125- Between Darkness
POV Edric Eldoria:
Lunara’s trail was gone. Alessio had already taken her far from me.
I sniffed through the forest, ran in every direction, following footprints and trying to catch their scent. The weather aided their escape, and the snowstorm that had begun covered their tracks.
I returned to where I had left Anton’s and Thalira’s bodies. I dragged the omega’s corpse deep into the forest, far enough from Eldoria, and dug a grave with my own hands, venting my rage as I opened a hole deep enough to bury her. I threw her body inside and shoveled dirt over it, covering her completely.
She would not be remembered. She would not be mentioned. Nor would she receive the honor of entering the valley of the dead by having her body burned. Thalira had been too manipulative—she must have had others following her game, believing her lies. No one would know where her corpse lay. No one would give her the mercy of a dignified death. Only I would know—and I would die carrying that secret.
I would inform everyone of her betrayals and her death, forbid anyone from speaking her name or naming any newborn wolf after her, at least in Eldoria.
She would never be loved by me, and soon she would be forgotten by all.
When I finished, I returned to the scene of the disaster and lifted Anton’s body, throwing him over my shoulder, then gathered his heart, carrying it back home, even lifeless.
I was on the verge of wiping out entire wolf packs to satisfy my thirst for vengeance, which had never burned so fiercely.
(...)
POV Lunara Grimwald:
I blinked, trying to shake off the lethargy of the sedative Alessio had given me, but it was still far too strong in my system.
I remembered waking up and then falling asleep again, only to wake somewhere else as he carried me with him, taking me farther and farther from Edric and from Eldoria.
Sleep, however, was a much better place for me to remain. There, I stayed in the dark, my mind turned off, and when I did have a few dreams, they were all good. In that world, Anton’s death did not reach me—it didn’t even exist.
I felt so good while sleeping, so happy and free, without any emotional exhaustion. It was a happy life, alongside my friends in Eldoria, just as we had been living in recent times.
Sometimes I helped Celindra at the school, other times I walked through the village with Lyris. And most of the time, I was in Edric’s company when Anton and Andrei would approach with their always-unfunny jokes.
The dreams were so good, so unlike the nightmare my life had turned into.
I heard Alessio and his wolves murmuring, worried about Edric getting closer or managing to reach them. They never stayed anywhere longer than necessary.
They were terrified of Edric, though they refused to admit it.
When they noticed I was waking up, I felt the needle pierce the skin of my neck, and I fell back into darkness. That was, however, my favorite part of the journey. Alessio’s voice vanished, and I forgot where I was or with whom I was, returning to the memories of my friends and my pack.
They didn’t want to risk leaving me awake for too long. Edric would feel it every time I opened my eyes, and panic seized me. He would feel my trace and hunt me down until he found me.
The places had distinct smells.
I couldn’t recognize any of them—my eyes wouldn’t stay open—but from the strong odor of ingrained mold and cheap cleaning products that turned my stomach, we were passing through filthy holes to sleep between one town and the next.
I felt my wolf using only minimal energy. Although she was starving, it wasn’t symbolic of weakness—she was doing a good job keeping us healthy. The sedative drugs were, so far, the only “food” I’d been receiving.
“Are you going to let the males have fun with her?” I heard one of the wolves ask.
My body was lying on a thin, hard mattress, the smell of dirty bedsheets irritating my nose. I stayed silent and still, trying to keep myself awake without being sedated again.
“No,” Alessio replied.
“And what about our deal? Whoever fetched the omega could have fun with her,” said a second wolf.
I couldn’t tell how many of them were in the room with us, nor how many had gone with Alessio to kidnap me. Six perhaps—or more.
“The deal was that if one of you brought Lunara to me, then you would be free to use her however you wished.”
“So?” insisted a third wolf, his voice unfamiliar to me.
“So, none of you upheld the deal. I had to leave my father alone, taking care of two packs, to handle this myself. None of you are worthy of my agreement.”
They shifted. I heard the crinkle of plastic packaging and then smelled processed food.
“This is unfair! Everyone heard that wolf’s growl in the forest. If he reaches us, he’ll kill us without thinking twice. We’re risking our asses to retrieve the runaway bride. We could at least get a taste of her—the alpha’s daughter,” complained the first wolf, the one who had brought up the subject.
They fell silent for a few seconds. I could hear only their exasperated breathing.
“If you question my orders again, Ralf, you won’t live long enough to see Edric tear your head off, because I will personally do it myself,” Alessio hissed. “My deal was that you could have your fun, as long as you returned my prize to me. None of you managed to do that—just like all the others I sent before you. I took responsibility myself and I recovered her.”