Chapter 6

Elara Thorne POV:

That single word, "Mom," filled me with a strength no magical food ever could. I spent the morning preparing. I chose the best pieces of another moon-rabbit, stewing them slowly until the meat was falling off the bone and the aroma was a prayer in itself. I carefully ladled it into our only stone pot, the one Moira had given me when I first mated her son.

Moira was right. To secure our place, to truly be safe, the approval of my family wasn't enough. I needed the sanction of the pack's leadership. I needed Elder Bram.

I took a deep breath and pushed aside the blanket door. It was the first time I had willingly walked into the main pack grounds since my awakening.

The whispers started immediately. Pack members turned to stare, their expressions ranging from contempt to pity. I was the Alpha's disgraced mate, the Omega who consorted with rogues. I kept my head high and my steps even, clutching the warm stone pot to my chest. My new confidence was a shield, and I could see the confusion it caused in their eyes.

I was almost to the Elder's dwelling when a figure blocked my path. Jax. He wasn't alone. Two other rogues, Clara Hale and Lena Moss, flanked him like vultures.

The black gashes on his face had not healed. They stood out, stark and ugly, against his pale skin. He sneered when he saw the pot in my hands. "Well, well. I knew you couldn't stay away. Is that my apology gift?"

Clara, a woman with deceptively wide, baby-blue eyes, giggled. "She probably earned it on her back, Jax. It's the only skill she has."

A small crowd was gathering, drawn by the prospect of a confrontation. Their faces were hungry for drama.

I felt no anger, only a cold, clear sense of opportunity. This was the stage I needed.

I hugged the pot tighter, my knuckles white. I looked directly at Jax, but I pitched my voice so everyone could hear. "This food, Jax, is an offering for Elder Bram. A prayer for his blessing upon my children."

The crowd went silent. An offering to an Elder was a sacred act. Jax's crude demand was now sacrilege.

His face darkened. "Don't you dare use the Elder's name to protect yourself!" he roared, his desperation making him reckless. "You're a stain on this pack, a rule-breaking Omega who should have been cast out years ago!"

This was my moment. I took a step forward, closing the distance between us, and raised my voice in a formal declaration. "I, Elara Thorne, mate of Alpha Ryker Blackwood, do hereby sever all ties with the rogue, Jax!"

I lifted my free hand, and before anyone could react, I drew my own nail across my palm, slicing the skin. I held my hand out, letting the crimson drops fall onto the dusty ground between us.

"By the name of the Moon Goddess, I declare that this man is nothing to me. Any further harassment of my family will be considered a direct provocation against Alpha Blackwood himself!"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. This was an ancient, binding oath. I had not only renounced him, but I had also cleverly wrapped myself in the authority of my absent mate. Jax's cronies took a nervous step back. This was no longer about bullying a lone Omega; it was about challenging the Alpha.

Jax was stunned into silence, his face a mask of disbelief.

I turned from him, my gaze sweeping over the onlookers. My voice softened, laced with a tremor of a mother's pain. "All I have ever wanted is to protect my children. To see them fed and warm. If that is a crime, then I have nothing more to say."

My words, my bleeding hand, my fierce defense of my offering-it was a powerful combination. I saw the judgment in some of the she-wolves' eyes flicker and turn to sympathy.

The door to Elder Bram's home creaked open. His mate, Elspeth, a she-wolf whose wisdom was etched in the lines on her face, stood there. She looked at the scene, her sharp eyes missing nothing.

Her voice, though quiet, carried across the clearing. "The Elder wishes to see what could cause such a commotion. Come inside, child."