Darius’s hands curled into fists.
“Who is this wolf that rejected you?” His voice was no longer calm-it carried the deep growl of his wolf, restrained but furious. “Why would the pack support him instead of you, their beta’s daughter? Why would they allow this?”
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Elaine’s lips quivered, but she held his gaze. “Yes. My mate rejected me. He was supposed to be mine, but now he is with another.”
Her pain radiated outward in waves, filling the space between them until even the waterfall’s roar seemed muted. Tears streaked down her face, but she made no move to wipe them away. They belonged there like scars carved into her soul.
Darius stepped closer, his eyes hardening.
“Who is your mate?” He demanded, though his voice softened as he looked at her.
“No need for you to know, Alpha.” She lowered her head, her voice heavy with sorrow. “It will only cause more trouble.”
“You have to tell me.” His voice sharpened again, echoing with authority. “Rejection is taboo. It is forbidden. If your pack is protecting a wolf who has broken the goddess’s bond, then I will not stand by.
I will not ally myself with a pack that spits in the face of the moon goddess.
“
Elaine flinched slightly at his words, but he did not relent. His wolf clawed inside him, furious, ready to tear down the Silverblade walls for what they had done to her.
“Who is this male? And why has your alpha allowed this to happen?” Darius pressed, his voice rising like a storm.
Elaine let out a shaky, broken laugh, though there was nothing joyful in it.
“This… this is why they don’t want me to tell you anything. Why they’re so nervous when I speak to you, why they watched every word at breakfast. They know if you learn the truth, you’ll sever the alliance. And they’re right.”
Her voice dropped, trembling. “You would cut ties with us the moment you knew.”
Her words struck him hard, because they were true. His jaw clenched, fury rumbling deep in his chest.
“I will never ally with a pack that rejects the goddess’s design.” He said, his voice like a vow.
But Elaine shook her head desperately, stepping forward, her hand brushing against his arm as though to plead.
“Please… don’t let my situation destroy the alliance. The pack will suffer without it. And I don’t want that. They are still my pack, Darius.
I care for them.”
His eyes widened, stunned by her kindness, by her selflessness even in the face of betrayal.
“They do not deserve it. They abandoned you, Elaine. And still you want what is best for them?”
She nodded slowly, her tears falling freely now. “There are pups here who have no part in this. Wolves who don’t know what’s happening… others who may see, but have no voice, no power. If you cancel the alliance, they’ll be the ones to suffer.
The innocent always do.”
Darius studied her for a long moment. His heart ached with both admiration and rage- admiration for her strength, her compassion, and rage for the cruelty of those who had failed her. Every part of him wanted to tear Silverblade apart for what they had done.
But another part, the part that saw her fragility and her bravery, knew he couldn’t add to her pain. Not now.
He exhaled slowly, the decision weighing heavily. Finally, he gave a small, firm nod.
“Very well. I will not touch the alliance. Not yet.” His gaze locked on hers, steady and unyielding. “But hear me, Elaine.
You will not remain here. I will not allow it. After the mating ceremony, you will leave with me.”
Her eyes widened, disbelief flickering before hope began to bloom.
“Are you sure?” She whispered, her voice trembling.
“Yes.” His answer came without hesitation, filled with quiet certainty.
And for the first time in weeks, maybe months, Elaine smiled. It was fragile, tentative, but it was there, like the first ray of sunlight breaking through endless storm clouds.
Hope stirred within her, something she thought she had lost forever.
Elaine’s smile flickered through her tears, the first she had managed in what felt like an eternity. It was small, fragile, trembling at the edges, but it carried with it a spark of hope she thought she would never feel again.
Darius saw it, and his chest tightened. That tiny spark in her was worth more than any alliance, more than any law binding him. He still didn’t know the name of the wolf who had done this to her, who had dared to spit on the moon goddess’s gift. But he would. And when he did, there would be a reckoning that even the Silverblade Alpha would not be able to ignore.
For now, though, he made only one vow. “I will not let you wither here, Elaine. After the ceremony… You will leave with me. That, I swear.”
Those words had anchored her ever since. They were the only rope keeping her from slipping completely into the darkness that clawed at her heart.
Elaine held onto that promise with everything she had, repeating it silently every time the pain surged.
Tomorrow, she told herself. Tomorrow after the ceremony, she would leave with Darius and his pack.
Tomorrow, freedom. Tomorrow, maybe healing.
Until then, she had to endure.
Every moment she saw Michael with Kathy was like being flayed alive, a fresh wound torn open in her chest. Her wolf whimpered inside her, weaker with each passing day.
Wolves were not meant to be separated from their fated mates, much less rejected by them. The bond was slowly killing her wolf from within, and Elaine felt the creeping numbness spreading further every time Michael touched Kathy in her presence.
She couldn’t tell anyone. There was no one to tell. No one would care. Her parents had already made it clear with their silence, their looks of pity mixed with expectation for her to step aside, to understand.
The Alpha couple had been no different.
Every glance, every wordless look at the breakfast table was an unspoken command: endure this, accept this, be silent.
And she had. She had accepted it in her own way, which was why she had told them she was leaving. But even that small decision had cost her.
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By revealing her intention too soon, she had given them time to prepare ways to keep her bound here. That was why she had begged Darius not to approach the Alpha yet. If he moved too soon, they would corner her, lock her in, make sure she never left the territory. Better to wait until the very last moment-tomorrow-when they would have no chance to scheme against her.
Darius had understood. He had agreed. And in that agreement, Elaine found the comfort she hadn’t known she needed.
In the short days since they’d met, he had become something she thought she no longer deserved-a friend. A protector. Someone who didn’t look at her with disappointment or disgust. Someone who saw her and believed in her.
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