Elaika was helping a human soldier stack freshly chopped firewood near the edge of the camp. The biting cold barely touched her skin, but she noticed how the human’s fingers trembled with each piece he lifted. Unlike werewolves, humans weren’t built to withstand such rciless winters for long.
"Hello, Princess!" the soldier greeted cheerfully, bowing when he spotted Gloria approaching.
Elaika rolled her eyes and let out a quiet, annoyed huff. She didn’t respond. Instead, she tightened her grip on the log in her arms and dropped it with a heavy thud onto the pile.
"We need to talk," Ren demanded, her voice calm.
"No. We don’t," Elaika snapped, not even turning to face her. "You’re the Luna Queen. You shouldn’t be here."
"It’s about your brother," Gloria said gently.
Elaika froze. The log she was about to pick up slipped from her fingers and landed with a dull thump. Just as Gloria had suspected, she still cared. Without a word, Elaika turned on her heel and gestured sharply. "Follow . You shouldn’t be walking around the camp like this. You’ve made more enemies here than friends."
Ren and Gloria exchanged a glance, one of quiet understanding, and followed her into a nearby tent, its flaps fluttering in the wind like the wings of a restless bird.
"Fine. Tell ," Elaika urged, her tone sharp, her expression unreadable, ice carved into the shape of a girl. She wasn’t happy to see them.
Ren glanced around the cramped tent. The air inside was thick with smoke and damp wool. She still couldn’t quite believe this was real. "You’re living among humans now," she said quietly, more to herself than to Elaika. "I always thought you hated them."
Elaika’s eyes narrowed. "Are you here to interrogate or talk?"
Gloria gave a dry chuckle. "Believe , I considered treating you the sa way you treated back then," she confessed, folding her arms, "but even if I wanted to be cruel, I couldn’t. It’s not in . We’re not here for revenge. We ca to talk about Beta Coran."
Elaika’s gaze shifted, uncertain now, guarded. She said nothing, but the change in her posture gave her away.
"You’re dragging him down with you," Gloria continued. "And he doesn’t deserve it."
Elaika frowned, confused. She had accepted the cost of her own actions. Why would Coran suffer for her sins?
"What do you an?" she asked finally, her voice quiet but tense, tinged with fear. Did soone hurt him?
"His mate," Ren declared gently, "is Alpha Xander’s niece."
The words hung in the air like a blade between them. Elaika’s breath caught. She hadn’t seen that coming. Fate was playful.
"The elder disapproves of their bond," Ren continued. "I tried to get my husband to intervene, but it’s complicated... improper. What I’m asking is this: help your brother, for once. If you’re alive right now, it’s because of him. This is your chance to return the favor."
Elaika didn’t reply. She was numb. But her face, drained of color, said everything.
"Elaika," Ren said, her voice low but laced with fire, "we hate you more than anyone else ever could. You gave us every reason to stay away. Every ti we tried, you pushed us back with teeth bared. You tried to kill us."
She took a step closer, her presence suddenly heavier in the dim tent.
"But this ti, it’s different. For once in your life, respect soone else’s choice. You’re not the only one who gets to decide. When the Moon binds you to soone and your decisions ripple into the lives of others, you don’t get to run or sulk. You take responsibility. You face the consequences. You fix the ss you made. At the very least... you try."
Her words struck like a slap, and without waiting for a response, Ren turned toward the exit. But then her gaze caught on a small leather satchel tucked beside Elaika’s bedroll. Her eyes narrowed.
"That potion," she said coldly. "The one you’ve been taking. It’ll kill your wolf, you idiot."
Elaika flinched.
Ren didn’t stop. "You think you’re as strong as Arkilla? You think you can survive without your wolf? You’ll lose more than your power, you’ll lose your soul."
A dangerous glint sparked in Ren’s eyes as she stepped out of the tent, the flap snapping behind her like a whip. Gloria followed, leaving Elaika frozen, shaken, speechless, and utterly alone with the storm now swirling in her chest.
Outside, Gloria cast Ren a sideways glance and smirked. "That last part? That was brutal. I liked it."
"I know," Renaira whispered with a sly grin. "It’s kind of fun ssing with her."
They continued walking, their boots crunching over frost-laced earth, until they nearly collided with soone rounding the corner, Arkilla.
She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes instantly filling with tears. "You reckless little fool... what happened to you?" she cried, her voice catching, sharp with both pain and relief.
"Co here, Killa," Gloria said softly, pulling her into a warm embrace and patting her back. "I should be the one thanking you, for writing those letters from my mother. Without them, I wouldn’t have made it through."
Arkilla clutched her tightly before stepping back, her hands lingering on Gloria’s arms. "There’s a strategy eting starting soon, His Highness asked to find you and make sure you’re taken care of. It’s going to be a long one."
"Oh, perfect," Ren said with a spark of mischief. "That ans we can sneak off and visit Lord Alekin."
She had no desire to sit cooped up inside a war tent while voices clashed over maps and battle lines. She wanted to walk, breathe the cold air, feel the ground, move among the soldiers, hear, and see.
"Take to him," she added, eyes softening. "I’ll heal him."
Without another word, Gloria turned and led the way, the wind tugging at their cloaks as they disappeared into the rows of tents.
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