Chapter 125 Help Their Souls Return
Kaelen's POV
I stayed by Elara's side all night, our mate bond glowing gold as I poured energy into her. Though her breathing steadied, she remained unconscious—her body slowly recovering from the Divine Chain's toll.
The first rays of morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, painting warm stripes across the pale sheets, and I felt a subtle shift in her consciousness through our bond.
I leaned forward immediately, my free hand coming up to brush silver strands away from her face as her eyelids fluttered. "Elara," I breathed.
Her lashes trembled and then lifted slowly, revealing silver eyes that took several long seconds to focus properly on my face. "Elara!" My voice came out rougher than I intended, hoarse from a night of silent prayers and suppressed fear. "You finally woke up."
I couldn't stop myself from squeezing her hand tighter. My other hand moved to cup her cheek, my thumb stroking gently across her skin as I searched her face for signs of pain or lingering weakness.
"How do you feel?" I asked.
I saw her throat move weakly—her mouth dry from hours of unconsciousness. Shifting closer, I cradled her against my chest with one arm while lifting the ever-refilled water glass to her lips. "Slowly," I murmured, tilting it just enough for careful sips.
"I feel like my body has recovered some strength," she said quietly once she had drunk enough, her voice still carrying a slight rasp. "But I'm still tired."
"You were unconscious for an entire day," I told her, my voice dropping low with the memory of those endless hours of fear. "I channeled energy through our bond constantly, but you depleted your magic so severely that I was terrified you wouldn't wake up. If you had taken even one second longer, I think I would have actually lost my mind."
Her hand lifted weakly to touch my face, her fingers cool against my skin in a gesture meant to comfort and reassure. "I'm sorry I worried you. But we won, didn't we?"
I caught her hand and pressed it more firmly against my cheek, closing my eyes and just breathing for a moment as the fear I had been suppressing for the last twenty-four hours finally began to ease. "Yes. But I came so close to losing you in the process."
A knock on the door interrupted the moment, and irritation flashed through me because I wanted more time with just the two of us before the outside world intruded again. But I forced myself to call out permission for entry, knowing that people had been waiting anxiously for news of Elara's condition.
Alpha Sebastian entered first, his expression showing genuine relief as he took in the sight of Elara awake and sitting up. Damian followed immediately behind him, moving quickly to the other side of the bed. Edwin came in next, along with Marcus and several other Sterling family members who crowded into the room with various expressions of worry and relief.
The noise level rose immediately as multiple people tried to express their concern and ask questions about how Elara was feeling, and I felt her body tense slightly against mine in response to the sudden overwhelming attention. I kept my arm around her shoulders protectively, my eyes tracking each person's reactions with the automatic assessment of an Alpha evaluating potential threats.
Alpha Sebastian's relief appeared completely genuine, his body language open and his smile warm as he looked at his granddaughter. Damian's concern was equally authentic, his golden eyes scanning Elara's face for signs of lingering damage with the careful attention of someone who genuinely cared.
But my gaze snagged on Edwin, who stood slightly behind the others, and I noticed immediately that his expression carried something more than simple relief or concern.
There was anxiety in his eyes, sharp and urgent and barely contained, and the way his hands kept clenching and unclenching at his sides suggested he was struggling to hold back words that wanted desperately to be spoken.
I felt my own tension increase in response because I recognized that look, had seen it on the faces of wolves who needed something desperately and were preparing to ask for it regardless of the cost to others.
Edwin finally pushed forward through the small crowd, his voice tight with barely suppressed urgency. "Elara, I know you're still exhausted and you need rest, but today is already the sixth day."
The words hit me like a physical blow because suddenly I understood exactly what he was about to ask for, and fury ignited in my chest like a wildfire catching dry timber. My arm tightened protectively around Elara's shoulders as Edwin continued speaking, his words coming faster as desperation leaked through his attempted composure.
"Nolan and your grandmother's souls are still trapped in that dolls," he said, his eyes fixed on Elara with intensity. "Time is running out so quickly, and if we reach the seventh day without rescuing them, they might be lost forever." His voice cracked slightly on the last words, revealing the depth of his fear. "Can you please try to save them today? You're the only one who has the power to bring them back."
Through our bond, I felt Elara's body go rigid with tension at the request, and the fury that had been building in my chest exploded outward with volcanic force. The words left my mouth before Edwin had even finished his last sentence, cutting through his plea like a blade through silk.
"She just woke up."
The four words came out flat and cold, carrying enough Alpha authority that every person in the room immediately fell silent and turned to look at me. I met Edwin's gaze with ice in my own eyes, my jaw tight with the effort of containing the rage that wanted to pour out in a torrent of accusations about his selfishness and lack of consideration.
My voice dropped even lower as I continued, each word precisely enunciated and carrying the full weight of my dominance as an Alpha. "Elara was unconscious for an entire day because she depleted her reserves so severely that her body shut down to protect itself. She needs rest and time to recover properly, not to be asked to perform another incredibly demanding magical task within ten minutes of regaining consciousness."
Edwin took an involuntary step backward under the pressure of my stare, but he tried to rally with a weak protest. "I understand that, but the time limit—"
"The time pressure does not give you the right to treat her like a tool that exists solely to solve your problems," I interrupted, my tone turning sharp enough to draw blood. "Elara has given everything she has to this family and to the entire werewolf community. She deserves to be treated with care and consideration, not used up and discarded when convenient."
Damian's voice joined mine immediately, and I felt a flash of fierce approval at his support. His tone remained calmer than mine but carried an unmistakable core of steel that matched the sudden coldness in his normally warm golden eyes.
"Kaelen is absolutely right," he said, his gaze moving deliberately from Edwin to encompass everyone else in the room. "All of you know exactly what Elara sacrificed to stop Malakai and save the werewolf world from slavery and death. She deserves to be protected and cared for, not pressured into pushing herself beyond safe limits because it's convenient for others."
He turned his full attention to Edwin specifically, and his voice dropped. "She needs proper rest before attempting anything else. That's not a request or a suggestion, it's a requirement that will be respected."
Alpha Sebastian cleared his throat, breaking the tense silence that had fallen after Damian's declaration. "Damian and Kaelen are both correct," he said, his voice carrying the authority of his position. "Elara, you should rest and recover your strength properly before—"
But Edwin's anxiety hadn't diminished despite the multiple reprimands, and I could see the fear still burning in his eyes as he looked at Elara. His hands trembled slightly at his sides.
Through our bond, I felt Elara's emotions shift into a complex tangle of guilt, determination, and resignation that made my stomach sink with dread. I knew that emotional pattern, had felt it before when she was preparing to sacrifice her own wellbeing for the sake of others.
"Kaelen," she said softly, her hand squeezing mine gently. "Damian."
I looked down at her immediately, my jaw clenching because I already knew what she was about to say and every protective instinct I possessed was screaming at me to stop her. "Elara, you haven't recovered enough to—"
She shook her head slightly, cutting off my protest with a gentle but firm gesture, and when she met my eyes I saw the quiet steel of determination that I had fallen in love with burning in those silver depths. She turned her attention to Edwin, and her voice came out steady and calm despite the exhaustion I could still feel dragging at her through our bond.
"I know you're worried about them," she said, and I felt her resolve solidify into something unshakeable. "I will help their souls return today."