Elora’s POV
Garrett sighed, dragging a hand through his hair.
“I turned so much of the pack against you.
Told them you were a freak.
Stole away any chance you had at friends, and I’m not proud of it, Elora,” he said, the words tumbling out.
“I’m your brother.
I was supposed to protect you—and somehow I became your biggest bully instead.
I was ashamed.
I knew it was wrong.
And I just kept doing it.”
A tear pricked at the corner of my eye.
I blinked it away fast.
My childhood after Mom and Dad died wasn’t something I liked to revisit—and to learn now that Garrett had been the one behind so much of it…
“I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.
And if you can’t—I understand.”
“I forgive you,” I whispered, choosing to be the bigger person—even though he’d apparently once held a knife to my throat.
“I never knew.”
Garrett gave a weak, apologetic smile.
“How could you have?
I never told anyone.
Not even myself, until now.”
We held each other’s gaze, neither of us blinking, arriving at some quiet mutual understanding.
For the first time in years, I felt like I actually understood him.
As Garrett finished, the gold of the box dulled a shade.
A small, satisfied smile crossed his face.
“It’s working.”
He passed the box to Declan beside him, who had somehow lost every spark that made him Declan.
He was always so present—but right now he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else on earth.
“No rush,” Garrett offered, but Declan shook his head.
“It’s not like I can run from it.”
“Okay.
So, uh… I guess the thing I’ve been hiding…” Declan fumbled over the words, then paused and pulled in one long, deep breath.
“Everyone sees me as Declan.
The future Beta.
Always happy, always positive.
The guy who’s supposed to follow in his dad’s footsteps and be perfect.
But the truth is, I’m nowhere close.
Actually—I’m none of those things.”
I felt the tension coil as I looked into his paled eyes.
Declan always wore a warm smile.
Friendly, easy to reach.
Hearing there was more beneath it landed like a shock.
“When I was younger,” Declan said, “I felt this pressure to be someone.
To live up to my dad’s name.
To be the next Beta.” He shifted his eyes away, avoiding all of us.
“It was suffocating, you know?
I just wanted to feel normal.
I wanted it to stop.
So I started sneaking into the medical wing and taking Somnora.”
Varek’s head snapped up, brows drawing together.
Somnora.
An illegal drug we’d studied back home.
Mostly used for anesthesia—it numbed the mind and body.
And it was addictive.
Overdosing on Somnora wasn’t remotely uncommon.
It was only prescribed to healers for the most painful surgeries.
Hard to get hold of.
Absolutely not meant for personal use.
“One pill here, one pill there,” Declan said, and I could hear the shame threading his voice.
“At first it was once a month.
Something to take the edge off.
Then once a month became once a week.
And before I knew it, I was taking several a day.
I still am.”
“Declan…” My heart ached for him.
Behind all those smiles was someone in pain.
Someone who couldn’t function without those pills.
I wanted to tell him to stop, right then, because I knew what Somnora could do to a person—but it wasn’t my place.
We’d all agreed never to speak of any of this again after tonight.
He let out a sad laugh.
“So.
Yeah.
Perfect Declan?
Not so perfect after all.
I’m an addict.
There you have it.”
I stared at him, still trying to reconcile it.
It was probably an ignorant thing to think, but he didn’t look like an addict.
If he hadn’t told us, I’d never have guessed.
As the box’s color faded a second time, Declan’s eyes flicked to mine—but his usual warm smile had been swapped out for shame.
He couldn’t hold my gaze for long, and I didn’t want to crowd him, so I looked at Varek instead.
After all, it was his turn.