Chapter 5

Elara POV

"Running is for Omegas, Elara."

His dark, magnetic voice vibrated through the floorboards. I stood frozen, my clothes clutched desperately to my bare chest. Axel Laurent stood in the doorway, water dripping from his heavily muscled torso. His scent-a suffocating, intoxicating blend of cedar and a violent electric storm-filled every corner of the penthouse, pressing down on my fragile, wolfless senses.

Before he could take another step toward me, a harsh, electronic ringing shattered the heavy tension.

My cheap cell phone was vibrating aggressively inside the pocket of my discarded wool coat on the floor. Because I had no inner wolf, I was deaf to the pack's Mind-Link. This was the only way they could reach me.

I scrambled for it, my hands shaking as I saw the caller ID. *Mother.*

I pressed the phone to my ear, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Mom-"

"Where are you?" Caroline Sanford's voice sliced through the line, entirely devoid of maternal warmth. It was a sharp, absolute command. "Get back to the manor immediately. We are waiting for you."

She hung up before I could utter a single word.

I lowered the phone, the dial tone buzzing in the quiet room. I looked back at the magnificent, terrifying man watching me. I used the only excuse I had to escape the overwhelming reality of what I had done with him last night.

"I have to go," I breathed, pulling my dress over my head with trembling hands. "My family is waiting."

"Come find me on the top floor of the Oakwood building then," Axel said.

Then, Axel said nothing more. He simply stood there, his deep blue eyes tracking my every movement with an unreadable, piercing intensity that promised this was far from over.

*

The Sanford Pack Manor felt colder than the freezing winter air outside.

I stepped into the drawing room, immediately hit by the scent of old wood, lemon polish, and the suffocating, hostile auras of my family. They were waiting for me like a tribunal.

My father, Franklin, sat in his leather chair, his face an unreadable mask. Caroline stood rigidly by the fireplace. And sitting together on the velvet sofa were Cadence and Rhys. Rhys sported a stark white bandage across his forehead-a glaring reminder of the liquor bottle I had smashed against his skull hours ago.

As soon as I entered, Rhys stood up. A cruel, vindictive smirk twisted his handsome face. He reached into a pristine designer gift bag at his feet and pulled out a faded, plastic bear alarm clock.

He dropped it onto the antique mahogany table. It landed with a pathetic, hollow clatter.

"You left your most prized possession at my penthouse," Rhys sneered, his Alpha aura flaring just enough to make my knees ache. "I figured you'd need it. A fitting toy for a wolfless child who can't even handle a simple shift."

My chest tightened. That cheap clock was the only comfort I had during my isolated, lonely childhood. Now, it was just a prop to publicly humiliate me, a glaring neon sign pointing to my defective nature.

I forced my spine to straighten, refusing to give him the satisfaction of my tears. I stepped forward and picked up the plastic bear. "Thank you," I said, my voice dead and hollow.

"Don't use that tone in this house," Caroline snapped, stepping forward. "Your insane, jealous outburst last night nearly destroyed our alliance with the Morrison Pack. You are a disgrace, Elara."

I stared at my mother in disbelief. "He was cheating on me with Cadence!"

"To repair the immense damage you caused," Caroline continued smoothly, completely ignoring my words, "Cadence has graciously agreed to step in and take your place. She and Rhys are officially engaged."

I looked at my sister. Cadence offered a perfectly practiced look of pity, but her eyes gleamed with absolute, venomous triumph. She had finally stolen everything.

"Furthermore," Caroline demanded, her eyes narrowing, "you will issue a public statement to the allied packs. You will confess that you broke the engagement out of your own wolfless insecurities and paranoia. You will clear their names."

The sheer audacity of their betrayal left me breathless. They were rewriting history, turning my abuse into my crime, all to protect the pack's precious political power. I clutched the plastic bear to my chest and turned toward the heavy oak doors. I couldn't breathe in this room for another second.

"Stop right there, Elara."

Franklin's voice boomed through the room. It wasn't the voice of a father; it was the cold, calculating tone of a Beta executing a business transaction.

I froze, looking back at the man who had ignored my suffering for twenty-three years.

"You don't need to worry about your ruined reputation," Franklin stated flatly, his eyes devoid of any familial warmth. "We've already arranged a new marriage for you. One that will actually serve a purpose for this pack."