Chapter 48
Elodie’s POV~
I noticed Liora hadn’t picked up my call. It’d been ringing for too long, long enough for that familiar knot of worry to start tightening in my chest. She never ignored me. Not my baby girl.
I tried to tell myself she was probably just busy, maybe playing with the other pups in the children’s lounge, but something about the silence made my stomach turn.
I called her teacher.
“Oh, Luna Elodie!” Her voice was bright, almost amused. “Liora’s fine, don’t worry. She’s on a video call with her dad right now. And I think there’s an aunt with him too? Hold on, let me tell her you p>
“No.” The word came out sharper than I meant it to. I softened my voice. “Don’t interrupt them. Let her enjoy her time p>
“Oh, alright. She looks really happy, by the way p>
Happy.
I thanked her and hung up before she could hear the way my breath caught.
An aunt. That could only mean Sienna.
Which meant Dante was with her. Right now. Probably sitting across from her at some nice restaurant, the kind with soft lighting and wine that cost more than most people’s rent. The kind of place we used to go to.
I sat there at my desk, staring at nothing. The office felt too quiet. Too empty.
I could picture it so clearly it hurt, Dante leaning back in his chair, that rare smile on his face, the one he used to give me. And Sienna next to him, perfect as always, laughing at something he said.
God, I hated that I cared. I hated that it still twisted something deep in my chest.
I sent Liora a message anyway. Asked about her day, if she’d eaten, reminded her to be nice to the other pups and take her nap when the time came. Little things that made me feel like I still mattered, like I was still her mom even when everything else was falling apart.
Ten minutes crawled by before my phone buzzed.
A voice note.
“I know, Mommy. I’ll take a good nap p>
I played it again. And again. Her little voice filled the room, and every time I heard it, something in me cracked a little more.
The rest of the day blurred. Sherry was great, energetic, chatty, easy to work with but I wasn’t really there. I laughed when she laughed, nodded at the right moments, but inside I was somewhere else. Somewhere I didn’t want to be, picturing Dante with someone who wasn’t me.
By six, Sherry offered to take me to dinner. “To thank you for today,” she said, grinning.
I shook my head. “You don’t need to thank me. It’s literally my job p>
She was about to argue when my phone rang.
It was Stella.
My heart stopped. Dante’s mother never called me. Not unless something was wrong or she needed something. She’d perfected the art of making me feel like I didn’t exist while still being technically polite. Seeing her name on my screen felt like the ground shifting under my feet.
I answered carefully. “Mom p>
“York’s been sneaking out to race again.” Her voice was clipped, businesslike. “I’m sending you the location. Go get him before he gets himself killed p>
“Wait p>
She hung up.
I stared at my phone. A second later, the location pinged through. Outskirts of the Bellini Pack territory. The kind of place young wolves went when they wanted to do stupid, dangerous things.
My chest tightened. York idolized his brother. Copied everything Dante did. And the one person who could actually stop him wasn’t here. He was off having dinner with Sienna.
I didn’t even know why I’d said yes.
Maybe because some pathetic part of me still wanted to be useful. Still wanted to prove I belonged in this family, even when they only remembered I existed when they needed something.
The race track was massive, sprawling under harsh floodlights that made everything look washed out and unreal. Even this late, the place was packed with bodies pressed against barriers, voices rising and falling in waves of excitement. Engines screamed in the distance, that sharp, metallic sound that made my teeth ache. The smell of gasoline and burnt rubber hung thick in the air.
It was loud. Chaotic. Overwhelming.
And I was supposed to find one reckless wolf in the middle of all this.
I pulled out my phone and called York again. It rang. And rang. And went to voicemail.
Of course.
I tried again. Same thing.
My chest tightened, that familiar knot of anxiety wrapping around my ribs. What if something had happened to him? What if he’d gotten hurt, or worse—
No. I couldn’t think like that.
I shoved my phone back in my pocket and started pushing through the crowd, searching faces that blurred together in the chaos. Excuse me, sorry, just trying to get through…no one cared. They were too busy screaming, laughing, placing bets, worshipping speed and danger like it was something holy.
Twenty minutes.
It took me twenty agonizing minutes of weaving through strangers, of being shoved and ignored, before I finally spotted him near the front barriers.
York.
Relief hit me so hard I almost stumbled. He had binoculars pressed to his face, completely absorbed, his whole body leaning forward like he might launch himself over the railing.
“York!” I called out, but my voice disappeared into the noise.
I made my way over, squeezing past people who cursed at me for blocking their view. When I finally reached him, I touched his shoulder.
He spun around, eyes wide with surprise.
“Elodie?” He blinked at me like I’d materialized out of thin air. “What are you doing here p>
I tried to keep my voice steady, tried to sound like I had it together. “Your grandmother asked me to find you. You weren’t answering your phone p>
“Oh, come on.” He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “I’m fine! I told Amber I’d be back later. Look—” He gestured around us. “I’m not doing anything dangerous. I’m just watching p>
“York p>
“Today’s special,” he cut me off, his eyes lighting up with something close to reverence. “CC’s racing. The CC. The number one female racer in North America. She’s been racing in the European Packs for years, and this is her first race back home. I couldn’t miss this. I can’t miss this p>
I stared at him. He looked so… alive. Excited. Like this mattered more than anything.
And I felt nothing.
Just this hollow, aching emptiness where something warm used to be.
“I promise,” he continued, already turning back toward the track. “After I watch her race, I’ll come straight home. No detours, no trouble. Scout’s honor. So you can head back now, okay? I’ve got this p>
“But p>
The crowd erupted.
“CC! CC! CC p>
The chanting was deafening, shaking the ground beneath my feet. It crashed over me in waves, drowning out everything else. York’s attention snapped away from me completely, his binoculars back up, his whole face transformed with fanatic excitement.
“She’s coming out!” he shouted, though I barely heard him over the roar of the crowd.
He grabbed my arm suddenly, shaking it. “Sister-in-law, you have to see this! When I first learned about racing, I wasn’t even interested but that was before I discovered her! She’s incredible. Beautiful. Powerful. Once you see her, you’ll understand why everyone’s obsessed. There’s no way you won’t fall in love with her too p>
I wanted to tell him I didn’t care. That I was tired and empty and I just wanted to go home and crawl into bed and pretend none of this existed.
But he wasn’t listening anymore.
None of them ever listened.
At that moment, CC made her entrance.
The crowd went absolutely feral. York was screaming along with them, jumping up and down, completely lost in the worship of someone he’d never even met.
I stood there, forgotten.