Chapter 235
Eldur’s P.O.V.
The walls felt like they were closing in on me.
Alpha Lucian’s piercing green eyes locked onto mine, unblinking, unwavering. Luna Teresa stood beside him, arms crossed, her disappointment a silent force pressing against my skin. I couldn’t understand why it affected me. And then there was her—Elizabeth—standing off to the side, that insufferable smirk plastered on her face. She watched us like we were reckless children caught sneaking out past curfew, her amusement barely concealed.
I clenched my jaw, crossing my arms. “We’re not children,” I said, my voice firm. “We can go where we want p>
Lucian’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening like he was biting back something sharper. “You had direct orders to stay put p>
I scoffed. “Orders? We’re not your soldiers, Alpha p>
Beside me, Mai shifted, tension rolling off her in waves. Her silver eyes darted between her parents, her fingers twitching at her sides. Liam stood just behind her, a quiet shadow, his bright blue eyes flickering between Lucian and me. He always did that—stayed just close enough to Mai to be caught in her orbit, never speaking unless he had to.
Lucian exhaled slowly, measured, controlled—but his gaze burned like embers ready to ignite.
“Every time something goes wrong,” he said, his voice dangerously quiet, “you are always at the center of it, Eldur p>
I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms, but the pain was nothing compared to the words slicing through me. They cut deeper than I wanted to admit, each one finding a raw place I thought I had buried.
The Alpha stepped closer, his towering presence hovering over me like a storm cloud ready to break. His voice was sharp, relentless. “Do you even want the demon Raivo out of your life? Or do you enjoy being an outcast? Being hated by everyone? Do you want to keep living like this—alone, without real friends p>
Beside me, Mai tensed, her breath hitching. Liam shifted forward, cautious, but I barely registered him.
Lucian’s voice dropped lower, each word deliberate, edged with something dangerous. “All of that could change. You were so close, Eldur. All you had to do was wait a few more days. Liam’s birthday is coming, and the goddess will strip the demon and the witch’s magic from you and Mai. You could finally be free p>
His eyes locked onto mine, pinning me in place. “But instead, you threw it all away—for a night out p>
The words slammed into me like a hammer against glass.
Something inside me cracked.
And then it shattered.
I took a step forward, my hands clenched into fists at my sides, my pulse pounding like war drums in my ears. My voice came out sharp, cutting through the charged air. “I don’t need you to lecture me p>
Lucian’s posture shifted—just a fraction—but I knew that movement well, I had see it countless times from my father. It was the kind of shift a predator made when its prey had made a fatal mistake.
A slow, knowing smirk spread across his face, but there was no warmth in it—only warning, only power. He straightened, the weight of his presence crashing over me like a tractor, choking, inescapable. “If it weren’t for your parents—Juliette and Adrian, who mean the world to me—you would have learned a long time ago why you don’t challenge an Alpha p>
His voice was calm, but the undercurrent of dominance beneath it was unmistakable. The air in the room thickened, electric with something primal, something that warned of consequences far beyond words.
My entire body locked up, my muscles coiling tight, instinct screaming at me to lower my gaze—to submit. But I refused. Even as my blood roared, even as my lungs felt too tight in my chest, I held his stare.
Then, a gentle touch broke the tension.
Luna Teresa’s hand pressed against Lucian’s chest, a silent plea wrapped in tenderness. “My love, that’s enough,” she whispered, her voice a thread in the storm.
Lucian didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
His sharp green eyes burned into mine, unrelenting. “If you ever disobey me again,” he said, voice low, lethal, “you’ll understand exactly why I’m the Alpha p>
A heavy silence fell over the room, thick and bone chilling.
I felt it then—that razor-thin line between defiance and destruction. And I knew—one step too far, and he’d show me just how deep that abyss went.
Alpha Lucian turned to Mai, Liam, and Ollie, his voice even sharper. “If any of you disobey my orders again, you will regret it. Especially you Mai, I mean it p>
With that, he stormed out, the floor seeming to shake with each step.
Luna Teresa sighed, glancing at us. “Stay in line. Just for a few days. Please p>
Then she followed after him, leaving only Elizabeth, who shook her head with a smirk before walking out as well.
The door shut behind them, and suddenly, the room felt too small.
Mai let out a slow breath. Liam rubbed the back of his neck.
Ollie looked at me. “Well… that could’ve gone worse p>
I let out a harsh laugh. “They always blame me. Every damn person always blames me p>
Mai turned to me with an expression I couldn’t decipher. “Eldur p>
“No.” My voice was sharp. “I’m done with this. With them. All of them p>
Before anyone could stop me, I raised a hand, tearing open a portal in the air. The edges shimmered, dark and unstable.
“Eldur, don’t,” Mai said quickly.
Liam stepped forward. “You heard the Alpha p>
“I don’t give a damn what Lucian says,” I snapped. “I don’t need to sit around and wait for some goddess to decide my fate. I’m leaving p>
Mai grabbed my arm. “We’re binded together, you idiot! You can’t just run off p>
Liam’s voice was urgent. “Just stop and think p>
“I don’t want to think!” I snarled.
I stepped into the portal.
And of course, because they were both idiots, Mai and Liam immediately ran after me.
Ollie cursed. “Oh, for fuck’s sake p>
Then he jumped in, too.
We landed on a deserted highway.
The night was thick with humidity, the air heavy with the scent of damp earth. Trees lined the sides of the road, their dark silhouettes shifting in the breeze.
Mai was furious. “Where the hell are we p>
Liam grabbed my wrist. “Eldur, stop acting like a child p>
I ripped my arm away. “I’m done with people telling me what to do p>
Liam stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “You think running away will fix anything p>
Mai crossed her arms. “He doesn’t think at all p>
I shot her a glare. “Then leave me the hell alone p>
Liam’s voice dropped. “You know we can’t p>
His blue eyes locked onto mine, filled with something I couldn’t name. Not pity. Not fear. Something else.
“Eldur.” His voice was soft, steady. “You’re not alone p>
For a heartbeat, I hesitated.
And then we all heard a deafening horn.
Then blinding headlights appeared from out of the shadows of the dark road.
A massive truck hurtling toward us, metal and momentum, unstoppable.
Time fractured.
Liam’s hands slammed into my chest, shoving me backward.
I hit the ground hard. Air burst from my lungs. The world spun—
And then there was Impact.
The sound of metal meeting flesh.
A body flung like a rag doll.
A strangled gasp.
Everything slowed. The chaos, the noise—it all dulled as Liam’s body struck the pavement with a sickening thud.
Mai’s scream ripped through the night, raw and broken.
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe.
Liam lay crumpled on the asphalt, his limbs twisted unnaturally, blood seeping into the cracks of the road. His blond hair—messy, familiar—was now dark and matted with red. His once-bright blue eyes stared upward, unfocused.
The truck screeched to a halt, tires screaming against the pavement. The driver shouted something, but his voice was just another distant sound, meaningless against the roar in my ears.
Nothing else mattered.
Only Liam.
Mai collapsed beside him, hands shaking as she reached for him. “No, no, no—Liam! Baby p>
Ollie skidded to a stop, his breathing ragged. “Shit—he’s not—he’s not breathing p>
The world blurred. My own pulse pounded, a deafening drumbeat in my skull.
I felt weightless, detached, like my body wasn’t my own.
This was my fault.
Again.
My fault.
My fault.
Mai gripped Liam’s hand like she could tether him to this world, like sheer desperation could bring him back. Tears streaked her face, her voice cracking. “Liam, wake up! Please—please p>
I barely recognized the sound that left my lips, hollow and broken. “I… I didn’t mean p>
My senses dulled, my legs wobbled and the air around me felt like poison.
Mai turned, eyes locking onto mine, burning with fury, with agony.
“Fix it.” Her voice shattered. “Fix him, Eldur p>
I wanted to.
Goddess, I wanted to.
But I didn’t know if I could.
All I knew was that for the first time in my life—
I was terrified. Extremely terrified.