Chapter 3 of From Submissive Zeta to Ruthless Luna

Elara Thornfield

My heart slammed against my ribs as Alpha Ronan Blackridge stared down at the sheet of parchment, his dark complexion unreadable in the dim break room.

"A Wandering Rogue," Ronan drawled, his voice low, thick, and laced with absolute Alpha authority that made my Zeta wolf quiver in submission. "Are you absolutely certain, Elara?"

"Yes, Alpha," I lied, keeping my tone deadpan and holding my hands firmly behind my back so he would not see them shaking. "The Pack Sentinels verified the entry runes. No female crossed your threshold after I deposited you into your quarters."

The silence stretched so thin I could hear the slow, rhythmic burn of the cigarette between his fingers.

"Good," Ronan said, taking a quiet drag and letting the smoke drift between us. "Bring me the Seaward Territory proposal for the Grand Alpha Council."

I bowed my head, stepping backward out of Alpha Command before my trembling legs gave out.

For the next four weeks, we traveled across rival territories on pack business. I moved like a ghost, keeping my short, four-foot-five body as far from his suffocating Alpha presence as possible, hiding the thick scent of heat that still tried to bloom in my skin whenever he walked past.

When we finally returned to the Blackridge Alpha Fortress in Moonhaven Ridge, I sank into the chair in the Ashbourne Pack quarters, my body entirely exhausted.

"Did Alpha Ronan bring it up again during the entire journey?" Willow Ashbourne whispered, locking the heavy timber door behind her.

"No," I replied, tracing the worn pattern on my sleeve, my heart racing at the sheer memory of his dark eyes. "He believes it was a rogue. He moved on to pack business immediately."

"Good," Willow sighed, pulling out a chair across from me. "Because the last female who tried to claim a mate bond with Alpha Ronan was stripped of her mark and banished to the silver mines by Beta Kieran. You got lucky, Elara."

I swallowed hard, reaching into my bag for my silver ledger. "I need to go to the Moonhaven Treasury before the sun sets."

"Is your brother demanding more pack resources again?" Willow asked, her tone turning sharp with disgust. "He is an adult wolf. Why is he still bleeding your Zeta stipend dry?"

"He has not been assigned a duty by the Thornfield Council yet," I whispered, keeping my gaze locked on the floor.

"Because your mother shields him while you work yourself to the bone for the Blackridge Bloodline," Willow spat. "She never gave you a single copper after your father died."

My phone vibrated violently against the wooden table, the glowing screen revealing my half-brother's mark. I swiped the screen to reject it, but it immediately began buzzing again in my palm.

I snapped the line open, bringing the device to my ear. "Use the time you spend harassing me to petition the Thornfield Council for a duty post."

"Watch your mouth, Zeta," my brother's harsh voice barked through the speaker. "Mother needs five hundred silver coins for the pack tribute today, or she will tell Beta Kieran that you sold your virginity to a Wandering Rogue."

My breath caught in my throat, my wolf freezing in absolute terror. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me," he sneered into the line. "Mother found the blood-stained linens you hid in the trunk. Bring the money to the Moonstone Lodge within the hour, or the whole Blackridge Alpha Dominion will hear about your dirty little secret."