Chapter 3

Elara's POV

The annual Gathering of the Packs opened in Silvermoon.

This was the week the surrounding packs traded resources and signed agreements. The whole territory had been repainted, and everyone was dressed to impress. I got the worst job — serving drinks on the outer edge. Didn't bother me one bit. Better to stay on the sidelines and dodge all that fake small talk.

"Hey, you hear? Blood Eclipse's Alpha is coming today."

"Which one? The crazy one?"

"Which one do you think? Silas. They say he ripped three Alphas apart with his bare hands, and the council won't even touch him."

"What's he doing in a place like this?"

A few she-wolves nearby whispered, half scared, half thrilled. I stood against the wall, tray in hand, didn't move. Blood Eclipse — the biggest, most secretive pack in North America. In my last life, I'd only ever heard the name Silas. Never saw him in person.

At ten that morning, a low howl rolled from outside the hall. Then a dozen black armored SUVs came roaring into the square.

Doors opened, and the air went thick. Gunpowder and pine. A couple of low-rank wolves buckled at the knees and dropped.

That was pure force. Crushing.

The man at the front was tall and straight, a long black coat, short black hair, and beastlike eyes the color of dark gold. Dangerous. Powerful.

Him. Silas.

Kael and a few Silvermoon higher-ups hurried to meet him, all smiles. "Alpha Silas. Long trip. Welcome to Silvermoon."

Silas didn't even raise an eyebrow. His gaze swept the crowd, searching for something. Then it cut through row after row and landed on me — dead on, in the corner.

For a second, my heart skipped.

He walked straight at me. People parted on both sides.

Kael's face changed. He scrambled after him. "Alpha Silas, that's the back-of-house area. Dirty, messy. The main hall is this way, please—"

Silas ignored him. Stopped in front of me. Looked down. Those dark-gold eyes locked on me, burning.

"What's your name?" Low. Rough.

I gripped the tray. "Elara."

"Elara." He narrowed his eyes. "Nice name. Who gave it to you?"

"My mother."

He watched me for two seconds. Then he reached out and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Where is she?"

"Gone."

His fingers paused. "I'm sorry."

I froze. A man that powerful, apologizing to a nobody like me?

Someone nearby had had enough. A young Silvermoon wolf found his nerve. "Alpha Silas, she's just an Omega. Doesn't know the rules. You shouldn't—"

"What did you just say?" Silas turned his head. Didn't even blink.

The man shut up. His legs shook.

Kael rushed in. "Alpha Silas, her name's Elara. A low-rank Omega here with a bad record. I severed our mate bond just a few days ago. She doesn't know any better. Please don't take it to heart."

Silas slowly turned to look at him. Every wolf in the hall stopped breathing.

"A bad record," he repeated.

"Yes."

"What did she do?"

Kael faltered. "She — she wasn't fit to be Luna. Silvermoon is expanding, and I need a mate who can fight. She can barely even shift."

Silas nodded. Then he spoke. "Sounds like YOU'RE the one who's blind."

Kael's face stiffened.

"A soul this clean, and you treated her like garbage." Silas took a step closer. "What's your name? Kael?"

"Yes. Yes."

"Alpha Kael." Another step. He was almost on top of him now. "Tell me. A man who can't even protect his own fated mate — what's he doing in your seat? Is the council blind, or did you just pick up that Alpha heir title off the ground?"

The hall went silent. Some wolves stopped breathing to be safe.

Kael's face went red. He forced his chin up. "This — this is Silvermoon's internal business. She and I already severed the bond. She agreed to it herself."

"She agreed to it herself." Silas repeated it. Then, suddenly, he smiled. And there was joy in it he couldn't hide. "Good. GREAT. Saves me a step."

He turned and walked up to me. In front of everyone, he went down on one knee.

Gasps tore through the hall. Even his own Blood Eclipse warriors traded looks. One put a hand on his blade — then slowly let it go. The strongest Alpha, kneeling to a rejected Omega?

"What — what are you doing?" I nearly dropped the tray.

Silas looked up at me, his eyes full of plain heat. "Rank, money, that old bond of yours — I don't care about ANY of that."

"You met me five minutes ago."

"A wolf's instinct never lies." He stared at me, stubborn, like a guard dog over its food. "The second I caught your scent, my wolf howled. You're the one. I've been looking for you."

"What you smelled is probably a cup of tea I was carrying." I said.

He laughed out loud. Not the least bit annoyed. "Then I'll drink that tea for the rest of my life."

Someone in the crowd snorted, then quickly looked down.

I stared at him. "I don't know you. You don't know what I am. Why should I trust you?"

"I'm not asking you to trust me." He lowered himself even more, still looking up at me. "Elara. Walk out of here with me. Be Blood Eclipse's Luna. Whoever hurt you — I'll put him under my boot. You get absolute freedom, and respect."

"Freedom and respect, huh. You can barely take care of yourself." I said softly, "Get up. The ground's cold."

He didn't get up. He reached out and gently cupped my hands — rough from years of hard work. "You think it's too fast? I can wait. I'll court you. Months, a year — fine. Just give me one chance. Don't turn me down. Please."

I looked into his eyes. Honest. Real. In both my lives, no one had ever looked at me like that. Like I was something precious.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Kael. Eyes bloodshot. Staring at our joined hands. Face twisted like a wild animal driven mad. He opened his mouth, like he wanted to say something. Nothing came out.

I pulled my gaze back to Silas and let the corner of my mouth curve.

"Fine. I'll go with you."

Silas shot to his feet and pulled me into his arms. His laugh shook the whole square.

"You ALL heard it!" he shouted at the crowd. "As of today, she's MINE."

And Kael — in that moment — crushed the wine glass in his hand.