128- The Thread Between Us
POV Edric Eldoria:
She had suffered too much and endured a traumatic death. When I brought her home, I wanted everything to be as before—as she remembered it. And she had an attachment to that nest; she wanted everything precisely where she had left it.
“No one will touch anything, don’t worry.”
I nodded, turning my attention back to the ancient Tharnak forest, which hid countless secrets, carried many deaths, and had its soil stained with blood.
“If Ileana and Petronela spoke of…” Her voice died, as if she couldn’t bear to say the traitor wolf’s name.
“Kill them,” I cut in, irritated. “I gave my orders—and I’ll kill anyone who disobeys them. Thalira will be forgotten, just as I promised her, while I killed and buried her in the forest without a shred of honor.”
Her betrayal burned through my veins. I blamed myself for believing her, for failing as alpha and allowing important lives to be lost because of her rotten character—something I hadn’t recognized in time.
I had been a blind, gullible fool, manipulable enough to let betrayal take root in my pack. And I would have to live with that for the rest of my life.
I failed as a leader, as a protector of Eldoria. My blind trust in Thalira opened the door to tragedy—to the loss of precious lives that could never be regained.
People died because of her obsession, her ambition—and my naïveté.
I let out a frustrated sigh.
How could I have been so weak, so foolish?
There were no excuses, no forgiveness for my failures. I was the alpha, the leader of the pack, and I had failed to protect those I had sworn to defend.
But I would not allow Thalira to take anything more. I swore to myself, with every fiber of my being, that I would rescue Lunara and bring her home, by my side, where she belonged.
“I’ll have the greatest pleasure in killing them, then,” the she-wolf declared, growling her rage.
I opened my mouth to speak to Lyris when I felt a comforting warmth in my chest. I spread a hand over it, massaging the spot, and took unsteady steps, guided by an invisible thread of the bond that tied me to the omega.
It was her.
I tasted her terror tingling at the tip of my tongue, leaving behind an acidic flavor.
It wasn’t strong, but she was there, still linked to me, sharing the same lifeline I did and carrying my heart with her.
A low roar escaped me as I swallowed her fear. I squeezed my eyes shut and drew in a deep breath, trying to latch onto her.
She was alive and didn’t seem to be hurt—the fear she felt was emotional; there was no physical pain present.
“I’m coming to you, little wolf. I’m coming for you,” I whispered.
Lyris’s hand rested on my shoulder, feeling the rigidity of my body, the tension etched into all my muscles.
“Is everything alright?” she asked in a murmur. “Are you feeling Sava?”
The warmth vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
I straightened, breathing with difficulty, without taking my eyes off the forest.
“She woke up, but she didn’t stay that way for long,” I revealed. “Lunara is afraid and in pain, but she isn’t injured—at least not physically. I think she’s suffering because of Anton; that’s why she emanates so much pain.”
I raked my fingers through my hair, feeling frustrated and desperate. Her suffering echoed inside me, corroding me from within. My beast—my most primal part—seemed deranged, ready to burn the world, to kill everyone, to stain itself with their blood and carry so many deaths on its hands that they would be impossible to count.
The despair was tangible, primal, as if something were wrong, as if something were missing. I needed Lunara by my side; I needed to have her with me.
The fear of losing her was overwhelming, a dark shadow hanging over me with every passing second. I felt the pressure in my lungs, the tightness in my chest, and every second seemed to stretch into eternity.
“Do you know where she is?” Lyris asked.
I met her gaze, panting.
“Not completely, but I think we already have a direction to follow.” I turned toward the east. “And we won’t stop until we reach her, even if we have to move heaven and earth.” I looked at Lyris. “Take care of my pack while I bring our queen back home.”
“We didn’t find anything, alpha,” said Alin, one of the wolves from a search group I had sent ahead. “We lost their trail at the edge of the forest. They might have gone into the city or crossed the river that cuts through the path—there’s no way to know.”
I nodded, keeping my gaze lowered.
I ran a hand through my hair, dampened by the snowflakes falling over us, and let out a long exhale.
“Thank you, Alin. That’s enough for today.” I raised my voice, so everyone could hear me. “Rest and eat. We leave as soon as the sun rises.”
It had been three days since Lunara was taken from me—ripped from Eldoria’s lands, the place she belonged. And since then, I hadn’t stopped for a single second, always trying to pick up her trail.
I knew Alessio was taking her to Eclipse territory—I just had no idea what he might do to her on the way. And that was what worried me.
Thalira had said he would tear her mark off. The ritual was dangerous, unnatural, and agonizing. No marked wolf dared attempt it because most of the time, it ended in death. MI feared that he would try to complete the ritual before reaching his destination.
I needed to find her. Every additional second I spent away from her twisted a blade deeper into my chest.
I watched my men lighting fires in the middle of the forest while others cleaned the deer they had hunted earlier, preparing it for roasting.
They were exhausted—worn down by the relentless chase to find Lunara.
Some groups had gone ahead, trying to catch a scent, trying to find any trace of them. Alessio was cunning—I had to admit it. He had been hiding his tracks well and keeping Lunara sedated, so I wouldn’t be able to track her.
I felt her wake up a few times during that period. The bond was weak, nothing more than a faint ember flickering in my chest. It lasted only minutes, sometimes mere seconds. And then, instinctively, I knew which direction we needed to take.