Chapter 10 - THE PRICE OF REJECTION
For one terrible second, nobody moved.
Then I screamed.
“Damian!”
I dropped beside him.
Blood spread across his shirt.
The bolt had entered beneath his collarbone.
Too close to his heart.
His eyes found mine.
“You're okay?”
I stared at him.
“You idiot.”
He almost smiled.
“Apparently.”
Then his eyes closed.
Everything inside me broke.
The valley erupted.
Marcus tackled Serena before she could reload.
Aurelia's guards surrounded Gideon.
Cassian ordered his wolves to stand down.
I heard none of it clearly.
“Damian.”
No response.
“Damian!”
A healer pushed beside me.
“Move.”
I couldn't.
Aurelia pulled me backward.
“Let him work.”
The healer broke the bolt.
Damian groaned.
“He's alive.”
My knees nearly gave out.
“Poison?”
Aurelia asked.
The healer smelled the bolt.
“No.”
Serena screamed from across the field.
“He was supposed to let her die!”
Marcus dragged her forward.
Damian's wolves growled.
Serena looked at me.
“This is your fault!”
I stood.
Something cold replaced my panic.
“No.”
“You came here.”
“This was my home for six years.”
“You ruined everything!”
“What exactly did I ruin?”
“Me!”
The word echoed across the valley.
Serena was crying now.
Not pretending.
“You had nothing.”
“No family.”
“No rank.”
“No scent.”
“And still he looked at you.”
I stared at her.
“You tried to kill me because Damian loved me?”
“He didn't love you.”
She laughed wildly.
“He was ashamed of you.”
The words hit their target.
Then Damian spoke from the ground.
“No.”
Everyone turned.
His eyes were open.
Weak.
But awake.
Serena stared.
Damian struggled to breathe.
“I was ashamed of myself.”
Silence.
He looked at me.
“Never her.”
I couldn't speak.
The healer ordered him to stop talking.
Damian ignored him.
“I knew my wolf recognized you.”
His voice was barely audible.
“And instead of trusting it, I spent six years trying to make you small enough that I wouldn't have to question what I believed about myself.”
Tears burned my eyes.
“That isn't love.”
“I know.”
He closed his eyes.
“That is why I'm not asking you to forgive me.”
They carried him away.
Serena watched.
For the first time, she had nothing to say.
Gideon began slowly backing toward his wolves.
Cassian noticed.
“Uncle.”
Gideon stopped.
“You lost.”
Gideon smiled.
“No.”
He reached inside his coat.
Aurelia's guards raised their weapons.
But Gideon didn't pull a weapon.
He pulled out a folded document.
“The challenge was never the only plan.”
He tossed it toward Aurelia.
She opened it.
Her face changed.
“What?”
I asked.
She handed it to me.
It was a territorial treaty.
Signed by five northern Alphas.
The final clause was underlined.
UPON CONFIRMATION OF THE FIRST MOON HEIR, ALL SIGNATORY TERRITORIES WILL ENTER TEMPORARY MILITARY UNION UNTIL THE HEIR IS SECURED OR ELIMINATED.
My stomach dropped.
Cassian stared at Gideon.
“You told us they wanted to protect her.”
“They want stability.”
“You mean her death.”
Gideon smiled.
“If they cannot control you, Elara, they will destroy you.”
A howl answered from the eastern mountains.
Then another from the west.
Aurelia looked toward the ridges.
Lights began appearing.
Hundreds.
Then thousands.
Marcus whispered.
May you like
“The other territories are coming.”
And this time, there would be no challenge.
