Chapter 4

Elara Thorne POV:

My feet felt rooted to the floor. Every instinct screamed at me to disobey, to run, but my body wouldn't respond. I knew what defiance would mean. The image of the severed paw was seared into my brain. Slowly, like a puppet on a string, I forced one foot in front of the other, closing the distance between us. Each step was an agony of dread.

Kaelen watched my reluctant approach, his silver eyes dark and unreadable. I could feel the waves of irritation coming off him. He was annoyed by his own interest in me, and he was taking it out on me. He wanted this over with, whatever this was.

I was only a few feet from him when a sharp knock sounded at the door, startling us both.

Kaelen's head snapped toward the sound, a low growl rumbling in his chest. "What is it?" he bit out, his voice laced with impatience.

The door opened just enough for Zane Blackwood to slip in. "Alpha," he said, his voice low and urgent. "It's about the herb I mentioned earlier. We found it on the spies from the rival pack and have analyzed it."

The King's posture changed instantly. The predatory air vanished, replaced by the sharp focus of a ruler. "Come in," he commanded.

Zane entered, deliberately keeping his eyes averted from me, but the tension he brought with him was a palpable thing. He held out a small, black velvet pouch. Kaelen took it and opened the drawstring, tipping the contents into his palm. They were dried, grayish-green leaves that emitted a strange, sickly-sweet perfume.

"It's a potent aphrodisiac," Zane explained, his voice barely above a whisper. "Specifically engineered for high-ranking werewolves. It bypasses our self-control and directly triggers the most primal instincts."

Kaelen's jaw tightened, his expression turning thunderous. A rival pack had tried to use this against him, to compromise him, to make him a slave to his own biology. It was a coward's weapon. He thrust the pouch back at Zane. "Destroy it," he ordered, his voice like ice. "I don't want this filth in my territory."

Zane nodded. "Yes, Alpha." But as he turned to leave, his gaze flickered from me to his King, a calculating look in his grey eyes. He hesitated. "Alpha, perhaps... it could have other uses."

Kaelen raised a single, dark eyebrow. "Explain."

Zane lowered his voice even further, but in the dead silence of the room, I heard every word. "You haven't... touched anyone in two years. Your inner wolf remains cold, unreachable. The Elders are worried. Maybe this could... 'awaken' it."

The temperature in the room plummeted. Kaelen's eyes became chips of arctic ice. "Zane. Mind your place." The threat was unspoken but absolute.

The Beta bowed his head immediately. "My apologies, Alpha. I overstepped." He turned to leave, but as he did, his hand moved in a swift, almost clumsy gesture. The black velvet pouch slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor, rolling under the edge of a heavy side table near where I stood. He gave no sign that he'd noticed, just walked quickly out of the room and closed the door behind him.

I saw the whole thing. I couldn't tell if it was an accident or deliberate. But the pouch was there, and if the King found it on me, he would assume the worst. A cold wave of dread washed over me. Zane's clumsiness – or cunning – had just pushed me to a deadly edge.

Kaelen was furious. The Beta's insolence had pushed him over the edge. He turned his glare on me, as if I were somehow responsible for the entire conversation. The flicker of interest he'd shown earlier was gone, replaced by pure, unadulterated disgust.

"Get in the corner and stay there," he snarled, pointing to the far side of the room. "Don't move and don't make a sound until I call you."

Relief, sharp and overwhelming, flooded through me. I didn't hesitate. I practically scrambled to the corner, pressing myself against the cold stone wall, making myself as small as I could.

He stalked away without another glance, disappearing into the main bedchamber to cool his temper, leaving the door slightly ajar.

I was alone again. My eyes were immediately drawn to the spot where the pouch had fallen. I could see a corner of the black velvet peeking out from under the table.

Awaken it. Aphrodisiac.

If the King found me holding that pouch, I would die. No question. That Beta – whether by accident or design – had turned me into a suspect holding poison. I had to get rid of it. Hide it, destroy it, before he came back.

My heart pounded in my chest. Fear warred with a desperate, clawing need to survive. I glanced at the partially open bedroom door, then at a silver water pitcher and a single empty glass on the table.

Silently, I crept from my corner. My hands were shaking as I knelt and retrieved the velvet pouch. The dried leaves inside felt brittle and sinister. I held my breath, listening for any sound from the bedroom. Hearing nothing, I made my decision: tip the leaves into the fireplace and burn them.

I stood by the table, my fingers fumbling with the drawstring of the pouch.

"What are you doing?"

The voice was a whip crack behind me. I spun around, the pouch clutched in my hand. Kaelen stood in the doorway of the bedroom, a silk robe now covering him, his wet hair slicked back, his silver eyes blazing with suspicion and rage. He had seen me. He had caught me.