Chapter 123 Elara's POV
I paced the medical ward hallway like a caged animal. Back and forth back and forth. My hands are still stained with Kaden's blood. My clothes were ruined with it.
Damian had been working on him for over an hour. No updates, no news , just the terrifying silence of not knowing if the man I loved was dying.
My hand kept moving to my stomach where Adrian was kicking frantically, sensing my distress.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to him. "I'm so sorry you have to feel this that your father might not-"
I couldn't finish the thought.
Footsteps running getting closer.
Ethan burst around the corner, his face pale and urgent. "Elara, we need to go right now."
"What? No. I'm not leaving Kaden-"
"You have to, the elders are coming. They are bringing guards to arrest you for attempted murder."
My blood turned to ice. "Murder? But I didn't….I would never-"
"I know that. Damian knows that but the evidence looks damning when you prepare the food. You served it to him and now he's dying from poison."
Ethan grabbed my arm. "Selena's outside right now leading a mob of pack members. They're calling for your execution. Saying you tried to kill the Alpha to take power for yourself."
"That's insane! Why would I kill my own mate? The father of my child?"
"They don't care about logic, they care about revenge. And Selena's whipped them into a frenzy."
Ethan was pulling me toward the exit. "We have maybe five minutes before the elders get here with an arrest warrant we need to leave. Now."
"But Kaden-"
The medical wing door opened. Damian stepped out, blood on his scrubs, exhaustion written across his face.
"How is he?" I demanded. "Is he going to make it?"
Damian's expression was grim. "I don't know. The poison is aggressive. It's attacking his organs, causing massive internal bleeding. I've stabilized him for now but..."
He paused. "The next few hours are critical. If he doesn't respond to treatment, if his body can't fight off the toxin..."
"He might not make it," I finished. My legs gave out.
Ethan caught me before I hit the floor. "We need to go. Damian, can you buy us time?"
"I will try but the elders have authority here. I can't physically stop them from searching for her."
"Just give us ten minutes. That's all I need."
Ethan was already moving, half carrying me toward the back exit.
"Wait!" I tried to pull away. "I can't leave him! What if he wakes up and I'm not here? What if he dies and I never get to say goodbye?"
"If you stay, they will execute you. Is that what you want? For Adrian to grow up without either parent?"
The mention of our son stopped my protests.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Somewhere safe somewhere the Blue Moon Pack elders have no jurisdiction."
We burst through the back exit into the cool night air. A car was waiting, engine running.
Kara sat in the back seat, a bag beside her. "I packed what I could. Clothes, your phone, chargers, some money, everything I thought you'd need."
"Kara, you didn't have to-"
"Yes, I did. You're my friend. I'm not letting them hurt you." She handed me the bag. "Get in. Quickly."
Ethan practically shoved me into the car. Kara climbed in beside me. Ethan got in the driver's seat and we were moving before I could even process what was happening.
I looked back at the pack house and saw lights. Movement a crowd gathering.
Selena's voice carried over the night air. "She tried to kill our Alpha! She poisoned him! We demand justice!"
The crowd roared in agreement.
"They really think I did this," I whispered.
"Selena's very good at manipulating people,"
Kara said quietly. "She's been spreading rumors all afternoon. Saying you wanted to be Luna so badly you'd kill for it. Saying you're not really Kaden's mate, just an opportunistic omega who got pregnant on purpose."
"None of that is true!"
"We know that but truth doesn't matter when people want someone to blame."
I pressed my hands to my face, trying to hold back sobs. "This is the note. It said Kaden would die by my hands and it's coming true. I made the food that poisoned him."
"You didn't know it was poisoned," Ethan said from the front seat. "Someone tampered with the ingredients, someone wanted this to happen."
"But who? Who would want Kaden dead badly enough to frame me for it?"
"Selena's the obvious choice but it could be anyone. Erebus has infiltrated the pack. We know there are traitors."
Ethan's phone rang. He answered immediately. "Damian. How is he?"
I couldn't hear Damian's response but I watched Ethan's face carefully, searching for any sign of hope.
"Understanding keeps me updated." He hung up.
"Well?" I demanded.
"He's still alive, still fighting. Damian says if he makes it through the next two hours, his chances improve significantly."
Two hours. Kaden had to survive two hours.
I clutched my stomach, feeling Adrian kick. "Did you hear that? Your father is fighting. He is strong, he is going to make it, he has to make it."
Tears were streaming down my face now. I couldn't hold them back anymore.
Kara pulled me close, letting me sob against her shoulder. "It's okay, let it out, you are allowed to fall apart right now."
"I can't lose him. I just found him. We just started building our life together. We just named our son. I can't..I can't do this without him."
"You won't have to, he is going to survive. He's too stubborn to die."
But I could hear the uncertainty in her voice. She was trying to comfort me with words she didn't fully believe.
We drove in silence for a while. I'm crying. Kara holding me. Ethan focused on the road.
Finally, Kara spoke up. "Ethan? Where exactly are you taking us? We've been driving for over an hour."
Ethan was quiet for a moment then. "The Dark Moon Pack."
I jerked upright. "What? The Dark Moon Pack? Xavier's territory?"
"It's the only place the Blue Moon elders can't reach you. Xavier offered sanctuary if things ever got dangerous. I'm taking him up on that offer."
"We don't. But it's safer than staying in Blue Moon territory where they want to execute you."
Ethan glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "Xavier saved your life once before. He will do it again. I trust him."
"You trust him but I barely know him."
"Then you will get to know him while we figure out who really poisoned Kaden and how to clear your name."
I looked out the window at the passing darkness. Running away to another pack. Leaving Kaden behind while he fought for his life putting myself and my unborn child at the mercy of a pack.
This was my life now this was what the prophecy had brought me to.
Kaden will die by your hands.
I prayed the note was wrong. Prayed that Kaden would survive. Prayed that somehow, impossibly, we would find our way back to each other.
But as we crossed the border into Dark Moon territory, leaving Blue Moon Pack behind, I couldn't shake the feeling that nothing would ever be the same again.
That I had lost Kaden forever.
And that our son would never get to meet his father.