Elara POV
Seraphina came to claim Julian as her prize, but she did not yet know the prize was rotten.
The Gothic-carved window frame cut the dark forest into a dozen fractured panes. Rain hammered against the glass, the vibration traveling down the stone sill and into the palm of my hand, a chaotic rhythm that matched the new, unfamiliar turmoil in my blood. Ever since I felt that strange tremor in the courtyard, I could not sit still. My skin felt tight, and a low fever hummed beneath it. Something was pacing restlessly in the depths of my mind, though I could not name what it was.
The heavy wooden door creaked open, breaking my thoughts. Seraphina walked in, wearing a delicate silk gown. She had not attended the hunting trials in the woods today. She was highly allergic to silver dust, a rare condition even among high-ranking wolves, so she had stayed in the castle to rest. She walked over to my vanity table and picked up a silver hairbrush, her eyes meeting mine in the mirror's reflection.
I did not say a word to her. Usually, I would greet her with a soft smile, avoiding any conflict. Today, I just stared at her, feeling a strange, cold calm settling over me.
"You are very quiet today, Elara," Seraphina said, turning around to face me.
I kept my eyes on the rain outside. "I am just tired," I replied softly.
Seraphina smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I already know what happened in the woods," she said proudly. "I used the Mind-Link with my guards. Julian took first place again," she continued, her eyes shining with admiration.
"He did," I agreed, my voice flat.
Seraphina stepped closer, her strong Alpha aura filling the room, a palpable pressure meant to make me lower my head in submission. "I am a high-ranking female, Elara. Even if I must search the vaults of the Ironclaw family myself, I will only accept the finest," she declared, her chin raised. "And my mate must be the strongest Alpha. Julian is the obvious choice."
She was marking her territory, warning me to back off—but she had no idea she was fighting for a man who saw her as nothing more than a stepping stone.
"I know you have followed him around like a lost puppy since we were children," Seraphina said, her tone mocking. "We're wolves, Elara. Let's settle this the old way. We duel, and the winner claims the right to court Julian."
I turned my head slowly, looking at her eager face. I rested my chin on my hand, feeling an utter lack of interest in the prize she was offering. I shook my head slowly. "No, thank you," I said calmly. "I have no interest in that particular contest."
Seraphina frowned, clearly confused by my lack of fight. She stepped forward and grabbed the lace cuff of my sleeve, pulling it slightly. "Are you scared? Or do you think he will just run to you anyway?" she demanded.
"Oh," was the only sound that left my lips.
My cold indifference seemed to anger her more. "You are so arrogant for someone who cannot even Shift," she sneered, dropping my sleeve. "You are just a broken Omega. You cannot even protect yourself, let alone stand beside an Alpha like Julian."
Her words were meant to cut me, to remind me of my lowly place in the Pack's hierarchy. But I did not feel hurt. I felt a sudden, sharp clarity.
I stood up from my chair, bringing myself to her eye level. I did not lower my gaze, which surprised her. "You are wrong about him, Seraphina," I said, my voice steady and clear. "Julian's wolf does not bow to your beauty, and it certainly does not bow to my childhood friendship."
Seraphina blinked, her anger faltering for a second. "What are you talking about?" she snapped.
"I am talking about the truth," I replied, taking a step toward her. "Julian's wolf only submits to one thing. The power and the throne that sit behind you."
Seraphina's mouth opened slightly, the arrogance draining from her face. "He does not want you as a mate," I whispered, making sure she heard every word. "He wants to own the kingdom."
Seraphina stood frozen, digesting my words. A dry, bitter laugh escaped my throat before I could stop it, and I shook my head at the shared blindness that had afflicted us both for so long.
"Think about it, Seraphina," I said, pacing the length of my room. "Since we were children, every time we went into the woods, who always got the rarest flowers?"
She swallowed hard. "I did."
"And who always got the best cuts of meat from his first hunts?"
"I did," she repeated, her voice losing its edge.
"Exactly," I said, stopping to look at her. "He always gave the best to you. Not because he cared for you, but because your mother is the Luna." I pointed toward the window, toward the dark woods where the trials had taken place. "Today, he shoved a man off a cliff just to win the hunt. He risked a Warrior's life."
Seraphina's eyes widened. "He did what?"
"He cheated," I stated plainly. "He did it because he knows your Alpha nature craves a strong, dominant mate. He is performing a role to win the ultimate prize."
Seraphina stared at me, her jaw tight as she processed the insult. She didn't instantly crumble. Her Alpha pride warred with the truth, but her eyes darted back and forth as memories clicked into place, each one a small, sharp betrayal. "He didn't even look at me when he shot those arrows," she muttered, her voice dropping. "He looked at my mother's balcony."
The realization struck her like a physical blow. Her competitive fire didn't die; it twisted into a dark, simmering rage at being played for a fool. "He thinks I'm just a stepping stone," she hissed, her fists clenching at her sides until her knuckles were white.
"Precisely," I said softly.
She paced the room, the silk of her gown snapping around her ankles. "Elara... about the tiara today. I took it because our father decreed it must be won, not inherited—he wanted to test our judgment in choosing champions. But I didn't know Julian would use it as a political pawn. " She stopped, turning to me with a fierce, burning glare. "I don't play second fiddle to a man's ambition."
I looked at her, seeing for the first time the unyielding Alpha she truly was, separate from the machinations of the court. I let out a long breath, the anger leaving my chest. I shook my head, offering her a small, genuine smile. "It is alright, Seraphina. I am not angry with you."
"I cried in the bell tower today, not because I lost a crown. I cried because Julian knew exactly what that tiara meant to me, what piece of my mother it represented."
My voice cracked slightly, but I forced myself to stay strong. "He knew, and he still chose to use it. He threw away a piece of my heart for a chance to impress your mother."
I took a deep breath, feeling lighter than I had in years. "I am completely done with him," I declared. "His ambition and your strength are a much better match anyway."
Seraphina scoffed, her eyes flashing with contempt. "I do not want a mate who sees me as a rung on a ladder," she muttered, shaking her head. She looked at me with a fierce determination. "I promise you, Elara. When the time comes to choose our mates, I will never fight you for the same man."
I smiled, appreciating her loyalty. But I caught the flicker in her gaze—the Alpha pride still wrestling with the sting of humiliation. She believed me, yes, but belief needed proof to harden into action. And the proof, I knew, was still buried in Julian's shadows.
"So," Seraphina leaned in, her curiosity getting the better of her. "If not Julian, then who? Who are you going to choose?"
The moment she asked the question, an image of the bleeding Warrior with the steady eyes flashed in my mind. Kaelen. Instantly, a strange, prickling heat flared at the base of my neck. I quickly reached up, pressing my cool palm against the burning skin of my nape.
"I... I need to rest," I stammered, turning my back to her.
I walked away, leaving her standing in the middle of the room, completely unaware that my soul had already made its choice—and that the Moon Goddess had chosen for me long before I knew his name.
