Elara’s Ashford POV
All my life I had waited for this mont. To be mated to my beloved.
My Kade.
My boyfriend of five years.
Kade Greystone, royal carpenter and most sort out male in all of Crimson pack, had fallen for , a weak wolf girl.
At first I thought maybe it was because I was the alpha’s daughter but no, he loved and tonight the goddess shall grant her blessing.
The entire pack was gathered for the ceremony, their eyes on as I walked toward the center of the clearing in my white frilly dress, where the fated pairs would be revealed. My heart was hamring in my chest, and I felt like I might explode from the anticipation.
Everyone was whispering, exchanging glances, waiting to see who would be mated to who.
And then I saw him.
Kade stood at the front of the crowd, tall and proud, his eyes scanning the gathering. When they landed on , my breath caught in my throat. For a mont, everything else faded away. It was just him and , and the connection between us felt like fire, hot and consuming. He smiled—just a small curve of his lips, but enough to make my legs feel weak.
This is it.
It has to be him.
I stepped closer, feeling the pull, that invisible thread drawing toward him. The elders began the ritual, chanting softly, their voices filling the air with power. My whole body was buzzing with excitent. I kept my eyes on Kade, waiting for the mont, waiting for that feeling—the one that would confirm everything I’d dread of.
But then... nothing.
No spark. No recognition. No bond.
I blinked, confused, my steps faltering. I looked at Kade, searching his face for sothing—anything—that would explain why I didn’t feel the pull.
And that’s when I saw her.
A woman stepped forward from the crowd, her hand sliding into his. She was beautiful—tall, graceful, with sleek black hair and skyblue eyes like ice.
I’d seen her before, a mber of the Twilight Pack. A rival pack. But what was she doing...?
He didn’t even look at . His arm wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers in front of everyone.
At that mont, the world around shattered.
BOOM!!
A building beside exploded.
People scread, running helter skelter.
The smoke was the first thing I noticed—thick, black plus rising over the packlands, followed by the gut-wrenching sound of howling and screams.
It was supposed to be a night of celebration.
Not...not this.
"Kade?" I called out, frantically looking around for him. He had disappeared while the pack was in chaos, warriors running in every direction, trying to fend off the attackers.
My heart raced as I pushed through the crowd, my dress torn and forgotten in the rush. "Where’s Kade?"
I didn’t want to believe it. He...he didn’t kiss that woman. I...
"Your highness, get inside!" a guard yelled at , but I ignored him, my mind focused on only one thing: finding Kade.
I stumbled through the smoke, coughing, my vision blurred as the sounds of battle grew louder. And then, through the haze, I saw him—standing near the center of the packhouse.
Relief flooded through , and I sprinted toward him. He was safe. He was alive. What I saw...was probably just my mind playing tricks.
Nothing more.
"Kade!" I scread, stumbling into his arms. "What’s happening? Are you okay?"
He turned slowly, and the mont I saw his face, everything inside froze.
There was no fear in his eyes, no concern, no worry for the chaos around us. Instead, there was sothing far colder. A cruel, mocking smile curled at the corners of his lips. And standing beside him, her hand wrapped possessively around his arm, was the sa woman.
"Kade..." I whispered, my voice trembling. "What’s going on?"
His eyes flicked over with disinterest. "Oh, Elara," he said, his voice dripping with disdain. "You poor, stupid girl."
I took a step back, my heart slamming against my ribs. "What... what are you talking about?"
Kade laughed, a harsh sound that echoed in my ears. "Did you really think you were special? That you were going to be my mate?"
My blood ran cold. "But... we’re fated—"
"No," he cut off, his voice like a blade. "We were never fated, Elara. You were just convenient."
I couldn’t breathe. The ground felt like it had been ripped out from under . "But... all this ti... the way you looked at ..."
"All a ga," he said, stepping closer, his eyes gleaming with amusent. "You think I want soone like you? An Alpha’s daughter who can’t even shift? You’re a joke. A ans to an end. A foolish nineteen years old girl who believed every single words I said."
I shook my head, backing away from him, feeling the tears burning in my eyes. "Kade, please—"
"Enough." His voice snapped, and the cruel smile faded from his face, replaced with sothing darker, more nacing. "You were never anything more than a pawn. The Twilight Pack wanted control of these lands, and I gave it to them. In exchange for power. Real power. You? You’re just the loose end we needed to tie up."
The woman at his side stepped forward then, her lips curling into a sneer. "He was never yours, Elara. We’ve been together for months. That weak little potion? It was to keep you distracted, to make you think he was your mate. To make you feel as if you were going to end up together. You really thought soone like him would want soone like you?"
I stumbled back, my mind reeling. A potion? They’d used a fucking potion on ? "No... no, this can’t be..." I whispered, my body trembling.
"Oh, it is," Kade said, stepping closer. "It’s over for you, Elara. You’re nothing. And now, it’s ti to finish what we started."
That’s when the first blow hit.
A guard, a brute of a man, swung his fist into my stomach, knocking the wind out of . I doubled over in pain, gasping for breath, but before I could recover, another hit ca, this ti to my face. I crumpled to the ground, blood spilling from my nose as my vision blurred.
"Kade!" I scread, reaching out for him, but he just stood there, watching as the guard beat . His eyes were cold, completely devoid of any emotion. The woman beside him laughed, her voice sharp and cruel, like she was enjoying the show.
I felt hands grab my hair, yanking up from the ground, and another punch landed square in my ribs. I heard sothing crack, felt the blinding pain shoot through my body, but all I could think about was why. Why was this happening?
I was the Alpha’s daughter. I was supposed to be safe. I was supposed to be mated to Kade. But now, here I was, lying in the dirt, beaten and bleeding, while the man I loved stood by and watched.
"Kill her," the woman said, her voice laced with venom. "She’s useless now."
The guard lifted his foot, ready to crush my skull, and I closed my eyes, waiting for the end. This was how it was going to end. Betrayed, broken, and abandoned.
But the death blow never ca.
The ground beneath trembled, and through the ringing in my ears, I heard a voice—low, commanding, and powerful.
"Enough."
My eyes fluttered open, my vision hazy, but I saw them—the rest of the attackers fleeing, retreating into the woods, leaving alone in the dust.
And just before I lost consciousness, Kade’s voice drifted through the air, cold and final.
"Leave her. Let her die like the dog she is."
And then, there was nothing but darkness.
2- Revenge Is Best Serve Cold
Elara Ashford. The weakling had died that night.
The fool who could have protected herself in her father’s ho but chose to run after the man she loved, hoping for salvation in his arms. The naive girl who believed her mind was playing tricks, because the truth—the raw, brutal reality—was too painful to accept. She died that night, buried beneath the bodies of her family and the life she once knew.
I am not her anymore.
The woman I am now is sothing different, sothing forged in fire, hardened in the wilderness.
I trained.
Every day, every night.
But whether it will be enough... that remains to be seen.
My eyes fluttered open as I felt it—soone, sothing, reaching for , a hand hovering close to my face. I could feel the breath on my skin, hear the soft shuffle of feet in the dirt.
"I’m not dead," I muttered, my voice rough from sleep, and shot upright, grabbing the intruder’s wrist before they could react.
A startled yelp.
A boy.
Young, maybe fifteen, with wide eyes and trembling hands.
He must’ve been sent by the pack to scout this far out into the woods, but he clearly hadn’t expected to find anyone like .
"Who sent you?" I demanded, tightening my grip until I heard his bones creak
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