CHAPTER 11
1516 Words
Elise stirred in bed, the morning light creeping through the window blinds, sending too much light across her face.
Her body ached from the previous day’s confrontation, how then does Becky manage to fight everyone all the time?
Doesn’t she feel this same pain? Elise thought to herself.
Her whole body felt like it was struck against a big volcano.
Especially her head and eyes. Her eyes were breathing on its own.
But the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional whirlwind storming inside her.
She had stood her ground. She had won.
But the victory didn’t feel sweet
It felt ominous.
The scent.
That strange, unfamiliar scent from the woods clung to her memory like a bad dream.
And the voice, the one that called her name with eerie familiarity still echoed in her mind.
She sat up, rubbing her temples.
The conversation she had with Kai after the fight replayed in her head.
*** FLASHBACK FROM AFTER THE FIGHT ***
Elise didn’t wait for more. She turned and walked out of the hallway, Kai at her side.
Lucien followed without a word, throwing a look back at Becky that said don’t try it again.
They didn’t speak until they were safely in the car.
Elise stared out the window, her hands still buzzing.
“I didn’t mean to—” she started, but Kai gently placed his hand over hers.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said softly. “You protected yourself.”
“But…” she looked at him, her voice barely a whisper. “What was that?”
Kai didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he studied her face as if trying to figure out the right words.
“You felt threatened,” he finally said. “And something in you responded.”
Elise’s brows furrowed. “But I don’t have a wolf.”
Lucien leaned forward from the back seat.
“You may not have a wolf, Elise. But that? That wasn’t nothing.”
Kai nodded, agreeing with Lucien.
“It felt… ancient,” he murmured. “Not like a regular shift. Something deeper.”
Elise’s skin prickled.
The memory of the light, the strength that surged through her veins, the way time seemed to slow.
It hadn’t felt like power. It had felt like a part of her.
It felt natural like yawning felt.
She couldn’t fully explain what it was.
When they got to the packhouse, the air was heavy with tension.
Kai paced the living room while Elise sat curled on the couch, a blanket wrapped around her.
Lucien leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
“You need to train,” Kai finally said.
“What?”
“You need to understand what’s inside you. How to control it. How to call on it when you’re not in danger.”
“I told you, it only happens when—”
“When you’re threatened. I know,” Kai said, meeting her eyes.
“But what if you can’t afford to wait until then?”
Lucien added, “Whatever you’re carrying, Elise, it’s rare.
Maybe even one of a kind.
But if you don’t learn to use it, someone else will try to use it against you.”
The warning settled into her bones like ice.
Just then, Kai’s phone buzzed. He picked it up, frowning.
“What is it?” Elise asked.
Kai’s jaw tightened. “Council wants a word.”
Elise’s heart skipped. “The Elders?”
Kai nodded. “They felt the shift. They want answers.”
“We’ll give them the answers the want when the time is right.” He said
“Besides, meeting them now when Elise is still unsettled would only push her in a tight corner.” Lucien added.
“The elders would wait.” Kai said, pursing his lips asif he had come to a final decision.
Elise was going to say that she didn’t want to keep the elders waiting, out of respect, and since it was the first time they were even interested in her, but she didn’t say anything.
She only sighed.
It was the first time they were interested in her.
Of course, they were going to ask her everything she hadn’t even figured out herself.
She was tired. She needed to rest at least.
And maybe the training Kai had mentioned was for the best.
Her door creaked open, and Kai stepped in carrying a tray of breakfast—toast, eggs, and fruit, bringing her back from her flashbacks.
Her face instantly lit up.
The universe really did get her a good man.
Probably to compensate her for all the bad things she’s been through. She thought to herself.
He had a warm smile on his face, but it quickly faded when he saw her expression.
“You didn’t sleep,” he said.
Even though her face lit up, he could still see what was underneath.
Elise shook her head. “Something’s wrong, Kai.”
He set the tray down and sat beside her.
“Is this about the fight? Because you were incredible—”
“No,” she interrupted gently.
“Not that. After… after everything, I went out to the balcony. I felt something watching me. Someone was there.”
Kai’s eyes narrowed. “Did it seem like a familiar person?”
“I have no idea who it was. I barely got a glimpse of him.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“At first, I had thought it was my own imagination and probably because I was tensed after the fight.”
“But it didn’t feel like a false alarm. There was someone in the woods. He said… they’ve been waiting for me.”
Kai stiffened. “Describe him.”
“He wore a hood. He wasn’t from our pack. His scent—it was sharp, foreign… wrong.”
Kai was already on his feet, pulling out his phone. “I’m calling Lucien. We’re increasing patrols. And you’re not going anywhere without me.”
“Elise couldn’t help but blush.” She felt so safe around him.
She just smiled while watching him with loving eyes.
Her pupils dilating as she stared at him, asif finding something in a spot.
This was why she could tell him anything. She giggled quietly.
Although, her mind still wandered off in thoughts.
Later that morning, in the pack training hall.
Elise stood off to the side, watching as warriors moved through drills.
Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides.
Although, she loved the fact that Kai made her feel safe and that he was dependable, she still felt like a disturbance.
She hated feeling like a liability.
She hated that her strength only seemed to surface when her life was in danger.
At least, if she could help herself ecen when it wasn’t too much danger, she’d feel less guilty about it.
A voice told her to just appreciate the good things she had — like Kai.
She sighed.
Lucien strode in, brows furrowed.
“We have a problem.” He said loudly.
Kai turned to him. “What now?”
“There was an incident at the school. Sometime late last night.”
Elise’s heart sank. “What kind of incident?”
Lucien looked at her carefully.
“The school grounds were breached. No one was killed, but the place was torn apart. Classrooms wrecked, windows shattered. And… Becky’s missing.”
The words slammed into Elise like a punch to the gut. “What?”
“She never made it home after detention. Luka was found unconscious outside the school entrance. He’s in the infirmary now. Says he doesn’t remember anything.”
“Of course,” Kai muttered. “Convenient.”
Kai knew this wasn’t just a coincidence.
It must be a plan between Becky and her good for nothing brother, Luka.
The girl was malicious, that trait definitely runs in the family, he thought, remembering what kind of a person their Father, Roland Everglade was.
“The apple surely doesn’t fall far from the tree” He muttered, scoffing.
“But that’s not all,” Lucien continued. “There were markings at the scene. Strange symbols—definitely magical. And the scent Elise mentioned? It was there too.”
Kai must have told Lucien to go check the school after Elise’s complaints thst morning.
Elise felt the blood drain from her face.
Kai stepped closer to her, his hand on her waist. “You said they were waiting for you.”
“What if… what if this is my fault?” Elise whispered.
“What if they took Becky because of me?”
Lucien’s eyes softened slightly. “Elise, you’re not responsible for what others do.”
“But they came to me. They said my name. What if they’re trying to hurt the people around me to get to me?”
Kai’s jaw clenched. “Then they’ll find out they picked the wrong Luna to threaten.”
The word “Luna” made Elise’s heart jump, Kai noticed this and smiled down at her.
- Writer
