Elara clutched the moon pendant in her hand, the voice's warning still ringing in her head.
The one who hates you most might be the one you need to trust. Could that be Kael?
She slipped the necklace over her head and tucked it under her shirt. Its cool tal ward against her skin as she prepared for dinner.
The pack house dining room took her breath away. A huge table stretched beneath a crystal chandelier, with more forks and spoons at each spot than Elara had ever owned.
"You're on ti. Good." Alpha Marcus sat at the head of the table.
Luna Evelyn was on his right, Kael on his left. Ronan waved Elara over to the empty seat beside him, across from Darian.
"Our guest of honor," Ronan announced with a wink. Kael's jaw clenched.
"She's not a guest. She's a duty."
"Kael," Luna Evelyn warned. Servants brought out steaming plates of food.
Elara had never seen so much food in one place.
"So, Elara," Alpha Marcus started, "Ruth tells your transformation is progressing. Your wolf might erge soon." Elara nearly choked on her water.
"My wolf? But I'm—I was an oga. We don't shift."
"You were never truly an oga," Darian told her quietly.
"Whatever she is, she's not Alpha material," Kael said, cutting his at with sharp, angry strokes.
"The Luna must be strong, educated, and revered. She has none of those traits."
Elara's cheeks burned. "I'm sitting right here."
"I'm aware," Kael answered coldly.
"Enough," Alpha Marcus ordered. "Elara stays. The prophecy must be understood."
"What about Tobias Grey?" Luna Evelyn asked.
"He seems to know much about this situation."
"He's being questioned," Alpha Marcus said.
"The rogue will talk eventually." Elara thought of the charm hidden under her shirt. Tobias had sohow placed it in her room while he was allegedly locked up.
"Why don't we hear Elara's thoughts?" Ronan offered, gently squeezing her hand under the table.
"This affects her most of all." All eyes turned to her.
Elara swallowed hard. "I just want the truth," she said. "About who I am and why this is happening."
"The truth?" Kael's laugh was sharp and humorless. "The truth is you've thrown our pack into chaos. Celeste was trained from birth to be Luna. The pack respects her. And now everyone's supposed to accept so...so nobody instead?"
"Kael!" Luna Evelyn gasped.
But Kael wasn't finished. He stood, towering over the table. "I will never accept an oga as my mate. Never. The pack deserves better. I deserve better."
His words cut deeper than any knife.
Elara pushed back her chair and stood, shocking even herself. "I didn't ask for this," she said, her voice louder than she felt. "I didn't ask for these marks, or these eyes, or any of it. And I certainly didn't ask to be mated to soone so an." The room fell silent.
Even Alpha Marcus looked shocked. "If you'll excuse ," Elara said, throwing her napkin onto her plate, "I've lost my appetite." She walked out, head high, though her heart pounded so hard she thought it might break her ribs.
Behind her, she heard Ronan screaming at Kael and chairs scraping against the floor. She barely made it to her room before the tears ca. She threw herself onto the bed, hiding her face in a pillow that cost more than everything she owned. A soft knock ca at her door.
"Go away," she called.
"It's Darian." She paused, then wiped her eyes.
"Co in."
Darian entered with a small plate of food. "I thought you might be hungry later."
"Thank you," she said, surprised by his kindness. He set the plate down and stood awkwardly by the bed.
"Kael was out of line."
"He was honest," Elara responded. "At least I know where I stand."
"Do you?" Darian asked, tilting his head. "My brother is many things, but simple isn't one of them."
"He hates ."
"He fears you," Darian anded. "There's a difference."
Elara touched the secret pendant. "Why would he fear ?"
"Because you change everything." Darian moved to the window, looking out at the night. "Kael has spent his entire life planning to be Alpha. Every decision, every sacrifice, was for that reason. Then you appear, and suddenly the future he planned is unsure."
"I don't want to take anything from him."
"Sotis the things we want and the things fate has planned are different paths," Darian said mysteriously.
"Get so rest, Elara. Tomorrow won't be any easier."
After he left, Elara couldn't sleep. Her mind raced with questions. She paced her room until she felt like a caged animal.
Finally, she slipped out into the hallway. The pack house was silent and dark. She wandered, morizing the plan, until she found herself in a library. Moonlight stread through tall windows, illuminating shelves of books. Elara ran her fingers along the spines, amazed.
"You shouldn't be here." She spun around.
Kael stood in the doorway, arms crossed. He wore only sweatpants, his broad chest bare in the moonlight.
"I couldn't sleep," she explained.
"So you decided to snoop?"
"I was looking for books," she said defensively. "Reading helps think." Sothing in his expression shifted.
"You can read?" The question stung.
"Yes, I can read. Just because I'm—I was an oga doesn't an I'm stupid." Kael moved into the room.
"Most ogas in our pack never learned."
"My mother taught before she died," Elara said. "Books were the only things of value she left ." They stood in awkward silence. Kael seed different here—less harsh, more troubled.
"I shouldn't have said those things at dinner," he finally said.
"But you ant them," Elara answered.
He didn't deny it. Instead, he asked, "What were you going to read?"
"Sothing about werewolf prophecies, if you have it." Kael studied her, then walked to a shelf and pulled down an old leather-bound book.
"Try this." Their fingers brushed as he handed it to her. A spark of electricity shot up her arm, and from his sharp intake of breath, she knew he felt it too.
"The bond," she whispered.
"It doesn't matter," he said strongly, stepping back. "A mate bond can be rejected."
"Is that what you want?"
"It's what's best for the pack."
Elara clutched the book to her chest. "And what about what's best for you?"
Sothing flashed in his eyes—vulnerability, quickly masked. "Those are the sa thing."
"Are they?" she challenged. "Or is that what your father taught you to believe?" Kael's face hardened.
"You know nothing about or my father."
"I know you're afraid," she said confidently. "Not of , but of what I represent. Change."
"You're right about one thing," he said, moving closer until she had to tilt her head back to et his gaze. "I am afraid. Afraid of what will happen when everyone sees you're nothing special. Just an oga playing dress-up."
The pendant burned against her skin, and suddenly Elara's anger flared. Her vision improved, the room becoming crystal clear despite the darkness. "You're wrong, Kael Blackwood," she said, her voice strangely powerful. "I am special. And deep down, you know it."
His eyes widened as hers glowed silver in the moonlight. Before he could answer, a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the pack house.
"Elara!" It was Ronan's voice, filled with fear. "Elara, where are you?" Kael grabbed her arm. "Stay here," he ordered, but the fear in his eyes wasn't for himself. It was for her. The library door burst open, and Ronan appeared, blood spilling from a gash on his forehead.
"She's here," he gasped. "Celeste. With hunters. They're coming for Elara." Kael's grip on her arm tightened. The hate in his eyes was gone, replaced by sothing far more dangerous—determination.
"Let them try," he growled, and for the first ti, Elara saw a flash of the Alpha he was ant to beco.
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