CHAPTER 41
1162 Words
The next day didn’t start any better than the last.
Elise stayed in her room longer than usual, trying to convince herself that today wouldn’t sting as much. That she wouldn’t feel so hollow. That Kai wouldn’t disappear into his duties without a word—again.
But when she finally stepped out into the hallway, she already knew.
He was gone.
No knock. No message. No anything.
She was used to it by now.
The air in the packhouse was cold and sharp, like even the walls were irritated. Everyone moved like they had somewhere important to be, something urgent to discuss—except Elise. She walked past a group of warriors who didn’t even pause to acknowledge her.
She made her way to the training grounds again, unsure what she was hoping to find—purpose, maybe. Connection. Maybe even just something to do so she wouldn’t feel so in the way.
But what she found instead was Becky.
And Luka.
The two were standing near the weapons rack, sparring playfully while laughing a little too loudly for a day like this. Becky caught sight of Elise first.
Her eyes lit up.
Not in a kind way.
“Well, well,” Becky said, loud enough for others to hear. “If it isn’t the chosen one. Or… not so chosen anymore?”
Elise stopped walking.
She tried not to let it bother her.
Becky took a few slow steps forward, arms folded, mouth curled in that same smug half-smile she always wore when she was feeling cruel. Luka trailed behind her, tossing a dagger up and down in one hand like it was a game.
“I didn’t see you with Kai this morning,” Becky said, pretending to look around. “Wait—has anyone seen Alpha Kai’s shadow today? Oh, right. She’s right here, sulking.”
Luka snorted.
Elise stayed still. Her hands clenched at her sides.
“I mean, I get it,” Becky continued, voice dripping with fake concern. “You’ve had a rough week. Must be hard watching your ‘alpha’ run around without you while you just… sit in your room. Useless. Forgotten.”
“Don’t,” Elise said quietly.
“Don’t what?” Becky’s tone turned mockingly sweet. “Don’t point out that while the rest of us are planning defense strategies and guarding the borders, you’re busy playing ‘haunted and fragile’ behind closed doors?”
Elise’s jaw tightened.
Luka stepped in, smiling lazily. “Did you hear what happened in the southern ridge last night? Two scouts ambushed. One’s dead. The other… barely alive.”
Elise’s heart dropped. “What?”
Becky nodded slowly, tilting her head. “Yeah. But of course you didn’t hear. You weren’t there.”
“Elise is too important to be bothered with actual fights,” Luka added. “She’s better at, what, crying in dreams? Running into danger with no plan? Waking up after everything’s already over?”
Becky laughed, sharp and cold. “No wonder Kai doesn’t bring her to meetings anymore. He probably got tired of explaining why she’s even around.”
Elise flinched before she could stop herself.
Becky’s grin widened.
“Oh, honey,” she added. “You really thought you were his equal? His partner? You’re a burden. Always have been. You’re just a girl he feels guilty for abandoning.”
Elise’s chest tightened.
She turned to leave—anything to get away from their voices—but Luka stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
“Don’t run,” he said, in a low voice now. “You wanted to be part of the pack, didn’t you? Then stand here and take what everyone’s been thinking.”
“Move,” Elise said, her voice shaking.
“Or what?” Becky asked. “You’ll pass out again like last time? You’ll scream and flare up and scare us all? Oh, wait—you can’t even do that anymore.”
That hit deeper than the rest.
Because it was true.
Her powers were still gone. She hadn’t felt them since the trial. Since the blast. Since everything shifted.
She didn’t say anything.
Didn’t push back.
She just turned and walked away.
And even though no one followed her this time, their laughter chased her like a shadow.
Later that Afternoon
Elise sat alone near the edge of the northern gardens, the only place in the entire packhouse that felt like it hadn’t turned against her. She could still hear the distant clang of weapons from training. The voices. The whispers.
The pack was fraying at the edges.
More attacks had happened in the last two days than the entire last season. And none of them made sense. Wolves were being targeted at random. Bodies were found with no signs of defense. The symbols—etched deep into the skin, into the earth—were growing bolder.
And through it all, Elise felt more disconnected than ever.
She wasn’t summoned to the war room.
She wasn’t called for strategy.
No one asked her what she thought or remembered or feared.
She was invisible again.
No—not invisible.
She was avoided.
Feared.
Even blamed.
There was a soft rustle behind her.
She didn’t turn.
She already knew who it was.
Kai sat beside her quietly, not saying anything for a long time. The wind pushed gently through the grass around them.
“They attacked the south border,” he said finally. “Two scouts down.”
“I heard.”
“I should’ve been there,” he muttered. “I keep thinking—I should’ve sensed something. Planned better.”
“You’re not the only one who’s blaming yourself,” she said.
“I’m sorry I left this morning.”
She shrugged. “It’s not new.”
Kai sighed. “I just don’t know how to do all this and still protect you.”
“I don’t need you to protect me,” she said, glancing at him. “I need you to remember I’m still here.”
He looked at her, guilt written clearly in his expression. “I haven’t forgotten you.”
“But everyone else has.”
He didn’t argue.
Because he couldn’t.
He reached for her hand.
She let him hold it.
But she didn’t lean in.
She couldn’t—not yet.
That Night
Becky stood with Luka in the hallway, watching Elise from a distance as she passed with Kai again—finally.
“She’s not going to last long,” Becky said under her breath. “He’ll choose the pack.”
Luka smiled darkly. “And when he does, she’ll be alone. Again.”
Becky crossed her arms. “Good. That’s exactly where she belongs.”
They turned away, unaware that Elise had stopped walking for just a second… and had heard every word.
But this time—this time—she didn’t flinch.
She didn’t turn around.
She kept walking.
And her eyes were cold.
- Writer
