The Reunion
628 Words
# Chapter 5: The Reunion
I carried Lyra through the forest for hours, her blood soaking through my clothes.
"Stay with me," I begged.
A twig snapped behind me. I spun around, silver fire blazing.
Damian Blackwood stood ten feet away, his grey eyes wide with shock.
"Elara."
His voice. That voice I had once dreamed about. Now it just made my blood boil.
"Don't. Say. My. Name."
"I felt you. Through the bond. I knew you were in danger."
"The bond you severed. The bond you destroyed when you called me unworthy in front of the entire pack."
Pain flickered across his face. "I was wrong."
"You were wrong?" I laughed bitterly. "You broke my heart. You humiliated me. And now you show up and say you were wrong?"
"I know it's not enough. But let me help you. Please."
I looked at Lyra, unconscious in my arms. I had no choice.
"Fine. But if you try anything, I will kill you."
He almost smiled. "I wouldn't expect anything less."
---
At the healer's cabin, I sat by Lyra's bedside. Damian stood guard outside.
"Your mate," the healer said quietly, "has not slept in three days."
"He is not my mate."
"The look in his eyes says otherwise."
I said nothing. But when I stepped outside, I found Damian asleep against the wall, exhaustion etched into his features. For a moment, I saw him not as the Alpha who had broken me, but as a man drowning in guilt.
I covered him with a blanket and walked away before my heart could soften.
**Hook: Damian's father is revealed as the Council's leader. The man who killed Elara's mother is the father of the man who broke her heart. And now, he has summoned her.**
4blood-soaked, glowing, fierce.
"Elara."
His voice. That voice I had once dreamed about. Now it just made my blood boil.
"Don't. Say. My. Name."
He stepped forward, hands raised. "I felt you. Through the bond. I knew you were in danger."
"The bond you severed. The bond you destroyed when you called me unworthy."
Pain flickered across his face. "I was wrong."
"You were wrong?" I laughed bitterly. "You humiliated me in front of the entire pack. You broke my heart. And now you show up and say you were wrong?"
"I know it's not enough. But let me help you. Please."
I looked at Lyra, unconscious in my arms. I had no choice.
"Fine. But if you try anything, I will kill you."
He nodded slowly. "I wouldn't expect anything less."
---
We made it to a healer's cabin by dawn. Lyra was alive, but barely. The healer said she needed weeks to recover.
Damian stood guard outside while I sat by Lyra's bedside.
"Your mate," the healer said quietly, "has not slept in days."
"He is not my mate."
"I apologize. The man outside."
I said nothing. But I noticed the way Damian looked at me when I finally stepped out4with a mixture of guilt, longing, and something I couldn't name.
"You saved her," I said. "Thank you."
"I would do anything for you, Elara. Even if you never forgive me."
"That's the problem, Damian. I don't know if I can."
---
Three days later, a messenger arrived with a sealed envelope bearing the Council's crest.
I opened it with trembling hands.
*Elara Moonstone,*
*You are hereby summoned to appear before the High Council to answer for the unauthorized use of forbidden power. Failure to appear will result in the immediate execution of everyone you love.*
*Signed,*
*Marcus Blackwood, Head of the Council's Hunters*
Marcus Blackwood.
Damian's father.
**Hook: The Council is led by Damian's father, Marcus Blackwood4the man who killed Elara's mother. And he has just threatened everyone she loves.**
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