Chapter10
1415 Words
Elara's POV
It shouldn’t surprise me that Alpha Blackwood refuses to see me.
Within a wolf pack, the alpha’s doors are open to all pack members. They can enter at any time. But me? I have to beg to see ours. The warriors guarding the main pack hall have refused to let me in, the disdain on their faces pissing me off.
“It’s been two days!” I got right up in the bulk of the two men’s space. “I may not have a wolf, but I’m still part of this pack! I have every right to go in there!”
The warrior, Henrik, exchanges an amused look with his companion before crossing his arms over his chest.
“You go in if I let you go in. And I’m telling you he doesn’t have time for your kind. Get lost before I beat that into your skull.”
The other warrior, George, laughs.
“Do it. Let’s see whether her brains go splat on the ground.”
The dangerous gleam in their eyes has me taking a step back.
“You can’t do this. This isn’t right. He’s my alpha, too.”
George tilts his head, studying me with an unnerving look.
“Is it just me, or has this one become a little too mouthy lately? Should we throw her in the woods for a few hours? The sun is going to set soon. Let’s see if she survives the night.”
My breath catches in my throat, and I slowly reach for my knife. At this point, I don’t know if I’ll have to defend myself or not.
A deep, commanding voice cuts through the tension before anything can happen.
“What is going on here?”
All three of us freeze. Alpha Blackwood stands in the doorway of the pack hall, his imposing frame filling the entrance. His dark hair is streaked with silver at the temples, and his cold, gray eyes sweep over the scene with barely contained irritation.
Henrik and George immediately come to attention, their earlier bravado evaporating.
“A–Alpha,” Henrik stammers. “We were just—”
“I’ve been trying to see you for two days, and they won’t let me in,” I interrupted him, my voice stronger than I feel. My hand lowered from the hidden knife in my belt. “I have the right to request an audience.”
Alpha Blackwood’s gaze shifts to me, and a dark expression flickers across his face.
For a brief moment, a childhood memory rises, one that I had forgotten up till now.
I don’t remember how old I am, but my mother is shoving me into the bedroom, begging me to be quiet. Her face is pale, and she’s too thin. I recall the voice from outside the door, the same voice of the man who slaughtered my grandfather. I hear my mother’s pained whimpers through the thin walls and the harsh sound of the words spoken by the man. He is hurting her. Hours later, she opens the door, her scent implying that she has showered. I remember the bruises all over her, the way she limps and holds me, her expression blank.
“It’s my price to pay,” she whispers as she strokes my hair, her voice empty. “My price.”
My blood curdles as the image grips me, unbidden. What was that?
Where did it come from?
I don’t have many memories of my mother, and the ones I do have are engulfed in a haze I’ve never been able to penetrate. So, why—
“Is that so?” Alpha Blackwood is speaking, and a shiver crawls down my spine. His voice is deceptively calm, but I can hear the threat underneath it, the same tone I heard in—
“Alpha, we were just following protocol—” George begins.
“Protocol?” Blackwood’s voice drops to a dangerous whisper. “Protocol states that every pack member has the right to request an audience with the alpha. You think you get to decide whom I see?”
Both warriors turn pale, and Henrik gulps before saying, “No, sir. We just thought—”
“You thought wrong.” The Alpha’s attention returns to me, and I fight the urge to back away. “Follow me.”
I keep my chin up as I walk past Henrik and George, ignoring their murderous glares. My leg throbs with each step, but I force myself not to limp. Not in front of Blackwood.
The pack hall’s interior is grand—polished wood floors, tapestries depicting our pack’s history, and the massive throne-like chair where Alpha Blackwood holds court. But we don’t stop there. He leads me down a corridor to his private office.
The door closes behind us with a click that sounds unnaturally loud in the silence. His office is spartanly decorated—a large desk, leather chairs, and shelves lined with pack records and territorial maps. The only personal touch is a photograph of him and his daughter on the desk.
He takes his seat without offering me a chair. I know better than to sit.
His fingers steepled, he studied me.
“What do you want, Elara?” His voice is cold, dismissive. Like I’m vermin he is forced to deal with.
“I want to leave the pack.”
The words hang in the air between us. For a moment, Alpha Blackwood’s carefully controlled expression slips, revealing genuine surprise that quickly transforms into what looks suspiciously like relief.
“Leave?” He leans back in his chair, and I swear I see the ghost of a smile. “And go where, exactly?”
“There’s a human man willing to marry me.” My voice remains even despite my racing heart. “Someone who wants me.”
Now he does smile, but there’s nothing warm about it. It’s predatory and mocking at the same time.
“A human.” He says as he’s savoring the words. “How fitting.”
I wait, unsure what response he wants. The silence continues, and I can feel his satisfaction radiating across the desk.
“You understand what this means?” His voice takes on an almost pleased tone. “If you leave to marry a human, you renounce all ties to this pack. You will never be allowed to return. Not for visits, not for emergencies, not for anything.”
“I understand.”
“Your mother’s bloodline dies with you. Any claim to pack heritage, any rights you might have had—gone forever.”
My chest tightens at the mention of my mother. At the way he says it, like he’s relishing the idea of erasing every trace of her legacy.
“I said I understand.”
He stands abruptly, moving to a window that overlooks the settlement.
“Your grandfather thought he was so clever, you know. Using his strength to protect his daughter’s dirty little secret,” Blackwood’s back is to me, but I hear the venom in his voice. “He should’ve handled the problem when you were born.”
My blood turns to ice. Problem. That’s what I’ve always been to him—not a person but a problem that should have been eliminated.
“My grandfather is dead,” I say quietly, my hands clenched at my sides. “You don’t have to drag him into this.”
“Yes, he is.” Blackwood turns to face me, and I see the cold, contented look in his gray eyes. “And now, his last mistake finally removes itself from my territory.”
The casual cruelty in his words hits me like a physical blow. I’ve always known he despised me, but hearing it stated so plainly makes my heart break.
“You’re certain about this human?”
“Yes.”
“Does he know what you are?”
This is where I pause. If I reveal that Andrew is aware of our kind, he will be killed.
“No.”
Blackwood nods slowly, his satisfaction evident.
“Then I suppose there’s nothing more to discuss.”
Returning to his desk, he pulls out a piece of official pack stationery with more enthusiasm than the situation warrants.
“You have until the end of the week to gather your belongings and get off my land.”
“That’s it?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
- Writer
