The leak of the Luna of the Alpha

Chapter 1

Elena had often wondered how many wounds a heart could take before stopping beating. That night she found the answer. It was not a direct blow, but a succession of Estocades, each more vicious than the previous one, until it arrives at this precise moment, hidden in the shadow of the corridor, her hand plated against her mouth to stifle the cry which threatened to escape.

Kieran's voice resonated, serious and posed, as if all of this was only an ordinary matter. "You knew what to expect, Lisbeth. I never claimed that this link meant something for me. »»

Lisbeth, the Beta of the pack, gleaned gently. "Maybe not. But it's not me who is married to a little mouse unable to roar. »»

Elena felt her nails sink into her palm. Words did not only hurt it; They had rekindled each humiliation that she had suffered for three years. Three years spent carrying the title of Luna, not by choice, but by decree of Sylvia, the matriarch of their clan. Three years to hope, to pray, that one day Kieran would eventually see in it more than a simple pawn in this alliance game.

But she was not stupid. Not really. Basically, she had always known that Kieran did not love her. Their union had been an obligation, a duty, a sacrifice to seal a fragile peace between the packs. But hearing these words - these words that he had never had the courage to tell her in front - tore something in her.

Elena fell, making a superhuman effort so as not to let her breathe turn into a sob. Her bare feet slightly slid over the polished parquet of the manor, but she made no noise. She knew the consequences if we surprised her. Kieran was not just a man; He was the dominant alpha. And her anger, although rarely expressed towards her directly, was legendary.

In her room, she closed the door gently, her heart beating so hard that she expected almost that the walls collapsed under her chest. Lisbeth's words echoed in his mind: a little mouse unable to roar. Was he how he saw her? Was it that they all saw it?

Anger rose, burning and acidic. For the first time in years, she stopped crying. Tears would not save her. Not this time. She opened the wardrobe, grabbed a travel bag and quickly filled it. Some clothes, a folded photo of her missing parents, an old money pendant she had kept like a talisman. Her gaze landed on the white dress she had brought on the day of their union. A bitter laugh escaped him. This dress was nothing more than a disguised shroud.

The door of the room opened suddenly, and it jumped. Her instinct dictated her to turn around, but she held back. It was not Kieran. It was never him. She felt Mathias' sweetness-bitter smell even before he speaks.

"Where do you plan to go?" He asked, his low voice and charged with reproaches.

She forced herself to continue putting her bag away. "It doesn't look at you. »»

"Everything that is going on here looks at me. Mathias gently closed the door behind him. "Do you think he will let you go?" What will they let you go? »»

Elena hated him at that moment. Not because he was right, but because he only confirmed what she already knew. Kieran would not tolerate his desertion. The pack either. A Luna who abandons his alpha? It was more than betrayal. It was a crime.

"I am not a prisoner," she whispered, more for herself than for him.

Mathias crossed his arms, his serious expression. "This is not how they will see it. »»

She finally turned to him, her sparkling eyes of challenge. " And you ? How do you see it? »»

He hesitated, just for a moment, but it was enough for her to know. Mathias was loyal to Kieran. At the pack. Not her.

"I advise you to think, Elena," he said finally. "Once you go, there is no going back. »»

She shrugged, feigning an indifference that she did not feel. "This is the goal. »»

Mathias watched her one more moment, as if he was trying to guess if she was bluffing. Then, without a word, he left the room.

Elena collapsed on the bed, her trembling hands. He was right. Once she would leave, everything would change. She would become a fleeting, a pariah. But she preferred this to a life spent walking on eggs, being trampled on by a man unable to see his value.

The moon was high in the sky when it came out by the window, its bare feet touching the cold floor. The silence of the forest enveloped him, and for the first time, she felt a semblance of freedom. She turned one last time to look at the imposing silhouette of the manor.

The bond that united her to Kieran - this invisible, tangible - burn slightly in her. A strange, almost electric feeling, which pulled it back. Breaking this link would be a unnatural act, a sacred rupture. But Elena had never felt more clarity.

In a murmur addressed to herself, she launched: "You had three years to prove that I counted for you, Kieran. Three years. »»

Then she turned her heels and disappeared in the night, a shadow among the shadows.

Chapter 2

The weight of the broken bond echoed like a deaf, invisible but oppressive howling, an echo crossing the ether to hit Sylvia in the chest. His eyes suddenly opened, an ice cream crossing through his gaze. She knew. No need for incantations or visions. The void left behind Elena was sufficient to trigger a shock wave, a fracture in the natural order. A luna that escapes. A pack left vacant. A betrayal at the heart of the very foundations of power.

Sylvia got up slowly, ignoring the thrill that crossed her spine. It was not a simple leak. Elena was not reckless enough to act without a plan. This meant that she had carefully thought about this decision, which made the consequences even more serious.

"Small," murmured Sylvia in a breath, more for herself than for anyone. "You have no idea what you have triggered. »»

She walked to the center of the room, her fingers drawing ancient symbols on a stone table worn out by time. Once the circle is complete, she closed her eyes, calling the spirits. The air vibra slightly while whispers were formed, dissonant, inconsistent, but carrying a single truth: the link between Kieran and Elena was crumbled every second. This could not be ignored.

***

In dense darkness, Elena was still running. Fear had turned into fierce determination. The bag on her shoulder weighed heavy, but not as much as the freedom she had torn from a life of silence. His steps were quick, his instincts sharp. She knew she was hunted down. Not yet by Kieran - he probably had not yet noticed his absence - but by others.

Sacred forests. They were mentioned in the tales, like a place where the laws of the wolves had no grip. They were full of ancient magic, forgotten presences that did not respond to anyone. Not even an alpha. These woods murmured refuge, but also warnings.

Elena stopped, her ears capturing a light rustling on her left. Her breath was shorter as she scanned the shadows. Then she saw it. A pair of piercing yellow eyes, fixed on it from darkness. A wolf. Larger than normal, more imposing, but different. He did not seem to belong to a pack.

The wolf advanced slowly, his deliberate movements, as if he measured each step. Elena remained motionless, her hand ready to catch the silver dagger that she always kept on her. He did not attack. Instead, he tilted his head, looking at her as if he was trying to understand it.

"Are you planning to stay there or are you going to say what you want?" She whispered, more to hide her nervousness than to intimidate him.

The wolf did not answer - obviously - but he sat down, his gaze always fixed on her. It was as if he evaluated him, weighing his intentions.

"Very well, stay there if it sings you," she whispered before resuming her journey, throwing furtive glances behind her. The wolf did not move immediately, but it felt its constant presence, as a shadow that followed it at a distance.

***

In the mansion, the tension was palpable. Kieran entered the common room, his rigid posture and his tight jaws. Silence fell immediately. He hadn't said a word yet, but everyone felt the imminent storm.

Lisbeth was the first to approach, a sly smile on the lips. "Are you looking for something, Kieran?" »»

He did not answer. His eyes traveled the room, looking for an answer he already knew. The empty room of Elena, the missing linen. His absence was glaring.

"Where is she?" He finally asked, his low but dangerous voice.

Lisbeth shrugged. "How could I know?" It's not like she confided in me. »»

"It's not time for your games," he scolded, his fangs appearing briefly.

Lisbeth fell slightly, but she kept her mocking air. "Maybe she had enough, Kieran. It's not like you've given him a reason to stay. »»

He approached so quickly that she barely had time to react. His fist hit the wall near his head, making the foundations tremble. "If you know something, you tell me now," he whispered, every word threatening.

She swallowed, but her smile did not disappear. "You should wonder why she left, Kieran. Not where she went. »»

He retreated, finally letting her breathe, but his mind was in turmoil. For what ? He already knew the answer. Every moment he ignored it. Every cold look he had thrown at him. Whenever he had chosen the pack rather than her.

The guilt mixed with anger, creating a storm in him. But it was not the time to be overwhelmed. She was gone. She had broken their link, and it endanger everything he had built.

"Find it," he ordered the wolves present. " Immediately. »»

***

Elena found a small clearing in the forest, the silence interspersed by the rustling of the leaves. She knelt down, feeling a wave of fatigue invade her. The wolf that followed him appeared again, this time closer.

"Do you plan to follow me for a long time?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

The wolf did not answer, but something in his gaze changed. He approached slowly, stopping just far enough so that she did not feel threatened.

"If you want to stay, stay," she sighed, exhausted. "But don't expect me to share my food. »»

She didn't know why she spoke to her as equal. Maybe because he seemed to understand. Maybe because she desperately needed an ally, even if he was just an animal.

The wolf laughed near her, her deep and regular breath. For the first time since she left the mansion, Elena felt her heart slow down slightly. It was not security, but it was a start.

Chapter 3

The weighing silence in the room was only broken by the regular ticking of the ancient clock. Kieran stood straight, his arms crossed on his chest, the gaze fixed on Sylvia. She, sitting in her imposing chair, observed it with cold intensity.

"So, is that all? She finally asked, her calm but sharp voice.

Kieran hugged her jaw. "I don't see what you expect from me, Sylvia. She made her choice. »»

"His choice? Sylvia straightened up slightly, her eyes piercing her family like blades. "No, Kieran. She fled. And she did it because you failed in your duty. »»

He felt anger ride, but he contained it. The matriarch was not someone who could be faced without consequences. "With all the respect I owe you, Sylvia, I never asked to be linked to her. This ... this marriage was your idea. »»

"And you, you accepted it," she retorted immediately. "You made this commitment. And like everything else, you neglected it. »»

The words struck him like a punch. Kieran looked away, her fists tightening. He hated admitting it, but she was right. Elena had never been a priority for him. Not when he had the pack to manage, the alliances to maintain, the enemies to monitor.

Sylvia leaned forward, her intertwined fingers. "Do you think I chose it randomly?" That I put my heiress in danger for the pleasure of playing the marieuse? »»

He looked up, his dark look. "So why she?" Why me? »»

She stared at him for a moment, as if she weighed her words. "Because you needed her, Kieran. More than you will never realize it. »»

"And yet, you must have seen that it would not work," he growled. "You knew I couldn't ..."

He stopped, shaking his teeth so as not to let out what he refused to admit. Sylvia, however, knew him too well to ignore what he was trying to hide.

"Continue," she whispered, almost gently. "What could you not?" »»

He sighed heavily, passing one hand in his hair. "You already know. I couldn't give her what she deserved. Not after... "

He stopped again, his throat tight. Souvenirs refire surface, brutal and implacable. The woman he had loved in the past, lost in a bloody battle. The guilt of not having been strong enough to save her.

Sylvia slowly nodded. "You think you are unable to love again. I understand. But Elena was not there to fill a void, Kieran. She was there to help you rebuild yourself. And you dropped her. »»

He fists on the table, his brilliant patience like a dam. "And what do you want me to do now, huh? She left! I can't bring her back if she doesn't want to come back. »»

The matriarch remained imperturbable, the hard look like stone. "It is not a question of wanting. It's a question of duty. »»

"You don't understand," he whispered, almost for himself. "She will not come back. She probably hates me. Maybe even ... "

"Maybe she even seeks to destroy you," cut Sylvia, her freezing tone.

He looked up, staring at it with confusion. "What does that mean? »»

She got up slowly, her imposing figure despite her age. "A Luna who breaks the link with his alpha becomes an anomaly. A breach in clan balance. If it does not come back, if it is not found ... "

Kieran shook her head, incredulous. "Do you think it is a threat? Elena? She would never do that. »»

Sylvia haus a eyebrow. "Are you sure?" After all that you made him undergo, do you really think he knows his intentions? »»

He remained silent, his swirling thoughts. Elena, soft and patient, transformed into a figure of rebellion. He couldn't imagine it. And yet something doubted him.

"I won't kill her," he said suddenly, her voice firm.

Sylvia stared at a long time before speaking. "It's not up to you to decide, Kieran. If it becomes a threat, if it attracts the attention of rival alphas, I will have no other choice. »»

He advanced, his dark look. "It is not a threat. I will find her. I'm going to talk to him. But I will not allow anyone to hurt him. »»

The matriarch let him go, but his face was marked by cold determination. "So you'll better hurry up." Because if you fail, I will not hesitate. »»

Kieran left the room, with a heavy but resolved heart. No matter what it cost it, he had to find Elena. Not just for the pack. Not only for Sylvia. But for himself. To buy his mistakes and face the demons he had ignored for too long.