Elowen POV
Alpha Wing, early morning, under a pile of supernatural testosterone
I woke up warm, safe… and entirely too tangled in limbs.
Ashrian was stretched out on my left like a very expensive vampire shaped sculpture, one arm slung over my waist as if he owned me. Daxon was curled around my back, solid and half breathing against the nape of my neck, radiating heat and wolf possessiveness like a damn space heater in mating season.
My brain was fuzzy. Not from alcohol, wolves don’t get hangovers…but from everything else. The emotional breakdown. The fight. The crying. The woods. The fire. The friends. The feeling of finally not being alone.
I blinked up at the ceiling, my cheeks hot with secondhand embarrassment. I didn’t regret it, any of it, but holy shit, I’d hit my personal chaos threshold and shattered it like a wine glass in a mosh pit.
Still… I was allowed to lose it. I earned that meltdown.
I started to move, slowly untangling myself from the cuddle sandwich of doom.
Ash stirred. “Leaving already?”
“I’m escaping before I say something too emotionally available,” I muttered. Daxon made a low sound in his throat and tugged me back into his chest. “Stay. It’s warm.”
“I’m not a heated blanket,” I snapped, but I didn’t exactly resist either.
Then…A knock. Three sharp raps on the door, followed by Rylen’s familiar voice.
‘Elowen? Daxon? Alpha Draven and Luna Aelira have called a formal breakfast meeting. You’ve all been summoned.”
Ash groaned. “Of course we have.” Daxon sat up, already scowling. “What time is it?”
“Too early for politics,” I mumbled into a pillow. Rylen knocked again. “Dress sharp. It sounds important.”
“Ugh. Fine,” I called back. “Tell them I’m on my way. Tell them I’m wearing pants under protest.”
I heard his quiet laugh through the door. “Understood.”
Fifteen minutes later, I walked into the dining hall with my hair half tamed and my soul only slightly on fire. Taya sat at the far end of the long oak table, wedged between Rylen and Jace, grinning like she knew something scandalous. Which she probably did. She and Zuki always knew.
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Chapter 33
I slid into a seat beside her, ignoring Ash’s smug look and Daxon’s protective hover energy as they took their places
beside me.
Alpha King Draven stood at the head of the table, his posture straight and his voice crisp. Luna Queen Aelira stood beside him, all dark hair and sharp elegance, with eyes like they could see straight through me.
“We’ve had to make a decision,” Alpha Draven said without preamble. “The Aegis Protocol has eyes on Stormclaw territory. We hoped you’d finish school before traveling, Elowen. But that’s no longer safe.”
My stomach clenched.
Luna Aelira continued gently. “We’ve arranged travel to Scotland. You’ll meet with Morrigan Lairch, the witch who can remove your memory binding spell. She may also be able to uncover which bloodlines are active in your hybrid
DNA.”
“The witch is trusted,” Alpha Draven added. “But she doesn’t take visitors lightly. You’ll need to go prepared.”
Ashrian leaned forward, his voice calm. “When?”
“In one week,” Luna Aelira said. “You’ll spend the next seven days completing an accelerated homeschool regimen and graduate early. From there, we’ll move quickly. Your presence here endangers everyone.”
“And we don’t run scared,” Alpha Draven said. “We move smart.”
Then he turned to the others, Taya, Rylen, and Jace. “You’ve proven loyal. You’re Elowen’s circle. If you’re willing,
we’d like you to accompany her.”
Rylen didn’t even hesitate. “Where Taya goes, I go.”
Taya absolutely glowed beside him at that statement.
Jace leaned back with his arms crossed. “Road trip with my future alpha, chaos girl, and my favorite redhead? Fuck yeah, I’m in.”
Taya gripped my hand. “You’re not doing this alone. Ever.”
And that was it.That was the moment I broke again. But not from fear. From relief. Because no matter how cursed, hunted, or hybrid I was…
These people? They were my pack,
And I’d burn the world down to keep them.
An hour later at breakfast
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The scent of bacon and fresh bread hit the table like a blessing from the gods.
Staff moved in silently, placing heaping platters of scrambled eggs, sausages, buttered toast, roasted potatoes, and sweet berry jam down the center of the long oak table. No one spoke, not really. The tension still hung from Alpha Draven and Luna Aelira’s travel announcement like fog over a graveyard.
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21:22 Wed, Sep 24
The scent of bacon and fresh bread hit the table like a blessing from the gods.
Staff moved in silently, placing heaping platters of scrambled eggs, sausages, buttered toast, roasted potatoes, and sweet berry jam down the center of the long oak table. No one spoke, not really. The tension still hung from Alpha Draven and Luna Aelira’s travel announcement like fog over a graveyard.
Chapter Comments
4
