Elias sneered. "And who the hell are you to challenge me?"
The man smirked. "Raul. That’s all you need to know."
Before Elias could respond, Raul lunged, and the fight began.
Claws slashed through the air, the sounds of growls and heavy impact filling the space. Raul was fast—faster than I expected. He dodged Elias’s strikes effortlessly, moving with a predatory grace that made it clear he was no ordinary wolf.
Elias, fueled by rage, attacked relentlessly, but he was sloppy. His movements were reckless, driven by arrogance rather than skill. Raul, on the other hand, was calculating, his every move precise. Blow after blow, he wore Elias down, until finally—
With a sharp twist, Raul used Elias’s momentum against him, sending him crashing to the ground. A collective gasp rose from the onlookers. Elias growled, trying to get up, but Raul was already on him, pressing his knee against Elias’s chest, claws at his throat.
One move, and it would all be over.
I should have felt relieved. I should have wanted this. Elias had treated me like nothing, discarded me as if I were unworthy of love. And yet—
"Stop!" My voice rang out before I could think.
Raul froze. The entire world seemed to hold its breath as I stepped forward. My eyes met Elias’s, and for the first time, I saw fear in them. Not for his life—but for his pride.
"I'll go back with him," I announced, my voice firm. “Let him go.”
A stunned silence followed.
Raul looked at me, his golden eyes searching mine, but I didn’t waver. I had made my decision.
For now.
The moment the words left my lips, a heavy silence settled over the clearing. I could feel every eye on me, watching, waiting, trying to understand why I had just thrown myself back into the hands of the man who had broken me.
Venice’s face was blank when I finally got the courage to face her, but I knew I had wounded her. I had betrayed the sanctuary she had given me, the protection she had sworn.
I turned to her and, without hesitation, fell to my knees. "Venice," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "I am so sorry."
She didn’t move.
Tears burned at the back of my eyes as I bowed my head. "I know this is foolish, I know I shouldn’t, but I have to do this. Please, let me go."
Still, she remained silent.
I clenched my fists against the dirt beneath me, forcing the words out. "I have no right to ask for your blessing after everything you’ve done for me. But if I leave here with your resentment, I don’t think I’ll be able to bear it."
A long pause stretched between us, suffocating in its weight.
Finally, Venice took a deep breath. When she spoke, her voice was cold. "If you wish to throw yourself back into the fire, I won’t stop you."
I lifted my head, desperate for even a small sign of forgiveness, but she had already turned away.
"Let them go," she ordered her guards.
The warriors beside her looked as if they wanted to protest, but they obeyed.
Behind me, Elias scoffed, shaking off the dirt as he stood. "Took you long enough to come to your senses," he sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance. He stepped forward, gripping my wrist roughly. "Get in the cart."
I barely registered his words. My gaze had found Raul again.
He was staring at me, his golden eyes fixed on me like a lost puppy. He hadn’t moved since I stopped him from killing Elias. He had no words for me, no arguments, no accusations.
That silence cut deeper than anything Elias could ever say.
I forced myself to swallow the lump in my throat and whispered, "Thank you."
Raul said nothing.
I turned, stepping into the wooden cart Elias had brought. The moment I sat down, the wheels lurched forward, the Crescent Pack warriors guiding the horses away from the Bright Dawn territory.
The cart rocked unsteadily over the rough terrain, and Elias winced as he shifted in his seat. Blood smeared across his torn shirt, and his knuckles were bruised from the fight. His jaw clenched tightly, but his pride kept him from groaning in pain.
I hesitated before reaching out. "Let me see," I murmured, trying to touch his arm.
He jerked away from me instantly. "Don’t," he snapped, his voice sharp and bitter.
I swallowed, my chest tightening. "Elias, you’re hurt—"
His glare cut through me like ice. "If you hadn’t run away like a coward, none of this would have happened."
The words stung, but I refused to back down. "I ran because you treated me like I was nothing. You paraded Talia around while I was still your mate. You never touched me, never looked at me the way you did her. Do you really expect me to stay after that?"
His expression darkened. "Shut up, Selene."
I pressed on, my voice growing desperate. "You humiliated me, Elias. For years, I—"
His hand slammed against the wooden side of the cart, the sound loud in the silence. "I said shut up!"
My breath caught in my throat.
I stared at him, seeing the anger, the frustration—but beneath it, there was something else. Something raw.
But he wouldn’t let me see it.
So I turned away, pressing myself against the cart’s edge, and let the silence swallow us both.
As the distance grew, I felt the walls closing in around me.
I had done the right thing. I had stopped a war. I had prevented unnecessary bloodshed.
Then why did it feel like I had just made the worst mistake of my life?
