Alpha King Draco's Point of View
No one in the pack knew that Elara was missing. Not yet.But the bond... the strange, insistent pull at my chest... it made me restless. I had ignored such feelings for years—ever since taking over this cursed pack at the age of seven. The interest of the pack always came first.
My own desires were secondary, if they existed at all.But should they be?For the first time in decades, I hesitated. A profound doubt crept into my soul. Maybe—just maybe—I should have considered my own desires. My own mate. Elara. If she lived, if she truly was the one, she might yet hold the key to the salvation of this pack... or at least to my unending peace.I summoned my family."I have made my decision," I declared firmly, my voice echoing with a new resolve.
"Elara will no longer remain a prisoner. I will claim her. As my fated mate. As my Luna."A hush fell over the room, thick and immediate.One elder, bolder than the rest, raised his voice:
"What of the curse, Alpha? The safety of our warriors? The fate of this land?"Murmurs rippled across the room. Suspicion. Discomfort. Fear. But my mind was made. My wolf, for once, felt a flicker of hope.
I gave the order. "Prepare her. Bring her to me as Luna."A guard bowed and left immediately, his footsteps hurrying down the corridor towards the prison.But only moments later—a shout.
The crash of hurried feet. A rising wave of panic."Alpha!" a guard burst back into the room, breathless, pale, and terrified. "You must come... now!"Confusion and a cold unease filled the chamber. I glanced toward Silas and his mother, Luna Sophia—catching the flicker of quiet, almost cruel satisfaction in their eyes. Strange... but the urgency of the moment pushed it aside.
"What is going on?!" Luna Sophia demanded, rising from her seat in alarm, her composure finally breaking.I said nothing, my wolf stirring, uneasy, a primal warning deep in my bones, yet blind to the truth. I walked swiftly, my strides long and purposeful, towards the prison, every step heavier than the last, a growing dread settling over me.
The door to her cell hung wide open.Inside—ruin.Elara's clothes lay in bloody shreds across the cold stone floor. Smears of dark, fresh blood stained the walls and pooled near the food dish—half-eaten, forgotten. The air was thick with her scent. Potent. Choking. Her unique wild honey and untamed essence, now tainted with the coppery tang of her own life force.But she was gone.No flesh. No movement. No breath.Gone.
I clenched my fists, my knuckles turning white. My wolf howled inside—a primal cry of anger, grief, and raw despair twisting violently in my chest."What happened here?!" I roared, my voice ripping through the silence, making the stone walls tremble.
The guards flinched, bowing low, their faces terrified. "W-We found it like this, Alpha! We swear...!"I crouched, my hands shaking. I touched the torn clothes, felt the fading warmth of her body clinging to the fabric.She had been here.And then... gone.Silas stepped forward, his voice smooth, almost sickeningly calm.
"Brother... look."I turned my head slowly, despair weighing heavy on my shoulders.In the far corner of the prison, hidden in the shadows... Tiara.Lying crumpled on the floor—her mouth, fingertips, and skin smeared with Elara's blood. Her body was limp, exhausted, her wolf form half-shifted, her eyes glazed over. She seemed to sleep deeply, as if sated by her brutal feast.My heart sank, a cold, leaden weight.
The scene said everything.There was no other explanation. No need for doubt. Tiara had done this. My brother's wretched, unstable pet had finally lost control.Murmurs spread behind me, a tide of shock and pity. Luna Vivian covered her mouth—her eyes glittering with dark satisfaction, failing to fully hide her quiet joy.
The Luna I was bound to marry, celebrating my fated mate's death.And beside her, Silas and his mother exchanged the briefest glance—a flash of triumph, too perfect, too rehearsed. A sharp jolt of suspicion, cold and unwelcome, pierced through my despair. Too perfect, my wolf whispered, even as my human mind grasped at nothing. What proof did I have? None.I turned back to the blood-soaked ruin. My last fragile hope of Elara—gone.
Torn apart like the cursed fate that haunted this land, like the fragments of my own soul.
"Clean this mess," I muttered bitterly, my voice hollow, raw with loss.
"Burn what remains. This chapter is closed."Elara was dead. And with her... the strange warmth of the bond that had stirred in my chest didn't just fade—it tore from me, leaving a gaping, searing void. A silence fell, heavier than any grief.