Chapter 6

Elara POV

The violent wave of nausea hit me the second the heavy mahogany doors of the Alpha's Command Center clicked shut behind me. I barely made it to the 40th floor before I had to sprint.

I burst into the Pack's communal restroom, collapsing in front of the cold porcelain toilet in the furthest stall. I dry-heaved violently, my body rejecting the harsh chemical burn of the Plan B pill mixed with pure, unadulterated terror.

"Elara?" Dahlia's voice echoed against the white tiles. She pushed the stall door open, her vanilla scent laced with genuine concern. "Oh my goddess, are you sick?"

I wiped my mouth with the back of my trembling hand, my skin pale and clammy. "Bad sandwich from the deli," I lied, quickly flushing the toilet. "Food poisoning."

Dahlia handed me a paper towel, sniffing the air. Her eyes narrowed slightly, a mix of worry and speculation crossing her features. "Are you sure it's not... morning sickness?"

The words struck me like a silver blade. A sharp, brittle laugh tore from my throat, sounding entirely too loud in the quiet room. "Don't be ridiculous, Dahlia! It's just a stupid sandwich." I had to hide my rebellion against the Alpha's bloodline at all costs. If anyone found out I was trying to erase a potential Alpha heir with human drugs, it would be a death sentence.

An hour later, the nausea had subsided into a dull ache, but a new nightmare was waiting for me at my cubicle.

My computer screen flashed with a silver-crested notification from the Pack's internal security network. The Aegis Summit Delegation.

"Open it," Dahlia hissed over the partition, her eyes wide.

With a trembling finger, I scrolled past the names of elite Warriors and Pack Elders. There, at the very bottom, was my name: Elara Vance.

The design department fell dead silent. The usual hum of printers was replaced by the heavy, hostile stares of my coworkers. A wolfless Omega attending the most exclusive Pack summit in history? It was unheard of. Kaelen wasn't just tying me to him; he was throwing me to the wolves, forcing me into the spotlight to test my reactions.

Furious, I marched straight back to the elevator, determined to demand he retract this absurd decision.

But when I stormed onto the 45th floor, Elias Vance stood like a marble statue before the Alpha's doors.

"The Alpha is in a crucial Mind-Link conference," Elias stated, his voice a flat, chilling monotone.

"He put me on that list to humiliate me!" I snapped, my fists clenched. "Tell him to take it off."

Elias didn't blink. He looked down at me, delivering Kaelen's message with absolute precision. "The Alpha says this is your first step to confronting Alaric Thorne. Don't be a coward."

My breath hitched. My nails dug so deeply into my palms they almost drew blood. He was using my mother's ghost and my deepest obsession as a leash, twisting my anger into a test of courage. Defeated, I turned away.

As I walked back to the elevator, my new phone buzzed. It was a forwarded message from Dahlia: Julian just cornered me. He saw the Summit list. He's begging to talk. Says the Summit could be a 'romantic getaway' to fix things.

A wave of pure, physiological disgust washed over me. Yesterday, I was a wolfless burden he cheated on. Today, seeing my name linked to the Alpha's power, I was suddenly his priority. It severed the last pathetic thread of illusion I had about my old life.

Suddenly, the phone buzzed again. A text from Kaelen.

You're unwell.

I froze. I glanced down the hall. The security runes above the door glowed faintly. He was watching me. He knew everything.

I'm fine, I typed back stubbornly.

Liar.

Before I could process the intrusion, Elias stepped out of the office, holding a heavy obsidian thermos engraved with Pack runes. "The Alpha had the Healer prepare this herbal broth. It will soothe your stomach."

The precision of his control was terrifying. I took the warm thermos, feeling the invisible net tightening around my throat.

Needing air, I took the elevator down and stepped out into the small plaza outside the Blackwood Industries building. Sitting on a concrete bench, I unscrewed the thermos and drank. The broth instantly quelled the violent spasms in my stomach.

But I refused to be tamed by his poisoned chalice.

With a surge of defiance, I stood up, walked over to a public trash can, and hurled the priceless obsidian thermos inside. It hit the bottom with a heavy thud.

Across the street, hidden in the shadows, the tinted window of a black armored Maybach was rolled down just an inch.

What about the security footage from the human pharmacy? Kaelen's voice echoed through the Mind-Link, dark and lethal. Did you see what she bought?

The footage is erased, Alpha, Elias's voice replied in his mind. But she purchased it with cash in a blind spot. We only know it was from the pharmacy counter. It is as if she was never there.

Inside the Maybach, Kaelen remained silent, his stormy gray eyes darkening as he watched his Mate walk away. The storm hadn't passed; it was only just beginning.