Chapter 28: A Helpless Cry

ELAINE

Classical music played softly in the background, its soothing notes trying to calm my restless heart. The rhythmic patter of rain against the window added to the calming effect, as if it was washing away my worries. But it wasn’t enough. I craved more, needed more.

I opened my eyes, staring at the dark clouds rolling in. The pack’s territory was deserted. Everyone was indoors, it being mating season and all. Something felt off about this place since my last visit.

I glanced down at my hands, fiddling with the quilt on my lap. My gaze drifted to my belly, where a baby should have been growing. I swallowed hard, my lips trembling ever so slightly. Connor was still holed up in the bathroom, leaving me clueless about his thoughts.

After we’d seen the strange color on our wrists, he’d turned away from me and locked himself in the bathroom without uttering a word. Two hours had passed since then, and he showed no signs of coming out. I had no idea what was going through his mind, but I was already miserable enough to worry about this new development.

I lifted my arm, staring at the purple light that radiated warmth. I didn’t know what it meant, but one thing was clear: Connor and I could maintain our distance as if we were never bound together. We were free, ~temporarily.~

I lowered my arm and glanced at the round clock on the wall. It was around six in the evening, five hours since we’d arrived. Without giving it much thought, I got up and changed into my gear. Connor was still locked in the bathroom, so I left.

The rain soaked my coat as I walked through the dense woods of the pack. I wiped some of the rain off my face as I stopped in front of the tower.

I glanced over my shoulder at the distant buildings of the pack. I was quite a distance away from them, but I didn’t care.

I navigated over some fallen trees, reaching a small area where a broken gate marked the entrance to the woods. The crumbling stone walls and vines wrapped around the tower indicated that it had been a while since anyone had been here. The place felt as empty as my heart.

I pushed the creaking gate and stepped onto the stairs. I took off my coat, swung my hair to the side, and squeezed out the water.

A rustling sound made me freeze. I looked around, trying to sense someone, but there was no one.

I shrugged it off, pushed the door open, and stepped into the tower’s darkness. The smell of decay and dampness wrinkled my nose. It was clear that no one had been here for a while.

I climbed the stairs, expecting something to jump out at me. I moved carefully, making sure the floor was stable before reaching my destination.

I looked around, but all I saw was dust, crumbling walls, old junk, and large windows that faced different parts of the woods.

On my fifth turn, I stopped. My eyes focused on the woods outside. I frowned.

Was I imagining things?

I hid in the shadows as I noticed someone outside near some trees. They had their back to me.

I stayed hidden, waiting to catch a glimpse of whoever was out there. Was it a patrol?

I waited for a while before the person lowered their hood, and I gasped. It was Yuki. He seemed to be searching for something, but I didn’t know what.

I crouched lower to get closer to the window, patiently waiting to see what he was up to. But then he turned and walked away.

I frowned, confused. I stepped out of the shadows and looked around. His figure had disappeared through the trees, as had the rest of the pack houses.

Curious, I looked around. This side faced the river and cliffs. I decided to climb higher and finally reached the rooftop exit.

The rain was still pouring hard, and I didn’t care. I noticed that half of the roof had caved in. It was dangerous to stay here for long, especially in this heavy rain.

As I leaned against a pillar, someone grabbed me from behind.

I gasped as the air was knocked out of my lungs.

Someone had slammed my back against the pillar. I blinked in shock as I saw Yuki standing before me. His eyes were red, and his nostrils flared.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Yuki growled. His grip made me wince.

“You’re hurting me!” I shouted over the rain.

How had he gotten up here without me noticing?

“You shouldn’t be here! You know it!” Yuki hissed, his nails digging into my skin.

I jerked away, letting him scratch me.

“I can come and go, or have you forgotten I’m the queen here?” I retorted angrily. Yuki narrowed his eyes.

“You have the right, but not here, and you know it!” he shot back.

I scoffed and turned away. “I don’t see what’s wrong with me being here. I’ve been here many times before.”

There was silence, so I turned back to him.

“I don’t know why you’re acting like this,” I said, studying him.

“You don’t know? Or are you stupid enough to forget?” he said, his jaw clenched. “You should head back to the mansion.”

“Yuki!” I snapped, but he turned, grabbed my shoulders, and slammed me against the boulders again.

“Don’t cross the line, Elaine,” he gritted out. “You know why you can’t be here.”

My lower lip trembled as I searched his face. Yuki’s eyes were pitch black, his face twisted in a painful scowl.

Why was he so angry?

“Yuki—”

“Get out!” He pushed me, making me stumble forward. I turned, shocked by his behavior. “Don’t look at me like that. If you don’t want anyone to know, get out of here. Go back to your mate.”

His words were venomous.

Speechless, I stood up. I opened my mouth to say more but decided to leave instead. Pulling my coat tighter, I ran back down.

***

The moment I closed the door behind me, I could sense Connor was there, even before he spoke.

“Where’ve you been?” His voice was laced with worry.

I frowned, taking in his disheveled appearance. Had he been looking for me?

“Just needed a walk,” I lied, brushing past him and heading upstairs. He turned to watch me go, but I was already rounding the corner to our room.

After freshening up, I made my way back downstairs. Connor was in the kitchen, serving dinner. I raised an eyebrow as I slid onto a stool at the bar.

“You cooked?” I asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” he replied, not meeting my gaze.

He slid a plate of pasta in front of me, followed by a smaller plate with bread and salad. The aroma was mouthwatering, and my stomach growled in response.

“Eat, Elaine. You need to,” he said, his tone firm. I nodded and started eating.

A moan of pleasure escaped my lips as I tasted the pasta.

“Glad you like it,” Connor said, pulling me out of my moment of bliss.

I blushed, quickly washing down the rest of my mouthful with a sip of juice.

“You haven’t been eating enough,” he said. “Eat as much as you want.”

I paused, my fork halfway to my mouth, my grip tightening. Suddenly, I wasn’t hungry anymore. I set the fork down with a clatter. Connor looked up.

“You don’t need to remind me,” I snapped, pushing my plate away and sliding off the stool.

“Elaine, you can’t keep running from this. It won’t do any good.”

“No good?” I spat, anger bubbling up inside me. “Has anything been good since you came into the picture?”

Connor’s fork clattered onto his plate and his chair scraped against the floor.

“Don’t start with me,” he shot back. “I’ve already apologized.”

“Yeah, your fucking apology,” I growled. “You think that pathetic excuse is going to fix this?”

I gestured angrily between us.

“This whole fucked up situation… it’s your fault!”

“Is that all you can say? It’s my fault? Don’t you have any part in this mess?” Connor retorted.

His words hit me like a punch to the gut.

“Of course I do,” I scoffed, tears welling up in my eyes. “I let you have your way with everything.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

“If you hadn’t interfered, if you hadn’t touched me, or… or…”

“Or what, Elaine?” Connor snapped.

“Or killed our pup! I wouldn’t feel like shit!” I screamed.

The room fell silent as I gasped for breath. Tears streamed down my face, and I angrily wiped them away.

“I shouldn’t feel like this,” I choked out, my voice trembling. “I shouldn’t be hurt because of what you did. I shouldn’t.”

I rubbed my face.

“But it hurts,” I sobbed, covering my eyes with my hands. “I hate that I lost the pup. You did that to me, and I hate it. I hate myself for letting you into my life.”

My words dissolved into sobs.

“You ruined everything,” I choked out between sobs.

“What?” Connor whispered. “What are you talking about?”

I wiped my face and looked up at him. He looked as devastated as I felt.

I wiped my nose with a shaky hand and cleared my throat.

“Because of you, I can’t…” My voice broke. Was I really going to say this?

I shook my head, about to speak, when a loud knock at the door startled us.

The knocking continued, and Connor rushed to answer it. I stood up, turning away from the door. The last thing I needed was for someone to see me like this.

As I walked away, I recognized the voice.

“Out of the way, Connor!”

I turned around halfway up the stairs as I heard footsteps rushing toward me.

“Elaine?” It was Sorin. Panic surged through me.

“What did you do to her?” Sorin demanded, turning to Connor as he approached. “What did you do?”

“Fuck off, Sorin,” Connor growled. But before I could intervene, Sorin lunged at Connor.

The house filled with the sound of growls and breaking objects as Connor and Sorin fought.

“Stop!” I yelled. “Both of you, stop!”

But they didn’t hear me. I was almost at the bottom of the stairs when the room started spinning and I fell to my knees.

A gagging sound escaped my lips as a searing pain spread across my stomach. I doubled over, feeling like my insides were being torn apart.

The pain was so intense that I coughed up blood, splattering it on the black and white rug.

“Elaine?” Connor’s voice was filled with panic. I looked up, my mouth and chin smeared with blood.

My hand shook as I looked down at the mess.

Both Connor and Sorin looked terrified as they stopped fighting. Another wave of pain hit me, and I vomited more blood. As I gasped in pain, I slipped in my own blood and hit my head on the floor.