Elias POV
Watching the warriors spar while my brother lay on the brink of death was like trying to swallow glass. Every clatter of wood against wood, every grunt of exertion from the men, felt like a mockery of the pain in Luther's bones.
But I had no choice. I knew what Luther would say if he were awake.
He would growl that the pack comes first. If he couldn't stand, I had to stand for two. I had to be the steady hand while his was shaking.
I walked the perimeter of the dirt-packed field, my face a mask of Alpha authority.
No rumors of the Beast could be allowed to take root. To the pack, Luther was a hero who had been maimed saving a child and a Varleen girl.
They didn't know he had become a monster that would have terrified them out of their wits.
As I walked around, studying the warriors who were paired up and sparring, a memory suddenly surfaced and I was transported years back in time.
