Chapter 3

Elara Thorne POV:

The door swung open and he emerged, wrapped in a cloud of steam. He had only a dark towel slung low around his hips, leaving his entire upper body bare. Droplets of water clung to the hard, sculpted planes of his chest and slid down the ridges of his abdomen. He was a breathtaking sculpture of masculine power, every line of his body honed for violence and command. The raw, potent scent of him-clean soap, warm skin, and that underlying wildness like a storm gathering over a winter forest-hit me like a physical blow.

I stumbled back a step, my eyes immediately dropping to the floor. I couldn't look at him. It felt dangerous, like staring into the sun.

He paid me no mind. He walked past me as if I weren't there, his bare feet silent on the thick rug. He went to a crystal decanter on a side table and poured himself a measure of amber liquid. Whiskey. The scent of it mingled with his own, creating a heady, intimidating aroma.

Just as he raised the glass to his lips, there was a soft knock at the door. The Beta, Zane Blackwood, was back. He stood respectfully at the threshold, his gaze fixed on his Alpha, pointedly ignoring my presence in the corner.

Kaelen took a slow sip of his whiskey, his silver eyes cold and unreadable over the rim of the glass. "Is it done?" he asked, his voice a low rumble.

"Yes, Alpha," Zane replied, his tone crisp and professional. "As you commanded, the body has been fed to the beasts in the forest. His family is demoted to Omega, sentenced to a life of servitude."

A cold dread washed over me. They were talking about the owner of the paw. The traitor. My stomach churned.

Kaelen's expression didn't change. He spoke as if discussing the weather, not the complete eradication of a man and his lineage. "Good. Make sure they have no chance to rise again. I don't want to hear that family name ever again."

"Understood," Zane said. "Also, regarding the Rogue problem on the eastern border..."

Kaelen cut him off with a sharp, impatient gesture. "No negotiations. Send the Gamma with a warrior unit. Find their den and burn it. Leave one alive to bring back to me. I want to know who is backing them."

Each word was a hammer blow, a chilling display of absolute, merciless authority. I shrank further into the shadows, trying to make myself invisible, to stop breathing, but I couldn't block out the sound of his voice. He was a king built on a foundation of blood and bone. This was how he ruled, how he maintained his iron grip on his vast territory. He was discussing extermination and torture with the same detached calm he might use to order his dinner. This was the man who now owned me.

I learned more about him in those few minutes of eavesdropping than I ever wanted to know. I heard him issue orders about trade routes, about reinforcing patrols, about a dispute with a neighboring Alpha. Every decision was swift, strategic, and utterly ruthless.

Zane finished his report. Before he left, his grey eyes flickered to me, then back to Kaelen, a silent question passing between them. What was to be done with me?

Finally, Kaelen's attention shifted. His silver gaze landed on me, and he started walking toward me, his movements slow and deliberate, like a predator approaching its prey. The whiskey swirled in the glass he held, catching the firelight.

I held my breath, my body rigid with terror. What now? What fresh horror was he about to inflict?

He stopped directly in front of me, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his skin. He drained the rest of his whiskey in one swallow, then set the empty glass down on a nearby table with a sharp click that made me jump.

He didn't touch me. He just watched me, his eyes boring into mine, searching for something. I could smell the whiskey on his breath, sharp and intoxicating, layered over his own unique scent. That scent... it terrified me, but deep in my belly, a strange, traitorous flutter started. My inner wolf, which had been silent and cowed since my capture, stirred, recognizing a power that called to its own. I crushed the feeling instantly, hating myself for it.

Kaelen's brow furrowed slightly. His own wolf was calm, pacified by my scent, and the contradiction clearly annoyed him. He didn't understand his own reaction to me, and he didn't like it. He mistook his confusion for distaste.

Zane, ever watchful, must have seen the flicker of annoyance on his Alpha's face. I saw him tense, ready to remove me, to dispose of the problem.

But Kaelen just gave a slight, almost imperceptible shake of his head. He waved a hand at Zane, a silent dismissal. The Beta bowed his head. "Alpha." He backed out of the room, closing the heavy door behind him with a soft, final thud.

Zane was about to withdraw when he paused, as if remembering something. "Alpha, there's a suspicious herb recovered from the spies on the border. Analysis will take a few days. I'll report back when it's done."

Kaelen waved a dismissive hand. "Go."

Zane bowed and left. The door closed, and Kaelen's silver eyes fell on me once more, that suffocating sensation of being stalked by a beast returning in full force.

The silence returned, thicker and more menacing than before. It was just the two of us again.

My heart was a frantic drum against my ribs. I watched as he stared at me, his expression a mask of cold indifference. Then, he spoke, and the command in his voice left no room for argument.

"Come here."