97
~Elara's POV
I watched him through the century, carrying grief like it was a second skin he could never shed. Even as the world changed around him, growing, building, expanding into cities of steel and light, he remained the same. He ruled with power and fear, but there was always a hesitancy in him, a shadow he could not escape. One thing he avoided for over a century was my tomb. He feared it. Even as he commanded armies and ruled lands, he could not bring himself to stand over the grave of the one he loved most.
David, his beta, had grown into a strong and loyal companion, keeping him steady in public, but I knew, from inside my shield, that the weight of my absence pressed on him constantly. He became a mystery to everyone, immortal, unstoppable, ruthless, but all that power did not dull the ache inside. It made him careful, wary of anything that reminded him of me, until finally, after decades of silence, he gathered the courage to go.
