Elle
The red glow of the new main quest still burned in my vision long after Lena had gone to bed. Thirty days. That was all the System had given me to reach the Lower City and fight for my life.
I sat on the edge of the guest bed in Lena's apartment, staring at the plain wall, my suitcase still half unpacked on the floor. My hip throbbed with every small movement, a dull, persistent reminder of the falls I had taken in the last twenty-four hours. But the real pain lived deeper, somewhere behind my ribs, where it felt like my heart had been scraped raw and left bleeding.
I had cried until my eyes burned dry. Now there was only a heavy exhaustion that made my limbs feel like lead and a quiet, simmering anger that refused to let me sleep.
A soft knock sounded on the front door.
I tensed. Lena had already gone to bed, and it was well past midnight. The knock came again, firmer this time. My stomach twisted. I knew that rhythm. Glen.
I walked to the door on unsteady legs, each step sending fresh sparks of pain through my bruised hip. When I opened it, Glen stood in the hallway, his broad frame filling the space. His tactical shirt was rumpled, his dark hair messy like he had run his hands through it too many times. His steel-gray eyes burned with a mix of anger and confusion.
"Elle," he said, voice low and rough. "What the hell is going on with you?"
I didn't invite him in. I stood in the doorway, one hand gripping the frame for support, the other clenched at my side. The sight of him made my chest ache so sharply I had to fight to keep my breathing even. This was the man I had loved with everything I had. The man whose scars I had traced with gentle fingers in the dark. Now he looked at me like I had become a stranger overnight.
"You shouldn't be here," I said quietly.
He stepped closer anyway, crowding the doorway. "You embarrassed me in front of half the upper district today. You used some kind of trick to make Toria's thoughts public. And now you're hiding at Lena's like a child running away from home. What is this? Are you trying to compete with Toria for attention? Is that what all this divorce talk is about?"
The accusation landed like a slap. Compete? The word tasted bitter on my tongue. I had never competed for his love. I had only ever tried to earn it by disappearing into the background.
"I'm not competing with anyone," I replied, my voice steadier than I felt. "I'm done pretending this marriage was ever real to you."
Glen's jaw tightened. He ran a hand through his hair, frustration rolling off him in waves. "You're my mate, Elle. We have a son together. You can't just throw six years away because you overheard one conversation and got your feelings hurt. Kai needs his mother. I need you to stop this nonsense and come home."
The "you're my mate" card. He had used it before, usually when he wanted me to forgive another late night or another cold silence.
Tonight it felt like a chain being rattled in front of me. My throat tightened painfully. I remembered the early days, when those words had made my heart flutter with hope. Now they only made the hollow ache worse.
"You need me?" I asked, the words coming out colder than I intended. "You need my cooking and my quiet presence and my willingness to disappear whenever Toria calls. That's not needing me, Glen. That's needing a housekeeper who warms your bed when it suits you."
He flinched, but only slightly. "That's not fair. I've provided for you. I've kept you safe. I gave you a son who carries strong blood. You knew my position as Delta would mean long hours and responsibilities."
"Responsibilities," I repeated, the word tasting like ash. "Is that what you call the nights you spent with her while I waited up wondering if you were coming home? The nights I sat alone with Kai when he had fevers because the full moon made him restless? The nights I smiled through pack events where everyone treated me like I was invisible?"
My voice cracked on the last word. The pain in my chest flared hotter, spreading down my arms and into my fingertips. It felt like my ribs were cracking open, like every sacrifice I had made was being dragged out into the light where I could see how little it had mattered.
Glen's expression shifted. Anger mixed with something almost like confusion. "You're different. This isn't the Elle I know. The Elle I know would never humiliate me in public or talk about leaving. What happened to you today? Did someone put ideas in your head? Is Lena feeding you this rebellion?"
Before I could answer, a faint mindlink buzzed in my head. Kai's voice, small and pleading, reached Glen.
Dad, please bring Mom back. I miss her cooking. The kitchen maid burned the pasta again tonight. And the house feels weird without her.
The hypocrisy of it hit me like a physical blow. My son missed my cooking. Not me. Not my presence or my love. Just the meals I prepared and the quiet way I kept the household running. Tears burned behind my eyes again, but I blinked them back hard.
Glen's shoulders relaxed slightly at his son's words. He looked at me with new determination. "See? Even Kai wants you home. We're a family, Elle. You can't walk away from that."
I laughed, but there was no humor in it. The sound came out broken and raw. "A family? You and Kai already decided on a new one with Toria. You talked about vacation plans and replacing me like I was an old piece of furniture. I heard every word, Glen. Every single cruel word you thought I would never know."
His eyes narrowed again, suspicion creeping back in. "How did you hear any of that? You still haven't explained it. If you're using some kind of illegal tech—"
"I'm not using anything illegal," I cut in, my voice rising with exhaustion and pain. "I'm just done lying to myself. Done pretending that love means letting you treat me like I'm less than human."
The emotions peaked inside me, sharp and overwhelming. Grief for the years I had lost. Anger at the man standing in front of me. Heartbreak for the boy who missed my cooking more than my presence. The System responded immediately.
A small, warm surge of strength flowed through my limbs. The pain in my hip eased just enough for me to stand straighter.
[Minor Strength Boost Activated. Duration: 15 minutes.]
It wasn't dramatic, but it gave me the steadiness I needed to keep facing him.
Glen noticed the change in my posture. His brows drew together. "You look different. Stronger somehow. What is happening to you, Elle?"
"I'm waking up," I said simply.
He stared at me for a long moment, the anger in his eyes warring with something deeper. Confusion. Maybe even a flicker of fear that he was losing control of the quiet wife he had always counted on.
"I'm not signing any divorce papers," he said finally, his voice rough. "This is temporary. You'll come to your senses soon enough. And if you try to leave for the human world, there will be consequences. The pack won't allow it. I won't allow it."
He turned to leave, but paused in the hallway. "Come home tomorrow, Elle. For Kai's sake, if nothing else."
The door clicked shut behind him.
I stood there alone in the quiet apartment, the small strength boost already fading. The pain rushed back in, sharper than before. My legs gave out and I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the floor, knees drawn to my chest. Tears came again, silent this time, rolling down my cheeks as the full weight of the day crashed over me.
I had loved him so completely. I had given him every piece of myself until there was almost nothing left. And he still thought my desire to leave was a temporary tantrum.
My phone vibrated on the coffee table. I reached for it with trembling fingers and opened the message.
It was from an unknown number, but the sender was clear.
Pack Council Official Notice:
Michelle Bellarie, you have been informed that any attempt to return to the human Lower City will be considered an act of disloyalty to the pack. Your mate bond with Delta Glen White remains active. Further actions to dissolve it or leave Upper City territory will result in immediate intervention. Do not test us.
The threatening words blurred through fresh tears. The Council already knew. Glen had wasted no time.
I clutched the phone to my chest, the pain in my heart so vivid it felt like a living thing clawing to get out. Six years of love, sacrifice, and silence had led to this moment. A locked building. A rejected divorce. A Council threat. And a son who missed my cooking more than his mother.
The System pinged softly, almost gently.
[Main Quest: Survive 30 Days & Reach Lower City – Progress: Day 1/30]
I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall, letting the tears fall freely. The road ahead felt impossibly long and terrifying. But for the first time, the thought of staying hurt worse than the thought of leaving.
Thirty days.
I had thirty days to become someone strong enough to survive.
I was going to use every single one of them.