Chapter 6

Kieran's POV

I could feel her determination through the link, but that wasn't the only thing.

I felt her pains, too. Every time Astrid struck her, I felt it. The blows weren't even that strong, so why did they hurt her so much? And more importantly, why wasn't she leaving?

Then she fell and I could feel her weakening, the bond pulsing violently against my wrist. She was in danger.

"That's enough," I told Astrid, my voice sharp, commanding. Final. "It's her first day."

Astrid lowered her hands immediately, stepping back.

I turned to Elara, starting to speak. "There's no –" when she fell again. My breath caught.

"Elara!"

I shouted as I caught her before she hit the ground, my arms locking around her too-thin frame. I couldn't feel her anymore. The bond, which had been thrumming with pain and exhaustion, went silent.

The moment the bond went silent, my heart slammed against my ribs, panic twisting through me like a blade. I didn't like this feeling.

For the first time in years, I felt scared. My wolf snarled, restless and furious.

I turned sharply, barking an order.

"Move."

I ran with Elara in my arms, ignoring the curious stares of the warriors that gathered. She was too still.

"Mira, grab everything you need, I need you in her room in the next thirty seconds. Tobias, help her." I shouted.

"Yes Alpha," they answered in unison but I barely heard them.

All I could focus on was the fragile woman in my arms, I wanted to drop her as fast as possible before she breaks in my arms.

The second I reached her room, I rushed inside, placing her carefully on the bed.

This shouldn't be happening. The training wasn't even brutal – Astrid barely used ten percent of her strength.

Elara should have been fine, she's a wolf, an Alpha's daughter but she wasn't. And that fact unsettled me.

Behind me, Astrid hesitated in the doorway.

"Alpha, I didn't mean for this to happen," she started. I barely registered her words. My focus was entirely on Elara's unmoving form.

"I just wanted her to be able to defend herself in the future as the Luna of the pack." She added.

Something snapped inside me. I turned to her slowly, my voice dropping to something very dangerous.

"And who gave you the right to do that?" My wolf pushed against my skin. We didn't like the fact that our mate was wounded.

Our mate.

That didn't sound right, I never wanted a mate. Not after what happened with Lilith but my wolf, Fenrir, already accepted her.

"She's ours. The Moon Goddess chose her for us. We have to accept and protect her. It is our duty as her mate." He growled inside.

Astrid lowered her gaze slightly, "I apologize, Alpha."

Mira and Tobias entered the room with the medical supplies.

Mira worked quickly; her movement was smooth and delicate.

"I shouldn't have encouraged her to start so soon," Mira spoke, her voice breaking as she removed Elara's bloodied training clothes, lifting the fabric carefully from fresh bruises and old scars.

She froze.

"These scars… they should have healed by now." She looked at Elara, then at me with her brows drawn together in alarm.

My jaw tightened. Why did she have so many scars? What did they do to her in Mooncrest Pack? Why wasn't she healing fast like a damn wolf?

Fenrir growled.

His rage was feral, clawing at the inside of my skull as I stared at the bruises and scars littering her skin.

"Who hurt her?" He seethed in my head. I couldn't answer but I badly wanted to know too.

Mira grabbed a simple gown from the dresser and dressed her with ease.

She placed some candles around her and then turned to me, "I am going to start the healing process."

I nodded and stepped back. Mira was the pack's best healer. If anyone could fix this, it was her.

She placed one hand on Elara's forehead, and the other in her right palm, and then began to hum.

Her voice was low and steady, the sound vibrating through the air like an old spell.

A faint glow emanated from her hands, a soft golden light pulsing against Elara's skin.

Then—

Mira gasped.

Her body jerked backwards as if she had been burned. The glow flickered, then vanished completely.

"Alpha…" Mira's voice was careful. Too careful,

I didn't like it.

"What is it?"

Mira's eyes were wide, her breathing uneven. "Something's blocking her healing."

My wolf snarled. That didn't make any sense.

"What do you mean?"

"There's something inside her, blocking her energy's core, it's a magic I've never felt before, very strange."

My wolf stilled.

The room felt colder.

I looked down at Elara, at the way she was completely still, and for the first time, I was truly afraid.

"Can you heal her?" my voice breaking.

"Your Alpha blood." She met my gaze firmly. "It's stronger than any healer's magic. If you give her some of it, it can fight whatever is blocking her energy and could speed up her healing."

I froze.

Give her my blood?

It would tie us together. Strengthen the bond.

It would mean me accepting her as my mate. I didn't want this, didn't want a mate, didn't want to care but I couldn't ignore the bruises on her skin, the way she looked too fragile lying on that bed.

Couldn't ignore the fact that a part of me was already breaking for her. I exhaled slowly, unsheathed my dagger and cut my palm open.

Mira tilted Elara's head back, parting her lips slightly and my blood flowed into her mouth.

The moment it touched her, the mate bond pulsed, hot, sharp and demanding. It was strengthening, tying us together even more.

I hated that but I hated seeing her like this even more.

"Hold her left hand. Alpha." Mira's voice was calm. "Please connect to your mate bond and give her some of your energy. It's the only way to strengthen her."

Every muscle in my body went rigid. Connect to the mate bond? No. I didn't want this, didn't want to feel her pain or get anymore closer, but Fenrir was restless, pacing in the back of my mind.

"DO IT!"

I clenched my jaw. The longer I hesitated, the worse her breathing became. Cursing under my breath, I reached for her hand.

The moment our fingers touched; the bond snapped into place. A sharp rush of warmth flooded through me, then through her. Elara twitched and her fingers tightened around mine. The bond pulsed again and for the first time since she collapsed – her breathing steadied.

Mira started the healing process again, her hands glowing faintly as she pressed them against Elara's forehead and palm.

"Alpha, connect to your bond now."

I exhaled sharply, closing my eyes, I reached for it and the moment I did, her emotions surged through me –pain, fear and memories that weren't mine. My breath hitched and I pulled back instinctively, my heart pounding. I had never felt anything like this before.

I took a slow, steadying breath, then forced myself to reach for it again. This time, I pushed my energy toward her, feeling the magic that was blocking her energy's core and pushed against it and as soon as it felt my power, it disappeared. That felt very strange

Mira began humming softly, her magic working alongside the mate bond. But the moment our energies connected again, a wave of agony and terror crashed into me. I shifted slightly.

Who hurt her like this? Why did it feel like she was trapped inside her own mind, reliving something awful?

Fenrir snarled.

I gritted my teeth, forcing more of my strength into her, forcing her body to heal, to take what she needed from me. After a few seconds, her breathing evened out, her muscles relaxed and color returned to her cheeks, warm and full of life.

Mira exhaled, pulling her hands away.

"She's healed." Her voice was soft, but firm. "Alpha, you can let go now."

I didn't move. Didn't let go. I couldn't, because even though her body was healed, her mind wasn't. I could still feel her emotions—the lingering fear, the tension in her subconscious and I couldn't leave her like this.

"Everyone. Out."

Mira hesitated for half a second, then nodded.

Tobias gave me a long look before following her out, shutting the door behind them.

Silence.

I turned back to Elara, still holding her hand, my thumb brushing against her wrist.

She was still too tense, still caught in whatever darkness haunted her and so, I did something I had never done before. I pushed through the bond and calmed her.

Slowly, steadily, I sent a pulse of warmth—of reassurance, of quiet strength.

Her body relaxed completely and her breathing deepened and for the first time, she stopped trembling.

I didn't let go, and for some reason, I didn't want to.

I loved the warmth.