Still nothing.
“Please…” My voice cracked. “Answer… please…”
I tried again.
Still silence.
My chest tightened painfully. Something was wrong. Something was already happening.
I leaned against the wall, my legs barely holding me up. My mind spun—fast, chaotic, suffocating.
I needed to go home. I needed to reach Ironvale. I needed to stop this.
But—
Ezra.
He was still inside that room. Feverish. Helpless. Mine.
And Adrian’s guards would never let me take him.
My hands covered my face as I whispered, broken, “What am I supposed to do…?”
For the first time in years, I felt completely cornered.
Like prey caught too deep in a trap.
My son needed me.
My pack needed me.
But I only had one body.
And it was being pulled apart in two different directions.
Elira’s POV
I left the Winterfell Pack borders with my heart pounding painfully in my chest. I didn’t want to leave Ezra behind, not even for a second, but I had no choice. If Adrian’s pack really planned to attack Ironvale without warning, then my parents, my brother, my whole family was in danger.
I ran the entire way. My legs were shaking when I finally reached Ironvale Pack, but I forced myself to keep going. The moment the guards recognized me, they let me in.
“Lady Elira?” one of them asked.
“I need to see Alpha Jace. Right now,” I whispered.
They didn’t ask questions. They guided me straight to the main hall. My brother was there, talking with a group of elders. When he turned around and saw me, his eyes widened in shock.
“Elira? What happened?”
I opened my mouth and everything spilled out. My voice trembled.
“Winterfell Pack… Adrian… he’s planning to attack us. Soon. This week.”
The elders murmured. Jace’s expression darkened instantly. “Explain everything.”
So I did. I told him about the overheard conversation in the hospital. The accusations that Ironvale stole weapons. The declaration of war. The timing. Everything.
My brother clenched his jaw, eyes flashing with anger. “We never stole anything. That claim is false.”
“I know,” I whispered. “Someone is framing us… or bending the truth.”
Jace took a breath, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll prepare. We’re not a weak pack, Elira. We will defend our home.”
I nodded shakily. “I just… I didn’t want you all to be caught off guard.”
“You did the right thing.” He paused. “But what about you? Why did you come alone? What’s going on?”
The moment he asked, my tears fell.