest.
And for the first time in a long time, the worry in her chest lessened, just a little bit.
The next few days were unlike anything Elora had ever known.
There was no yelling, no putdowns, no cold looks or quiet insults. The pack house had a calm and organized feel, and even though the wolves here looked at her with interest, no one dared to treat her poorly. Raydar's control was absolute, and with his protection, she felt a sense of peace for the first time in years.
He didn't stay too close, but he made sure she knew he was around.
He showed Tarinne around the grounds and even brought her little gifts from the market, One time, Elora saw them laughing together in the garden, Raydar was kneeling down, pretending to be trapped in her child's flower stem net, It was such a sweet, gentle scene that Elora had to walk away before she became too emotional.
She wasn't sure what they meant to each other, Not really, But the quiet moments between them didn't feel so awkward anymore, Some mornings, she even found herself smiling for no reason.
Maybe this could be a new beginning for her.
Tarinne was happier now, More lively, The little girl had more room to play, had a comfy bed to sleep in, and good meals with no limits, Even just for that, Elora would have stayed.
But she had learned that being safe was never a sure thing,
One night, Tarinne was already asleep, curled up on a rug by the fireplace in Raydar's private office, Elora tucked her in with a blanket and left to go to the kitchen, hoping to find something to calm the worry that had been building in her chest all day. The house was quiet, and the hallways were dark, She walked around barefooted, being careful as to not wake anyone.
As she walked past the east hallway, she heard voices coming from a door that was partly open,
She didn't mean to listen,
But then she heard her name being said.
"She's here now," someone said, quiet but with a sense of urgency, "They both are, The ritual can finally be done."
Elora stopped moving,
"We have to keep her relaxed until the night of the eclipse," another voice added, sounding serious and calm, "If she finds out, we'll lose everything."
"She doesn't know he's cursed, That's important, The bond isn't complete yet, and she still has doubts."
Elora's heart started to beat fast,
"Are you sure the child's blood will be enough?" the first voice asked,
There was a silence,
"That is how it must be."
A sudden feeling of cold fear moved down her back, She moved away from the door bit by bit, unable to breathe easily, The words went around in her mind, ceremony, the kid's life force.
Her life force,
Tarinne's life force.
She went back down the hallway, but now she had a plan, Her daughter was still sleeping without a sound inside the office, not knowing that the safety around her was breaking apart all around them, Elora did not hesitate.
She picked up the covering, lifted Tarinne up in her arms, and left.
Down the steps,
Outside through the rear exit,
And Into the wooded area.
She didn't pause to gather things, didn't give it another thought, Every feeling told her to get away as fast as possible. She had had faith once more, she had Stopped being careful, And now, yet again, it had been a bad choice.
Raydar had a curse on him,
And they were going to use her and her child to take the curse away.
The woods hid them completely, with the darkness of night all around, Tarinne moved a little in her arms, then got more comfortable on her shoulder.
"I've got you," Elora murmured, with a shaky voice.
She wasn't sure of where she was going,
Just that she needed to vanish again.