Chapter Ten
1079 Words
Elara
They were waiting.
Not casually. Not coincidentally.
Waiting.
The torches around the pack house burned bright against the darkening sky, flames snapping in the wind. Warriors stood scattered across the clearing in careful formation, arms crossed, expressions carefully neutral.
Carefully.
Because they knew.
They always knew.
And they always pretended they didn’t.
My father stood at the center of it all.
Alpha.
His presence pressed down like a physical force the moment I stepped into the clearing.
“You took your time,” he said, voice carrying easily so every wolf could hear.
I lowered my gaze automatically, even though something inside me no longer wanted to. “I went to the cliffs.”
A ripple moved through the gathered wolves. Some shifted uncomfortably. Others looked away entirely.
The cliffs were where wolves went to think.
Or to break.
“You were not given permission,” he said flatly.
“I needed air.”
The strike came fast and hard.
The crack echoed through the clearing as his palm collided with my cheek. My head snapped sideways, blood filling my mouth instantly.
No one gasped.
No one moved.
But I saw it.
The flicker in their eyes.
The tightening in their jaws.
The way some of them glanced at each other as if silently asking—Is this the time?
It never was.
Because he was Alpha.
And Alpha meant unquestionable.
“You forget yourself,” he said coldly.
I straightened slowly, refusing to stay bent. “I won’t go again.”
His nostrils flared.
Then his expression darkened.
“You stink.”
The word dropped heavy.
He stepped forward and grabbed my chin, fingers biting into my skin as he forced my face upward.
“You smell of another wolf.”
Silence fell deeper over the clearing.
The wolves nearest us shifted subtly.
I could see it clearly now—the performance.
The way some widened their eyes slightly as if surprised.
As if this was new.
As if they had never seen bruises on my wrists. Never noticed how thin I had become. Never smelled wolfsbane clinging permanently to my skin.
They pretended ignorance because acknowledging it would mean choosing a side.
And choosing against an Alpha meant exile.
Or worse.
Lucian’s warmth flickered in my memory.
Mate.
My Lycan stood firm inside me.
“Rogues were near the ridge,” I said evenly. “Their scent must have carried.”
His fist drove into my ribs without warning.
Air burst from my lungs as I dropped to one knee. Pain radiated sharply through my side.
“You insult me with lies,” he growled.
Another blow across my back forced me forward, palms scraping against the dirt.
The pack watched.
Some looked away entirely now.
Others stared too intently at the torches, at the ground, at anything but this.
It was easier that way.
“You will not wander,” he continued, pacing in front of me. “You are not free to make choices.”
I pushed myself upright again, ribs screaming.
“I understand.”
He studied me carefully.
And then his voice shifted.
“Take her down there.”
The words were colder than the strikes.
A visible ripple moved through the wolves.
They knew what that meant.
The lower chambers.
The injections.
Some of the younger warriors stiffened. One of them swallowed hard before quickly masking it.
But no one spoke.
Because he was Alpha.
Two warriors grabbed my arms and hauled me upright.
“For how long?” one asked quietly.
My father’s eyes never left mine.
“Double it.”
The words felt heavier than any blow.
The lower chamber smelled permanently of chemicals and stone. The air down there never felt fully breathable.
The table waited in the center.
Metal restraints already prepared.
I didn’t resist.
Resistance only made it worse.
They strapped my wrists down anyway.
My father descended the final steps slowly, holding the vial up to the torchlight.
Thicker.
Darker.
“You grow bold,” he said calmly. “This will remind you who controls your strength.”
The needle pierced my skin.
Fire.
Immediate and violent.
The poison spread through my veins like liquid flame, searing every nerve. My back arched despite myself as a strangled sound tore from my throat.
My Lycan roared.
Not fading.
Fighting.
“You cannot bury me again,” she said clearly inside my mind.
Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes—not from the pain.
From the strength in her voice.
My father watched closely, waiting for the usual collapse.
The hollow quiet that always followed.
But it didn’t come.
Yes, my body trembled violently.
Yes, agony tore through my muscles.
But she did not retreat.
The bond held.
Lucian.
Somewhere beyond these walls, he existed.
And that connection refused to be suffocated.
My father’s expression tightened slightly.
“Take her away,” he ordered.
They released the restraints.
My legs nearly failed, but I forced myself upright.
That alone felt like rebellion.
As they dragged me back upstairs, the Beta stepped into our path.
The warriors let go and moved aside.
He circled slowly.
“You still smell wrong,” he murmured.
The wolfsbane should have drowned everything else.
But beneath it—
Lucian lingered.
Faint.
Defiant.
The Beta leaned closer, inhaling near my throat.
“You smell touched,” he whispered.
Rage simmered low and steady.
“I crossed rogue land,” I replied evenly.
His fingers traced down my arm deliberately.
“If anyone is going to have you,” he said quietly, voice dropping to something darker, “it will be me. Not some outsider.”
My stomach twisted.
“I don’t belong to anyone.”
His grip tightened sharply around my wrist.
“You belong wherever the Alpha says you belong,” he corrected. “And if I catch that scent again… I won’t wait.”
The threat was clear.
Calculated.
He released me with a faint smile and stepped aside.
They shoved me toward my quarters.
The door slammed shut behind me.
Silence fell.
My body finally gave in, collapsing to the floor.
Pain radiated everywhere.
But beneath it—
She stood strong.
Mate.
The word pulsed through me, steady and alive.
Even poisoned.
Even beaten.
They had all watched tonight.
Pretended.
Looked away.
But they could not pretend much longer.
Because when Lucian came—
They would have to choose.
And this time, looking away would not protect them.
- Writer
