The journey back to the Blood Moon territory was marked by a silence so heavy it felt like a physical weight pressing against their chests. For Kael, every mile was a reminder of what he had lost. Usually, he could feel Elara’s presence like a warm hum in the back of his mind—a constant reassurance of her safety and her emotions. Now, there was only a hollow, echoing void.
He glanced at her as they crossed the pack borders. She was pale, her silver hair matted with the grime of the neutral zone, but her eyes held a new, hardened clarity. She wasn't just a victim anymore; she was a woman who had sacrificed her soul's connection to stay alive.
As they reached the pack house, the guards immediately straightened, their eyes widening at the sight of their Alpha's blood-stained clothes and the
