Elara POV:
For two whole days, I actively blocked my end of the Mind-Link with Kael.
I began to pry my mind from his, inch by agonizing inch, like drawing a rusted nail from living flesh. The grating sensation of the severance festered at the ends of my nerves.
To my utter disappointment, he did not even notice.
He was too absorbed in soaking up the admiration of his new, fragile Omega.
The heavy rain returned on Tuesday as I finished my border patrol shift.
As a high-ranking Warrior, I was responsible for keeping the rogue wolves away from our territory.
I stood outside the muddy training grounds, waiting for the pack transport vehicle, my clothes soaked through.
A few feet away, Selene stood under a large oak tree, holding a delicate umbrella.
She was talking on her phone, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness.
"Alpha Kael, the wind is so scary here," Selene whined into the receiver. "Can you bring your big SUV and park it close to me? I am freezing."
Ten minutes later, the roar of a heavy engine cut through the rain.
Kael's black off-road vehicle skidded to a halt, splashing mud onto my boots.
He stepped out, his eyes instantly locking onto Selene, drawn entirely by her distress signals and the sweet scent of a helpless Omega.
It was only when he opened the passenger door for her that he finally noticed me standing in the shadows.
A flash of genuine surprise crossed his handsome face.
"Elara? What are you doing out here in the storm?" Kael asked, his brows furrowing.
Selene slid into the passenger seat, deliberately releasing a wave of innocent, distressed scent.
"Oh my, Elara looks so cold," Selene said, her eyes wide with fake pity. "Alpha, we should give her a ride. I do not mind squeezing in."
I looked at the passenger seat that was supposed to belong to the Luna.
I let my eyelids fall, my gaze fixed on the thick clods of mud clinging to the vehicle's tires. I did not permit a single muscle in my face to twitch.
"No need," I said, my voice as cold as the rain. "I prefer the transport truck."
I turned my back on them and walked away, ignoring Kael's confused shout.
An hour later, I was back in my repaired cabin, stepping out of a hot shower to wash away the mud and the chill.
I was drying my hair when the heavy oak door of my cabin suddenly groaned.
The defense ward flared a brief, protesting crimson before its light was crushed.
Kael stood in the doorway, having used his supreme Alpha privilege and bloodline to force his way into my private sanctuary.
"You are being ridiculous, Elara," Kael sighed, closing the door behind him.
He walked toward me, reaching out to cup my cheek.
The moment his skin brushed mine, a jolt of lightning rushed through my veins.
It was the Electric Touch, a powerful physical reaction granted by the Moon Goddess to Fated Mates.
Usually, it brought immense comfort, but today, it only made my stomach turn.
I took a sharp step back, dodging his hand.
"I was just picking her up on my way back from the council building," Kael explained, sounding annoyed by my rejection.
"You drove ten miles in the opposite direction," I stated calmly, staring into his eyes.
"It's about appearances, Elara," Kael argued, puffing out his chest. "I cannot have you living in the estate before the Marking. What would the elders say?"
"They would say nothing, because you are the Alpha," I replied, my voice steady. "Perhaps it is time we reconsider this Mate bond."
Kael froze, his eyes widening in pure shock.
Instantly, his Alpha aura exploded into the room, making the air thick and hard to breathe.
"Do not speak nonsense!" he growled, his pride wounded. "You are making a mountain out of a molehill. Selene is a packless, weak Omega. She has nothing! I took her in out of pity."
"Pity?" I laughed, a dry, harsh sound. "Is that why she called you an 'old friend' at the pack gathering last week?"
Kael's jaw tightened, his silence confirming my suspicion.
"And is that why you gave her my special healing herbs?" I pushed further, my chest burning with a cold fire. "The herbs my mother sent me from the Bloodborne Pack?"
"She has a weak constitution, Elara!" Kael defended himself, his voice rising. "You are a Warrior. You heal fast. You are so rough and independent, you don't need constant care. Why do you have so little tolerance for Omegas?"
He was calling me rough.
He was punishing me for being strong enough to fight for his pack.
Before I could respond, the cabin door slowly creaked open.
Selene peeked her head inside, a sweet, triumphant smile playing on her lips.
"Oops, am I interrupting something?" she asked softly.
She stepped into the room, deliberately releasing a heavy, provocative scent of blooming roses to challenge my territory.
My Inner Wolf went silent. Not calm—silent. The kind of silence that comes before the killing strike.
