Chapter 209 209

Chapter 209 209
Lorien’s POV
“Today, one of our own a member of this pack and the leader of the group that tried to take my life was killed during the attempt.” Auren’s voice carried steady authority across the room. “Before she died, I managed to get a list of names from her. I now know everyone involved in her scheme, and I want to assure you all that I’ll do everything necessary to protect this pack.”
The slightest flicker of tension passed through Auren’s frame. It was subtle barely perceptible but I caught it. My senses were wired to him, too attuned to miss even the smallest change.
Movement at the edge of the crowd drew my attention a slender, familiar figure weaving his way through the bodies, trying to slip away unnoticed.
Auren raised his hand just as the man turned his back. At once, the guards moved.
The commotion was brief but forceful. The man thrashed and fought until they subdued him, and my heart sank when I recognized his face the man from the dress shop. Sylira’s cousin.
He wasn’t evil; he was grieving. Desperate. Broken by loss and blinded by the need for vengeance. It was human… and yet, still unforgivable.
No one in the gathering acknowledged the struggle behind them, and I exhaled a quiet sigh of relief that Lysandra’s accomplice had been caught without bloodshed. There would still be questions, trials, and justice to follow but at least, for now, he couldn’t hurt anyone else.
Auren’s tone softened as he transitioned to a new announcement: the pack would be hosting a celebration the following week to honor our mating. The room erupted with cheers and teasing whistles, and heat rushed to my cheeks.
I tried to smile, to let the joy of the moment touch me, but a knot of unease held me tight. Fear gnawed at the edges of my composure. What if I lost control again? What if the darkness that lingered at the back of my mind decided to surface when I least expected it?
Even in the midst of laughter and warmth, shadows whispered through my thoughts. I forced myself to silence them, to shut everything down before they could spread.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. By morning, fear had settled in my bones so deeply that I couldn’t bring myself to step outside. Olyssia and the twins came by several times, urging me to come out, but I couldn’t. The risk felt too real.
By the time Auren returned that afternoon to change for dinner, my decision was final.
I stood at the foot of our bed, my travel bag resting behind me on the mattress. When he walked in and saw me there, he froze. The air thickened as he closed the door behind him, slow and deliberate.
“What is this?” he asked quietly, the tremor in his voice almost breaking me.
I swallowed hard. “I have to go back just for a few days,” I said, my tone trembling despite my resolve. “I need to learn how to control it.”
Auren stepped closer, stopping just inches away, his body angled like a barrier between me and the door. “We can figure something out,” he murmured, shaking his head. His eyes dropped briefly to my stomach. “You don’t have to leave. Please… don’t leave.”
“I talked to Ardyn,” I said, taking his hand in mine. “He told me the only person who’s ever mastered shadow magic is my great-aunt.”
Queen Elara. The title still felt foreign, but the truth was undeniable she was family, and the only one who could teach me how to control what I’d become.
“I can call her,” Auren insisted, threading his fingers through mine and drawing me against him. “We can make it work here. You don’t have to go now.”
“I do.” My voice cracked. “I nearly killed someone yesterday, and even if it was justified… it terrified me.” I pressed my forehead to his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. “Just the thought of walking out of this room makes me panic. I can’t keep living like this, waiting for the next time I lose control and hurt someone. I’m so scared, Auren.”