Chapter 8 Eight

Chapter 8

Ella’s POV

The walk back to the pack house feels endless.

No one speaks. No one dares to.

The night air is heavy, cold, and wet against my skin. My body aches with every step. Each rustle of leaves sounds too loud, every shadow looks like something hiding.

Sam walks in front, his tall frame cutting through the darkness. Gemma stays beside me, silent, her face unreadable. The guards follow behind us, keeping their distance but close enough that I can feel their eyes on me.

When we finally reach the gates, the guards push them open, and the smell of the pack house hits me like smoke, leather, pine, and something faintly metallic. Blood.

My stomach twists.

Sam doesn’t look back as he orders, “Everyone out. I’ll handle this.”

The guards hesitate, glancing at each other. Then they bow and leave.

Only the three of us remain.

Sam turns slowly. His eyes find me, and I can’t hold his gaze. There’s too much confusion, anger, something darker I can’t name.

“Inside,” he says. His tone is flat, but it makes my skin crawl.

I follow him through the corridor, past the long hallway lined with portraits of past Alphas. Their painted eyes seem to follow me as I walk, silent witnesses to my shame.

We stopped at the council room. Sam pushes the door open and gestures for us to enter. The room is dim, lit only by the fire burning low in the hearth. Shadows dance across the walls.

Gemma stands near the window, her arms crossed. I can tell she’s trying to look calm, but I see the stiffness in her shoulders.

Sam closes the door behind him. The sound of the lock clicking into place sends a chill down my spine.

He takes a slow step toward us. “Now,” he begins quietly, “one of you is going to tell me what really happened tonight.”

No one answers.

Sam’s eyes flick from me to Gemma. “Start talking.”

Gemma keeps her gaze on the window. “I told you. Jude attacked us. I killed him.”

Sam narrows his eyes. “Except that’s impossible, because Jude was already dead.”

“Then maybe you should ask yourself who it was you buried,” she says, her voice sharp but calm.

Sam’s jaw tightens. “Don’t test me, Gemma.”

The air in the room feels heavier, charged with something unspoken.

Gemma finally turns around. “You think I’m lying, fine. But you saw what was happening to your pack long before tonight. The sickness, the disappearances. You just refused to see the truth.”

“What truth?” Sam asks.

“That the past is not buried,” she says. “It’s coming back.”

My breath catches.

Sam looks from her to me. “And what do you know about that, Ella?”

“Nothing,” I whisper quickly.

His expression hardens. “You expect me to believe that?”

I glance at Gemma, but she doesn’t move. Her face gives nothing away.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” I say softly, my voice trembling. “All I know is that Jude came after me. Gemma stopped him. That’s it.”

Sam’s gaze lingers on me. “And you didn’t think to call for help? You just happened to meet my Gamma at the border in the middle of the night?”

“I didn’t plan it,” I say weakly. “I just ”

“Ran,” he finishes for me.

I drop my eyes to the floor. “Yes.”

Sam’s voice drops lower, almost a whisper. “Why do you keep running from me, Ella?”

My throat tightens. “Because every time you touch me, I forget how to breathe.”

The silence that follows is thick and unbearable. Even Gemma shifts uncomfortably.

Sam finally exhales, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “You’re not leaving this pack again,” he says. “You’re staying where I can see you.”

My heart sinks. “You can’t ”

“I can,” he cuts in, his voice cold. “And I will.”

Gemma steps forward. “Alpha, with all due respect ”

“Enough,” he snaps, his tone sharp enough to make her freeze. “You’ve already overstepped tonight.”

Gemma’s jaw tightens, but she says nothing.

Sam walks toward the door, his hand on the handle, then pauses. “Both of you will stay here until I return. No one leaves this room.”

He leaves before either of us can reply. The door closes behind him with a heavy thud.

I stand there, trembling, staring at the fire.

Gemma moves closer to the window again, watching the darkness outside. The silence stretches until it feels like it might break me.

Finally, I whisper, “He doesn’t believe us.”

“He’s not supposed to,” she murmurs. “Not yet.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

Gemma doesn’t turn around. “Jude’s not the only one your father touched. There are others still inside this pack. Hidden. Waiting.”

The words hit me hard. “You mean there are more like him?”

She nods slowly. “And some of them don’t even know what they are.”

I stare at her back, the firelight flickering against her dark hair. “How do you know all this, Gemma?”

She hesitates, then finally turns. “Because I was one of them.”

My breath catches. “You what?”

She looks me straight in the eye. “Your father used me. I was part of his ritual. He called it purification. He thought he could breed power from darkness. He failed. But the corruption stayed with me. It’s why I survived when others didn’t.”

My knees weaken, and I grip the edge of the table. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you’re the key to ending what he started.”

“I don’t understand.”

Gemma steps closer. “You’re his blood, Ella. Whatever he left behind… it responds to you. That’s why the sickness started when you came back to this pack.”

I shake my head, tears burning my eyes. “No. That’s not true. I didn’t do anything.”

She reaches out and grabs my wrist. “Feel it.”

The moment her hand touches me, something rushes through me, wild and fierce, like a spark of lightning under my skin. My breath stutters.

“What's happening?” I whisper.

Gemma’s grip tightens. “It’s waking up. The bond. His magic. The same thing your father used to bind souls.”

I try to pull away, but the heat spreads faster. It feels like fire crawling up my arm, into my chest, burning me from the inside. I scream, collapsing to my knees.

“Stop!” I cry. “Make it stop!”

Gemma lets go, and I fall forward, gasping for air. The fire in the hearth flares higher for a brief second, then dies down to a faint glow.

When I look up, Gemma’s watching me with wide eyes.

“You shouldn’t be able to do that,” she whispers.

“What?” I gasp.

She shakes her head slowly. “You drew power from me.”

My heart pounds. “What does that mean?”

“It means…” Her voice trails off, fear flickering in her gaze. “…you’re stronger than he was.”

The room feels smaller, darker. My skin is still hot, my hands trembling.

Outside, thunder rumbles in the distance.

Before I can ask anything else, the door bursts open.

Sam stands there, his face pale, his eyes dark with fury. “What the hell just happened here?”

Gemma opens her mouth, but no sound comes out.

Sam’s gaze drops to me, kneeling on the floor, surrounded by a faint circle of ash where the fire had burned too high.

His voice is cold, deadly quiet. “What did yo

u do, Ella?”

I don’t know how to answer him.

Because for the first time since losing my wolf, I can feel something alive and dangerous again, burning under my skin.