Hated By The Alpha Bound To Me (Completed)

Chapter 56 - The Whistle

Elara was still grinning as she made her way across the pack grounds when a familiar sound drifted through the air.

The smile slowly faded from her face.

She stopped walking and listened.

A cool breeze stirred the branches overhead, carrying with it the scent of pine and damp earth. For a moment, she wondered if she had imagined it. Then the sound came again, soft and distant, weaving through the trees like a forgotten memory.

Three short notes.

One long.

Her heart lurched.

The whistle.

No one in Draegon would recognize it for what it truly was. To most wolves, it sounded no different from a bird calling somewhere high in the forest canopy. Valemere wolves, however, had been raised to hear the difference. Every scout, warrior, and patrol member learned the whistle as part of their training. It had been used for generations to pass messages between wolves without alerting outsiders.

Elara had not heard it in months.

The sound instantly dragged her back home. To long days spent racing through the forests surrounding Valemere. To training exercises that had left her exhausted and covered in dirt. To laughter echoing through the trees while wolves tested their ability to track one another through the wilderness.

A tightness formed in her chest.

Carefully, she glanced toward the training grounds before scanning the surrounding area. Wolves moved between buildings in the distance, too occupied with their own tasks to pay attention to her. Satisfied no one was watching, she slipped away from the path and disappeared beneath the shelter of the trees.

The forest swallowed her almost immediately.

The deeper she ventured, the quieter the sounds of the pack became. Conversations faded into the distance while the rustle of leaves and the occasional snap of a twig beneath her boots replaced them. Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy overhead, painting shifting patterns of gold across the forest floor.

Then the whistle sounded again.

Closer this time.

Elara slowed her steps and turned toward the source.

The call came once more.

Directly above her.

Her gaze traveled upward.

A massive oak tree towered over the surrounding forest, its trunk so wide that several wolves would struggle to wrap their arms around it. Thick branches stretched outward while countless green leaves danced gently in the breeze.

Perched comfortably on one of the higher branches sat Nyra.

One leg dangled over the side while the other remained bent beneath her. Sunlight filtered through the leaves above, illuminating the amused grin spread across her face.

When she noticed Elara staring, she lifted a hand and gave a small wave.

Relief washed through Elara so suddenly that she almost laughed.

After taking one final look around, she wrapped her hands around the rough bark and began climbing.

The tree had seemed much smaller from the ground.

By the time she reached the first thick branch, her muscles were already protesting. Bark scraped against her palms while leaves brushed against her face and tangled briefly in her hair. She climbed higher, using knots in the trunk and sturdy branches to pull herself upward.

Nyra watched the entire struggle with obvious enjoyment.

When Elara finally hauled herself onto the branch beside her, her lungs burned and her arms felt as though they had survived a training session.

"I haven't climbed a tree since I was eleven," she muttered.

Nyra's grin widened.

"It was entertaining watching you struggle."

Elara shot her a look.

"I nearly fell twice."

"Three times."

"I did not."

"You absolutely did."

Elara rolled her eyes before shifting into a more comfortable position against the trunk. The branch was broad enough for both of them to sit comfortably, and from their vantage point the forest stretched endlessly in every direction.

As peaceful as the view was, she had not come all this way to admire it.

"We don't have much time," she said. "What did you find?"

Nyra's expression turned serious.

"I searched everything I could access. Records, patrol reports, trade logs, correspondence. If Draven's name appeared anywhere, I checked it."

Hope flickered briefly inside Elara.

"And?"

Nyra's expression softened slightly.

"Nothing."

The single word landed heavily between them.

"I found the same document linking Draegon and Draven, but nothing beyond that. No reports. No witness statements. No records explaining what happened to him."

The branch creaked softly beneath them as the wind stirred the leaves overhead.

Elara lowered her gaze to the forest floor far below.

Weeks of searching and they were still no closer to the truth.

"I'm sorry," Nyra said quietly. "I know that isn't what you wanted to hear."

Elara released a slow breath and nodded.

Neither of them needed to discuss it further. They had exhausted every lead available to them for now.

"And Andrea?"

Nyra's expression immediately darkened.

"Andrea worries me more than Draven at this point."

Elara frowned.

"Why?"

"The more I watched her, the less she behaved like a council member." Nyra traced her fingers across the rough bark beside her. "She asks questions she shouldn't be asking. She spends more time collecting information than carrying out council duties. Half the time she acts like she's investigating something."

The unease already lingering in Elara's stomach deepened.

Andrea definitely did not act like any council member she had ever met.

"I'm meeting with her in a week."

Nyra straightened immediately.

"Then I'm coming."

The response came so quickly that Elara blinked.

"Nyra—"

"No."

Elara groaned.

"You can't just decide that."

"I absolutely can."

Despite herself, Elara smiled.

"I'll stay hidden. You won't even know I'm there."

"That isn't reassuring."

"It should be."

After a moment, Elara relented.

"Fine."

Only then did Nyra seem satisfied.

The breeze shifted around them, carrying the fresh scent of pine through the branches. For several moments neither of them spoke as they watched the forest sway below.

Then Elara remembered the reason she had wanted to see Nyra.

"I need one more favor."

Nyra narrowed her eyes immediately.

"That sentence never ends well."

A laugh escaped Elara before she could stop it.

"I need you to visit Lyria."

Nyra groaned.

"Elara..."

"Lyria may have information I need."

"I just got back."

"I know."

"And now you're sending me away again."

The frustration in her voice failed to hide the concern beneath it.

Elara squeezed her hand.

"Lyria is the only person who might be able to answer some of these questions."

Nyra remained silent for several moments.

The forest creaked softly around them while a bird launched itself from a nearby branch and disappeared between the trees.

Finally, she shook her head.

"I don't like leaving you here."

Something in her voice made Elara glance toward her.

Nyra wasn't annoyed.

Her friend was worried.

"You don't have to worry about me."

Nyra gave her a flat look.

"That statement has never made me feel better."

Despite everything weighing on her shoulders, Elara smiled.

"I can take care of myself."

"You have a habit of attracting trouble."

"I do not."

Nyra stared at her.

Elara thought about it.

"Fine. Maybe a little."

"A little?" Nyra scoffed. "You've been threatened, dragged into pack politics, and somehow ended up mated to Thorne."

That earned a laugh from Elara.

The sound felt strange after everything that had happened recently.

Nyra's expression softened slightly.

"I just don't want something happening while I'm gone."

Elara looked away.

Beneath the sarcasm and complaints, Nyra had never stopped looking out for her.

For all the distance between them and everything that had changed, some things remained the same.

"You'll be back before you know it."

Nyra muttered something under her breath before finally shaking her head.

"Fine. I'll go."

Relief flooded through Elara.

"Thank you."

"You can thank me by not getting yourself killed while I'm gone."

"I'll do my best."

Nyra pointed a finger at her.

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

Nyra continued studying her as though trying to determine whether she actually believed that.

Eventually, she shook her head.

Neither of them looked entirely convinced.

Long after Nyra had disappeared into the forest, Elara remained perched on the branch.

She wasn't quite ready to return to the pack.

There was something calming about being so high above the ground. The wind threaded through the canopy, rustling the leaves overhead while carrying the fresh scent of pine and earth. From up here, the noises of the pack sounded muted, reduced to little more than a distant hum drifting through the trees.

For the first time all day, her mind felt quiet.

Leaning back against the trunk, she closed her eyes and tilted her face toward the patches of sunlight filtering through the branches. Warmth brushed against her skin while the branch swayed gently beneath her weight.

"This is a first," a familiar voice drawled from below. "I didn't realize wolves could climb trees."

Elara's eyes flew open.

Her heart nearly stopped.

Thorne stood at the base of the oak, one hand resting against the trunk as he looked up at her.

The sudden shock made her shift.

Her foot slipped.

A startled scream escaped her lips as her balance vanished.

For one horrifying second, all she saw was sky and leaves.

Then she pitched forward.