Chapter Twenty: Scars and Shadows
385 Words
The battle is over.
The camp is quiet again.
But it’s not peace.
It’s the kind of silence that comes after something has broken and no one knows how to fix it.
I lie in Kael’s bed, stripped of my shredded clothes, shoulder bandaged and burning. His scent clings to the sheets—earth and war. Familiar. Infuriating.
Kael stands at the foot of the bed, shirtless, his own ribs wrapped. Blood still streaks his jaw.
He hasn’t spoken since we got back.
Neither have I.
Not until he sits beside me, running a hand down his face like he’s scraping the guilt off.
“You shouldn’t have gone for that kid,” he says, voice rough. “You could’ve been killed.”
“I know.”
“I would’ve lost my mind.”
“You already have.”
That earns a dry chuckle.
“I’m trying,” he murmurs. “To be what you need.”
“I don’t need a perfect Alpha,” I say, turning to face him. “I need the truth. And you still haven’t given it.”
He doesn’t answer.
But the knock on the tent post interrupts whatever excuse he was about to make.
Kael stiffens. “What.”
A young guard steps inside, pale and wide-eyed.
“My Alpha… there’s someone at the gates. She bears the Council’s mark. Says she has a message. For both of you.”
My stomach knots.
“From who?” Kael growls.
The boy hesitates. Then whispers:
“Alpha Elira.”
Ice.
My blood turns to it.
“She’s dead,” I say flatly.
Kael’s eyes narrow to slits. “It’s a trick.”
The guard shakes his head. “She’s alive. And she says… she never died. You just let her disappear.”
Kael is on his feet in a heartbeat, fury radiating from him in waves.
I sit up, pain lancing through my shoulder, my heart crashing against my ribs.
If this is true…
Then everything changes.
Kael meets my eyes, and for the first time—
I see real fear there.
And maybe a flicker of hope.
“I have to see her,” I whisper.
“I won’t let her take you from me.”
“Then you better not lie to me again.”
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- Writer
