Chapter 2 Episode 2 – Whispers and Cameras (Elena's POV)

Episode 2 – Whispers and Cameras

(Elena's POV)

I heard a heavy click as the door shut behind me.

Inside the car, it seemed like everything was quieter and darker. When it rained, it hit the windows like a million fingers moving quickly. The man next to me didn't say anything. It was impossible to avoid him because he filled the room with a thick, dark smoke.

My heart was still beating fast as I leaned back in my seat. It was heavy and wet, and my wedding dress stuck to my skin. I had wet arms and a pool of water in my lap from the rain.

He started the car. The engine purred like a big cat getting ready to run.

"Where are you taking me?" It was hard to hear me when I finally asked.

He didn't look at me. "Somewhere safe."

"Safe?" I was going to laugh. "I don't even know your name."

He looked at me for a split second, long enough for our eyes to meet. "You don't need it yet."

It wasn't mean in tone; it was firm. It felt like a door slammed in my face.

It was easy to drive in the city, and the headlights made lines of silver on the wet road. Outside, people were still having a good time, but they had no idea that my life had just fallen apart hours before.

I looked at myself in the cold glass with my head against it. My hair was straight and my mascara was running down my face. My lipstick was on its way out. The bride in the window looked like a ghost.

"Why did you stop for me?" I whispered the question.

"Because no one else would have," he replied. "Not after what just happened."

I was sick. "You know?"

He gave a quick nod. "Everyone will find out soon." People quickly tell each other when an Alpha leaves in the middle of a vow.

It was hard for me to swallow. "Were you there?"

"No," he replied. "But half of the region was." Before midnight, the other half will see it.

I made a face. " see it?"

He let out a sigh, pulled out a small black tablet, and gave it to me. As I tapped the screen, my hands were shaking.

The title really hit me.

"ALPHA DAMIAN HALE LEAVES BRIDE AT ALTAR-SAYS HIS PREGNANT MISTRESS IS IN THE HOSPITAL."

There was a picture below it. My picture. Damian turned his back, my bouquet fell, and my face went red with shock.

I kept scrolling down and saw more: pictures from different views, chatting guests, my dad's angry face, and Selene's smirk. A short film of me running in the rain.

"Oh my Moon..." I said softly.

He didn't say anything.

I felt sick. The comments below the video were really mean.

"Poor girl."

"She should have known better."

"Guess she wasn't good enough for him."

"Alphas don't get married to people who aren't important."

The tablet fell to the floor, and I looked down at the ground.

When I said, "He ruined me," my voice shook. "In front of everyone." Now... this.

The car stopped. "You weren't broken." He just proved himself.

I looked at him. "And what are you?" "Another Alpha is here to teach me a lesson?"

He laughed in a low, dull way. "Alpha?" Not at all.

Then he looked at me with eyes that were still and hard to read. "I'm a lot worse than that."

It made my skin crawl the way he said it. It wasn't scary; it was just interesting. He didn't look like a human or a wolf in some way. Auras like him made the air hum around him.

"Who are you?" I whispered once more.

"Someone who knows the difference between being strong and being cruel," he said. "And someone who doesn't owe your old Alpha anything."

The car went off the main road and into the woods on a narrow path. The clouds and tall, dark trees were lit up by headlights that moved over them like ghosts.

We stopped in front of a stone wall. Two men in black stood guard. As the car went by, they stooped a bit.

"Where are we?" I asked in a low voice.

What he said was "neutral land." "Far enough away from your ex-pack that they won't be able to find you."

I could see the huge house through the fog. It had old stone walls, wide arches, and windows that lit up like eyes watching over them. I was having trouble breathing.

"This is yours?"

He gave one nod.

That question made me feel like I had to ask something else, but I was too tired. All over my body hurt and made me feel bad. While I was following him, I got out of the car and put my bare feet on the wet dirt.

He looked at the torn dress I was dress in. "You're cold."

"I'll survive it."

"Not like that, you won't ." He took off his coat and wrapped it around me. It was warm and had a light smoke and woods smell to it. He was already on his way to the door when I tried to stop him.

It was warm inside, and the air smelled like wood. It was too quiet in the huge, pretty hall. Lines of shadow moved along the stone walls.

He looked at a guard. "Get her some dry clothes to wear."

I made a face. "You don't have to-"

He looked at me and told me to stop. "It's not a request."

Soon after, I was in a guest room that was the same size as my old flat. I put on shorts and a simple gray shirt. It still smelled like rain and sadness on my skin.

When I came back into the hall, he was waiting by the window with a glass in his hand. His jaw looked sharp and his eyes looked cold as the firelight flashed across his face.

"What's your name?" I asked again.

He looked at me after turning a little. "Adrian."

"Adrian who?"

He raised his lips a bit. "Adrian Black."

I was frozen. I knew the name. It was something I had heard before, but only in words of fear and respect. He is the Lycan king.

My heart beat faster. "You're-"

"Yes."

I moved back. "Why would a Lycan King help me?"

He turned around and looked out the window again. His voice was quiet, but it had a sharp edge to it. "Because I hate men who take things that aren't theirs."

Something in me shook when I heard those words.

I took a big breath. "I'll be the talk of the town now," I said. "Damian's group, the elders, and the rest of them." they will say I deserve it.

He looked at me. "Then make them choke on what they say."

"How?"

"By going higher than they ever thought you could."

He walked toward me. The air between us became heavy and charged. His eyes looked darker because of the fire. "You don't know who you are yet, Elena Rivers." They will, though.

I stared at him. "Who am I?"

He gave a small smile. "Not who. What?

Before I could ask, there was a loud buzzing sound that cut me off. He looked at the table and saw a small black screen blinking. He had a guard come through the door.

"My King." the guard said "It's begun."

Adrian told me to follow him.

We went down the hall and into a room with many screens. Dozens of live feeds showed different areas of the pack, like newsrooms, meetings, and even the council hall. I was on every screen.

My wedding. It made me feel bad. My name is.

It was being spread all over the place.

I put my hand over my mouth in horror. "Why would they do that?"

Adrian's jaw got tight. "Someone who wants to hurt you." He took a moment to think, "And maybe someone who is scared of what you are."

I was confused as I looked at him. "What do you mean?"

One of the screens went out before he could answer. Damian showed up on it and stood next to Selene. There were reporters all around him like birds.

Damian said in a smooth voice, "She was never good enough to be Luna." "The wedding was planned." I could no longer lie to my people.

The room turned around. I grabbed the edge of the desk because I couldn't see clearly.

I said in a whisper, "Turn it off." "Please."

Adrian wasn't moving. Even though his face didn't change, his attitude did. The sharp, cold air around him got worse.

When he did speak, it was in a quiet but dangerous way. "I didn't know he was starting a war,"

My heart was beating fast as I looked at him. "War?"

When he looked at me, his eyes burned right through me. "Yes." You can hide when it starts, or you can become who you were meant to be.

I made a face and waited. "And what's that?"

Adrian walked up to her and spoke softly.

"An Alpha bloodline that no one would touch."

Before I could do anything, a guard ran in. "My King, there is movement at the border." Hale's scouts are now here.

Adrien's eyes went totally dark. "So it begins," he said softly.

I looked through the window. Far away, through the rain, faint howls could be heard.

The sound sent chills down my spine.

I knew at that moment that my sadness was just the beginning.