Chapter 12
1564 Words
Chapter 12
~ELANA~
The first thing I woke to was the silence.
For the past two months, silence had become something rare in this house.
Arden was usually the first thing I saw every morning, either reading at the edge of the bed, making coffee downstairs, or standing by the window with that distant look in his eyes as though he were listening to something only he could hear.
Today, there was nothing.
I pushed myself upright, blinking against the morning light spilling through the curtains.
"Arden?" I called softly but there was no answer.
I climbed out of bed and wandered through the bedroom before checking the bathroom. Empty.
By the time I reached the kitchen, the coffee pot had already gone cold.
"He left early…" I murmured to myself.
My phone lay on the counter where I'd abandoned it the previous night. I unlocked it with a small flutter of hope.
Nothing. No messages or missed calls.
A tiny knot formed in my stomach.
That wasn't like him.
My thoughts drifted back to last night, and a strange chill crept over my skin.
Purple eyes. Garage doors crashing onto the driveway.
His voice inside my head.
The memory felt so vivid that my chest tightened.
I rubbed my temple with a sigh.
Dreams could feel real.
At least that was what I wanted to believe.
After forcing down a quick breakfast, I grabbed my books and headed for school.
The campus was already bustling by the time I arrived.
It had only been two weeks since lectures began, but everything still felt new.
Students hurried between buildings, laughter echoed through the pathways, and conversations drifted through the cool morning air.
Here, people weren't staring at me because I was the pack's unmated girl.
Here, I was simply Elana.
I wouldn't call myself a scholarship student even though my scholarship was anonymously funded.
That thought alone made me smile.
Professor Hayes spent most of the morning discussing advanced medicinal botany.
I found myself answering nearly every question he asked, and by the end of the lecture, he nodded approvingly in my direction.
"Excellent work, Miss Elana," he said warmly. "I expect great things from you."
Heat climbed into my cheeks.n"Thank you, Professor."
Several students glanced my way with impressed expressions.
Months ago, I would have lowered my head and hidden from the attention.
Today, I simply returned to my notes.
Maybe...
Maybe I really could become the woman I'd always dreamed of being.
During lunch, I reached for my phone again.
Still nothing. I frowned before typing a quick message.
[Are you okay?]
It delivered instantly but remained unread.
By afternoon, I could barely focus.
Had something happened? Was he busy?
Or… Had I done something wrong?
The conversation in the car drifted back into my mind.
"Promise me you'll mark me."
Had I pushed him too far?
The thought lingered with me until my final lecture ended.
By the time I reached home, the sun had already begun sinking beneath the trees.
The front door opened before I reached for the handle.
"There you are."
I looked up and it was him. He leaned casually against the entrance, dressed in a black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms.
His smile looked exactly the same as always, yet something felt different.
"You disappeared," I said, studying him carefully.
"I had a few things to handle."He reached for my waist, pulling me in.
"You could've told me."
"I know." His smile softened. "I'm sorry, baby."
I searched his face, but there was no sign of panic.
No trace of whatever I'd imagined this morning.
Maybe I really had been overthinking everything.
Then another scent drifted toward me.
Food.
My stomach growled before I could stop it and he chuckled.
As we walked in, the already-set dining table almost made me lose my composure.
Several covered dishes sat neatly arranged across it.
"You cooked?" I asked.
He shook his head. "A pack member recently started a food delivery business."
I blinked. "Really?"
"So I heard." his grin widened as he pulled out a chair for me. "I just bought dinner."
"You didn't have to." I brushed his arm, uncovering one of the dishes. I couldn't resist, so I took a bite of the loaded fries.
God. The aroma was f*****g sweet.
"I know."He smiled again.
"But I figured you'd appreciate coming home without worrying about cooking after lectures."
My wolf melted. I felt it as I looked at him for a long moment.
It was thoughtful. Unexpectedly thoughtful and my eyes watered at how sweet he was.
"Thank you." I whispered.
His shoulders relaxed so slightly. "You should freshen up before eating, princess."
"I'll only be a minute." I dashed upstairs.
When I returned downstairs, the aroma filling the kitchen was enough to make me smile.
Arden stood by the counter arranging the plates.
"I told you I'd handle it," he said without looking up.
"And I told you I was helping."
He laughed quietly. "You really don't know how to rest."
"I've been resting all afternoon."I pouted my lips.
"You were in lectures. Not resting…you were listening to people yap for hours"
"Not exactly ‘yap’."I chuckled, walking beside him and reached for one of the serving spoons.
"I can at least—"
The spoon stopped moving. My fingers froze.
For one impossible second… It floated.
Not in my imagination. Not because I'd dropped it.
It simply hovered in the air between us and then it clattered violently onto the counter.
The sound echoed through the kitchen, but neither of us moved.
Very slow and deliberately, Arden lifted his head and our eyes met.
He knew. He knew I'd seen it.
My heartbeat loudened. "What..." I whispered.
He didn't answer. I took one cautious step backward. "What are you?"
His expression hardened with something I couldn't name.
Fear. Not for himself. But for me.
"I..." His voice failed him.
I swallowed, waiting for the valid explanation that could counter the shitty theory coming together in my f*****g head.
"My dream..." I muttered.
His brows pulled together with confusion.
"I thought it was only a dream, Arden."
I laughed softly, though it sounded nothing like laughter. "I–I–remembered your eyes..."
And then I pointed toward the garage. "The doors." I blinked, hoping this the dream I spent the whole day convincing myself it was.
"My head. You were talking to me" My breathing became uneven and my eyes turned misty. "You were inside my mind."
His jaw tightened as I went on.
"You made me forget."
The weight of the silence stretching between us settled heavily over my shoulders.
"Say something," I pleaded, tears rushing to my eyes faster than
"I can't." He shook his head, biting down on his jaw so hard.
"You can't?"
"I can't."His whisper was too low. Way too low that I almost didn't get it.
I stared at him in disbelief. "Then tell me why."
His hands curled into fists. "I wish I could, Elana."
"No." I shook my head. "You owe me more than just that, Arden"
He closed his eyes briefly before looking back at me.
"Elana..."
"No."I stepped closer. "You call me your mate. You sleep beside me every f*****g day, Arden."
His face snapped to the side with a flicker of something that looked too much like guilt. "You tell me you'll always protect me."
My voice cracked despite my best effort to steady it. "So tell me what you are."
Pain flickered across his face. "I can't."
"Why?" I asked again, allowing even more rawness in my tone.
"I just..." He stopped speaking altogether.
It was as though something invisible had stolen the words from his mouth.
Confusion slowly gave way to my frustration. "You expect me to pretend I didn't see that?"
"I don't." He answered, fist tightening into his palm.
"Then explain it."
His breathing became heavier. "I can't."
The lights overhead flickered. I frowned.
Another bulb burst, its glass shattered across the floor.
The cabinet doors rattled violently.
Every plate trembled against the shelves.
"Arden..."
His eyes widened. "No. I can't even contr—"
The room seemed to pulse around him and even the air thickened as a low vibration spread through the walls.
"I need you to step back."
"What—"
CRASH! Every kitchen window exploded outward at once.
Cold evening air rushed inside.
I screamed instinctively, throwing my hands over my face as shards scattered across the floor.
When everything finally became still, I slowly lowered my arms.
Arden hadn't moved. He stood perfectly frozen.
Horror covered his face.
"I didn't..." His voice shook. "I didn't mean..."
A sharp pain twisted suddenly beneath my ribs.
I sucked in a breath.
Something burned inside my chest.
"Elana?"
I tried answering but instead, a violent cough tore through me.
Once. Twice.
The third time, warmth spilled across my lips and when I looked down, bright red blood stained my trembling hand.
For a second, neither of us breathed.
The color drained completely from Arden's face as he stared at the blood.
His expression wasn't just frightened.
It was devastated.
"Elana," he whispered in a hoarse voice, already crossing the distance between us.
I looked from the blood back to him, my vision beginning to blur.
"What..." I breathed weakly. "What's... happening to me?”
- Writer
