Chapter 62

Chapter 62
Damian’s POV

The battlefield smelled like blood, smoke, and something worse. Shadows still clung to the trees where Kael had disappeared, staining the air with a weight that pressed on my chest. Wolves were groaning all around, some struggling to shift back, others too broken to move.

I held Elara against me, her body trembling, her face streaked with dirt and tears. She had given everything out there. I felt the proof of it in the ache of my bones and the strength that still buzzed faintly under my skin. She had poured herself into me, into the pack, and for a few breaths it had worked. Kael had been forced back.

But he was not gone.

I stood, forcing my legs to carry us both. Marcus met me halfway, his arm bleeding, his shirt torn, but his eyes sharp. He looked at Elara, then back at me, and his mouth tightened.

“She nearly broke herself,” he said low, so the others couldn’t hear.

“She saved us,” I snapped, sharper than I meant. Wolves nearby lifted their heads, ears twitching at my tone.

Marcus didn’t argue, but the set of his jaw said enough. Doubt. Fear. Not of Kael, but of her.

I carried her toward the heart of the field where the surviving wolves had gathered. They made space as I passed, their eyes tracking Elara, some wide with awe, others narrowed. Elder Thomas stood stiffly, his arm bandaged by a younger wolf. He bowed his head when he saw me, but his gaze lingered on Elara with something colder.

“Alpha,” he said. “We lost ten. Five more will not make it through the night.” His voice shook with rage and grief. “We cannot afford this war.”

His words were for me, but his eyes were on her.

I lowered Elara carefully onto a patch of grass, brushing dirt from her face with my thumb. She stirred, her lashes flickering, but didn’t wake fully. My chest squeezed tight. She had fought until there was nothing left, and now my pack, the same wolves she had bled to protect, looked at her like she was the danger.

“She is not the enemy,” I said, standing and letting my voice carry. “Without her, Kael would have crushed us tonight.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. A younger wolf, Caleb, shook his head. “She carries his bond. You saw it. She screamed when he bled. What if next time she screams and it weakens you?”

“Enough,” I barked. My wolf surged under my skin, daring any of them to push further. “You will not speak against her.”

The silence that followed was heavy. Respect, yes, but also resentment. Fear. Wolves bowed their heads, but their eyes said what their mouths did not. They were questioning me.

Marcus stepped closer. “We need to regroup,” he said carefully. “Tend to the wounded. Bury our dead. Then decide what comes next.”

What comes next. The words sat like stones in my gut.

Kael would not stop. He had tasted her power. He had seen the pack bend under her light. He would come again, harder, stronger, until he tore her from us or destroyed us all in the process. And my wolves knew it. They feared him but more than that, they feared what Elara might become if she couldn’t hold against him.

I looked back at her, lying pale and still on the grass. My chest tightened. I couldn’t imagine losing her. But leading a pack meant seeing more than what I wanted. It meant seeing the truth. And the truth was simple. If I couldn’t prove to them that she was one of us, they would turn against her.

Marcus called for the healers, guiding them to the worst of the wounded. The field filled with low voices, the rustle of movement, the soft cries of wolves mourning the fallen. I stood apart, my hands on my knees, forcing myself to breathe.

Then Elder Thomas came to me. His face was drawn, his eyes hollow with loss. “Alpha,” he said quietly, so only I could hear. “You love her. I see it. But love will not keep this pack alive.”

I met his gaze, steady, unflinching. “She stays. She fights with us. And if the pack doubts, I will prove them wrong.”

Thomas studied me for a long moment, then inclined his head. But as he walked away, I saw the truth in his eyes. He didn’t believe. Not yet.

Behind me, Elara stirred again, a soft sound leaving her lips. I dropped to her side, taking her hand. Her fingers were weak but warm, curling faintly around mine.

“I’ve got you,” I whispered. My throat burned. “You’re not alone. Not anymore.”

But as I said it, I felt the weight pressing heavier on my shoulders. Leading the pack had never been simple, but now it was a war on two fronts. One against Kael. And one against my own wolves’ fear.

I held her hand tighter, staring into the dark where Kael had vanished. He would be back. And when he came, I would be ready to bleed every drop I had left to keep her here.

But I could not ignore the truth twisting in my gut. If the pack turned on her, I would have to choose. My wolves. Or the woman who had become my whole world.