Chapter 5 No.5

Caelia POV:

The world returned to me in pieces. The sterile scent of the infirmary. The scratchy feel of a wool blanket. And the sound of shouting.

My eyes fluttered open. Through the slightly open door of my room, I could see two figures locked in a furious confrontation. Kaelen. And my brother.

Ronan's face was contorted with a rage I had never seen before. His wolf was so close to the surface that its shimmering, ghostly outline was visible behind him, hackles raised, fangs bared.

"She is your packmate, Kaelen!" Ronan's voice was a guttural roar. "You grew up with her! And you tried to kill her! You left her to drown!"

Kaelen's expression was unrepentant, carved from stone. "She attacked my future Luna. An Omega who dares to harm the pack's Luna deserves death. A hundred deaths."

"She didn't touch her!"

"I saw it, Ronan! Stop defending her obsessive, pathetic behavior. Her constant whining, her endless staring-it makes my skin crawl. It's disgusting."

Disgusting. The word hit me harder than the silver chandelier, harder than the icy water. All my years of devotion, of quiet, hopeful love... he saw it as disgusting.

The sound of a fist connecting with flesh echoed in the hall.

Ronan had done the unthinkable. He had struck his Alpha. He broke through the primal suppression of the Alpha Command and physically attacked him. The air crackled with tension as the spectral forms of their two wolves lunged at each other, a silent battle of dominance and fury.

I couldn't let this happen. I couldn't let my brother throw away his life, his position, for me.

Ignoring the fire in my leg and the ache in my lungs, I threw back the blankets and stumbled out of the room, using the doorframe for support.

"Stop!" I cried, my voice weak and hoarse. I pushed myself between them, my small frame a fragile barrier between two raging giants. "Ronan, please. Don't. It's not worth it."

I looked at my brother, my eyes pleading. "For me. Please."

Seeing my pale, tear-streaked face, the raw desperation in my eyes, finally broke through his rage. The tension left his shoulders. The ghostly wolf behind him faded. With a final, hate-filled glare at Kaelen, he released his grip on the Alpha's shirt.

Kaelen straightened his clothes, his face a mask of cold fury. As Ronan helped me back into the room and closed the door, a final, vicious message from Kaelen stabbed into my mind, as sharp and cold as an icicle.

*Stop your pathetic act. Stay away from Seraphina.*

I collapsed into my brother's arms, sobbing. The fight was gone. The cold composure I had built around myself had shattered, leaving only the raw, bleeding wound of my heart.

"He's right, Ronan," I whispered, my voice muffled against his chest. "Don't fight with him anymore. Don't ruin everything because of me. I'm leaving soon. It'll all be over."

Ronan held me tighter, his own body trembling with suppressed fury. "I should have told you sooner," he murmured, his voice thick with regret. "He's been tracking Seraphina for years. Asking other packs for information, hiring investigators. He was obsessed with finding the source of that scent."

He pulled back, his hands on my shoulders, his eyes meeting mine. "From now on, I support you. Whatever you decide. If you want to leave, I'll help you. If you want to fight, I'll fight with you. Even if it means turning my back on this entire pack."

His loyalty was a painful, beautiful thing. It was the only love I had left. And I knew I had to leave to protect it. To protect him from the consequences of loving me more than his Alpha.

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