Chapter 5 You actually dare!

Elinor POV

Ariel's smirk was a blade, twisting in the open wound Adrian had just inflicted upon my soul. The pain of the rejection-the severing of a bond that had barely formed-throbbed in my chest like a second heartbeat, erratic and agonizing. But I didn't look away. I gripped the wooden railing of the gallery until splinters dug into my palms, using the physical sting to anchor myself.

The silence in the Great Hall was suffocating, a heavy blanket over the pack members who watched with wide, fearful eyes.

"How dare you?"

The voice shattered the quiet like glass. My mother, Luna Diane, stepped forward. She didn't look like the frantic woman who had been tending to my burns moments ago. She looked like a queen whose kingdom had been spat upon.

"You stand in my home, Alpha Sharpe," she hissed, her voice trembling not with fear, but with a rage so potent it seemed to vibrate through the floorboards. "You stand before the Moon Goddess and tear apart a sacred covenant as if it were a meaningless scrap of paper?"

Adrian didn't flinch. He adjusted his cufflinks, his expression bored. "I did what was necessary for the survival of my bloodline, Diane. Do not let your emotions cloud your judgment."

"My judgment?" Diane laughed, a harsh, jagged sound. She spun around, her finger pointing accusingly at the woman cowering behind Adrian's expensive suit. "And you. Ariel. I took you in when your parents died. I treated you like a daughter. And this is how you repay us? By crawling into the bed of your sister's mate before the smoke has even cleared?"

Ariel let out a choked sob, burying her face in Adrian's chest. "I didn't mean for this to happen, Luna," she whimpered, her voice pitched perfectly to carry to the gathered crowd. "We... we couldn't control it. The pull... it was too strong. We are victims of our own hearts."

"Victims?" Diane stepped closer, her hand raised as if to strike, but Adrian caught her wrist.

"Enough," Adrian growled. The Alpha power in his voice rolled through the room, heavy and suffocating. He shoved my mother's hand away with a sneer. "The choice was mine. I need a strong Luna. A warrior. Not a wolfless Omega who cannot even bear an heir without dying in the process. Elinor is a genetic dead end. Ariel is the future."

My breath hitched. Genetic dead end. The words branded themselves onto my skin.

"Alistair!" Diane spun toward my father, her eyes wild with desperation. "Do you hear him? He insults your daughter! He insults our Pack! Throw them out! Declare war if you must, but do not let this stand!"

I looked at my father. He stood by the hearth, his face pale, sweat beading on his forehead. This was the moment. The moment an Alpha defends his blood.

But Alistair Ramsey didn't roar. He didn't shift. He didn't even raise his voice.

He smoothed his jacket and forced a tight, placating smile.

"Now, Diane," he said, his voice maddeningly calm. "Let us not be dramatic. The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways. We all know that a bond cannot be forced if the fit is... unnatural."

The air left the room. Even the pack members shifted uncomfortably.

"Unnatural?" Diane whispered, stepping back as if he had slapped her. "She is your daughter, Alistair."

"She is wolfless," he corrected sharply, his eyes darting to Adrian as if seeking approval. "And Alpha Sharpe is right. The Black Creek Pack needs strength. We need strength. This union... between Adrian and Ariel... it secures our future." He turned to the couple, bowing his head slightly. "I understand, Adrian. And I give you my blessing."

My mother stared at him, horror dawning on her face. "You coward," she breathed. "You are no Alpha. You are a merchant selling his own flesh and blood."

"Silence!" Alistair snapped, his face flushing red. "I am doing what is best for this Pack! We will not jeopardize the merger over a girl who cannot even Shift!"

From my vantage point in the shadows, the final piece of the puzzle clicked into place. The memory of the study, the secret phone calls, the urgency of the wedding-it all made sense. My father hadn't just agreed to this; he was relieved. Adrian rejecting me meant he got a "better" Luna in Ariel, and my father still got his alliance.

I was the only one losing everything.

Below, Adrian pulled Ariel closer, pressing a kiss to her temple while my father looked on like a proud puppy waiting for a treat. My mother stood alone in the center of the room, her shoulders shaking, isolated by the two men who were supposed to protect us.

I released the railing. My hands were numb. My heart was cold. The tears I expected to fall had dried up, replaced by a clarity sharper than any blade.

They thought I was broken. They thought I was a defect to be discarded so their business deal could flourish.

I limped toward the stairs. I would no longer hide in the shadows; I was going to embrace my new life!