Wolves of Betrayal

Chapter : 36. A heart reborn..

The journey back to the Nightshade Pack was long and quiet. Darius carried Amara in his arms, his heart heavy with a mixture of relief and worry. She was safe now, away from Killian and the horrors of the Blood Moon Pack. Yet, as they crossed the familiar forest paths and fields leading home, Darius could sense a change in her—a distance that wasn’t there before.

Once they reached the Nightshade Pack territory, the pack members rushed out to greet them. The warriors, still on high alert, relaxed slightly upon seeing their Alpha return with Amara in his arms. There was a mixture of joy and concern in their eyes as they saw her, bruised and battered but alive. The pack had fought for her, and seeing her back brought them a sense of victory. But Amara seemed different now, quieter and more withdrawn, her eyes far away, lost in some inner world of thoughts.

Darius took her to the packhouse and helped her to a room, his arms never straying too far from her side. She moved almost mechanically, as if on autopilot. Her eyes were unfocused, staring blankly ahead. He could feel the weight of her silence, the heaviness that clung to her like a shadow. He had seen her in pain before, but this was something deeper, something he couldn’t quite reach.

He laid her gently on the bed, his hand lingering on her shoulder. "Amara," he said softly, his voice filled with concern. "You’re safe now. We’re home."

She nodded, but her eyes didn’t meet his. "I know," she whispered, her voice flat, almost emotionless. "Thank you, Darius."

Darius’s heart ached at her tone. He had seen her strength, her fire, her will to fight. But now, that spark seemed dimmed, almost extinguished. He had been prepared for her to feel shaken after everything she had been through, but this… this was different.

Days passed, and Amara remained distant. She moved through the packhouse like a ghost, her footsteps soft and silent, her eyes always elsewhere. She would sit by the window for hours, staring out at the forest with a lost expression, her mind clearly far away. She ate little, spoke even less, and when she did, her words were clipped and distant.

Darius watched her with growing concern. He knew she was struggling to process what had happened with Killian—the fight, the rejection, the weight of all those years of pain finally coming to a head. He could see the sadness in her eyes, the way her shoulders slumped with a burden that was now invisible but still very real.

One evening, after watching her for hours, Darius couldn’t take it anymore. He needed to reach her, to find a way to bring her back to him. He knew she needed time to heal, but he also knew she needed support, needed to know she wasn’t alone.

He found her sitting outside under the large oak tree near the packhouse, the sky above them painted in hues of pink and orange as the sun set behind the distant hills. She was staring at the horizon, her face thoughtful, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Amara,” Darius called gently as he approached, his footsteps slow and careful. “Mind if I sit with you?”

She glanced up at him, her eyes tired but not unkind. She nodded slightly. “Of course, Darius,” she said softly.

He settled down beside her, leaning back against the rough bark of the oak tree. They sat in silence for a while, the only sounds around them the rustling of leaves in the wind and the distant calls of birds returning to their nests.

After a few moments, Darius broke the silence. “I’ve noticed you’ve been… distant,” he said carefully, choosing his words with caution. “I know it’s been hard, what happened back there with Killian. But I’m here, Amara. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

Amara remained silent for a moment, her eyes still on the horizon. She took a deep breath, her shoulders lifting slightly, then exhaled slowly. “I know,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m just… trying to make sense of everything. It feels like something inside me is missing since I rejected him.”

Darius nodded, his heart aching for her. “Rejecting your mate… it’s not an easy thing,” he said gently. “It leaves a void, something that was a part of you, even if it was a painful bond. It takes time to heal from that.”

Amara turned to look at him, her eyes searching his face. “Do you think I made a mistake?” she asked quietly. “Rejecting him?”

Darius’s expression softened. “No, Amara,” he said firmly. “You did what you had to do for your own peace, your own healing. Killian was not the mate you deserved, and you chose to free yourself from that pain. That takes incredible strength.”

She nodded slowly, her eyes dropping to the ground. “I just… I don’t know who I am anymore,” she murmured. “For so long, I was his mate, even if he didn’t treat me like one. Now, it’s like… I don’t know how to be just me.”

Darius reached out, his hand gently touching hers. “You are more than just his mate, Amara,” he said softly. “You are strong, and brave, and you have a spirit that cannot be broken. You’ve proven that time and time again.”

Amara’s lips twitched into a small, sad smile. “I wish I could believe that,” she said. “But there was something else… something that happened back there during the fight with Killian.”

Darius’s brow furrowed, his interest piqued. “What do you mean?”

Amara took another deep breath, her eyes distant as she recalled the memory. “When I was fighting him, when I thought I couldn’t go on any longer… I heard a voice,” she said slowly. “It wasn’t like anything I’ve heard before. It was… inside me, but not me. It told me to be strong, to stand up for myself.”

Darius’s eyes widened slightly, his heart beginning to race with anticipation. “A voice?” he repeated, his voice almost a whisper. “Amara, what did it sound like?”

She shook her head, trying to find the right words. “It was like… a part of me. But stronger, more confident. It felt… protective. And ever since then, I’ve felt this strange presence inside me. Almost like… like I can feel my wolf.”

Darius’s breath caught in his throat. “Your wolf…” he murmured, his eyes locking onto hers. “Amara, are you saying you think you’ve connected with your wolf?”

Amara nodded, her expression a mixture of wonder and confusion. “I think so,” she said softly. “I’ve never felt it before, but now… I think I can feel her. She’s there, inside me.”

A spark of hope ignited in Darius’s chest. “That’s incredible,” he said, his voice filled with excitement. “It means that the bond between you and your wolf might be forming. We need to try to bring her out.”

Amara’s eyes widened, a mixture of fear and hope dancing in her gaze. “Do you really think it’s possible?” she asked. “After all this time?”

Darius smiled, his eyes filled with warmth and determination. “I think you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for,” he said. “And I think your wolf has been waiting for the right moment, the right time, to come forward. We can try to coax her out, see if she’ll respond to you.”

Amara nodded slowly, a flicker of excitement lighting up her face. “Okay,” she said, her voice steadier now. “Let’s try.”

Darius stood up, extending a hand to help her to her feet. She took it, and he pulled her up gently. “We need to go somewhere quiet, away from distractions,” he said, leading her toward a secluded part of the forest where the trees stood tall and the ground was soft beneath their feet.

Once they reached a small clearing, Darius turned to face her, his expression serious but encouraging. “I want you to close your eyes,” he instructed, “and focus on your breathing. Clear your mind of everything—of the pain, the fear, the doubt. Focus on the voice you heard, the strength you felt in that moment.”

Amara nodded, her eyes fluttering closed as she took a deep breath. She let the sounds of the forest wash over her—the rustling leaves, the distant chirping of birds. She focused on her heartbeat, steady and strong, and the memory of that voice, that protective presence inside her.

“Feel for her,” Darius continued softly, his voice like a calming guide. “Call to her. She’s a part of you, Amara. Let her know you’re ready to meet her.”

Amara’s breath slowed, her mind reaching out into that deep, inner space where she had felt the wolf before. She could feel a faint warmth, a flicker of something powerful and wild, just out of reach. She focused on it, letting her emotions flow freely—her fear, her anger, her desire for freedom and strength.

Come to me, she thought, her mind reaching out. I’m ready. I need you.