LUNA ELARA

Chapter 5

The truck rumbled to a stop at a remote gas station in the outlands between pack territories. Elara had been hiding for hours, her body aching from the cramped space behind the crates. As she heard the drivers step out, she knew this was her chance.

Carefully, she slipped out of the truck and into the shadows. The night air of the Blackthorn Outlands was cool on her skin, a stark reminder of her newfound freedom - and isolation. She had no idea where she was, no money, no plan. Just the burning desire to get as far away from the Silverridge Pack as possible.

Elara started walking along the dark road, her mind racing. What was she going to do now? Where could she go? The weight of everything she'd lost threatened to crush her - her position as Luna, her husband's love, her best friend's loyalty, and her unborn child. Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away. She couldn't afford to be weak now.

As she was lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the car approaching until it was almost upon her. She froze, like a deer in headlights, as it slowed to a stop beside her.

The driver's window rolled down, revealing a man with striking features - dark hair, piercing eyes, and an air of authority that reminded her of an Alpha. But there was something different about him, something she couldn't quite place.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice deep and concerned. "It's dangerous for a lone wolf to be out here at night."

Elara hesitated, unsure whether to trust this stranger. But something in his eyes made her feel... safe.

"I... I'm fine," she stammered. "Just... traveling."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her. "Traveling with no car, no bag, in the middle of nowhere?" He paused, then seemed to make a decision. "Look, I don't know your story, but you clearly need help. I'm heading to Ravenwood Valley. Why don't you let me give you a ride?"

Every instinct told her to be cautious, but what choice did she have? She was alone, with no resources and no plan. And this stranger... there was something about him that drew her to him.

Elara sat quietly in the passenger seat, her thoughts swirling in the chaos of her past.

“Thanks,” she murmured softly as she slid into the seat, it was warm in the car.

The stranger beside her broke the silence first, his voice smooth, but carrying an air of authority. “I’m Dorian,” he said, offering a small, yet knowing, smile. “And you are?”

Elara hesitated, the weight of her true identity heavy on her tongue. “Elara,” she said.

Dorian nodded and slid the car into motion. The engine’s hum filled the space between them, and Elara couldn’t help but watch him, trying to piece together the mystery of who this man was. His relaxed posture seemed at odds with the sharp alertness in his eyes, as if he was always waiting for something to happen.

“So, Elara,” Dorian began, his voice cutting through her thoughts. “You want to tell me what you’re running from?”

Elara stiffened, instantly wary. She’d spent years learning how to hide her true self. “What makes you think I’m running?”

Dorian’s lips curled into a half-smile, but there was no humor in it. “I know a fugitive when I see one. No bag, walking alone in the dark… That look in your eyes? You’re on the run, and it’s from something big... I guess.”

She didn’t answer immediately, unsure of how much to reveal. The silence lingered for a moment before Dorian spoke again, his tone softer but still carrying that same weight.

“I’m not going to force you to talk,” he said. “But I might be able to help if you let me.”

There was sincerity in his words, a quiet understanding that made her pause. She wasn’t sure why, but for the first time in a long while, she felt a flicker of trust. Before she could stop herself, the words spilled out.

“I was the Luna of my pack,” she began, her voice barely above a whisper. “But I couldn’t give them an heir. My husband... he took my best friend as his new mate. And when I finally did get pregnant, they blamed me for losing the baby. I couldn’t stay there after that. I just couldn’t.”

Dorian’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles pale in the dim light. “They cast you out for that?” His voice was low, controlled, but there was a fury underneath.

" I wasn't cast out, they made it unbearable... so I left". She said also immediately.

Elara looked at the window, the pain still fresh.

“Bastards,” Dorian muttered, more to himself than her. Then, louder, with fire in his voice, he continued, “No pack should ever treat their Luna like that. Not over something they had no control over.”

His anger was unexpected, but it did something to her—something deep inside her that had been dormant for far too long. The grief, the hurt, the sense of betrayal all began to form into something harder, sharper.

“I want…” Elara started, but the intensity of her own emotions stopped her. what did she really want?

Dorian turned his head slightly, his gaze flicking to her, waiting. “What do you want, Elara?”

“I want them to pay,” she said softly, the words tasting both foreign and right on her tongue. “I want revenge.”

Dorian was silent for a long moment, the only sound the steady rhythm of the tires on the road. Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet but serious.

“Do you really want revenge?” he asked, his eyes briefly meeting hers before returning to the road.

The question caught Elara off guard. Did she? The anger growing in her chest said yes, but a part of her—one she barely recognized—hesitated. She wasn’t a vengeful person. But then she thought of her former pack, of her husband's betrayal, of everything she’d lost.

“Yes,” she said, her voice firm. “I do.”

Dorian’s expression remained unreadable as he processed her words. “Revenge isn’t something you take lightly, Elara. It changes you. Are you prepared for that?”

Elara swallowed hard. “I... I think I am. They took everything from me. My position. My mate. My child. My dignity. What else is there?”

For a moment, Dorian was quiet, considering. Then, his tone shifted, a note of something more than just casual interest. “What if I told you that I could help you get more than just revenge? What if I could help you reclaim everything you lost, make them regret ever crossing you?”

Elara’s heart skipped a beat at the words, a spark of hope flaring in her chest. “You could do that?” she asked, the disbelief in her voice obvious.

Dorian’s lips twitched upward in a small, calculating smile. “I have... connections. Resources. I know things about our world that your old pack probably never even imagined.”

Suspicion crept into her thoughts. “Why would you help me?” Elara asked, her voice cautious. “You don’t even know me.”

Dorian didn’t answer immediately. When he did, his words were laden with meaning. “Let’s just say I understand what it’s like to be betrayed by those you trust. To want to tear down a broken system.”

Elara studied him in the dim light, sensing there was much more to his story. But she didn’t press. Instead, she nodded slowly. “Okay. I’m in. Whatever it takes.”

“Good,” Dorian said, a note of approval in his voice. “We’ll start your training soon. But first, we need to get you somewhere safe.”

The car sped through the night, and Elara felt the weight of her new path settling over her, heavy but inevitable.