CHAPTER 83
1345 Words
The morning after felt heavier than the storm itself.
Elise sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the wooden floor.
She hadn’t slept more than an hour, and her head pounded like she had been hit by a horse.
The fire in her room had burned out completely, leaving behind only ashes and a faint smell of smoke.
She ran her hands over her face and stood. She knew if she stayed here too long, someone would come knocking. And if that someone was Kai, she wouldn’t know what to say.
Her reflection in the mirror looked worse than she felt. Red eyes, pale skin, lips cracked. She didn’t bother fixing her hair—what was the point? She braided it loosely just to keep it out of her face, then left her room.
The hallways were already buzzing. Warriors moving in and out, children chasing each other, women carrying baskets of laundry. Everything looked normal to everyone else. But to Elise, every sound scraped against her ears. Every smile felt fake.
She made her way downstairs and straight into the kitchen. Maybe food would distract her. Maybe.
Martha, the head cook, noticed her immediately. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said, shoving a wooden spoon into a pot of soup.
“I didn’t sleep,” Elise muttered.
Martha frowned but didn’t press. Instead, she handed Elise a slice of bread. “Eat. You’ll faint before midday if you keep walking around like that.”
Elise forced a small smile. “Thank you.” She took the bread and sat at the corner of the long table.
Her hands shook slightly as she tore the bread apart. Every bite felt dry, sticking to her throat. She swallowed water just to push it down.
The door creaked behind her, and she froze. She didn’t even have to look—she already knew.
“Skipping breakfast?” Luka’s voice carried that lazy, mocking tone that made her stomach twist.
She kept her eyes down. “I’m eating.”
He walked closer, pulled an apple from the basket on the counter, and bit into it like he owned the place. “Not enough. You’ll lose that pretty figure.”
Elise gripped her cup tightly. “Why are you always here?”
“Maybe I like the company.” He leaned against the table across from her, smiling. “Or maybe I just like watching you try so hard to pretend.”
Her jaw clenched. “Leave me alone, Luka.”
“Relax.” He lowered his voice. “I told you, I won’t tell Kai. You should be thanking me.”
Before she could reply, another voice cut in from the doorway.
“Why are you in here?”
Kai.
Elise’s chest tightened.
Luka smiled wider, straightening up. “Breakfast, Alpha. You know, normal people eat in the morning.”
Kai’s eyes narrowed. “The warriors eat outside. You know that.”
Luka shrugged. “I like the warmth in here.”
“Then take your food and go.”
The tension in the room was thick. Elise kept her head down, wishing she could disappear. Luka chuckled softly, bit into his apple again, and walked out.
When he was gone, Kai stepped closer to Elise. His voice was calmer now. “Are you alright?”
She forced a nod. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I didn’t sleep,” she said quickly. “That’s all.”
Kai studied her for a moment, like he could see through every word. Finally, he sighed. “Eat properly. We have training drills this afternoon. I want you steady.”
Elise nodded again. She couldn’t meet his eyes.
Kai left, and Elise’s heart didn’t stop racing for a long while after.
By midday, the courtyard was full of movement. Warriors sparring, younger wolves watching from the sidelines, laughter breaking out when someone got thrown to the ground. The sun finally pushed through the clouds, warming the damp earth.
Elise stood near the edge, arms crossed, trying to focus on the drills. Kai was out there leading them, his voice carrying authority with every command. He looked completely in control, steady and strong, nothing like the mess Elise felt inside.
Her stomach twisted again. She remembered Luka’s words: Or maybe you wanted it to be him so badly, you didn’t notice it wasn’t.
She hated how those words stuck. She hated how a part of her feared they might be true.
“Distracted?”
Elise flinched. One of the younger warriors, Jina, had walked up beside her.
“No,” Elise said too quickly.
Jina raised a brow. “You’ve been staring at the Alpha for twenty minutes without blinking. If that’s not distracted, I don’t know what is.”
Heat rushed to Elise’s cheeks. “I was watching the drills.”
“Uh-huh.” Jina smirked. “Well, if you ask me, he looks at you the same way.”
Elise’s heart skipped. “What do you mean?”
“Like he’s thinking about you even when he’s supposed to be working.” Jina grinned. “It’s cute.”
Elise forced a laugh, but inside she wanted to cry. If only Jina knew how wrong everything was.
Later, after the drills, Kai called a few captains into the council room. Elise followed as usual, carrying the ledgers and notes.
The meeting was prolonged.
Talk about border patrols, supply shortages, complaints from the farmers.
Elise wrote everything down mechanically, but none of it stayed in her head.
She kept feeling Kai’s eyes on her. She didn’t dare look up.
When the meeting ended, the captains filed out, leaving just the two of them.
“Elise,” Kai said quietly.
Her hands froze on the papers.
He walked closer, resting one hand on the table. “I can tell something’s wrong. You’re not yourself.”
Her throat closed up.
“If it’s about me,” he continued, “tell me. If I did something—”
“No,” she blurted. “You didn’t do anything.”
“Then what is it?”
She shook her head. “It’s nothing. I promise.”
Kai’s jaw tightened. He didn’t believe her. But he didn’t push further. “Alright,” he said finally. “But Elise—don’t keep things from me. Not when it’s eating you alive.”
Her chest ached. “I won’t.”
But it was a lie.
That evening, the dining hall buzzed again.
Elise sat at her usual spot, pushing food around her plate. Across the room, Kai laughed softly at something one of his captains said, but his eyes kept flicking back to her.
She forced herself to eat a few bites. She didn’t want him worrying more.
When she finally stood to leave, Luka’s voice cut through the noise again.
“Sweet dreams, Elise.”
She stiffened.
Kai’s head turned instantly toward Luka, then to her. His eyes narrowed.
Elise forced a small smile and hurried out. Her heart pounded the whole way back to her room.
Night came. Elise sat on her bed, hugging her knees, staring at the door. Every creak in the hallway made her flinch.
She hated feeling like a prisoner in her own room.
She thought about telling Kai, about spilling everything.
But Luka’s smirk haunted her.
“Unless a part of you wanted it.”
The words cut deeper than any knife.
Tears burned her eyes. She buried her face in her hands and let them fall.
For hours, she sat there, torn between fear and guilt, between silence and confession.
When she finally lay down, sleep came in broken pieces.
And when the dream returned, it was sharper than before.
The forest. The figure at the edge. The same voice whispering, “You’ll lose everything.”
This time, when she tried to run, her legs wouldn’t move. She screamed, but no sound came out.
She woke with her throat raw, heart racing, sheets damp with sweat.
The night felt endless.
- Writer
