Elaine’s walls were back up, and no matter how Darius tried to shake the sense of it, he couldn’t find the right words to bring her back to where she had been before.
More Rewards
For Elaine, the moment of peace was gone. For Darius, there lingered only confusion-and a gnawing curiosity about the woman who could laugh so freely one moment, then disappear behind her mask the next.
The forest path widened the closer they came to the heart of the Silverblade territory. The faint murmur of voices carried on the breeze, mixed with the scent of cooking food drifting from the pack house kitchens. It reminded Elaine of the world she’d been trying to escape- the routines, the noise, the endless eyes that never stopped watching her.
“There it is,” Darius said lightly, his voice breaking the silence. He gestured ahead, his expression thoughtful. “Strange, it feels like we’ve only just started walking.”
Elaine offered him a small smile, polite but muted. “Yes. The falls aren’t so far, really.”
Elaine slowed her pace even more. The thought of stepping inside-into that hall full of eyes -made her chest tighten.
She turned to Darius, giving a respectful dip of her head. “You should go ahead, Alpha. They’ll be expecting you.”
He looked at her, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. “And you?”
“I’ll come in later.” She straightened, her voice calm, carefully neutral.
“Thank you for the walk,” she added softly. Then, with a polite bow, she turned and slipped into one of the side corridors that skirted the pack house.
Within moments, she was gone-swallowed up by the familiar shadows she seemed so comfortable disappearing into.
Darius stood where she had left him, the noise of the dining hall pulling him forward. Yet his eyes lingered on the direction she had gone.
He couldn’t explain it, but something about her unsettled him. Not in a threatening way, more like a puzzle that refused to fit neatly into place.
One moment, she laughed with the ease of someone who’d known him for years. Next, she carried herself like a ghost, fading before he could get close enough to understand.
With a faint shake of his head, he forced his attention back to the present. He was an alpha on another pack’s land, and breakfast awaited. Still, as he stepped into the dining hall, he realized he was thinking less about the gathering and more about the quiet girl who had already vanished from it.
And that, somehow, felt strange.
Elaine needed time-time to still her racing heart, to push down the storm threatening to break inside her. Her chest felt tight, every breath shallow, but she forced herself to pause just long enough to gather her composure.
She could not stay away for long. If she lingered too much outside, if she returned late, the whispers would only grow sharper. Attention was the last thing she wanted. Already, her very existence seemed to provoke curiosity, pity, or worse-scorn.
On the way to the dining hall, Alpha Darius had spoken to her as if nothing had been amiss, his presence commanding yet strangely comforting. But he hadn’t noticed, or perhaps he chose not to notice, the way every eye followed them as they walked.
She had. The weight of their stares pressed against her back like a thousand needles. She could almost hear the unspoken judgments, the half-formed rumors spilling from mind to mind. They didn’t need to say the words. She already knew what they thought of her.
Goddess, how she wanted to be anywhere but here.
Just a few more days, she reminded herself desperately. A few more days until the mating ceremony concluded, and then she could be gone.
That mantra was all that kept her steady: hold on a little longer, then leave. Only then could she finally start to move forward.
But even that wasn’t so simple. To leave, she couldn’t just walk away. She would have to resign from her work first, sever every tie. And beyond that, she would need Alpha Efrein’s approval. Without it, she would be branded rogue-an outcast stripped of protection, forced into a life on the fringes.
She had seen rogues before, their hollow eyes and restless movements. Wolves driven by desperation and loneliness, snapping at shadows until their minds broke.
That was the last fate she wanted for herself. Yet if left with no choice… she would take it.
Still, a tiny ember of hope flickered in her. Perhaps another pack might take her in, though she knew it was unlikely. Few dared to defy Alpha Efrein, not when the Silverblade Pack stood as one of the most influential in the region. He had allies everywhere. To leave his pack was to risk isolation, suspicion, or worse.
When Elaine finally entered the dining hall, she kept her gaze low, her steps measured.
The air was thick with the clamor of conversation, the scent of roasted meats and warm bread filling the high-ceilinged room. Long tables lined with guests buzzed with energy, and at the far end, where the head table stood raised above the rest, the invited pack leaders laughed and conversed easily with Alpha Efrein, Luna Beatrice, and the future Alpha and Luna. The Beta couple stood proudly at their side, basking in the glow of belonging.
Elaine moved with quiet purpose, slipping through the throng until she reached the food. She gathered her plate quickly, then sought her usual place-tucked away at the very end of the hall, the last spot where no one ever lingered long. From there, she could see everyone, but remain unseen herself.
Her eyes flickered toward the Beta female-her mother.
The woman’s radiant smile faltered when their gazes met, her expression softening into something almost pained, her eyes shimmering with unspoken words. It was a look that asked for understanding.
Understanding for what, Elaine didn’t know. For their betrayal? For the way they had stood by and allowed her world to crumble?
Whatever it was, Elaine looked away quickly, her heart hardening. She could not give them what they sought.
A hush fell as Alpha Efrein rose from his seat, moving down from the dais to mingle among his pack.
Elaine’s fingers tightened around her fork. She prayed with all her might that he would pass her by, that he would see her as nothing more than another face in the crowd.
But fate, as always, had other plans.
“How are you today, Elaine?” Alpha Efrein’s voice carried, calm yet weighted with authority, drawing the attention of those seated nearby.
Elaine’s spine straightened instinctively.
“Good, Alpha,” she replied, her tone measured, respectful.
“Everyone is still speaking of the party last night,” he said, his smile polite, unreadable. “It was a great success, and we have you to thank for that.”
Her throat tightened. She forced her voice steady. “Just doing my job, Alpha.”
That was all it had ever been to her. Her duty. Her work. Nothing more.
She couldn’t understand why he was saying this now. To mock her? To remind her of her place? Or to make an example of her before the others?
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.