CHAPTER 112: CHAPTER 112

Chapter 112

Astrid’s POV

The fragile peace I had purchased with Elara’s tonic shattered without warning. It wasn’t a gradual decline; it was a sudden, violent implosion. One moment, I was in the main house’s kitchen, discussing pantry inventories with the head cook, and the next, a wave of cold so profound washed over me that I dropped the clipboard I was holding. It clattered to the stone floor, the sound unnaturally loud in the sudden silence of my mind.

And then, the whispers returned.

They weren’t at the edge of my hearing anymore. They were inside my skull, coiling around my thoughts like venomous snakes. Before, they had been a vague, hissing static. Now, they had a voice. Leon’s voice. It was distorted, layered with a cruel, mocking echo, but it was undeniably his.

’Did you really think a few herbs could keep me out, little mouse?’

I flinched, pressing my hands to my temples. The head cook gave me a worried look. "Luna? Are you alright?"

"Fine," I managed to say, my voice tight. "Just a headache."

’A headache?: the voice sneered in my mind. ’Oh, this is so much more than a headache. This is a reckoning. I’m coming to collect what is mine.’

’Sheena,’ I called out.

’Yeah?’

’Do you hear him?’

’Hear who?’ she asked me.

It was just me again. I was the only one suffering from this torment. The tonic wasn’t just failing; it felt like the curse was actively fighting back, growing stronger in its opposition. The whispers were no longer just whispers; they were a pull, a physical sensation like a hook embedded deep in my soul, and Leon was starting to tug on the line.

Panic, cold and sharp, pierced through the fog. I had to get to Elara.

I excused myself from the kitchen, my movements stiff, and hurried out into the compound. The world felt tilted, unreal. The sight of pack members walking, laughing, going about their duties under the illusion of safety felt like a scene from a movie I was no longer a part of. They were safe behind the wards, but the enemy was already inside my head.

I practically ran to the ancient stone circle where the elder’s shrine was hidden. The path, usually a place of peace, felt menacing. Every shadow seemed to twist into a familiar, cruel shape.

’He can’t protect you,’ the voice whispered, its tone laced with false pity. ’He’s playing at being an Alpha, but he has no idea what real power is. He left you. He’s weak.’

"Shut up," I muttered under my breath, my pace quickening.

I burst into the clearing, my heart pounding. "Elara!"

The shrine was empty. The air was still, the various herbs and vials sitting untouched on her stone table. A chill that had nothing to do with the curse settled over me. She was always here.

"She’s not here, Luna."

I spun around to see two of the pack’s warriors standing guard near the entrance to the grove. It was unusual to see them this deep in, but in the current climate, security was heightened everywhere.

"Where is she?" I demanded, my voice more frantic than I intended.

One of the guards, a tall man named Marcus, looked uncomfortable. "She left about an hour ago, Luna. Said she had to pick up a package from a private airstrip just outside the territory."

"She left?" I stared at him, bewildered. "She left the compound?"

"She took a full escort," the other guard supplied quickly. "She said it was urgent."

My mind raced, trying to make sense of it. Elara, the woman who had warned me so fiercely not to take a single step outside the wards, had left them herself. The urgency of her departure only amplified my own growing terror.

I turned and stalked back towards the main house, my frustration mounting. Why hadn’t anyone told me? I was the Luna. I was supposed to be in charge of the people, their comings and goings.

I saw Lila hurrying across the main lawn, a stack of blankets in her arms. I intercepted her, my patience completely gone.

"Lila, why wasn’t I informed that Elder Elara had left the compound?"

Lila stopped, her eyes widening at the harsh tone of my voice. "Luna, I... we didn’t want to disturb you. You were resting. You’ve been working so hard, and after Alpha Kaeleen gave the order that you needed your rest..."

"Stop it," I snapped, and the word was as sharp as a slap. Lila physically flinched, her mouth falling open in shock. I had never spoken to her like that. I had never spoken to anyone like that here. "Stop treating me like I’m made of glass! I am not a child who needs to be protected from information. I am the Luna of this pack, and I need to know what is happening on my own territory!"

The anger felt white-hot, a brief, burning release from the cold fear that gripped me. But seeing the hurt and shock on Lila’s face, the flame immediately died, leaving behind a thick, choking ash of shame.

I closed my eyes and took a shaky breath. "Lila, I... I’m sorry," I said, my voice dropping. "That wasn’t fair. My head is... it’s a mess. I’m not feeling well. Please, just... forgive me."

Lila’s expression softened instantly from shock to concern. "Of course, Luna. It’s the stress. We’re all on edge." She hesitated. "Is there anything I can do?"

I shook my head, feeling utterly alone. "No. I think... I think I just need to rest, too."

I left her there and retreated to the quiet emptiness of my room. The silence was a lie. The whispers were a constant, tormenting chorus. I felt trapped, cornered. Elara was gone. The tonic was useless.

There was only one person left. One person I trusted to face this with me, Kaeleen.

The decision settled in my soul with the weight of absolute certainty. This secret was too big, too dangerous to keep any longer. The curse wasn’t just a scar from my past; it was an active threat, a weapon pointed at the heart of this pack through me. What if Leon could use it to influence me? To control me? What if he could use this tether to hurt Kaeleen? The thought was unbearable.

I would tell him everything as soon as he got back. I would lay the ugly, terrifying truth at his feet and we would face it together. As mates. As Alphas.

The resolve calmed me more than the tonic ever had. I took another drop, knowing it was probably useless, but hoping for even a moment’s respite. I lay down on the bed, clutching my phone, waiting for his text, for the sign that he was close, that my partner was coming home.

Hours passed. The sun set. Darkness fell outside the window. And then, finally, my phone buzzed. My heart leaped. It was Alex.

I answered immediately. "Alex? Is Kaeleen with you? Is he back?"

There was a beat of silence on the other end, a heavy, static-filled pause that made my blood run cold.

"Astrid," Alex’s voice was strained, tight with an emotion I couldn’t place. It wasn’t panic. It was something harder. Colder. "It’s Kaeleen. There’s been an accident."

The world stopped. The whispers in my head, my own thoughts, the sound of my own breathing, everything ceased. There was only Alex’s voice and the roaring void that opened up beneath me.

"What?" The word was a faint puff of air.

"His car was run off the road about an hour from the compound. He’s... he’s at St. Michael’s Hospital downtown. He’s alive, but he’s unconscious."

’No. No, no, no.’ My mind was a frantic, repeating prayer of denial. My mate. My Kaeleen. Hurt. Unconscious. Alone in a hospital.

In my panic, I didn’t question it. I didn’t ask how Alex knew so quickly. I didn’t wonder how an accident could possibly happen to an Alpha of Kaeleen’s power. All I felt was the primal, tearing agony of the mating bond, a phantom pain that screamed at me to go to him.

"Astrid, you need to get here," Alex urged, his voice tight with false urgency. "He’s asking for you."

I was at the door, my hand on the knob, ready to run, to tear through the world to get to his side.

And then, another voice, cold and clear as a winter bell, echoed in my memory. Elara’s voice.

"You cannot leave this compound. Do you understand me, Astrid? The wards will help weaken his influence. But if you step outside of them... you will be exposed. Vulnerable. He will have a direct line to you, and I do not know what he will be able to do. Promise me you will not leave."

I froze, my hand trembling on the doorknob.

My mate was hurt. He was in a hospital, surrounded by humans, vulnerable. He needed me. The bond screamed at me to go.