Damien's POV:
Elara. Alive.
Those words shouldn't have hit me the way they did, but a cold shock coursed through my veins. We all had assumed she was dead, a pawn of the witches, a traitor who had played her hand and lost. Yet, here she was. Alive. My mind was racing, and I knew that if Elara was back, it wasn't good news.
Fenrir's expression turned dark, and Leslie squeezed my hand tighter, her fingers trembling slightly. I felt her anxiety mingling with my own, her emotions humming through the mate bond. We both knew what Elara was capable of—manipulation, betrayal, and aligning herself with the darkest powers. If she was alive, she could still be a threat. And after everything that had happened, after the kidnapping, the near-sacrifice, the revelations about our children, we couldn't afford to let our guard down.
