Chapter 72 Old Wounds
Maddie Pov
I ran straight to Elara's dorm after escaping from Jace. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely text her to let me in. But she must have seen me through her window because the door opened before I even got there.
"Maddie what happened?" Elara asked. She grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. "You look terrified."
"Jace," I managed to say. My voice was shaking. "He cornered me behind the bleachers. He knows Elara. He knows everything."
"Knows what?" Elara asked. She sat me down on her bed. "What does he know?"
"My secret," I said. I put my head in my hands. "He knows I'm not wolfless. He knows about the white fur. He knows who my parents were. He knows everything."
Elara was quiet for a moment. Then she sat down next to me. "How long has he known?"
"The whole time we were dating," I said. "He always knew. He just never told me that he knew. He let me think I was hiding it successfully."
"That's messed up," Elara said. "That's really messed up Maddie."
"He threatened me," I continued. My words were coming out fast now. Tumbling over each other. "He said he would expose me if I didn't cooperate. If I didn't stop pretending we were over. If I didn't go back to him."
"He can't do that," Elara said firmly. "That's blackmail. That's abuse. We need to report him."
"To who?" I asked. "The school? They'll ask why he's blackmailing me. They'll want to know what secret he's holding over me. Then I'll have to tell them the truth about what I am."
"Then we go to the police," Elara suggested.
"And say what?" I asked. "That my ex boyfriend is threatening to tell people I'm a werewolf? They'll think I'm insane."
Elara was quiet again. She knew I was right. She knew there was no good way to handle this through official channels.
"What did he say exactly?" Elara asked. "Tell me everything."
I told her. Every word of the conversation. Every threat. Every implication. The way he caged me in. The way he leaned close. The way he made me feel small and scared and helpless.
"He's going to use it against me," I said when I finished. "He's going to expose me in front of everyone. He's going to destroy my life just like he threatened."
"Not if we stop him first," Elara said. "Not if we figure out a way to protect you."
"How?" I asked. "How do we protect me from someone who knows my biggest secret? Someone who has all the power?"
"He doesn't have all the power," Elara said. "He just wants you to think he does. But you're not powerless Maddie. You're not the same scared girl he left behind at Silverthorn."
"Yes I am," I said. "I'm exactly that girl. Nothing has changed except the location."
"Everything has changed," Elara insisted. She grabbed my shoulders and made me look at her. "You're stronger now. You've been training. You've been building yourself up. You've been learning to use what you are instead of hiding from it."
"That doesn't matter if he exposes me," I said. "All that training. All that strength. None of it matters if everyone finds out what I am."
"Then maybe it's time to stop hiding," Elara said quietly.
"What?" I stared at her in shock. "Are you serious?"
"Think about it," Elara said. "What power does Jace have if you expose yourself first? What can he threaten you with if the secret is already out?"
"Everyone will know," I said. "Everyone will see what I am. They'll use me. They'll hunt me. They'll try to control me."
"Or they'll accept you," Elara said. "Or they'll protect you. Or they'll see you as the amazing person you are instead of just a secret to keep."
"You don't understand," I said. I pulled away from her. "You don't know what it's like to be a white wolf. To be hunted. To be seen as a prize or a weapon instead of a person."
"You're right," Elara said. "I don't understand that. But I understand what it's like to live in fear. To hide who you really are because you're scared of what people will think."
"This is different," I insisted.
"Is it?" Elara asked. "Or is fear just fear no matter what form it takes?"
I didn't have an answer to that. I just sat there on her bed feeling lost and scared and completely overwhelmed.
"I'm not saying you have to expose yourself," Elara said gently. "I'm just saying maybe it's worth considering. Maybe taking away Jace's power is worth the risk."
"I don't know," I said. "I need to think about it."
"Okay," Elara said. "Think about it. But while you're thinking remember that you're not alone. You have me. You have other people who care about you. You're not facing this by myself."
"Calix doesn't care," I said bitterly. "He made that very clear."
"I don't know about that," Elara said. "I've seen the way he looks at you. That's not the look of someone who doesn't care."
"It doesn't matter how he looks at me," I said. "He's made his choice. He chose to push me away. He chose his curse over our bond."
"Maybe," Elara said. "Or maybe he's just as scared as you are. Maybe he's just handling it differently."
"I don't want to talk about Calix," I said. "Can we please just focus on the Jace problem?"
"Okay," Elara agreed. "So what's your plan? How are you going to handle him?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "Avoid him as much as possible. Try to get through the rest of sports week without another confrontation. Hope he gets bored and leaves me alone."
"That's not a plan," Elara said. "That's just hoping for the best."
"Do you have a better idea?" I asked.
"Actually yes," Elara said. "We face him together. Next time he tries to corner you I'll be right there. He won't try anything if there's a witness."
"He doesn't care about witnesses," I said. "He tripped me in front of thousands of people today. Or had his teammate do it anyway."
"Then we document everything," Elara said. "Every threat. Every confrontation. Every time he gets near you. We build a case against him even if we can't use it officially."