Chapter 51:
She studied me for a moment, her sharp gaze taking in every detail.
“You tell me. You’ve been standing out here for hours, away from the pack. Doesn’t exactly scream loyalty.”
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head.
“Loyalty doesn’t seem to mean much to them these days.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Maybe because loyalty is something you have to prove, not demand. You might want to start thinking about how you’re going to prove it.”
I bristled at her words, but I couldn’t deny their truth.
“And what do you think I’m doing here, Celia? Twiddling my thumbs?”
“I think,” she said slowly, stepping closer, “that you’ve been carrying a grudge for a long time. Against the pack. Against Elara. Maybe even against yourself. And if you don’t let it go, you’ll destroy any chance you have of finding your place here again.”
Her words hit harder than I wanted to admit, and for a moment, I couldn’t find a response. She was right. I’d been holding onto my anger, my resentment, as if they were shields. But shields could only protect for so long before they became prisons.
“I’m not here to take anything from her,” I said quietly, meeting Celia’s gaze.
“I just want to help.”
“Then help,” she said simply.
“Prove to them that you’re not a threat. That you’re not here to challenge her.”
I nodded slowly, the weight of her words settling over me. She was right. If I wanted to protect this pack—if I wanted to protect Elara—I had to let go of the past. I had to show them, through action, that I was here for them. Not for myself. Not for what I’d lost.
Celia turned to leave, but before she disappeared into the trees, she glanced back at me.
“You don’t have to prove it all at once, Dante. Just… start somewhere.”
As the forest swallowed her shadow, I stood alone again, the cold wind biting at my skin. Celia’s words echoed in my mind, a quiet challenge I couldn’t ignore.
It was time to let go. Time to stop being the shadow of the wolf I’d been and start being the one they needed me to be.
Time to start somewhere.
POV: Elara
The training grounds buzzed with a tension I could feel in my bones. The air was heavy with unspoken words, each glance and whispered conversation thick with doubt. The pack was divided—I could see it in the way they clustered, the way some wolves greeted me with deference while others barely acknowledged my presence. Their unease wasn’t just about Silas or the threat looming on the horizon. It was about Dante.
Since his return, the rift in Talon Pack had grown, a fault line splitting loyalties I had spent so much time trying to cement. Wolves who once stood firmly behind me now hesitated, their faith shaken. And today, I could feel the fracture widening.
I walked through the grounds, nodding at wolves as I passed. Most returned the gesture, but some quickly averted their eyes, their voices lowering as I approached. My stomach churned at the sight, but I forced myself to keep my posture strong, my stride steady. An Alpha did not show weakness, even when it threatened to crack her from the inside.
“Alpha,” Lyle’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I turned to see him jogging toward me. The young fighter had been one of my most promising warriors, eager and determined to prove himself. His loyalty had always been steadfast—or so I’d thought.
“Lyle,” I said, managing a small smile.
“What is it?”
He hesitated, glancing over his shoulder before leaning closer.
“Alpha, I… I need to tell you something. It’s important.”
