Chapter 3 Episode 3 – The Deal He Spoke Of (Elena's POV)

Episode 3 – The Deal He Spoke Of

(Elena's POV)

The growls were sharp and hollow, and you could hear them in the rain.

He had a tight jaw as he watched the shadows move through the fog. His men were ready, and in the dark, their eyes looked a faint gold color. My whole body was tense.

The wedding dress I took off hours before was still following me around. The silk, the flowers, and the broken vows still bother me.

The trees, the night, and the man next to me who didn't care were all there.

"What do they want?" I whispered the question.

Adrian looked at me quickly. "To send a message."

"What kind of message?"

His eyes got less light. "The kind that makes you feel guilty."

Before I could ask anything else, the gates opened with a squeak. A small group of wolves approached-Damian's colors marked across their armor. One of them held a black envelope.

Adrian's guards did not move until he said "yes." The wolf bowed his head and gave him the envelope. "From Alpha Damian Hale."

Adrian opened the envelope, took out a folded letter, and read it quietly. It was hard to read his face because of the firelight, but he then laughed slowly and dangerously.

"What is it?" My voice was shaking as I asked.

When he turned around, his voice was dull. He says that you are still his.

It made my stomach hurt. "What?"

"He says that your marriage is strong because it was witnessed and can't be broken by any Lycan law." I was told to bring you back before dawn.

I turned my head away. "That's crazy." He was the one who left.

Adrian handed the letter me. As I read the words, anger made it hard for me to focus.

Elena Rivers is still subject to pack law. While the wedding was still going on, it was not an act of love but a political union. We still have a good deal between our packs. She can't leave the Hale area without permission. It will be seen as an act of war if you don't follow through.

- Alpha Damian Hale

It made my hands shake. "He's calling our wedding a... business deal?"

Adrian's speech was calm, but I could hear the edge in it. "He's changing the story before you can say anything."

I broke down in some way. It was all the shame I had hidden behind tears that came back to me. "He's trying to get rid of what he did!" To make me look like a pawn!

Adrian's eyes became a little less harsh. "Then show him you're not."

I looked at him. "And how do I do that?"

With less noise, he stepped closer and spoke. "By making your own deal."

"Mine...?"

He said yes. "Let's play better politics if he wants to." Elena, you're not the weak bribe he thinks you are. "You're the daughter of Alpha Rivers."

I was frozen. "How do you know that name?"

He gave a small smile. "Because your dad stood next to mine once."

I was shocked and blinked. "Your father... the Lycan King before you?"

Adrian gave a single nod. "He put his faith in your family bloodline. said you'd change everything when the time was right.

It hurt my chest. "My dad is dead."

"His legacy isn't."

Before I could answer, the door opened all of a sudden. One of Adrian's guards walked in and was breathing hard. "My King, there's a signal from Hale's territory." Check this out.

I followed Adrian as he quickly went to the monitor room. The screens came back to life.

Damian walked out in front of media and pack members and stood tall. Selene was standing next to him. She was wearing a white dress and made a fake sad face.

It felt like my throat was on fire as I listened.

"Today was a misunderstanding," Damian said in a calm voice. "Elena Rivers and I agreed on something with our families." It was always about peace, never love. She was wrong, though. When I found out Selene was pregnant with my child, I had to respect our real bond.

People in the room gasped.

Selene wiped her eyes in a dramatic way. "I never wanted to get in the way of them," she stated. "But fate had other plans."

"Fate?" I asked in a low voice.

He then said, "Elena can do what she wants." She was never Luna, though. There was no treason; only correction.

The palm of Adrian's hand closed up stiffly.

It was hard for me to breathe. "He's making me sound like some crazy person!"

Adrian turned off the screen. "He's making you sound small." That's even worse.

When I looked up at him, my eyes hurt. "Then make me big again."

He didn't smile this time. "Be careful what you ask for."

"I really mean it, Adrian." I'm not going to hide while he calls me a mistake.

He gave me a long look. Then, in a low voice, he said, "Tomorrow night, Alpha leaders, elders, and Lycan representatives will meet as a council." If you tell them the truth, it can change everything. You'll have to pay me though.

"Do I owe you?"

"Yes." There is no such thing as free in this world.

I thought about it. "What kind of debt?"

As he leaned in, the light from the fire caught his eye. "As my ally, you'll be there for me in person and in name." People in the packs will think that the Lycan King is watching out for you. And in return, no one will ever question your place again.

My heart beat faster. "You mean... act like yours?"

He said, "Act like," but it was hard to understand what he meant this time.

It was crazy. But I felt strong for the first time in days.

"okay," I said in a low voice. "I'll do it."

Adrian looked at me for a second and then nodded. "Then we have a deal."

By morning, the storm was over. The sky was a dull metal color, and the air was cool. There was a mirror in one of Adrian's rooms where I stood. I wasn't a bride; I was a new person.

The black dress was simple, classy, and strong, like armor. Things that were warmer had taken the place of the bruises under my eyes.

A maid took a step back. "You look... strong."

"Good," I replied. "That's what I need to be."

When I walked into the main hall, Adrian was already there. It was hard to read his face because he was wearing a black suit. He looked at me with soft eyes for a split second.

He said, "You look good."

"So do you."

Before the doors opened, we smiled briefly, as if we knew each other.

There was no bias in the place where the council meeting took place. The round great hall was filled with lights and flags from different packs. There were whispers all around us when we walked in.

"Is that her?"

"The bride who was left at the altar?"

"With the King of the Lycans?"

Some of their eyes were interested, while others were angry. I didn't move, though.

Adrian showed me the way to the middle. It was a whispered "Stay close."

The head of the council stood up. He was an old wolf with silver eyes. "King Adrian, what do we owe this surprise visit?"

The way Adrian spoke was cool. "To get rid of a lie before it gets bigger."

The boss turned his attention to me. "The girl from Rivers?"

He replied, "Yes." "She's not Hale's pawn anymore." This is my promise to protect her.

A quiet sound made its way around the room.

Before anyone could answer,

Damian walked in from the other side, his steps loud and sure. Selene went after her, holding her stomach as if to protect her "unborn child."

I felt old pain when I saw him, but I stood tall.

"King Adrian," Damian said without a hitch. "I didn't know you were interested in my private life."

Adrian said, "Your lies made it political."

It was hard for Damian to smile. "Elena's marriage to me was set up by our elders." "She knows that."

My voice was steady. "No." Damian, I had faith in you. You made me swear to you that I would live my whole life. It wasn't business; it was treason.

The crowd got up. Damian's face twitched with anger.

He lost it and said, "I did what was best for my pack."

"Good for your ego." I said "Not your people."

Selene moved ahead of her. "It's not okay to talk about right and wrong. As soon as he left, you ran to another man.

I looked her straight in the eye. "At least he didn't have to lie to keep me."

As Adrian walked toward her, the room became quiet. He said in a harsh voice, "This conversation is over." "I'll see it as an act of war if Hale sends scouts near my borders again."

It got darker in Damian's eyes. "Are you protecting her because you feel sorry for her?"

Adrian smirked slowly and in a scary way. No, she's mine now, so I say "no."

In the hall, people gasped.

Damian's jaw got tight. "You wouldn't dare-"

"Try me," Adrian said.

It felt like the air between them was really tense, like it was popping and burning.

No one moved for a second.

Then a voice from the far corner of the room spoke. It was a woman. It was soft, but it broke the quiet.

"It said that wasn't true."

Everyone looked around.

A tall person in silver stepped forward. When she took off her hood, I got scared.

It was my mom.

Living.

We looked at each other. Her eyes calm, but I couldn't tell what was going on inside them. "You shouldn't have made that deal, Elena," she said softly. "You don't know what he really wants."

I was having trouble breathing.

Adrian's face looked different from the first time I met him when I looked at him.

He seemed... shocked.