Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers-Chapter 588: Last of the Survivors

Evaline:

The moment the question slipped past my lips, realization hit me.

Three questions.

That was the rule.

And I had just asked my fourth.

I shook my head immediately, a little too fast, hands lifting as if I could physically pull the words back into my mouth. "No-forget it," I said quickly. "I didn’t mean to ask that. You don’t have to remind me the rule. Just... ignore it."

Elion didn’t respond right away.

Instead, he leaned back slightly in his chair, folding his arms over his chest, his eyes studying me with an intensity that made my skin prickle. And then... slowly... his lips curved upward.

A smile.

Amused. Knowing. Entirely too calm.

"I can answer it," he said.

I froze.

"What?" The word came out sharper than I intended as I stared at him. "No, you can’t. That was the fourth question. You said-"

"I did," he agreed smoothly. "And I usually wouldn’t."

My brows knit together as confusion tangled with disbelief. "Then why-?"

"Consider it compensation," he interrupted lightly. "For Wednesday evening."

My jaw dropped open.

"Oh no," I said immediately. "Absolutely not. The compensation for Wednesday evening is the bonus you are giving me, and" - I lifted a finger for emphasis - "the fact that I’m taking next Sunday off."

His smile widened, clearly enjoying this far too much. "I remember," he said. "All of it. Bonus included. Sunday off approved."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Then what exactly do you think you are compensating for?"

"The inconvenience," he replied without missing a beat. "The emotional distress. The headache. The fact that you really don’t want to go but still need to go."

"Right." I muttered.

Elion chuckled softly, then sobered, the shift in the air immediate and unmistakable.

"You asked about the downfall of the Silver Wolf Pack," he said.

I inhaled slowly, deeply, as if bracing myself.

"The Silver Wolf Pack didn’t become powerful because divine healers started being born into it," Elion began.

I frowned slightly. "Then how?"

"They were powerful long before that," he replied. "Silver Wolves were... different. Even at birth."

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. "They were faster than general wolves. Larger. Stronger. Their senses were sharper, their endurance greater, and their ability to heal far surpassed other wolves. In every measurable way, they were superior."

He took a pause.

"They were better than every other wolf... except for the black ones. The Night Wolves."

My thoughts immediately shifted to my mates.

The Thorne brothers.

All four of my mates carried the bloodline of the Black Wolves - ancient, feared, and powerful in their own right. Unlike the Silver Wolves, their kind had never teetered on the edge of extinction. Rare, yes. But still standing.

Still feared.

Still alive.

Elion continued, "Power has a way of drawing attention. Admiration. Fear."

"And jealousy," I whispered.

His lips pressed into a thin line. "Especially jealousy."

I wrapped my arms around myself as he spoke of how the Silver Wolf Pack became a thorn in the side of the rogue factions - too strong, too disciplined, too unwilling to bend or look the other way. They enforced boundaries. Protected territories. Refused to tolerate chaos.

Rogues hated them for it.

"But rogues weren’t the only problem," Elion said quietly. "They were simply the most convenient scapegoat."

My jaw tightened.

"Then Caelum was born," he went on. "And everything changed."

I felt my pulse in my ears.

"The Alpha at the time," Elion said, "made a fatal mistake. He was proud. And perhaps... naive. He believed the strength of his pack made them untouchable."

"So he bragged," I said bitterly.

"Yes," Elion confirmed. "He announced Caelum’s existence to the world. A divine healer. Blessed by the Moon Goddess herself."

I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment.

Back then, healers weren’t common. They were miracles. And divine healers? Practically myths.

"If wolves were injured beyond their natural healing," Elion continued, "and had no healer among them, they turned to witches. And witches always demanded a price."

And I knew that price was rarely paid in coin.

"So when the world learned that the strongest pack in existence now possessed a healer who could undo injuries that would cripple or kill others..." He shook his head slowly. "It didn’t inspire celebration."

It inspired hunger.

"Some wanted to claim Caelum," Elion said. "To lure him. Steal him. Bind him to their pack."

"And others," I said softly, "wanted the Silver Wolves erased."

Elion met my gaze. "Exactly."

The wars didn’t come all at once.

They came slowly. Insidiously. Skirmishes framed as misunderstandings. Alliances formed in shadows. Deals struck with rogues who were promised territory, protection, or forgiveness in exchange for bloodshed.

"The Silver Wolf Pack fought," Elion said. "For generations. They won battles. They lost leaders. They buried children."

My throat burned.

"And over centuries," he finished, "they were worn down. Piece by piece. Until there was nothing left of the pack itself."

Silence stretched between us.

"Rogues were blamed," Elion said quietly. "Because it was easier. Cleaner. But everyone knew the truth."

I pressed a hand to my abdomen instinctively, my breath hitching as a rush of emotion slammed into me - grief, rage, sorrow.

"Now the two of us are the last survivors of our bloodline." Elion added softly.

He’s wrong. There were three of us, not two.

My son carried Silver Wolf blood in his veins. But this truth... it didn’t need to be known by Elion.

I lifted my gaze back to Elion, my expression carefully neutral despite the storm inside me.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

He studied me for a long moment, as if he could sense the weight of emotions slamming inside me. Then he inclined his head slightly.

"You are welcome, Evaline."

I stood up, ready to take my leave now that I had learned all I wanted to know for the day... even more than that.

"Evaline. "

"Yes?" I stopped in my steps and turned to him.

"As long as we both are still standing, we will make sure our bloodline survives." His words were filled with the same emotions I was feeling. But then...

"So in future give birth to an army of kids and make sure at least a couple of them are from our bloodline."

I stared at him with my jaw hanging open.

Right.

It’s time to leave...!