Chapter 6: Shackles of Faith

ELAINE

A sharp sound jolted me awake. I winced, clutching my head as a dull ache throbbed behind my eyes. What was that noise?

“Elaine!” A voice echoed through the fog in my mind, but I couldn’t place it. The pain and disorientation were too much. “Elaine, breathe. Please, breathe.”

I gasped, forcing my eyes open to see who was speaking.

“Good. Just breathe,” Jyn murmured, relief flooding his eyes.

My heart began to slow, and the pounding in my head eased. I took a deep breath and sank back onto the bed.

“Easy now. Is the pain gone?” Jyn asked. I blinked a few times, trying to process his words.

“What happened?” My voice came out raspy, as if I hadn’t spoken in days.

I cleared my throat and tried to sit up. Jyn helped me until I was leaning against the headboard.

“First, tell me you’re okay,” Jyn insisted.

“I’m fine,” I snapped, irritation edging my words. “What happened?”

He sighed just as the bedroom door swung open. I hadn’t noticed before, but this wasn’t my room.

“You’re finally awake!” Regulus rushed to my side, concern etched on his face. Something still felt off. “Are you okay?”

“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” I groaned, frustration mounting. “Who won the fight?”

Regulus and Jyn exchanged a look before sighing in unison. The bedroom door opened again, and my father walked in with Connor’s dad.

Surprised, I tried to sit up, but Regulus held me back. His eyes warned me not to argue.

“Elaine, are you okay?” my father asked. I glanced at Jyn, then back at my father.

“I guess so,” I mumbled. “Can someone please explain what’s happening?”

“You need to listen to us,” Alpha Martell commanded. I looked at them, anxiety creeping in. “Are you feeling anything strange?”

I frowned. Was I supposed to feel strange after whatever had just happened?

“No,” I started, but then I felt a strange tingling sensation. I looked down and gasped at my wrist.

I recoiled in shock, staring at the unfamiliar mark on my skin. What was this?

“This…,” I stammered. “What is this?”

My voice was high-pitched, filled with confusion and fear. I couldn’t understand what was happening.

“It’s called the shackles,” my father said, placing a comforting hand on my leg. He squeezed gently, trying to soothe me, but it wasn’t working. “The shackles of faith.”

I snapped my head up to glare at him.

“Excuse me. Shackles? Am I shackled to someone?” I demanded. They all exchanged glances before my father let out a long sigh.

“Yes, you’ve been shackled by the Moon Goddess,” my father explained. “And—”

“And what?” I interrupted, urging him to continue. “Speak.”

“Elaine, this might be a shock, but you and Connor are shackled together,” Alpha Martell said quietly. “The Goddess has paired you two.”

I burst into laughter. The absurdity of his statement was too much.

“Tied to that jerk?” I laughed. Alpha Martell roared back, silencing me.

I shook my head, still smiling, and held up my hand.

“This is ridiculous. How can we be tied together? We aren’t even mates!” I exclaimed.

This made no sense.

“But you are now. The Goddess has spoken, and her words are final,” my father snapped. “You and Connor are now tied together and are the new leaders of the pack.”

I must have looked incredulous because my father’s face turned red with anger.

I’d never heard anything so ridiculous in my life. I was in control of my own destiny.

Without waiting for a response, I jumped out of bed and bolted from the unfamiliar room.

Confused faces watched me as I ran. I didn’t know where I was, but I knew I needed to get away.

My brothers followed me, their tension palpable even from a distance.

With each step, I felt stranger and stranger. I turned a corner and gasped, falling to my knees.

A groan echoed behind me. I turned to see Connor a few feet away, clutching his arm just like I was.

“You two are stubborn,” Alpha Martell grumbled. “Don’t you understand? The Goddess has shackled you. You can’t be more than ten feet apart.”

“That’s ridiculous,” I retorted, trying to stand. My legs wobbled, and I fell back down. “I’m not tied to him!”

“But you are,” my father growled, his voice shaking the room. “Don’t you see?

“You were both unconscious for a week. We thought you’d never wake up. The oldest elder of the pack even came,” my father scoffed.

“Like it or not, you two are together.”

I tried to walk away, anger twisting my features. Connor growled as I moved further from him.

“Stop it,” Connor yelled. I bit my lip to suppress the pain that flared in my arm.

“Enough,” Alpha Martell ordered. “Starting today, you two are going to learn to live with each other.

“In case you’ve forgotten, you two are mates. You are now the alphas of the pack.”

My world crumbled as his words sank in. This couldn’t be happening.

***

I stood in the corner of the room, watching as Connor sat a few feet away on a plush red armchair. He looked every bit the king he was born to be.

His gaze was locked on me, and it was unnerving. I felt exposed under his scrutiny.

For the eighth time, I felt his eyes on me and I couldn’t help but growl in response.

As a form of punishment, the pack alphas had confined us to the alpha's chambers in the castle. It was absurd.

This wasn’t their call to make. I was already at my wit’s end with the Goddess’s punishment.

Their decree was that we couldn’t leave until we’d reached some sort of agreement about this mess.

So, fulfilling our roles as alphas and as mates was one of the decisions we had to make.

Everyone must have lost their minds, because that was the last thing I wanted. Why should we act like mates? We weren’t true mates.

I didn’t care for Connor, and I knew the feeling was mutual.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” I snapped.

“I don’t know; you tell me. Are you going to stay there, hiding in the corner?” Connor shot back.

I rolled my eyes and moved to a chair on the opposite side of the room.

“Happy now?” I spat.

Connor’s eyebrows shot up, then his gaze dropped to my bare legs.

“Never seen legs before?”

That got him to snap his teeth at me.

I fought back a smirk. If I laughed, he’d definitely attack, and I wasn’t in the mood for a fight.

I needed to find a solution. It was impossible to think about leading with this wolf at my side.

“Do you remember what the Goddess said?” Connor suddenly asked. I glanced at him and nodded.

“To find the real reason she bound us together.” I shrugged. “And the winner will be the alpha of the pack.”

“Exactly. So all we have to do is find the answer,” Connor said.

I squinted at him. Did he really not understand the full meaning of all this?

“Yes, but you’re missing something. She mentioned greed,” I pointed out.

“You still think this is a competition?” Connor asked, unfazed.

“It is, Alpha,” I snapped. “Whether you like it or not, this is our competition, and I’m not going to back down easily. Your foolish decisions and greed got us into this mess.”

“You’re naive,” Connor scoffed. “You think this is all my fault? You’re to blame as well.”

“Oh, and what do you understand, then?” I snapped, making him growl. “Tell me, what’s your solution?”

“Do what she asked, and along the way one of us will find the answer,” Connor said.

I raised my eyebrows and thought about it. His words made sense, but he was missing the point. Only one of us could win.

But also, doing that would give us a chance to see what we were missing as alphas.

Still, I didn’t understand why the Goddess had paired us together.

“So, are we going to work together?” I asked, gesturing between us. “You and me?”

“Do we have any other choice?” Connor scoffed. Then, walking over to my chair, he leaned in close. “We can’t be away from each other.”

I suppressed a grimace at his words.

“We can only be ten feet apart. That means we have to eat, sleep, work, and always be together. If not, you know what happens,” Connor smirked.

I stared into his hazel eyes, which looked so clear for the first time.

“I’m well aware, Connor,” I said slowly. “But I won’t always be around you. And for that, we’ll need to try a few things before deciding that sharing a bed is a good idea.”

“And what’s your idea?” Connor asked, finally stepping back.

I smiled, placing my hands on his chest and pushing him away so I could move to a nearby window. Connor’s gaze followed my every move.

“Simple. Let’s shift and see what happens if we put some distance between us,” I suggested.

Connor seemed to consider my suggestion.

“Let’s shift then,” Connor agreed.

I raised my hand to stop him. I hadn’t shifted in a while, and not everyone knew about my wolf.

“I’ll shift in the bathroom. You do it in the room,” I explained. “Then try to walk away from me.”

I saw the curious frown on Connor’s face. Then, approaching me, he smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Shift,” Connor commanded.

“Why should I?” I asked playfully. “You don’t order me, Connor. Let’s be clear on that. You don’t order me.”

Connor growled, slamming me against the window, shattering it. Pieces of broken glass dug into my back.

This jerk was asking for it.

“Shift!” Connor growled in my face. I laughed and kicked him in the groin.

A curse slipped from Connor’s lips as he dropped to his knees.

“I shift when ~I~ want to,” I snarled.

“Why are you hiding it? You think I don’t know?” Connor gasped. I stopped walking and looked over my shoulder. “I know what your wolf looks like.”

“What did you say?” I asked, my voice tight. “You’ve seen it?”

I swallowed hard, hiding my hands from his view.

“The Cane Woods. Two months ago, I saw you there. I tracked you because there was no scent. I thought you were a rogue until you shifted back.”

My hands clenched behind me. I was trying to hold back the scream that was begging to be let out.

“You’re a strange-looking wolf,” Connor whispered, “but you’re beautiful.”

I slowly unclenched my hands and looked up at Connor, who was staring at the floor. A soft warmth colored his face and my heart skipped a beat.

I looked away, feeling uncomfortable.

“Your wolf is unique. After all, they consider red wolves lycans, not werewolves.” Connor smirked.

“Hush,” I commanded him. “Don’t you dare utter a word.”

He wouldn’t spill my secret, would he?

“Oh, why?” Connor retorted, his earlier warmth now vanished. “Scared the elders and other alphas will find out you have lycan blood?”

Every pack believed lycans were extinct. They were seen as the true kings of the packs, the only real descendants of the Goddess. Which, in my case, meant I was one of them.

But only my brothers knew my true form, not the other pack members.

It was a secret I guarded closely, one of the reasons I never shifted during my fights.

I held Connor’s gaze as he slowly moved towards me. His face wore a smug expression that was getting under my skin.

He thought he had the upper hand, that he could use this against me. He couldn’t be more wrong.

He grabbed my arm, pulling me roughly until my face was pressed against his chest.

“Don’t fret,” Connor whispered in my ear. “~We~ are the same.”

As his words left his lips, a shiver traveled up my arm and settled in my chest.

It could be mistaken for relief, knowing I wasn’t alone, but the sharp pain that followed his release made me wince.

The icy demeanor he always maintained was back, keeping the distance he knew was necessary between us.

“We should rest for today. We both need it,” Connor suggested, heading towards the bed. He didn’t look back at me. “Tomorrow we can decide if shifting is our best option.”

I stayed rooted in place, his words echoing in my mind. Did this mean Connor also had lycan blood?

But that was unthinkable. Lycans were rare, and the ones that were born were worshipped like gods. If Connor was one, everyone would know. So why hadn’t anyone mentioned it?

Connor was already in bed, his back turned to me. I watched him, trying to decipher if his words were true.

Biting my lip, I moved to the vacant side of the bed and switched off the lights.