(Elena's POV)
I watched Ethan's retreating back, hatred burning so hot in my chest it felt like acid. My fingers traced the bruises forming on my neck, each mark feeding the rage building inside me.
The morning bells chimed in the distance. Most of the pack would be relaxed after the engagement celebration. If I was going to act, it had to be today.
My feet carried me to the guards' quarters before I could second-guess myself. Three quick taps on the third window – our old signal. Moments later, David's familiar face appeared.
"Elena?" His eyes widened as he took in my appearance. "Moon Goddess, what did he do to you?"
"I need your help." The words tumbled out before he could ask more questions. "I have to see my father."
David's face paled. "They've doubled the guards. Ethan's orders..." He ran a hand through his disheveled brown hair. "It's too dangerous."
"Please." I grabbed his arm. "He's hurt, and they won't let me heal him anymore. Please, David."
The conflict in his eyes was painful to watch. David had been my friend since childhood, but helping me now could cost him everything. Already, his position had been weakened because of our friendship.
"Elena..." He glanced around nervously. "They'll kill me if they catch us."
"Then I'll go alone." I turned away, knowing I couldn't risk his safety too.
His hand caught my wrist. "Don't be stupid." A heavy sigh. "Give me ten minutes to change the guard rotation."
Relief made my knees weak. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet." His expression was grim. "This is the last time I can help you. They're watching me too closely now."
The guilt was crushing. "I'm sorry. I never meant to—"
"Hey." He squeezed my hand. "You're not the one who should be sorry. Now go wait by the old storage cellar. I'll create a distraction at the main entrance."
Ten minutes felt like an eternity. When the shouting finally started at the front of the prison, I slipped through the shadows to the service entrance. David had left it unlocked, just as promised.
The prison level was darker than I remembered, the air heavy with the stench of blood and pain. My father's cell was at the very end – the highest security section, though he'd never been violent a day in his life.
"Dad?" My whisper echoed off the stone walls.
A weak cough answered me. "Little moon?"
The sight of him nearly brought me to my knees. He sat propped against the wall, his once-proud frame now thin and broken. Fresh blood stained his shirt, and bruises covered every visible inch of skin.
"What have they done to you?" Tears blurred my vision as I reached through the bars.
He caught my hand, his grip still surprisingly strong. "None of that now. Save your tears for happier days."
"Let me heal you." I summoned my power, but it flickered weakly. Without Zoe's strength, my healing abilities were a fraction of what they'd been.
"Save your strength." He touched my face gently. "You'll need it for what's coming."
"What do you mean?"
His eyes, though pained, held a sharp intelligence. "Things are changing, Elena. The balance of power is shifting." He glanced around before lowering his voice. "You need to leave."
"Leave?" The word felt like ash in my mouth. "I won't abandon you!"
"Listen to me." His grip on my hand tightened. "You need to go to the Midnight Pack."
The name sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. "The Midnight Pack?"
"Find Alpha King Alexander. He's our only hope now."
Alexander. The name blazed through my mind like lightning, bringing with it flashes of last night – strong hands, gentle kisses, a face I'd glimpsed in the dawn light...
"But..." I swallowed hard. "Alexander is Isabelle's brother..."
A strange smile crossed my father's face, as if he was remembering something from long ago. His eyes grew distant for a moment before focusing on me with renewed intensity.
"Alexander is our king," he said firmly. "He's nothing like his sister. I believe he is different – he will help us if you tell him the truth."
"The truth about what?"
"About everything. About Ethan's betrayal, about the false charges against me, about—" A violent cough cut off his words.
"Dad!" I reached for him again, but he waved me away.
"No time." His breathing was labored. "Promise me you'll go to him. Promise me you'll seek his protection."
"I promise," I whispered.
Footsteps echoed down the corridor. My father's eyes widened in alarm.
"Go! Now!"
I hesitated for just a moment, memorizing his face. "I'll come back for you."
"I know you will, little moon." His smile was proud despite his pain. "You're stronger than you know."
I fled through the shadows, David's distraction still keeping the main guards occupied. But as I ran, my father's words echoed in my mind: Alexander is our king.
Will he really side with us instead of defending his sister?
But I had no choice. My father was dying in that cell, and Ethan grew more dangerous by the day. If Alexander truly was different from his sister, if he really could help us...
The forest blurred past me as I ran, my human speed frustratingly slow without Zoe's strength. Each breath burned in my lungs, but I couldn't stop. The border was close – just a few more minutes...
"Over there!" A shout cut through the pre-dawn silence. Guards. At least three of them, judging by the footsteps. My heart slammed against my ribs as I dove behind a fallen log, pressing myself into the damp earth.
"She went east!" Another voice called out. "I caught her scent!"
"Spread out! Alpha Ethan wants her found before sunrise!"
My father's training kicked in, memories flooding back of countless hours spent in these very woods. "Being the Alpha's daughter means you'll always be a target, little moon. Learn to disappear, and you'll never be caught."
I rolled silently through the underbrush, careful not to disturb a single leaf. The guards were getting closer, their wolves giving them enhanced speed and strength. Without Zoe, I was at a devastating disadvantage. But I had something they didn't – years of training in the art of disappearing.
When you can't outrun them, little moon, become the shadow itself.
Reaching a massive oak, I pressed my back against its rough bark. My fingers found the small pouch at my waist – another of Dad's lessons. Crushed herbs and wolf's bane, just enough to mask my scent. I scattered them in a false trail leading east while I crept west.
Slow the heartbeat. Still the breath. Become nothing but another whisper in the forest.
The guards' footsteps approached, heavy and urgent. Through half-closed eyes, I watched them pass barely three feet from my position. One of them paused, sniffing the air suspiciously. I didn't move. Didn't breathe. Became one with the shadow of the ancient oak.
"The trail leads this way!" One of them called out, following my false scent.
"Are you sure?" The suspicious one asked, still too close for comfort. "Something feels off."
"You want to be the one to tell Alpha Ethan we lost her trail? Come on!"
Their footsteps began to fade as they followed the false trail. Relief flooded through me – until a familiar voice froze my blood.
"Trying to disappear, Elena?" Ethan's soft voice came from directly behind me. "You taught me that trick yourself, remember? When we were training for your father's stealth tests?"
I turned slowly, keeping my expression neutral despite the hatred burning in my chest. "Ethan."
"Come now," his voice was deceptively gentle as he stepped closer. "Let's end this foolishness. Return with me, and we'll forget this little... incident."
I forced myself to look submissive, lowering my eyes. "You're right. I'm sorry."
His triumphant laugh was exactly what I'd been waiting for. As he reached to embrace me, I exploded into motion. My nails – still sharp even without my wolf form – raked across his throat, drawing blood.
Ethan's howl of pain and rage gave me the precious seconds I needed. I bolted toward the border, pushing my human body to its limits. But behind me, I heard the sounds of bones cracking, fur sprouting – Ethan was shifting.
The massive grey wolf caught me before I could reach the treeline. Pain exploded through my body as his jaws clamped around my waist, throwing me into a nearby oak. The impact drove the air from my lungs.
Ethan shifted back to human form, pinning me to the ground with inhuman strength. Blood from his scratched face dripped onto my cheek. "You never learn your lesson, Elena."
His hands tore at my clothes, the cold air hitting my exposed skin. I fought with everything I had, but without Zoe, I was no match for an Alpha's strength.
"Stop!" I screamed, more in rage than fear. "I hate you!"
"Hate me all you want," he snarled. "But you'll never leave this pack. You're mine to punish, mine to—"
Something snapped inside me. All the rage, the pain, the helplessness of the past months crystallized into a single moment of pure fury. And deep within me, Zoe stirred.
No more, my wolf's voice rang in my head for the first time in months. We are NOT his to command.
Power surged through my veins like liquid fire. My vision sharpened, my muscles strengthened, and for the first time since Ethan's rejection, I felt whole again.
Zoe had woke up.