Chapter 2 2

Elara POV

The cramped shack was filled with the rich, savory aroma of the golden steamed egg custard. It sat in a chipped wooden bowl right in front of me, a stark contrast to the watery vegetable broth and rock-hard black bread my family was about to eat.

My modern soul twisted with guilt. I couldn't just sit here and consume the "Alpha's Share" while the people who loved me starved. My hands trembled as I scooped up a small spoonful of the soft custard and held it out toward my mother.

Diana's hand shot out, her calloused fingers wrapping gently but firmly around my wrist. She pushed the spoon back toward my lips, her expression leaving no room for argument. "Eat. You need it more."

I swallowed hard, looking past her to my brothers. Isaac, despite his massive frame, was trying to make himself look small, though his eyes lingered on the bowl. Beside him, little Jett instinctively licked his dry lips.

"Jett," I whispered, offering the spoon to him.

The skinny boy immediately shook his head and wrapped his small arms around his own battered bowl of broth, protecting it as if to prove he had enough. "For you, Elara," he said, his voice a soft, earnest squeak. "To get strong."

Tears pricked my eyes, blurring the flickering light of the hearth. I didn't push them further. I knew it would only highlight how out of place I felt in this body. Under their fierce, watchful gazes, I ate the custard. With every bite, the heavy, burning reality of their love settled into my chest. In this brutal Pack hierarchy, being a wolfless Omega meant I was a liability, yet they were willing to bleed themselves dry to keep me alive. I silently vowed to the Moon Goddess that I would find a way to change our fate.

The next morning, the biting spring wind whipped at my frayed cloak as Diana carefully guided me down the packed dirt path toward the Pack's center for our weekly rations. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth, woodsmoke, and the underlying musky scent of the werewolf settlement. Isaac and Jett trailed behind us, carrying our meager woven baskets.

"Look at that," a loud, grating voice sneered from a few paces away.

It was Martha, a neighboring Omega who never missed a chance to flaunt that her children had successfully Shifted. She was whispering to a companion, but her voice was deliberately loud enough to carry. "Wasting all that good food on a wolfless burden. She'll never find a Mate, never Shift. Just a mouth to feed until she dies."

Diana stopped dead in her tracks. The air around us seemed to drop ten degrees.

She whipped around, her eyes flashing with a feral, predatory light that belonged to a fiercely protective she-wolf. A low, threatening growl rumbled from deep within her chest, vibrating in the crisp air.

"Say that again, Martha," Diana snarled, her lips pulling back to bare her teeth. "I dare you. I'll rip your throat out with my teeth."

Martha's smug expression vanished. The sheer, unadulterated killing intent radiating from my mother terrified her. She clamped her mouth shut, paling as she shrank behind the other Pack members on the path.

Having successfully defended our territory, Diana turned back to me. The lethal tension bled from her shoulders instantly. She reached out, her rough hand gently smoothing my wind-blown hair. "Don't listen to that hag, my sweet girl," she murmured softly. "You are a gift from the Goddess."

Before I could process the warmth flooding my chest, another figure stepped into our path. It was Brenda, one of the nosy village elders, offering a placating, overly sweet smile.

"Now, Diana, let's not cause a scene," Brenda said, her eyes darting to me with calculating pity. "But your Elara is eighteen now. Maybe it's time to think about a Pairing? My nephew, his Mate died last winter... He's a good worker. It would be practical."

Diana's face turned to absolute stone. The warmth in her eyes froze over. "Don't even think about it," she cut Brenda off, her voice dripping with ice. "My daughter will wait for the Mate the Moon Goddess chose for her."

Brenda flushed, offering an awkward, tight-lipped smile before scurrying away.

I stood quietly, absorbing the harsh reality of my existence. The sacred bond of a Fated Mate versus the grim survival of a practical Pairing-this was the world I was trapped in. Diana tightened her grip on my arm, and together, we continued our walk toward the noisy, bustling stalls of the Bloodmoon Pack's central market.