Chapter 6 A Line We Shouldn't Cross

Elaria's POV

The air is super charged between Rowan and me, buzzing with something we both avoid talking about. My heart is pounding, keeping time with the storm brewing outside. Rowan's right here, and it's almost too much, but in ways that are confusing because it's both good and bad. He's just...there.

I should probably just leave. Walk right past him. Pretend I don't see the way he's staring at me, like he's trying to memorize every little thing about my face. But I can't make myself move. I'm stuck, pinned by a force way stronger than just him grabbing me, which he's not even doing but maybe should because it's also kind of scary, because it could ruin everything I've worked so hard to build and maintain.

Rowan lets out a breath, his hands twitching. You hesitate, he says quietly. That's not how you usually are.

I scoff and lift my chin. And you think you'd actually know me well enough to say that?

His smirk isn't helping, slow and certain. I know what I see. And right now, I see someone stuck, like they're standing at the edge wondering if they want to jump into the ravine and get hurt by the bottom.

A choice. Like I have one at all.

I'm weighed down by my responsibilities. I can hear those doubting voices in my head, like a Greek chorus, muttering from my cerebral cortex. I can't mess up because everyone's watching, waiting for me to prove I can be the Alpha. I need to be strong, resist whatever this thing is between Rowan and me.

Then my body decides to sell me out. I gasp as he takes a step and closes what little space was left. His scent hits me-smoke and wildness-and it's intoxicating. I hate how much I like it. I hate craving a sensation that makes no sense.

Tell me to leave, Rowan says, his voice rough. Say it, Elaria, and I will.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I can't. I don't want to.

Instead, I gulp and turn away, trying to get some space between us before I do something I'll regret. I hear Rowan breathe out; I sense not just frustration, but something else. Something I don't even want to think about.

We can't do this, I whisper, more to myself than him.

Rowan doesn't push it. He doesn't come after me. He just lets me go. And that's a terror unlike any I've yet faced.

The tension in the council room is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

The elders are doing their normal thing, looking like stone statues. Their silence speaks loudly, worse than if they yelled at me. I get ready for whatever they're gonna throw at me.

Lord Cassius puts his hands on the black table, staring straight ahead. The attacks on the villages have been happening more often.

I nod, trying to keep my face blank. I know what's happening.

And nothing's really been done about it, Lady Merivale adds, her voice as warm as ice.

I grit my teeth. We're looking into it. We will do something when we have the info we need.

Cassius practically spits out some air. While you're waiting for answers, Alpha Queen, more of our people are vanishing into the hills and wilderlands.

Irritation flares up. Sending our warriors out without a plan isn't going to bring anyone back.

Silence falls. Until...

People are losing trust in you.

Those words sting more than they should but I keep it together. Then I'll just have to remind them why I'm their Queen.

Cassius stares at me for what feels like a long time before he nods. You better.

The meeting ends, but I still am trying to stand under the weight of their words and the problems of our territory.

I let out a breath, feeling the tension under my skin. I'm not sure if I'm mad or scared, but either way, it feels like too heavy for what I can do.

Tough day?

Rowan's voice startles me. He's leaning against the wall, arms crossed but his eyes are glued to my form.

I snort a laugh. You could say that.

He looks me over, then tips his head. You're holding back.

I roll my eyes. You always think that.

Because you are.

I don't say anything because he's right.

Instead, I start walking to get away, but Rowan walks with me.

You can't handle this alone, he says quietly.

I look at him. I don't have a choice.

He stops and grabs my wrist. His touch burns through me, and I tense up.

There's always a choice, Elaria. His voice is softer now, almost pleading. You just have to want to make it.

Something about the way he says it makes my throat feel tight. Before I can answer, a scream pierces through the halls.

We turn around to see a guard stumbling towards us, covered in blood, his eyes wild with terror.

They're here, he gasps, collapsing.

My heart pounds.

Rowan's face is grim.

At that moment, I know the peace we barely held onto has left to vacation somewhere that is far, far away.

A heavy silence settled between us, the weight of unspoken thoughts pressing down. Rowan's eyes held mine captive, their depth impossible to look away from.

"I need you to trust me," he murmured, his voice a low rasp that sent shivers down my spine.

Swallowing hard, my pulse thrummed against my skin. Trust was a dangerous game. It was a razor's edge, waiting to slice me open if I dared to lean too heavily.

"Why?" I whispered, the sound barely audible.

His fingers danced close to my wrist, not quite touching, but close enough that I could feel his heat radiating toward my core. "Because everything we thought we understood is about to get turned on its head."

A chill snaked its way through me. "What do you mean?"

Rowan exhaled sharply, a flicker of some secret. "I came across something. In the old records and archives-something the Alpha Council would want erased from the stones and written stories of the land."

My stomach twisted, which made me feel sick to my core with the twists and turns of the mind. Secrets. Lies and deceptions. I had been living in their shadows, or they had followed my shadow, stalked it like prey for far too long, but this had a weird tone. This felt like an invisible noose tightening around my neck, ghosts and unseen entities pulling the knot tighter around me.

Before I could make him say it all, sharp scratching and rustling sounded from not far away from the treeline. Every system in my body snapped on high alert. Rowan's face told everything I feared.

"We aren't traveling in small numbers right here, but we aren't the only ones either," he added under his breath.

The wind carried the scent of something I didn't recognize, that sent alarm of threat. The hair on my arms stood straight up as my wolf inside me stirred and awoke from a slumber, pacing anxiously under my chest like cornered in a tight cage- restless and wary.

Then, from the dark shadows, came a deep and warning growl.

We came to walk into their grounds, only to get into a trap by their plans.