Episode 10
1072 Words
Elara
The air inside the tower felt heavier than usual.
Kael hadn’t spoken since we returned. Ryker sat by the fire, his back to us, the bandages on his ribs soaked through again. I brought him warm broth, but he didn’t touch it.
Everything had changed the moment Jace appeared. It wasn’t just shock. It was betrayal. And pain.
I didn’t know what hurt Kael more—that his brother was alive… or that he had chosen to fight for the enemy.
Kael stood at the far window, watching the trees like he expected them to move.
“They’ll come back,” I said quietly.
He didn’t look at me. “I know.”
I waited for more, but nothing came. No plan. No comfort. Just silence.
“You need rest,” I told him. “You haven’t slept in two nights.”
He turned slowly. His face was tight with anger, but underneath it, something more fragile—something broken.
“I can’t rest when he’s out there,” Kael said. “He’s not just a threat. He knows everything about me. About Nightfang. About how I think.”
I stepped closer. “And you know him.”
His eyes flicked up to meet mine.
“That’s why you’ll beat him,” I said.
He shook his head like he didn’t believe me.
And then I did something I hadn’t done since I came back.
I reached out and touched his hand.
His skin was warm. Rough. He didn’t pull away.
“Elara…” he whispered, his voice low, almost hoarse. “You should have never been part of this.”
I gave a small, tired smile. “I was always part of it. You just didn’t know.”
We stood there a moment, not speaking. His thumb brushed against mine once. It was small, but it sent a jolt straight through me.
Something about standing next to him like this made the tower feel safer. Not safe—but less terrifying.
He finally said, “You saved Ryker’s life out there.”
“You would’ve done the same.”
“No,” Kael said. “I would’ve torn through anyone in my way. You… you didn’t fight with rage. You fought with purpose.”
The compliment took me by surprise.
“I didn’t know you noticed,” I said softly.
His voice dropped. “I notice everything when it comes to you.”
I swallowed hard. My hand was still in his.
Kael looked down at it, then up at me again. His eyes weren’t angry anymore. Just full of something heavier.
Something he hadn’t said yet.
“Elara,” he began, but Ryker’s voice broke in from behind us.
“They’re close.”
Kael turned instantly, all warmth gone from his face.
“How close?” he asked, stepping away from me.
Ryker nodded toward the window. “Smoke in the trees. Could be scouts.”
Kael was already pulling on his coat.
I moved to the window, and sure enough—thin black threads rising between the pines. Controlled. Deliberate.
“They want to scare us,” Ryker muttered.
“They’re not just scouting,” Kael said. “They’re measuring how far they can push before we break.”
“We don’t have enough fighters to hold them off,” Ryker said. “Not if Jace leads the next attack.”
“We’re not fighting them head-on,” Kael replied.
He turned to me. “I need you to stay here.”
“No.”
“Elara.”
I stepped forward. “I’m not hiding in a corner while this place falls apart.”
He didn’t argue again.
Instead, he stepped closer and pressed something into my hand.
A black ring—etched with the Nightfang crest.
“What is this?”
He hesitated. “My bond token. Every Alpha has one.”
“I thought they were destroyed.”
“Mine wasn’t,” he said. “And now it’s yours.”
I stared at it. “Why are you giving me this?”
Kael’s voice was soft, but sure. “Because you’re not just a survivor. You’re my Luna.”
I couldn’t breathe.
And just like that, he leaned in—his forehead against mine, our hands still joined.
“I don’t know what this means for us,” he whispered. “I don’t even know if there can be an ‘us’ after everything. But I know you’re not meant to stand behind me. You’re meant to stand beside me.”
I didn’t pull away.
“I’ll fight with you,” I whispered. “I’ll fight for you.”
We stood there a moment longer, the ring cold in my palm, the heat of his breath against my cheek.
Then Ryker’s voice cut in again.
“More smoke. They’re circling.”
Kael stepped back. “We hold them off until dawn.”
He turned to Ryker. “Get the sentries in place.”
Ryker nodded and moved to the door.
Kael looked at me once more before following.
I stayed behind, still holding the ring, still shaking.
That night, the forest didn’t sleep.
Howls came from the east, strange and deep. Not wolves.
Something older. Something darker.
I stood on the tower roof, wrapped in a cloak, heart pounding. Below, Kael and Ryker were moving between guards, giving orders.
We’d run out of time.
That’s when I heard it.
Footsteps behind me.
I turned sharply, expecting Kael.
But it wasn’t him.
It was a woman.
Tall. Pale. Dressed in a black veil gown with silver embroidery. Her face was marked with the same cracked moon Jace had shown.
She smiled like she already owned me.
“Elara Vale,” she said. “So good to finally meet you.”
I froze.
“How did you get in here?”
She tilted her head, amused. “Do you really think we couldn’t walk through your wards?”
She stepped closer, and the shadows behind her moved. Others were with her.
“You’re not here to kill me,” I said, voice flat.
“No,” she said. “We’re here to bring you home.”
She raised her hand—and a mark on my wrist began to glow.
My blood turned cold.
Because I didn’t have that mark yesterday.
“What is this?” I whispered, backing away.
She smiled again.
“It’s your birthright.”
- Writer
