Episode 11
877 Words
The wind had softened overnight. Elara stirred before dawn, a pale gray light seeping in through the worn tent flap. For a moment, she lay still, her hand curled near her chest, her breathing quiet. Kael lay a few feet from her, his back turned, his shoulders rising and falling in even rhythm.
She should’ve gotten up. But her eyes lingered on him.
The cold war between them had thawed slightly over the past day. He hadn’t touched her, but something in his gaze last night—when they sat by the fire—had held a softness she hadn’t seen since they were mated.
Elara sat up, brushing dust from her cloak. A quiet groan escaped her lips.
“You didn’t sleep well,” Kael said behind her.
She turned. He’d rolled onto his back, eyes half-lidded, his voice still thick with sleep.
“No,” she admitted. “It’s hard to sleep when you don’t feel safe.”
Kael sat up slowly. “You don’t feel safe with me?”
She met his eyes. “Do you really want me to answer that?”
Something flickered in his expression. Shame, maybe. Regret. She couldn’t tell anymore. There was too much buried between them. Too many unanswered questions. Still, the way he looked at her now—his voice low, careful—made her feel like maybe… just maybe…
“Elara,” he said quietly, “can I show you something?”
She hesitated. “What is it?”
“Just walk with me.”
They stepped out into the early morning mist. The sky was silver-gray, clouds sitting low over the trees. Most of the camp was still asleep. Only a few guards were moving near the edge of the forest line.
Kael led her away from the tents, along a narrow trail that curved through the trees. The silence stretched between them, but for once, it didn’t feel harsh. Just quiet.
“You used to love mornings like this,” he said.
Elara nodded. “Before everything turned to ash.”
Kael stopped walking. “I never wanted to lose you.”
She turned to him, slowly. “Then why did you let me go?”
“I thought I was protecting you.”
“From what?”
Kael looked down. His hands clenched at his sides. “From me.”
Elara’s breath caught. It was the closest thing to an apology he’d ever said. For a moment, she couldn’t speak. The wind rustled through the trees, carrying the scent of pine and something else… unfamiliar.
Kael stepped closer. “I made mistakes, Elara. I’m not asking you to forget them. Just… let me try to make it right.”
Her heart warred inside her chest. She wanted to let him. Wanted to believe this version of him—the one standing in front of her now—was real. But deep inside, something still tugged at her. A shadow she couldn’t quite name.
Kael looked like he wanted to say more. His lips parted—
“Elara!”
Ryker’s voice cut through the trees.
Kael stepped back just as Ryker appeared between the trunks, face tight with urgency.
“You need to come with me,” Ryker said, barely glancing at Kael.
“What’s wrong?” Elara asked.
“It’s better if I show you.”
Kael tried to speak, but Ryker cut him off with a look.
Elara hesitated, then followed Ryker down a different path, deeper into the woods. The silence between them was heavy.
“Why the secrecy?” she asked.
Ryker didn’t answer until they reached a small clearing behind an old supply tent. He paused, then glanced around and leaned in.
“I don’t know how much you trust him,” he said. “But you need to see this.”
He handed her a rolled-up scroll.
Elara’s fingers tightened around it. Slowly, she unrolled it. The handwriting was Kael’s.
She read the first line—and her knees nearly gave out.
An agreement between Alpha Kael Darrow and the Bloodfang Council.
Her lips moved, but no sound came. She read it again.
Kael had promised safe passage for their enemies—in exchange for information about her. Her movements. Her weaknesses. Even the name of the healer who’d hidden her away after she left.
Elara’s chest ached.
“No,” she whispered. “No, this isn’t real.”
“I found it this morning,” Ryker said. “It’s dated three weeks ago.”
“Three weeks—” Elara’s voice broke.
That was after he’d found her. After she’d returned to the pack. After he’d started acting like he cared.
Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them back.
“He made a deal with the people who tried to kill me,” she said, her voice shaking.
Ryker nodded. “It was signed with his seal.”
Elara gripped the scroll tighter. Her hands trembled.
“What now?” Ryker asked.
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t.
Because behind her eyes, all she could see was Kael’s face this morning.
His voice, soft.
Let me try to make it right.
He had lied to her. Again.
And this time, it wasn’t just betrayal.
It was war.
- Writer
