[Kaelen's POV]
In the end, Elara agreed. She couldn't let the Great Elder bear the political weight of her refusal. Besides, three months was a short time. It would pass quickly.
Before they parted, the Elder pulled her aside one last time. "No matter what, you are a free wolf now. Your own life must be your first priority. In a moment of extreme danger, you must save yourself. Do you understand?"
She knew how much he worried.
"I have my limits. Don't worry," she said.
The Elder sighed. He knew. The clan was gone, but the warrior remained. It was in her blood, an inheritance from the two heroes she called her parents. The mission would always come first. That part of her would never change.
"Just… stay alive, Elara. That is my wish, and it was your parents' wish too," he said, his voice thick with emotion.
Her eyes welled with tears. It was a long moment before she could manage a soft, "Yes."
After the Elder left, Malachi looked at her. "You're leaving for Stonewall Citadel tomorrow."
"Yes," she confirmed.
"Do you require an escort to your residence?" he asked.
"No, I have my own mount," she replied, a polite but firm refusal.
A faint, knowing smile touched his lips. "Very well. In any case, I'm sure we will be seeing each other again very soon."
"…" She pressed her lips together. Fine. It was only for three months. A simple mission.
The moment I returned to the Alpha's House, I sealed myself in the master bedroom.
The room, once a warm, comforting sanctuary, now felt cavernous and cold.
The wardrobe, the bed, the cabinets—every trace of Elara had been scrubbed from existence. While I had been completely oblivious, she had been systematically erasing herself from my life.
She was walking out of my world for good.
A frantic pounding at the door, the sound of my mother's and sister's voices. I ignored them, my eyes scanning the room, desperately searching for something, anything, she might have left behind.
I pulled open the drawer of the bedside table, and I froze.
There, nestled in the empty space, were two simple rings.
Our ritual rings. I had bought them at a night market before our mating ceremony. They had cost me two miserable Moon-crystals.
I remember what I told her then. "When I'm wealthy, I will buy you a proper enchanted ring."
She had just smiled, a gentle, happy smile, and slipped the cheap ring onto her finger without a hint of disappointment.
I picked them up.
The vow was a ghost in my ears. I was wealthy now. I could have bought her the finest ring on the continent. But I had never fulfilled that simple promise.
A wave of self-loathing so powerful it was a physical blow crashed over me.
After a frantic search, the only things of hers I could find were those two cheap rings. It was only then that I realized we had never even had a formal Mate Portrait painted. At first, it was to save money. We would do it later, when we could afford it.
But then… I had just forgotten. It had ceased to be important.
The pounding on the door grew more insistent.
I finally opened it.
"Brother, are you alright?" Giselle asked, her eyes wide with concern.
I clutched the rings in my fist, the bitter taste of regret filling my mouth.
"It's all that bitch Elara's fault! I told you we should have never accepted a mate like her," my mother snarled, her swollen cheeks making her speech slurred and painful.
"Mother, enough!" I roared. "Stop talking about Elara like that! In three years, she never wronged me!" On the contrary, I had wronged her, again and again. "Without her, I would have nothing!"
"Are you taking her side now? Just because of that pathetic one hundred and fifty-three Origin Crystals?" Giselle demanded. "She only gave you a little money to secure your position! You were the one who made the Pack successful, not her!"
I fell silent. I used to believe that. But now… I wasn't so sure.
"We haven't officially dissolved the bond yet. I am still her mate. Shouldn't I be on her side?" I asked, the words feeling foreign in my mouth.
Giselle stared at me, dumbfounded. "What's wrong with you? You've never taken her side before!"
The accusation hit me like a physical blow. I was stunned. It was true. In three years, I had never once stood with her. Whenever there was a conflict, my first instinct had always been to blame her.
The guilt and regret were a suffocating weight. "How many Origin Crystals do you have? Give them to me," I demanded.
"Brother, you're not really going to give her one hundred and fifty-three Origin Crystals, are you?" Giselle asked.
"I'm not giving her anything," I corrected. "I'm paying a debt." "Just give me what you have."
"I… I don't have any money!" Giselle stammered, avoiding my gaze.
"You told me to give you my savings for the Pack's cash flow problems, remember? I have nothing left," my mother added. It was a lie. She had money, but she would be damned if I gave it to Elara.
I looked at them, my heart sinking with disappointment. "Fine. I'll find another way."
I left the villa and went to Seraphina.
"Seraphina… can I borrow some Origin Crystals?" The words were difficult, humiliating. "The Pack's funds are tied up. I can't come up with one hundred and fifty-three in cash."
Seraphina's face clouded with a look of pained sympathy. "I told you before, I only have ten to spare. I've only just become War Master, my income isn't that high."
I clenched my jaw. "What about the enchanted jewelry?"
"The jewelry?" she asked, her eyes widening slightly.
"The pieces I gave you. Could you pawn one or two of them, just to raise the one hundred and fifty-three? As soon as the Pack's financial situation stabilizes, I will buy them back for you," I said, the words rushing out. It was the only way I could think of to get the money in time.
A flicker of something—annoyance? resentment?—crossed her features, but she quickly masked it. She knew this was a critical moment. One hundred and fifty-three Origin Crystals was a small price to pay to be rid of Elara for good. Once I was free, it wouldn't be long before she was the new Luna of the Blackwood Pack. She knew how much I valued her.
"Of course, Kaelen. Anything for you. I'll go get them," she said, and returned with a velvet-lined tray. She laid out every piece of jewelry I had ever given her.
The glittering array of enchanted gems and precious metals left me speechless.
The two cheap, two-Moon-crystal rings in my pocket suddenly felt like they were burning a hole through my trousers.
I stared at the lavish display, my expression complex.
I had showered Seraphina in jewels. Why… why had it never once occurred to me to buy a single damn thing for Elara?