Silas POV
She started to move past me but I caught her wrist. The moment our skin touched, the bond flared.
"Elara, please."
"Please what? What exactly are you asking me to do, Silas?"
"I'm asking you to give me time to find a solution."
"There is no solution. You said it yourself, the contract is binding," She pulled her wrist free, and the loss of contact felt like a physical wound, "I'm going back to my room. Tomorrow, I'm calling my mother and figuring out how to break this contract. And if I can't break it, I'm running away. I don't care about the debt, the alliance, or any of it."
"If you run, I'll find you."
The words came out before I could stop them.
Why would you bother? You can't have me, remember? The contract won't allow it."
"Because you're mine. Mate bond or not, contract or not, you are mine and I will not let you go."
For a moment, something flickered in her eyes.
"You don't get to have it both ways. You can't claim me while planning to marry someone else," she said.
"Elara..."
"Goodnight, Alpha."
She walked away, and every step she took felt like she was carving out pieces of my chest. I gripped the terrace railing hard enough that the stone cracked under my hands.
"Well, that was painful to watch."
I turned to find Darius standing in the doorway.
"How long have you been there?" I asked.
"Long enough," He moved to stand beside me, "You're in love with her."
"But I barely know her."
"The bond doesn't care about time. You know that.
"I read the full contract this afternoon. You were right, it's a mess. Marcus Vance was desperate when he signed it and my father took advantage of that."
"Your father was Alpha then. He did what he thought was best for the pack," Darius said.
"He also hated the Vance's. You and I both know he designed this contract to be cruel.
"There might be a way out."
"What?"
"The contract specifies marriages to Vance daughters. It doesn't specify which brother marries which daughter."
"You're suggesting I marry Elara and Kaelen marry Elena."
"Elena is the firstborn. So as the Alpha, you have first claim to her under pack law. But nothing in the contract explicitly prevents a swap," Darius said.
"Kaelen would never agree to it."
"Kaelen wants power and Elena is calculating and ambitious. They might actually suit each other," Darius met my eyes, "It's worth exploring. Unless you really do plan to marry Elena while your mate bonds with your brother."
"No."
"Then find a way to fight for her, Silas. Because that girl is about to run, and if she does, I don't think you'll survive it."
He was right. The thought of Elara leaving and never seeing her again, made my wolf howl in agony.
"I need to speak with the Council," I said, "Tomorrow get me copies of all the documents."
"Already done. They're in your study," Darius smiled slightly, "I had a feeling you'd need them."
"What would I do without you?"
"Probably make a lot more mistakes," He pushed off the railing and left me alone with my thoughts and the lingering scent of Elara's perfume on the night air.
Through the windows, I could see Elena holding court with the senior pack members. She was good at politics and charming.
But she wasn't Elara.
And I was going to burn down every contract and every rule that stood between me and my mate.
Even if it meant going to war with my own brother.
Elara POV
I couldn't sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, I felt Silas through the bond.
By dawn, I had made my decision. I was leaving.
I shoved my clothes back into my backpack, fingers trembling as I wrapped the herb vials. The silver scent suppressant had maybe two days left, but two days was enough to disappear.
A soft knock made me freeze.
"Miss Vance? I've brought breakfast.".
I opened the door to find a young woman with brown eyes and a tray of food.
"I'm Sera," she said, "Beta Darius thought you might want to eat in your room."
"Thank you. Sera, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"The main gates, do they stay guarded all day?"
Her smile faded. "You're thinking of leaving."
"I can't stay here."
"Everyone already knows about the mate bond. Word travels fast in a pack this size," She lowered her voice, "There's a service entrance near the kitchens. Guards change shift at seven. If someone wanted to slip out, that would be the time."
"Why are you helping me?"
"Because you deserve better than being passed around like property."
She left before I could thank her.
At six-thirty, I took my backpack and moved through the empty hallways, following Sera's directions.
I was almost there.
"Going somewhere?"
I spun around and I saw Dr. Reyna Solis standing in the corridor. Her expression was unreadable.
"I'm just exploring," I said.
"With your backpack? Interesting exploration technique.
"You're a terrible liar, Elara," She added as stepped closer to where I was and studied me, "The bond is killing you already, isn't it? How long do you think you'll last?"
"Long enough to get away."
"The bond doesn't care about distance. It'll pull you constantly and painfully until you either come back or it drives you mad."
She pulled a small bottle from her pocket.
"This is a diluted wolfsbane extract. One drop every six hours. It won't break the bond, but it'll dull it enough that you can function."
I took the bottle, "Why?"
"Because I've known Silas since he was a boy, and I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you," She turned to leave, "The guard shift changes in five minutes. If you're going to run, now's your chance."
I made it to the service entrance. The door was right there, unlocked. Through the window, I could see the forest.
My hand was on the doorknob when I felt it, it was a intense spike of pure agony through the bond.
Something was wrong with Silas. Silas was afraid.
My feet moved before my brain caught up, running back through the corridors and staircase following the bond. Shouting erupted from above.
"Where is she?" Silas said.
When I got there, a crowd had gathered outside his study.
I made way through the crowd and in the center, Silas had Kaelen pinned against the wall by his throat.
"Tell me what you did," Silas said, "She's gone and you were seen near the East Wing."
"I'm right here," I shouted toward Silas.
