Eloide
“You’re insane!” I pretended to panic.
“I just want what should’ve been mine all along,” she said sweetly—and shoved me.
I spotted a flash of light in the distance—just like Mom said. That was the signal. The Elite Guardian sent by Luna Livia was near.
Perfect timing and I let myself fall.
The wind screamed around me as my body slammed into the icy slope. Pain exploded everywhere, but I held on. This was all part of the plan.
Then came the rumble. A low, menacing growl from above.
An avalanche.
I couldn’t move. My left arm throbbed with blinding pain. Snow crashed down on me, piling up fast—heavy, crushing. I couldn’t breathe.
My fingers fumbled for the amulet. It was warm—alive. A soft golden light pulsed from its center.
And then, I saw it.
A burst of light cut through the snow. Blinding… but peaceful. I felt safe.
Memories of Gavin rushed in like a flood. The way he looked at me the first time he said he loved me. The lies. The broken promises. The way he let Catherine into his heart while I slowly faded into the background.
Suddenly, a sharp siren shattered the silence. Voices echoed across the mountain.
Then, a voice inside my head.
[Eloide!! Where are you? Stay with me!!]
Gavin. Through the mind-link. He sounded panicked. Desperate—like he thought I’d just give up and die.
But I wasn’t ready to die. Not yet.
I dug my claws into the snow, dragging myself up through the suffocating weight. The amulet gave me strength. I kept pushing, clawing, until I finally broke through—sunlight flooding my face.
A man-a he wolf in ski goggles reached out a hand. I didn’t hesitate. I took it.
“Miss McNamara. Luna Livia sent me to retrieve you.”
I was already slipping away from Gavin… choosing a future that promised peace after I endured 99 times betrayal.
“Thank you,” I said, breathless. “Thank you for saving me.”
——
Gavin
I was sure I saw her—Eloide, alive. She survived the avalanche. I could still feel her heartbeat. She was my mate—strong, unbreakable.
I called out to her with everything I had. She didn’t respond. I tried the mind-link again, but she blocked me.
“Eloide?”
[She’s gone, Gavin.] Leif—my wolf—spoke the truth I didn’t want to hear.
“Shut up, Leif! She’s not gone. I know she heard me. She always hears me.”
[You let her go. I warned you not to ignore her. Now you regret it, don’t you?]
“I SAID SHUT UP!!”
I severed the mind-link. I didn’t need guilt poisoning my thoughts. Eloide wasn’t gone. That light—maybe it was a rescue team. Maybe she was already safe.
I was about to run after her when I heard heavy footsteps behind me. Dad—Alpha Malcolm.
His stare was ice, and his voice colder. “That’s enough, Gavin. We’re going home.”
“I’m not done—Eloide needs to come back with us.”
“Don’t argue. Now. I’ll have Beta Kane handle it.”
There was no point in fighting that tone. He was still the Alpha.
Reluctantly, I followed him back to the resort.
As soon as we arrived, Catherine rushed toward me, her voice high and panicked. “Gavin! What happened? Are you hurt? Did you find her? Please, talk to me!”
I didn’t answer. I dropped onto the couch, eyes blank, breath shallow. Every breath hurt. Every thought hurt worse.
I couldn’t hear a word she was saying. All I could hear was Eloide’s laugh echoing in my mind… and then the image of her fading into nothing.
That night, we returned to the pack house. But I brought back more than just silence—I brought a storm of questions I couldn’t silence.
**
A full day passed. Still no sign of Eloide at the pack house. I kept calling Beta Kane, over and over, but his answer never changed
“She’s not at the resort. Not anywhere we’ve checked.”
I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Every thought spun back to her face, her voice, her touch. I was a crazed wolf, pacing, begging Beta Kane to track her down.
Catherine knocked once and barged into my room. “Gavin… you’ve been like this all day. I’m scared. We haven’t talked since yesterday.”
“I don’t want to talk,” I said flatly.
“Please… just be with me. Even for a minute. I need you too…”
I looked at her. Her eyes were full of tears. But I felt… nothing.
“I’m tired of pretending everything’s okay,” I muttered. “I’m tired of you clinging to me like this.”
She froze, eyes welling up before the tears finally spilled.
I sighed and rubbed my temples. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I just… I need to be alone.”
I hesitated, then told the lie she probably needed to hear. “Eloide… she was just a tool. A stepping stone to becoming Alpha. That’s all.”
Another lie. A heavy one. But Catherine needed to believe it.
Around midnight, I started digging through news coverage of the avalanche. I watched every rescue effort, scanned every detail… until I found her.
Eloide—wearing a thick coat and a beanie—walking out of the resort. A man trailed behind her as a reporter interviewed someone in the foreground.
My stomach twisted. My chest felt like it was caving in.
She glanced briefly at the camera. Her face was unreadable. Then she turned away.
I bolted from my room, heading straight for Gamma Female Marie-Claire’s quarters. I banged on her door again and again until—
“I assume you’re looking for me, Gavin?” she said, already walking toward me.
“I saw Eloide leave on news. Did she say anything to you? Why didn’t she come back here?”
She handed me a small black velvet box. Inside was a pendant I knew too well.
“She threw it into the river after the mating ceremony you canceled,” Marie-Claire said, her voice hard. “I fished it out. When I tried to return it to her, she refused. She told me to give it back to you once she was gone.”
Eloide had once promised she'd never take that necklace off—no matter what we went through. I believed her. I really did. But I’d hurt her deeper than I ever imagined.
Staggering into the kitchen, I yanked open the liquor cabinet and grabbed a bottle of whiskey.
One swig. Then two. Then ten. Three bottles disappeared before I knew what was happening.
I collapsed on the floor, back against the fridge, vision blurred.
Catherine appeared in the doorway again, unmoving.
“Gavin…”
“I love her…” My voice cracked. The alcohol made my tongue heavy, but the truth spilled anyway. “I thought I could control everything. But she got in too deep. Too fast. And I was too damn blind…”
She said nothing.
Tears rolled down my cheeks—silent, angry. Grief tore through my chest like a wild animal I couldn’t cage.
“Pathetic,” she hissed.
Then came the slap and she stormed out.
I didn’t stop her.
Because she wasn’t Eloide.
