CHAPTER 4: ASHES DON’T BREATHE
1430 Words
♠ ELIAS ♠
“She’s dead.”
I said it the moment the flames swallowed her.
I said it when the smoke rose into the sky.
I said it when her screams stopped.
And yet, three days later, I could not sleep.
The forest had been too quiet.
Execution by fire left nothing but bones and ash.
And yet they found neither.
“Send the guards back to the forest,” I ordered sharply.
The beta standing before me hesitated. “Alpha, the pyre burned for hours. There’s no way anyone—”
“I said send them.”
He bowed immediately. “Yes, Alpha.”
The door shut behind him.
Morgana stepped out from behind the velvet curtains, her silk robe trailing behind her like a shadow.
“You’re unsettled,” she observed gently.
I poured myself another drink. “I am being cautious.”
“She was burned alive in front of the entire pack.”
“There were no remains,” I snapped.
Morgana approached slowly, her fingers trailing up my arm. “Elias… even wolves cannot survive fire.”
My jaw tightened.
“She was carrying my child,” I said quietly.
Her eyes flickered, almost imperceptibly — but she recovered fast.
“You demanded a confirmation test,” she reminded me. “It was negative. The Moon Goddess herself showed the seer that Mira was barren.”
I looked away.
The image of Mira screaming, begging, insisting she was pregnant, it wouldn’t leave me but she deserved it.
“You hesitated,” Morgana whispered.
“I did not.”
“You did.”
Her fingers moved to my chest.
“You hesitated because you knew she was never wicked. Only weak.”
I gripped her wrist.
“Do not mistake mercy for doubt.”
Her lips curved faintly. “Of course, my Alpha.”
Silence settled between us.
Then she said, almost thoughtfully, “Perhaps… we should go with the guards.”
I looked at her. “What?”
“To the forest,” she clarified softly. “If you’re uneasy, we should confirm it ourselves. You deserve peace.”
I studied her face.
Calm. Reassuring. Loyal.
“You would go back there?” I asked.
“For you,” she said.
Something in my chest eased.
Very well.
“Prepare the car.” I ordered.
She smiled.
And leaned in.
Her lips brushed mine slowly.
Soft.
Deliberate.
Reassuring.
When she pulled back, she whispered, “By tonight, there will be no more ghosts between us.”
The forest still smelled faintly of smoke.
Charred earth.
Burned wood.
But, no body.
The guards were scattered, searching.
One approached and bowed.
“Alpha. We’ve combed the area twice. There’s nothing.”
“Nothing?” I repeated.
“Only ash, sir.”
Morgana came down from the car.
Her boots crunched against the blackened ground.
“She could not have survived this,” Morgana continued calmly.
I turned in a slow circle.
The trees beyond the clearing were dense.
Dark.
Silent.
“Search further,” I commanded.
The guards obeyed immediately.
Morgana stepped beside me.
“You fear humiliation,” she said quietly.
I glanced at her.
“If she lived… if she crawled away… the pack would see it as weakness.”
My jaw tightened.
“Yes.”
She placed her hand over mine.
“She didn’t survive.”
“How can you be so certain?”
She looked into my eyes, steady and unwavering.
“Because I made sure she wouldn’t.”
The words were soft.
Almost lost to the wind.
But I heard them.
I turned sharply. “What?”
She smiled faintly. “I mean… the fire was thorough.”
I exhaled slowly.
My nerves were fraying.
This was foolish.
Mira was dead.
She had to be.
After another hour, the guards returned with the same report.
Nothing.
Not even bones.
Morgana mounted her horse.
“Elias,” she said gently, “ash does not breathe.”
I looked at the empty clearing one last time.
Then I nodded.
“Return.”
Back at the pack house, I immediately summoned the sentinels.
“Make an announcement,” I ordered.
“There will be a feast tonight.”
The beta looked confused. “A feast, Alpha?”
“Yes. Ravenclaw must move forward. We will celebrate purification.”
“And… the purpose?”
I turned toward Morgana.
She stood beside me now.
Not behind.
“Tonight,” I said clearly, “I will name Ravenclaw’s new Luna.”
The room fell silent.
Morgana’s hand tightened around mine.
The beta bowed deeply. “It will be done.”
As soon as they left, Morgana turned to me, her eyes shining.
“You honor me.”
“You stood by me,” I replied. “When others questioned.”
She stepped into my arms and kissed me deeply.
This time there was no softness.
Only hunger.
When she pulled away, she laughed lightly.
“Tonight,” she whispered, “Ravenclaw will finally be whole.”
The feast hall was blazing with torchlight.
Music filled the air.
Wine flowed freely.
The pack needed celebration.
They needed certainty.
And I would give it to them.
I rose from my seat and lifted my goblet.
“Tonight,” I began, my voice echoing across the hall, “we celebrate the cleansing of weakness from our midst.”
Cheers erupted.
“Mira Ashclaw’s curse has been burned away. Ravenclaw stands stronger.”
More cheers.
I extended my hand toward Morgana.
“And tonight, I name Morgana as your Luna.”
The hall roared.
Morgana rose gracefully.
She bowed her head in mock humility.
“I vow to serve Ravenclaw,” she said sweetly. “To protect its future. To ensure no corruption ever poisons it again.”
Her words were smooth.
Convincing.
She turned and kissed me in front of everyone.
The pack erupted in approval.
Music resumed.
Dancing began.
Wine spilled.
Laughter returned.
For the first time in days, I felt… steady.
Perhaps this was necessary.
Perhaps Mira had always been the fracture.
Morgana pulled me toward the center of the hall.
“Dance with me, my Alpha.”
I allowed myself to relax.
Her body moved easily against mine.
Her scent was strong.
Confident.
Possessive.
“You did what was right,” she murmured against my ear.
“Ravenclaw cannot tolerate weakness.”
“And I will never be weak for you.”
I looked down at her.
“And I will never be questioned again.”
She smiled.
The music swelled.
Then the doors burst open.
A guard stumbled inside, breathless.
The music stopped abruptly.
“What is it?” I demanded.
He dropped to one knee.
“Alpha—”
“Speak.”
He swallowed hard.
“Ronald Ashclaw was found dead in his home.”
The hall went silent.
Mira’s father.
My former Gamma.
“How?” I asked slowly.
The guard’s voice trembled.
“There were no signs of struggle… but the healer confirmed—”
“Confirmed what?”
“He was poisoned.”
The words slammed into the room like a physical blow.
Murmurs erupted immediately.
I felt Morgana’s hand tighten around mine.
“Impossible,” I said coldly.
“He was seen at the feast preparations this afternoon,” the guard continued. “Healthy. Strong.”
I scanned the room.
Eyes everywhere.
Watching.
Whispering.
Poison.
A silent death.
Not fire.
Not spectacle.
Calculated.
I turned slowly to Morgana.
Her expression was perfect.
Concerned.
Grieved.
“Ronald was loyal to you,” she said softly. “Who would dare—”
My mind raced.
Ronald had publicly disowned Mira.
He had called her cursed.
He had stood by my decision.
So who would poison him?
And why now?
A cold unease crept down my spine.
“Seal the borders,” I ordered immediately.
“No one leaves Ravenclaw tonight.”
The guard bowed and rushed out.
The celebration was shattered.
The pack was restless.
Fear spreads faster than fire.
Morgana stepped closer.
“You cannot let this weaken you,” she whispered urgently. “The pack is watching.”
I nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
I turned back to the room.
“Ravenclaw will not be shaken by cowardice,” I declared loudly. “We will find whoever did this.”
Cheers came, but they were uncertain.
Morgana pressed her lips to my cheek.
“We will face this together.”
Together.
Yes.
We had burned weakness.
We had crowned strength.
And yet—
Something has crept in to spoil our triumph.
- Writer
