The Alphas Shadow

Chapter Eleven- Stepmom

​Elara lay curled in a ball on her narrow dorm bed, the duvet pulled up to her chin despite the sweat beading on her forehead. Every time she inhaled, the scent of the dorm—stale popcorn and laundry detergent—felt like an insult to her wolf, who was mourning the loss of the Alpha’s cedar-and-rain musk.

​The pull in her chest was no longer just a burn; it was a rhythmic, agonizing thrum. It felt as if a heavy chain was wrapped around her heart, and Silas Thorne was on the other end, hauling her back toward the mountain.

​Maya sat at the edge of the bed, scrolling through her phone, still chatting a mile a minute. "Honestly, El, you’re usually such a tank. One night of dancing and you’re a total—"

​Suddenly, Maya went rigid. Her eyes glazed over, and her breath hitched in a way that only happened when a high-level Pack Link was being broadcast.

​Elara’s heart stopped. She knew that look.

​"Oh my god," Maya whispered, her hand flying to her mouth. Her eyes snapped back to focus, wide with shock. "Elara... the Beta just pulsed a priority alert. My dad... Silas... he found his mate."

​The room went cold. Elara squeezed her eyes shut, praying the floor would simply open up and swallow her whole.

​"I have to go," Maya said, jumping up and pacing the small room. "He’s frantic. Marcus said the Alpha is in a 'territorial state.' He’s looking for a woman in a gold dress. El, that could be half the girls at the ball, but Dad sounds like he’s ready to tear the town apart."

​Maya stopped, looking down at Elara with a torn expression. "I should go to him, but I can't leave you like this. You look like you’re dying."

​"I'm fine, Maya," Elara croaked, though her voice broke. "Go. Go to your father."

​"No," Maya said, her jaw setting in that stubborn Thorne way. "You’re coming with me. If I leave you here, you’ll just rot in this room. My dad is going to be buried in 'Alpha business' at the office all day now that he’s in hunter-mode. He won’t even be at the house."

​Elara’s eyes flew open. "Maya, no. I should stay—"

​"I’m not taking no for an answer, Elara Rose. You’re coming back to the estate. You can sleep in the guest suite—it’s quiet, the air is better, and Mrs. Gable can make you that halibut soup you love. It’s settled."

​Elara felt the noose tighten. She was being delivered straight back to the lion’s den. She knew she was doomed. The moment she stepped onto the Thorne property, the bond would scream. If Silas was anywhere near the house, he would smell his mark on her from a mile away.

​I’ll tell her, Elara promised herself, her mind spinning as she let Maya help her up. As soon as we get to the house, before I see him, I’ll tell Maya everything. She’ll hate me, but at least I won’t be a coward.

​The drive back up the mountain was a blur of physical agony. The closer they got to the estate, the more the bond roared in Elara’s ears, a deafening sound of homecoming that made her stomach flip.

​When the SUV pulled up to the grand stone staircase for the second time in twenty-four hours, Elara felt like a prisoner approaching the gallows.

​"See? Quiet as a grave," Maya said, leadings her through the massive front doors. "Dad is definitely at the Pack Office. You’re safe here."

​But as Elara stepped into the foyer, her gold eyes flared behind her contacts, burning with a sudden, violent intensity. The house didn't smell empty. It smelled like him. It smelled like a storm that was already inside the walls.

​"Maya," Elara whispered, clutching her friend’s arm, her voice trembling. "I need to tell you something. Right now."