Chapter 47

Chapter 47
Elara’s POV

That night the packhouse felt like a cage. Every creak of the old wood, every whisper drifting through the halls carried weight. I could feel the stares even when no one was there.

Damian had ordered guards outside my door, but I didn’t know if they were there to protect me or to keep me from running. Either way, the result was the same. I was trapped.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my hands. They looked ordinary, soft palms with faint calluses from training. Yet I knew what the others saw now. Not Elara, not the rejected mate who had survived. They saw a weapon, something to either use or fear.

Jason’s words replayed in my head. She saved me. He had believed it. I wanted to hold onto that. But Thomas’s voice was louder. Why couldn’t you stop Kael?

I pressed my fists against my chest. Because I had been too scared. Because my body froze when Lucas’s neck snapped. Because no matter how much I wanted to be strong, fear had swallowed me whole.

The door opened softly. Damian stepped inside, his shoulders heavy with exhaustion. His shirt was torn at the collar, blood on the fabric that wasn’t his. He shut the door and leaned against it like the weight of the world pressed down on him.

“You didn’t sleep,” he said.

“Neither did you.” My voice cracked.

He crossed the room and crouched in front of me, his eyes searching mine. “You stood in that circle and didn’t break. Half of them doubted you, yes, but the other half saw you for what you are. That matters.”

“It matters until someone like Thomas twists it.” I laughed bitterly. “They don’t see me, Damian. They see a tool, or a curse. Both are things they’d rather keep chained.”

His jaw tightened. “Let them think what they want. They’ll learn the truth when you prove yourself again.”

I shook my head. “And what if I can’t? What if I fail again, like I did with Kael?”

His hands gripped mine firmly, not letting me pull away. “You didn’t fail. You survived. You’re here now, standing against him, and that is more than most could do.”

The words sank deep, but the ache inside me didn’t loosen. “You believe that. But they don’t. And I don’t know how much longer I can carry all of their suspicion.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke. His thumb brushed circles over my palm, steady and grounding. Then his voice lowered. “Do you want to leave?”

The question caught me off guard. My breath hitched. “Leave?”

“If this weight is too much, I’ll take you beyond the borders myself. No one will follow.” His eyes burned into mine. “You’re not my prisoner, Elara. You never were. You stay because you choose to. If you choose to go, I won’t stop you.”

The words should have felt freeing, but they cut deep. My throat tightened. “And if I leave, what happens to the pack? To Jason, to all the others who need help?”

His lips pressed into a thin line. “They’ll survive. I won’t let them fall, with or without your gift.”

The wolf in me twisted, restless. He was giving me an out, and part of me wanted to take it. Run until no one could ever call me a curse again. But another part of me burned hotter. The part that remembered Jason’s relief. The part that remembered Lucas’s sacrifice. The part that was tired of running.

“I can’t leave,” I whispered. “Not when Kael is still out there. Not when Thomas would use my absence as proof that I never belonged here.”

Damian’s hand cupped the back of my neck, firm but gentle. “Then stay. Not for them. Not even for me. Stay for yourself. Because you deserve to stand here, gift or no gift.”

Tears stung my eyes, but I nodded. My voice was barely more than a breath. “Then I’ll stay.”

His forehead pressed against mine, the warmth of his presence cutting through the chill inside me. For a moment, the weight eased.

But then a howl rose outside, sharp and commanding. Not Kael’s, but one of our own. The alarm.

Damian’s head snapped up. He was on his feet in an instant, his body tense. “Stay here.”

“Damian..”

“Stay.” His eyes flashed amber as he left the room, the door slamming shut behind him.

I stood frozen, heart pounding. Outside, the sounds of wolves gathering shook the night.

Whatever fragile ground I had gained in the circle today was about to be tested. And I wasn’t sure if I was ready.