CHAPTER 44
1431 Words
The silence between Elise and Kai stretched long after the door closed.
He leaned against the old wood, arms crossed, eyes still on the page she held. “Where did you get that?”
Elise didn’t move. “It was buried in the old patrol archives. No one thought to cross-check these reports after the attacks started.”
Kai stepped forward, took the page from her, and scanned it under the flickering light of the war room lantern. His jaw tensed.
“It’s the same symbol,” he murmured. “This… was dated 20 years ago.”
“And not a single elder brought it up,” Elise said. Her voice was calm, but there was a fire just beneath it. “Not at the trial, not during the attacks, not even when they burned my name into that wall.”
Kai didn’t respond right away.
His eyes were still on the page, but his mind was clearly racing.
Elise watched him. “You knew something was off? The way they handled everything—their silence.”
“I didn’t think they were hiding records,” he admitted.
“Maybe they didn’t think it mattered,” she said. “Maybe they buried it because they thought it would never come back.”
Kai looked up at her, and for a moment, his expression softened. “You never really were the beginning, were you?”
She shook her head. “No. Just the spark.”
Kai let out a slow breath. “We need to take this to the council.”
Elise stepped back. “And what? Let them twist it into another reason to control me? To keep me locked away while they pretend they’re still in charge?”
“Elise—”
“No,” she said, her voice firmer now. “No more being quiet. No more hiding. No more letting people like Becky and Luka corner me like I’m some ghost they’re trying to erase.”
Kai flinched slightly at the names, but he didn’t interrupt.
“I’m not asking to lead,” she continued. “I’m asking to be seen. To be taken seriously. And if they won’t give me that, I’ll take it myself.”
He watched her carefully.
There was a kind of strength in her he hadn’t seen since the trial—a quiet fury, like something inside her had finally clicked into place.
After a beat, he nodded. “Then let’s do it your way.”
The Next Morning,
The council room was colder than usual.
The Elders sat around the large table, murmuring among themselves as Kai entered with Elise behind him.
Some of them glanced up with clear intent disapproval.
Others didn’t look at her at all.
Elder Kion was the first to speak. “Alpha Kai, you requested an urgent audience?”
Kai didn’t speak.
Instead, he handed the marked patrol report to Elder Mena, who looked down at it with a confused frown.
The silence that followed as it passed hand to hand was thick and tense.
Elder Harun scoffed. “This is from an archived mission—why bring up something so outdated?”
“Because the same symbol has reappeared,” Elise said clearly, drawing every gaze in the room. “Etched into trees. Burned into bodies. And none of you mentioned this when it mattered.”
Elder Kion’s eyes narrowed. “You expect us to remember every odd detail from years ago?”
“I expect you to connect the dots when lives are at stake,” she said.
“You are not a warrior,” Harun snapped. “You’re not even trained properly.”
“And yet I’m the one who’s marked by the prophecy,” she replied. “The one they’re attacking. The one you’ve all been too afraid to listen to.”
“That’s enough,” Mena said quickly, trying to cut the tension. “Let’s focus on what matters. Elise, what exactly are you suggesting?”
Elise met her gaze evenly. “That this threat didn’t start with me. That whatever’s happening now—it’s part of something older. Something the previous council likely covered up.”
There were murmurs accompanied with shifts in posture.
The older wolves looked between each other with expressions ranging from skepticism to unease.
Kai finally stepped forward. “This is no longer a matter of opinion. If that symbol is tied to something deeper—something buried—we need to know. And we need to stop pretending Elise is just a liability.”
Harun stood. “You’re letting sentiment cloud your judgment, Alpha.”
Kai’s eyes darkened. “And you’re letting your pride endanger your people.”
Silence fell like a blade.
Elder Mena finally spoke. “We will investigate the archives. But Elise—this doesn’t give you free rein to act on your own.”
“I’m not asking permission,” Elise said. “I’m telling you what’s coming.”
She turned before anyone could argue, Kai following close behind.
Outside the Council Room
Kai caught up to her in the hallway. “You were incredible in there.”
“I was angry,” Elise muttered. “There’s a difference.”
He slowed his pace. “Still. You didn’t back down.”
“I’m done backing down,” she said.
They walked in silence for a while, making their way toward the southern training yard.
Elise hadn’t been back there since Luka blocked her path and Becky dragged her through verbal thorns. But this time, her steps didn’t falter.
When they arrived, the yard was already full of warriors.
Including Becky.
And Luka.
As soon as they spotted her beside Kai, a ripple of murmurs spread. Becky’s brows rose in theatrical surprise.
“Well, well,” she said loudly, stepping forward. “You do get to walk beside the Alpha again. What’s the occasion? Another pity favor?”
Kai’s face tightened, but Elise stepped forward on her own.
“Try something new, Becky,” she said coolly. “Mocking me is getting boring.”
Becky blinked at the boldness, her smirk faltering.
Luka gave a low chuckle. “Someone’s feeling brave today.”
“Someone’s tired of letting your insecurities define her,” Elise replied.
Gasps fluttered from nearby wolves.
Becky’s face went cold. “Watch your mouth.”
“Or what?” Elise asked. “You’ll insult me into another blackout?”
Kai stepped forward, voice quiet but stern. “That’s enough.”
But Elise held up a hand, stopping him.
“No,” she said. “Let her hear it.”
She looked at Becky directly.
“I’m not here because of Kai. I’m not standing because of him. I’ve survived this long in spite of the whispers, the stares, the bruises—and you. So if you need me to break just to feel strong, I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
For once, Becky didn’t speak.
Elise turned to the rest of the yard. “You can all keep wondering what I am. Keep whispering. But know this—when the next attack comes, I won’t be in my room. I won’t be hiding. I’ll be on the front line, with or without your approval.”
And just like that, she walked past them all.
No one stopped her.
No one laughed.
Not even Becky.
That Night
Elise sat on the rooftop of the packhouse, wrapped in a thin blanket, staring up at the stars that finally shined through the clouds.
Kai joined her quietly, two mugs in hand.
He offered her one.
“Cinnamon tea,” he said. “Don’t get used to it—I’m still awful at brewing.”
She smiled faintly, accepting it.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said after a pause.
“Ouuuuu… it’s dangerous whenever you say that….” Elise teased.
He chuckled. “Seriously. About the prophecy. About the mark. The way it chose you… it wasn’t random.”
She looked at him, curious. “Then what was it?”
“A response,” Kai said. “To what was buried. To what everyone else chose to ignore. Maybe you weren’t the beginning. But maybe you’re the only one who can end it.”
She didn’t answer right away.
Instead, she took a sip of the tea, letting the warmth settle in her chest.
The shadows below were growing darker. The whispers louder. But tonight, she didn’t feel small. She didn’t feel like a mistake.
She felt ready.
And for the first time in a long time—she didn’t feel alone.
- Writer
