The headaches were becoming more intense.
Raydar was alone in the war room, his elbows placed on the solid oak table, while pushing his palms into his temples as he fought the throbbing pain behind his eyes. It was more than just being tired, It wasn't the late nights, the council's demands, or the constant stress felt by everyone in the pack.
It was the curse.
He felt it moving under his skin again, not like a warm fire, but colder, darker, ancient and wound up very tightly. His inner wolf was not just restless anymore, it was trying to break free, it was hungry, uneasy, drawn to one thing above all else.
Elora.
The connection had weakened and almost disappeared years ago, but little by little, it was trying to come back together. Every time he saw her, every time she touched his daughter's hair or looked at him with quiet disbelief, the pain in his chest grew stronger.
He had let her down once before.
He couldn't let that happen again.
The door opened without a knock first,
Janna.
She walked in with a sense of purpose, her dress flowed around her legs like smoke. Her face was tense, controlled, but her eyes showed a hint of something more desperate.
"We need to talk," she stated, not waiting to be invited,
Raydar didn't raise his head, "Make it quick."
"You're falling apart," she said directly, "And we both understand why."
His silence said enough.
She took a step closer, "She's breaking everything, Your good sense, your strength, and this pack's stability, all of it."
Raydar finally looked up at her, "She hasn't done anything wrong."
"She's here," Janna answered, "That's enough, Just her being here is changing everything, You're not sleeping well, You can't focus, And the others are paying attention."
Raydar stood up slowly, making sure to take his time, "If the others have something to say, they can say it in person."
"This isn't about them," she said sharply, her voice getting louder, "This is about what's happening to you, I can tell, I know the signs, The curse is starting up again."
Raydar didn't say a word.
"You're losing control, Raydar, And she's why, Get rid of her before she ruins everything we've worked for."
"We didn't build this," he replied sharply, "I did, And you're not in charge here."
"I gave you my support," Janna hissed, "I've stood with you through every failure, every fight, and every mistake, "
"You stood with me because you wanted to be queen," he cut in, "Not because you cared about me."
Her face turned red, "You're picking her over the pack."
"I'm picking honesty over lies."
Janna's voice went down to a quiet, angry whisper, "You'll be sorry for this, She'll destroy you completely."
Raydar took a step closer, "Leave now."
She blinked her eyes, "What did you say?"
"You know what I said."
Her fists tightened at her sides, and her self control started to disappear, "This isn't finished."
Raydar's eyes glowed with gold light, "It is if that's what you want."
Janna looked at him intensely for a drawn out, heated second, then spun around and quickly left, slamming the door loudly.
The room became silent once more,
However, the stress did not disappear,
Raydar sat back down, his jaw clenched, and his hands were shaking a little. The wolf part of him was now awake, walking around, observing, growling quietly underneath.
And it wasn't feeling mad,
It felt attracted,and Yearning,
For her.
Elora did not intend to listen in.
She was coming back from the hospital area hallway, where she had left an empty bowl used for washing Tarinne's hands. The hallway was calm, lit by dim lights and the smell of plants sticking to the stone walls, She had just walked around the corner when she heard the voices.
Quiet voices filled with urgent discernment,
She stopped, her feet stopping suddenly as she knew the sharper voice right away.
Janna.
"You didn't see anything," Janna said sharply, "And you won't say anything."
There was a moment of quiet, then the healer's worried voice, "We gave her care, We tested everything, and We understand what it was."
"And if you talk about what you learned," Janna said quickly, "you won't just lose your job, you'll lose your ability to talk."
Elora's blood turned icy cold.
"You think I'm joking?" Janna went on, "Test me, Raydar is dealing with enough stress, The last thing he wants is more trouble, You'll tell him it was a fever, You'll tell him the child was fragile, That is all."
"But the poison.. "
"Is gone," Janna cut in, "And so are the notes, You're pack helpers, not fighters, Listen, or be switched out."
Elora leaned herself against the stone, with her heart beating fast, and Her ears rang with anger and disbelief.
The medics didn't say anything back, Elora could feel their quietness, serious and like they had lost.
"You will be silent," Janna said one more time, "Or I will make certain that nobody ever discovers any part of you that remains."
Elora heard quick footsteps getting closer, and she barely moved back behind the post before Janna walked by her, looking calm with tight lips. Janna didn't notice Elora, and when she went down the next hallway, Elora breathed out.
Her legs felt very heavy,
She stepped away from the wall, with her heart beating fast in her head.
Janna was aware.
The whole time, She knew about the poison, Maybe other things, too. Janna wasn't just mad or wanting to own Raydar or envious, She was risky and thought things through, She didn't only watch from a distance.
She was making things happen.
Elora walked back to her room with numb hands and a mind thinking faster than she could control, Tarinne was still sleeping, resting quietly under the covers, a stuffed animal held close to her face. Elora looked at Tarinne for a moment, at her chest going up and down, at the gentle heat of her life.
This wasn't about politicals,
This was about staying alive.
Elora sat on the side of the bed, holding the edge of the mattress tightly. She believed she had gotten away from the worst parts, She thought the risk was gone, But Janna wasn't finished, Janna had made the medics quiet, kept the truth hidden, and almost let Tarinne die.
Why?
What was Janna keeping safe?
It must have been more than just envy, More than wishing to keep Raydar only for herself.
There was something bigger going on, Something Elora didn't know about yet.