Chapter 125 Elara's POV
Xavier met us at the Dark Moon Pack border in the middle of the night.
"Ethan," He said, gripping Beta's hand. "I got your message thank you for trusting me with this."
"I didn't have much choice. Blue Moon elders want her executed."
Xavier's eyes moved to me, still sitting in the back seat of the car. "Then she stays here for as long as she needs no one from Blue Moon Pack has jurisdiction in my territory."
"Thank you," I said quietly.
"Don't thank me yet this situation is complicated and dangerous for everyone involved." He gestured toward a black SUV parked nearby. "Follow me will take you somewhere safe."
We drove deeper into Dark Moon territory. The landscape was different from Blue Moon darker forests, rockier terrain, everything slightly more ominous.
Finally, we arrived at what looked like a private residence. Smaller than the main pack house but still substantial.
"This is a safe house," Xavier explained as we entered.
"Used for protecting high value targets or guests who need discretion no one knows about it except my most trusted people."
The interior was surprisingly comfortable. Well-furnished clean nothing like the dark, forbidding place I had imagined based on Damian's descriptions of Dark Moon Pack.
"You will have your own rooms," Xavier continued. "Full security anything you need, just ask. Consider this your home for however long necessary."
"Why are you helping me?" I asked. "You barely know me."
"I know you are Elena Silvercrest's daughter. The last of a bloodline that was destroyed by the same enemy threatening all of us.”
“And you are carrying a blessed child who could be crucial to defeating Erebus."
He looked at me seriously. "Besides, I don't believe you poisoned Kaden. The Elara I have observed isn't capable of that kind of betrayal."
Over the next few days, Xavier proved true to his word.
I received the best treatment possible: a comfortable bedroom. Meals prepared to accommodate my pregnancy cravings, medical staff checking on me regularly to ensure the baby was healthy.
Kara stayed with me constantly, refusing to leave my side even when I told her she could go home.
"You are my friend," She insisted. "I'm not abandoning you when you need support the most."
And Xavier visited daily, bringing updates about the Blue Moon Pack, asking how I was feeling, making sure I had everything I needed.
Slowly, I began to trust him.
But trusting Xavier didn't make the situation any easier.
By the end of the first week, I was struggling. The pregnancy was in its final stages now and moving around was difficult.
My back ached constantly and my ankles were swollen. And Adrian kicked so forcefully sometimes that I had to stop whatever I was doing and just breathe through it.
"You should rest more." Kara said, watching me pace the room for the hundredth time.
"I can't rest every time I close my eyes, I see Kaden collapsing. Vomiting blood, dying because of food I prepared."
"You didn't poison him-"
"But someone did use ingredients I selected. In the kitchen I supervised. How did I not notice? How was I so careless?"
Before Kara could answer, there was a knock at the door Ethan entered, his expression serious.
"I have news," he said.
My heart stopped. "Is it Kaden? Is he-"
"He is still alive, still in a coma but Damian says he's stable for now."
Relief and grief crashed over me in equal measure. Alive was good but comatose meant he couldn't wake up. Couldn't tell everyone I was innocent and couldn't come for me.
"There's something else," Ethan continued. "Lyssa is on her way here to the Dark Moon Pack. She knows you're here."
"How does she know?"
"We're not sure but Damian called to warn us. Said Lyssa seemed pleased about something. Like she has plans for you."
"What kind of plans?"
"Nothing good, she hates you because of Damian's feelings. And she's unstable enough to act on that hatred."
"Should we leave? Find somewhere else?”
"No," Xavier's voice came from the doorway. "You're safer here than anywhere else. Lyssa may be vindictive but she won't dare harm you in my territory. I won't allow it."
That evening, my phone rang.
Damian.
I answered immediately. "How is he? Please tell me there has been improvement."
"I'm sorry, Elara. He's still in a coma. His body is fighting the poison but it's a slow process." Damian's voice was heavy with exhaustion. "I'm doing everything I can but I don't know if it's enough."
"What about the investigation? Have they found who actually poisoned him?"
"Not yet the elders are still convinced you're responsible. They've formally charged you with attempted murder. If Kaden dies..." He didn't need to finish the sentence.
If Kaden dies, I'd be executed for murder.
"I didn't do it," I said, tears streaming down my face. "I would never hurt him, you know that."
"I know. And I'm doing everything I can to prove it. But evidence is hard to find when everyone wants to believe you're guilty."
We talked for a few more minutes. Damian gave me updates on Kaden's condition, on the political situation in Blue Moon Pack, on Selena's continued campaign to have me executed.
When we hung up, I felt more hopeless than ever.
"I need air," I told Kara. "I need to move. I can't just sit here waiting."
"It's late. You should rest-"
"I'll rest when I'm dead, which might be soon if they catch me." I grabbed a jacket. "I'm going for a walk around the grounds. Just to clear my head."
Kara insisted on coming with me.
We walked through the Dark Moon Pack grounds in the darkness. The place was quiet, most pack members already asleep. Guards patrolled at regular intervals but they recognized me and let me pass without question.
I was walking past one of the training buildings when a figure stepped out of the shadows.
Lyssa.
She stood there blocking our path, her expression cold and calculating.
"Well, well," she said. "The murderous Luna. Hiding in my pack's territory. How convenient."
"I'm not a murderer," I said quietly.
"Aren't you? From what I hear, your mate is dying from poison you served him. Sounds like murder to me."
"I didn't poison him. Someone else did."
"Of course you'd say that. Murderers always claim innocence." She moved closer. "But we both know the truth. You wanted power. Wanted the Luna position so badly you were willing to kill for it. And now you're here, hiding like a coward, while your mate suffers."