Elara’s POV
The morning of the fight with Dana arrived too quickly.
I had planned to slip away before dawn, to leave the palace and the king who had accepted my rejection without a fight. After the pool, after hearing him say he accepted it, I had cried myself to sleep. The bond felt raw and broken inside me, even if part of me still sensed it pulling. But running away in the dark would make me a coward. I would not leave like that.
I would face Dana first. I would prove to myself, to her, and to everyone watching that I was not the weak, wolfless girl they all saw.
I dressed in the simple training clothes the maid had left for me and made my way to the training field. My leg still ached, but the pain felt distant now. Determination burned hotter than any injury.
The warriors were alr
