Chapter2
1296 Words
We crossed the border at dawn.
No horns sounded. No guards jumped from behind trees. The patrols were lazy now—blind, distracted. Kael had grown careless.
I didn’t smile, but a small part of me wanted to.
Ryker walked a few steps behind me, silent as always. His presence kept me steady. I didn’t need his protection—I wasn’t the same weak girl from three years ago—but I still liked knowing he was there.
The old trees thinned as we moved deeper into Nightfang territory. My old home. The land I once thought I’d rule beside Kael.
Now I was just passing through. At least, that’s what I told myself.
We stopped on a low ridge that overlooked the central village. Smoke curled from chimneys. Children chased each other barefoot through narrow paths. It looked the same.
But I wasn’t.
“This is as close as I go,” Ryker said behind me. “Too many eyes.”
I nodded, not turning around. “Thank you.”
“I’ll wait on the edge. If anything goes wrong—”
“I’ll howl,” I said.
He paused, then gave a short grunt. “Don’t get soft now, Vale.”
I turned. “You know I’m colder than ever.”
He gave me a sharp look, then disappeared into the trees.
Alone, I let the air settle around me. My old pack was just below. My fated mate likely asleep in that big stone house he didn’t deserve. And Sariah? She was probably draped across his bed like she belonged there.
The thought made my jaw tighten.
I tugged the hood of my cloak forward and walked down the path into the village.
****
It wasn’t until I reached the market square that someone bumped into me.
“Watch it,” a gruff voice said.
I stepped back and looked up. The man froze, his eyes narrowing. He looked at me like he was trying to remember something—then shook it off.
“New around here?” he asked.
I kept my voice calm. “Just passing through.”
He nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “Name?”
“El,” I said quickly. “Just El.”
He grunted again, waved me off, and moved on.
I exhaled.
That was the risk. I didn’t look the same—I’d changed my hair, my scent, even my posture. But some things couldn’t be hidden forever.
Especially not from him.
*****
I walked through the market like I didn’t know it by heart. Like I hadn’t once stood there with Kael’s hand wrapped around mine.
Everything was familiar. The bread stall. The herb table. Even the cracked fountain in the center that still hadn’t been fixed. But the people looked older. Tired. The energy had faded.
Sariah’s rule, no doubt.
She was beautiful, yes. Sweet when needed. But she wasn’t born to lead. She was born to take.
I passed two women whispering near the well.
“She’s bleeding us dry,” one muttered. “I heard she raised the food tax again.”
“For what? Her hair oils?” the other snapped. “Kael does nothing. Just lets her do whatever she wants.”
The first woman shushed her. “You’ll get yourself killed.”
“I miss Elara,” the second whispered. “She would’ve been—”
“Shh.”
I stopped walking.
I hadn’t expected that. I hadn’t expected to still be missed.
I turned away and kept walking before anyone could see my face.
****
By midday, I reached the edge of the village. The Alpha House loomed in the distance—tall stone walls, towers, and the flags I once helped design. The wind changed.
And that’s when it hit me.
His scent.
Kael.
Faint but sharp. Like pine smoke and steel. My breath caught.
The bond was dead. The rejection was real. But still, my body remembered. My heart didn’t race—but my blood pulsed.
He was near.
Too near.
I froze in place, my hand brushing the dagger at my side.
Then I heard him.
“Wait!”
The voice didn’t belong to Kael.
I turned.
A boy—maybe thirteen—ran toward me, short curls bouncing, eyes wild. “Miss!”
I raised an eyebrow.
He stopped in front of me, panting hard. “You’re a healer, right?”
“What?”
“I saw you buy those herbs earlier—my mother said only healers know what to do with those.”
I said nothing.
He looked desperate. “My sister’s burning up. Fever. Mom sent me out to find help. Please.”
I hesitated. I wasn’t here to save anyone. I wasn’t here to help. I was here for me.
But his eyes looked like mine once had.
“Where do you live?” I asked quietly.
****
The house was small—barely standing. His mother paced by the door, tears in her eyes. She looked up as I entered, flinching like she thought I was a threat.
“She’s in here,” she said, voice shaking.
I followed her to a narrow room. The girl on the bed was maybe eight. Soaked in sweat. Her breathing came in short, sharp gasps.
“She got sick after the patrol passed,” the woman said. “They dumped waste near the river again.”
Poisoned water.
Pack negligence.
This was what Nightfang had become.
I rolled up my sleeves. “Boil water. Now.”
She moved quickly.
I crushed two herbs in my palm and placed them under the girl’s nose. Her body jerked. A good sign.
“She’ll make it,” I said softly.
The woman’s knees gave out. She caught herself on the wall. “Thank you. I—what do I call you?”
“El.”
Her lips trembled. “Elara Vale would be proud of you.”
I looked away. “She’s dead.”
The woman frowned. “Shame. We could use someone like her.”
****
I left without another word.
Back in the forest, Ryker was already waiting.
“You went into the village?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Anyone see you?”
“Not really.”
He tilted his head. “But someone felt you.”
I stayed quiet.
He sighed. “You’re pushing it.”
“I found out something,” I said. “The Alpha House is unguarded in the west.”
Ryker raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going there. Not tonight.”
I met his eyes. “I need to see for myself.”
“You mean you need to see him.”
“I mean I need to look in the eyes of the man who tried to erase me—and not flinch.”
Ryker didn’t like it, but he didn’t argue. “Then I’m coming with you.”
****
We moved at twilight.
The path behind the Alpha House was nearly empty. Just one guard, who we easily avoided.
The back wall still had a broken panel. I’d used it as a child to sneak out.
Now I used it to sneak in.
The house was dark. Silent.
I moved through the halls like a ghost. Every step was memory.
The main room hadn’t changed. The fireplace still crackled. The portrait of Kael’s ancestors still hung above the mantle.
And then I heard it.
Bootsteps. Slow. Heavy.
Ryker tensed behind me.
A door creaked open.
I turned—and froze.
Kael stood at the end of the hall.
Taller than I remembered. Broader. His hair longer. His jaw sharp.
He looked straight at me.
My hood was still up.
But something flickered in his eyes.
He took a step forward.
“Elara?”
- Writer
