Chapter 2

Elara POV

The brass handle clicked. The heavy oak door swung open, and the temperature in the room plummeted instantly.

Alpha Kaelen Hale stepped over the threshold. He was a mountain of a man, his broad shoulders filling the doorframe. His scent-a suffocatingly dominant wave of Siberian cedar and biting winter frost-flooded the suite, making my lungs seize.

Behind him, the senior Omega servant, Hattie, trembled so violently that the fresh towels in her arms nearly fell. The other maids kept their eyes glued to the floor, terrified of the lethal predator that had just entered their midst.

"Out," Kaelen commanded. His voice was a low, gravelly rumble that vibrated right through my chest.

Hattie and the maids scrambled out without a word, pulling the heavy door shut behind them. The click of the latch sounded like a gunshot in the suffocating silence.

Kaelen didn't look at the massive bed. He didn't spare a glance at the champagne chilling in the corner. His piercing ice-blue eyes locked onto me, sharp and calculating. I kept my gaze lowered, wrapping my arms around myself to play the part of the intimidated bride.

"The tea bought you this conversation, Elara," he said, his tone entirely devoid of warmth. "But do not mistake my presence for a consummation of this farce."

He paced toward the unlit fireplace, keeping a deliberate, rigid distance between us. I knew the real reason behind his coldness. It wasn't just the stress of the Rogue incursions. It was the curse that ravaged his blood, making him terrified of losing control and hurting anyone who got too close.

"I know why your father sent you," Kaelen continued, his voice hard. "A wolfless Omega to fulfill a broken pact. But I don't need a mate to distract me. I need a mother for my late Beta's pups-Jaxon, Asher, and Leo. They need stability."

He turned to face me, his jaw clenched. "Here are my terms. You will have the title of Luna. You will have the absolute protection of the Blackwood Pack. In exchange, you will raise those boys as your own. But I will never touch you. And I will never Mark you. This is a political alliance, nothing more."

He waited, his muscles coiled tight. He was expecting the hysterics. He was waiting for the tears, the begging, the shattered dreams of a young bride realizing she was trapped in a loveless, un-Marked union. Because I was wolfless, he knew I couldn't feel the agonizing pull of the mate bond, which only made him more suspicious of my motives.

I dug my fingernails into my palms, forcing a sheen of unshed tears to my eyes. I let my shoulders slump, shrinking into myself until I looked utterly defeated.

"I understand, Alpha," I whispered, my voice trembling perfectly. I slowly sank into a deep, submissive curtsy. "I am just a wolfless Omega. To be granted your protection and the honor of caring for your pups... I am grateful to the Moon Goddess. I will protect Jaxon, Asher, and Leo with my life."

Silence stretched across the room, heavy and thick.

I peeked through my lashes. Kaelen was staring at me, his brow furrowed in deep confusion. My sheer compliance baffled him. He searched my face for any sign of deceit, anger, or hidden ambition, but all I offered him was the hollow resignation of a girl who had been bullied her entire life.

"See that you do," he finally muttered, his voice tight with unresolved suspicion.

Believing he had successfully established the boundaries of our sterile arrangement, Kaelen gave me one last, unreadable look. Then, he turned his broad back to me, his hand reaching for the brass doorknob to leave the suite.