Chapter 6 Elopement

Brandon steered the car down the winding mountain road, his jaw tight, eyes fixed on the path ahead. The sky had darkened quickly, clouds swallowing the last hints of twilight. Beside him, Kylie sat quietly, one leg tucked under the other, gazing out the window as the trees blurred past.

Neither of them spoke.

The silence wasn't uncomfortable-not for Kylie, at least. For Brandon, it was suffocating. Every mile they put between themselves and the pack weighed heavier on him, but still he kept driving.

"You're thinking about them," Kylie finally said, her voice soft, melodic, threading into his thoughts like silk. Brandon's hands flexed on the steering wheel. "They won't understand."

"They don't need to," Kylie replied, turning her head to look at him. Her lips curved in a quiet smile, but her eyes held something unreadable. "They've had you long enough."

Brandon didn't answer.

The road stretched on, the headlights cutting through the night. Eventually, they reached a small cabin nestled between the pines. He killed the engine and stepped out, breathing in the cold air.

"I wasn't sure you'd really leave," Kylie murmured, standing beside him now, her gaze following the outlines of the woods.

Brandon hesitated. "It's not permanent. I just... need space."

Kylie's smile widened, though her voice remained gentle. "Whatever you need."

Inside the cabin, the fireplace still smelled of old smoke and cedar. Brandon lit a match, bringing warmth and light into the dim room. He dropped his duffel near the couch, rubbing a hand over his tired face.

"I'll make tea," Kylie offered, already moving toward the small kitchen.

Brandon watched her for a moment, unease stirring in his chest. Something about her had changed since the accident-since that night he found her, broken and bleeding, yet alive. She'd clung to him then, whispering words he couldn't quite remember, and since that moment, it was as though she had never let go.

He turned away, staring into the fire.

Meanwhile, back at the manor, Lindsay sat alone in the garden, the faint glow of her phone screen casting shadows across her face. Messages blinked unanswered. Missed calls stacked one after another.

She felt hollow.

Maria had offered to stay the night, but Lindsay had waved her off. She needed the silence. Needed the ache.

She scrolled through the latest headlines: Brandon leaves pack territory amid scandal. Kylie spotted with Alpha-rumors of elopement?

A bitter laugh escaped her lips.

Above her, the moon hung low, its pale light washing over the empty lawn. Somewhere deep inside, something in her was unraveling, thread by delicate thread.

Back in the council chamber, Maria stood before the map of their borders, tracing lines with her finger. The elders had dispersed, but she remained, thinking. Calculating.

"He'll return," she whispered to herself. "But not the same."

Outside the window, a pair of yellow eyes glinted from the treeline before vanishing into the shadows.

And in the cabin, Kylie set two steaming mugs on the table, her smile warm, inviting.

But when Brandon's back was turned, her gaze drifted-not toward him, but toward the dark woods beyond the window, as if waiting.

Watching.

Listening.

Somewhere far off, a howl cut through the night, distant yet haunting.

Brandon looked up sharply. "Did you hear that?"

Kylie's smile didn't waver. "Just the wind."

The pack house was unusually quiet. Even the air felt heavier, as if the walls themselves were waiting for something. Maria paced near the fireplace, arms crossed, her jaw tight. The elders sat in their usual chairs, but no one spoke.

Until Elder Rowan finally broke the silence.

"We cannot allow Brandon to return with her," he said grimly. "You all know what Kylie is."

Maria turned sharply. "We think we know. But there's no proof. Not yet."

Rowan's gaze darkened. "Proof? Maria, she's woven him into her spell already. You saw how he looked at her-like a man who's forgotten his own blood."

A murmur rippled through the room. Maria's hands clenched into fists. "If we move too soon, we'll lose him forever. We have to be smart about this."

"They're calling for a vote," Rowan said. "By sunrise. Either Brandon steps down... or the pack refuses him."

Maria swallowed hard. "You mean exile."

Rowan nodded.

The word echoed in her mind long after the elders had left.

Outside, the wind picked up, rustling through the dark trees. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf's howl broke the stillness-long, mournful.

Meanwhile, in the cabin, Brandon sat alone by the fire, nursing a glass of whiskey. Kylie had stepped outside, claiming she needed air. She'd been standing out there for nearly half an hour, silent, unmoving, her silhouette framed by the moonlight.

Brandon watched her through the window. Something about her stillness unsettled him, like she was listening to a voice he couldn't hear.

He stood, setting down his glass, and opened the door. "Kylie?"

She turned slowly, her smile faint but knowing. "Come watch with me."

Brandon stepped onto the porch beside her, following her gaze into the dense woods. Nothing stirred between the trees, but the air was thick with anticipation.

"What are we waiting for?" he asked quietly.

Kylie's lips parted, but instead of answering, she slipped her hand into his, fingers curling tight. "It's almost time."

Brandon frowned. "Time for what?"

She only smiled again. "For everything to fall into place."

Behind them, deep in the shadows, a figure watched. A pair of golden eyes glimmered briefly before vanishing into the darkness.

Back at the pack house, Maria stood at the window, unable to sleep. Her phone buzzed again-another alert.

She opened it. A video.

Her blood ran cold.

The footage showed Brandon standing beside Kylie in the woods, their hands intertwined, the pair staring into nothing. And behind them, just for a moment, a shape-tall, cloaked, inhuman-loomed beneath the trees before melting away.

Maria's heart pounded.

What the hell is she doing to him?

Suddenly, a knock sounded at her door.

She turned, startled. "Who is it?"

A voice-low, familiar-came through. "We need to talk. Now."

Maria opened the door to find Elder Rowan standing there, his face pale.

"She's made her first move," he said grimly, holding up his phone. "And we've been too late."

Maria stepped aside to let him in. "What did she do?"

Rowan met her gaze. "It's not just Brandon she's after."

Maria froze. "Then who?"

Rowan handed her the phone. The message was simple, chilling.

"The blood of an alpha. The heart of a queen. The throne will be mine."

Maria stared at the message, her stomach twisting into knots.

Outside, the wind howled louder.

And far away, beneath the moon's shadow, Kylie's laughter echoed softly into the night.