Just then, the door opened.
It was Sebastian.
His eyes moved between them quickly. "Am I interrupting?"
"Yes," they both said at the same time.
Aurora smiled sweetly. "I was just dropping something off for Leo."
"Thanks," he said, walking to Elena's bedside. "You can go now."
Aurora's smile faded, but she turned and left without another word.
Sebastian sat down. "Are you okay?"
Elena glanced at him. "You know she's going to try to take him."
"Who?"
"Aurora. She wants you. And she'll use Leo to twist the knife."
Sebastian sighed. "She's not taking Leo. And I'm not letting her manipulate me."
Elena laughed under her breath. "That's rich. You've been manipulated by her since we were teenagers."
He didn't deny it.
"You told me once that wolves choose their mates," Elena said softly. "But you've been running from yours since the day I gave birth."
He looked at her carefully. "What if I told you I don't know who my wolf wants anymore?"
She paused. "Then I'd say your wolf is just as confused as you are."
He smiled faintly. "That's fair."
They sat in silence for a while.
Finally, Elena broke it. "Find out who betrayed us. Before it happens again."
He nodded. "I will."
"And Sebastian," she added, "if you're not here for Leo… don't come back."
He stared at her for a moment, then nodded once more and walked out.
She watched the door close.
The pain in her body was healing.
But the one in her heart?
Still wide open.
The hospital room felt smaller today. Maybe it was the weight of everything closing in. Or maybe it was because Elena knew something was about to crack.
She had barely slept the night before. Her body ached, but not nearly as much as her mind. Too many questions. Too many half-truths circling like vultures.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in," she said.
To her surprise, it was Damien.
He stepped inside, carrying a plain black folder and two cups of coffee.
"I figured you were probably tired of hospital tea," he said, handing one to her.
"I didn't know you were capable of kindness," Elena replied, taking the cup.
He gave a small smirk. "Only on special occasions."
She sipped the coffee, then glanced at the folder in his hand. "What's that?"
He sat down beside her. "Information. I think you were right."
Elena set her coffee aside and looked at him. "About what?"
"About you being the target."
Damien opened the folder and pulled out a few photos. "Two of the rogues from the funeral were caught alive. One didn't survive long—bit into a cyanide capsule before he could be interrogated. The other one talked."
Elena's heart skipped.
"He said they were told to create chaos. Kill if they had to. "But there was a name," Damien continued. "One name was specifically mentioned as a priority."
He handed her a page.
Her name was scribbled in red.
Elena Blake.
She stared at it. "This… this can't be real."
"It is. Someone hired rogues to target you at your father's funeral. Not the Alpha. Not even Aurora."
"Why me?"
Damien's face hardened. "That's what I'm trying to find out. But whoever gave the information knew exactly where you'd be. Knew the security gaps. Knew your vulnerabilities."
Elena shook her head. "I'm not a threat to anyone. I have no power, no wolf, no political pull."
"But you do have Leo," Damien said quietly.
She froze.
"You think this is about Leo?"
"I think there's more going on than any of us are seeing. Leo is Sebastian's son. He's half Sterling, half Ashworth. That makes him a future Alpha contender if something ever happens to Roman's line. And Aurora? She doesn't have children. That makes your son very… inconvenient."
Elena's chest tightened. "Aurora wouldn't."
"You said it yourself. She'll do anything to get back what she thinks is hers."
"No," Elena said firmly. "I don't believe she'd harm Leo."
Damien didn't argue, but the silence said enough.
"Someone is trying to erase you," he said. From the pack, from the narrative. First emotionally, now physically."
Elena leaned back, trying to process. "If that's true, what do I do?"
You need to fight smarter. Let them think you're weak. Then strike when they least expect it."
She stared at him. "And you're helping me… why?"
He shrugged. "Because this pack is broken." And I'm tired of watching it rot from the inside."
Before Elena could reply, the door opened again.
This time, it was Ivy Ashworth, Sebastian's mother.
Her heels clicked softly as she entered.
"Damien," she said with a polite nod.
"Mother," he replied, standing.
"I need a word with Elena," Ivy said, her voice cool but not unkind.
Damien raised an eyebrow at Elena.
She nodded. "It's fine."
He handed her the folder before leaving.
Ivy took the seat he vacated.
"You look better," she said.
"I'm healing."
"Good. Because we need to talk."
Elena folded her arms. "About what?"
"My son."
Of course.
Ivy's tone didn't soften. "You may be divorcing him, but you're still the mother of my grandson. That matters."
Elena met her gaze. "I never tried to use Leo to manipulate Sebastian. I don't want a war. I just want peace."
"That's not what this pack does. We don't do peace. We do strategy. And right now, you're in a position to lose everything if you don't play this right."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's advice." Ivy leaned forward. "Aurora's return has stirred things. "There are whispers already, questions about Leo's legitimacy, your place here, your bloodline."
Elena frowned. "He's Sebastian's son."
"And you're wolfless. Which means his claim could be challenged if Aurora has a child later."
Elena's voice turned cold. "So what are you saying? That I should step aside and let them erase us quietly?"
"I'm saying you should choose how you want to fight. With pride? Or with power."
"Pride doesn't survive here," Elena said. "And power was never given to me."
Ivy stood. "Then you'll have to take it."
With that, she turned and left, her words lingering like smoke in the air.
That night, as Elena lay awake, her fingers brushed over the folder Damien gave her. Her name. The red ink. The silence that had followed the attack. The looks. The questions.
She had spent years surviving.
Now, for the first time, she felt something else stirring beneath the surface.
Resolve.