Chapter 74
Elowen POV
Dinner felt different tonight.
The dining hall was packed…wolves from all five packs laughing, talking, eating like they’d never tasted food before. The air buzzed with excitement and exhaustion, that electric post chaos calm where your body’s still vibrating but your soul’s already trying to nap.
I sat between Daxon and Lachlan, my tray piled high with meat and carbs, barely touched. Ashrian was across from me, chewing thoughtfully and watching the room like a hawk in a hoodie. Taya and Rylen were leaning into each other like magnets, and Jace had Amaris in his lap again, because of course he did.
I could feel it. The shift. The weight. Fated mates were being reunited. Alliances were forged. The prophecy was becoming less of a “maybe someday” and more of a loud ass “it’s happening now, bitch.”
I poked at my food, my stomach doing weird little flips that weren’t hunger.
“We’re really doing it,” I whispered in my head.
Lyssira stirred, her voice warm and calm like a moonlit lake. “Yes, we are. They’re here for you, El. They believe. You started something, and now you’ve gotta finish it.”
“I’m scared.”
“Good. Fear keeps you sharp. But don’t you dare let it stop you.”
I nodded subtly, tears stinging my eyes even though I didn’t let them fall. Not here. Not now. I wasn’t weak, I was fucking becoming. Daxon gently nudged my knee with his. “You good?”
“Yeah,” I lied, then softened. “Just… feeling it, y’know?”
He nodded. “Same.”
After dinner, we all stumbled off to our rooms like drunk zombies. No one even tried to flirt or fuck. That’s how tired we were. I flopped into bed face first, arms sprawled. A second later, I felt one mate on each side of me, my human weighted blanket deluxe edition. I didn’t even have the strength to enjoy the contact.
My mind kept spinning. Lyssira hummed. “They’re watching. The enemy. The gods. The world. But don’t let that freeze you. Let it forge
you.”
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to carry all this.”
“You don’t carry it alone, Elowen. That’s why they’re here. That’s why I’m here.”
I exhaled, closed my eyes, and let the exhaustion win.
But as I drifted off to sleep with my mates tangled around me and Lyssira curled warm in my soul, I realized something important.
We’re not just preparing for change.
1/2
15:19 Sun, Sep 28
Chapter 74
We are the fucking change.
The next morning….
I woke up feeling like someone had shoved my soul through a meat grinder.
Not physically tired, I mean, okay, maybe a little but it was the emotional hangover for me. Like the weight of a thousand expectations had sunk its claws into my chest and just… stayed.
Daxon stirred beside me, one heavy arm flopped over my waist. Ash was curled around my legs, his face buried against my thigh like a sleepy menace. And Lachlan? That man was snoring so dramatically I was considering smothering him with a pillow.
I didn’t. Mostly because his hand was wrapped around mine like a lifeline.
We eventually dragged ourselves downstairs. I barely got my hair in a bun and brushed my teeth. I looked like I’d been hit by a truth bomb and run over by the prophecy express. Whatever. No one here was winning beauty contests today.
The dining hall was already half full. Wolves from every pack filled the space, some laughing, some yawning, some stress eating entire towers of bacon. We found our usual table, and the second I sat down, I dropped my forehead onto the table with a groan.
“Someone kill me,” I mumbled into the wood.
“Nae can do, love,” Lachlan said, plopping down beside me with a stupid amount of energy. “Yer the chosen one. Death’s gonna have tae wait.”
I groaned louder. “I hate being the chosen one.”
“Aw, mo ghrá,” he said, rubbing my back. “Yer doin‘ amazing. But if ye need me tae hex someone’s kneecaps tae make ye feel better, just say the word.”
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