The party's music was a distant, mocking echo by the time Elara reached her father's study. The heavy oak door shut behind her, sealing out the world of pretense and lies.
Darian was behind his massive desk, a ledger open before him, but he wasn't reading. He looked up the moment she entered, his violet eyes sharp with concern.
"Elara? The guests are still—" He stopped, truly seeing her face for the first time that night. The mask of the perfect hostess had fallen away, leaving behind a chilling, stony stillness. "What is it? Did the meeting with Kade not go well?"
Elara walked to the desk, her silver dress whispering against the thick rug. She didn't know how to explain what she'd heard. A psychic connection wasn't evidence. It was a madwoman's rambling.
So she chose the only path left to her. The truth of her decision.
"Father," she said, her voice flat, devoid of its usual warmth. "I refuse to be Kade Vargr's Luna."
The silence in the room was absolute. Darian stared at her, his powerful frame rigid with shock.
"What are you saying?" he finally managed, his voice dangerously low. "This is not a child's game. This is the Northern Alliance. Our family's honor."
"Their honor is a lie," Elara shot back, her voice gaining a sharp edge. "They don't respect us. They see Thorne lands, Thorne mines, Thorne wealth. They see a purse to be emptied. Kade and his allies are leeches, and they want to drain us dry."
Her father leaned back, studying her. He had seen her angry, seen her sad, but he had never seen this. This cold, hard fury. He saw the look in her eyes was not of a petulant child, but of a cornered wolf, and it was a look he recognized in his own father. Still, he had to be sure. "And what proof do you have of this, Elara? Besides a feeling?"
"I have the proof of his own words," she said, her voice dropping, thick with a conviction that chilled him. "I heard him. He views me as a necessity. A tool. Nothing more." She didn't explain how, knowing he wouldn't understand. She just let the certainty of her statement hang in the air.
Darian's eyes narrowed. 'What you're saying... it confirms some of my own private concerns about the Vargr's recent resource demands. Their ambition has grown unchecked.' He gave a slow, deliberate nod. "Alright. Three months. You have three months to secure an audience with Nightshade. That is Plan A." He leaned forward, his voice dropping. "But if they humiliate you again, if they lay a hand on you… our contingency, Plan B, is to sever all ties and prepare for war. Is that understood?"
It was more than she could have hoped for. "Thank you, Father."
A grim smile touched his lips. "Don't thank me. You've just declared war. Now go win it."
With her father's backing, a sliver of control returned to her shattered world. But there was another front to this war.
She found Lila Vargr in the west wing solarium, holding court with a flock of fawning young Omegas. She was in the middle of a story, her hands gesturing gracefully, her soft, breathy voice captivating her audience.
Elara's arrival silenced the room.
The Omegas scattered like nervous birds, leaving Lila alone in the center of the room. She looked up at Elara, her wide brown eyes blinking with practiced innocence.
"Elara," she said, her voice a sweet melody. "Is something wrong? I was just telling everyone about the run. Kade is waiting for me…"
The implied intimacy, the casual claim on his time, was a deliberate barb.
Elara didn't rise to the bait. She walked forward until she was towering over the smaller girl.
"Lila," she said, her voice dangerously soft. "As a guest in my home, you should be aware of your place. Some things… do not belong to you. And it is unwise to reach for them."
Lila's face paled. For a fraction of a second, a flicker of fear showed in her eyes before it was instantly replaced by a shimmering layer of tears.
"Sister… I… I don't know what I did," she whispered, her lip trembling.
The whispers started again from the edges of the room. *"She's bullying her." "Poor Lila." "So cruel."*
Right on cue, heavy footsteps approached. Kade appeared in the doorway, Zane and Bjorn flanking him. His stormy eyes immediately found Lila's tear-streaked face.
It was a masterfully timed performance.
As if seeing her savior, Lila let out a small, pathetic whimper. She took a step back, her ankle "twisting" beneath her. With a cry of pain, she crumpled toward the floor.
Kade moved faster than Elara had ever seen anyone move. He crossed the room in a blur, catching Lila before she hit the ground and sweeping her into his arms.
"Lila! Are you alright?" he demanded, his voice thick with panic. He cradled her against his powerful chest, his gaze then snapping to Elara. It was like being stabbed with two shards of ice. "What did you do to her?"
Tucked safely in Kade's embrace, Lila sobbed. "It wasn't Elara's fault, Kade, truly. It was me. I was clumsy. She was just… teaching me the rules."
The words were a venomous masterpiece, painting Elara as a tyrannical shrew.
Zane stepped forward, his sharp green eyes narrowed with disapproval. "Elara, she's just an Omega. And Kade's sister. There's no need for this."
Elara looked at the scene before her: the powerful Alpha protecting the fragile, weeping girl in his arms. The perfect, heroic tableau. It made her want to vomit.
Any explanation would be a waste of breath. They had already judged her.
She met Kade's furious gaze with a coldness that mirrored his own.
"Alpha Vargr," she said, her voice ringing with formal authority. "Control your people. My territory, my rules."
Without another glance, she turned and walked away, her back ramrod straight.
She could feel his rage burning into her spine, a palpable heat. She heard his low, warning snarl, a promise of retribution.
Behind her, nestled in her brother's protective embrace, a triumphant smile briefly touched Lila Vargr's lips before vanishing, unseen by all.
