Chapter 5

Elara POV

The heavy silence in the Great Hall was absolute. I kept my hand resting gently near Jaxon, feeling the collective weight of the Blackwood Pack's elite staring at me. Kaelen's gaze was a burning weight against my skin, thick with a mixture of shame and intense suspicion.

Before the Alpha could speak, a saccharine, mocking laugh shattered the quiet.

"Oh, look at her, playing the doting mother," Britteny Hale sneered, her voice dripping with venom. Kaelen's half-sister leaned back in her carved oak chair, her eyes raking over me with undisguised disgust. "One might almost forget you're just a barren, *wolfless* Omega, incapable of giving our Alpha true, strong-blooded heirs."

The insult echoed off the timber-beamed ceiling, a direct and vicious attack on my value as a Luna. The air grew thick with the scent of bristling wolves. I felt the eyes of the entire table waiting for me to crumble, to shrink back into the submissive shell expected of my rank.

Instead, I met her hostile glare with absolute calm.

"They are the Alpha's sons in all but blood," I replied, my voice steady and carrying clearly across the long table. "As his Mate and Luna, they are mine to protect. That is my duty."

Britteny's face flushed with sudden, violent fury. Her status as a high-born she-wolf had just been challenged by the lowest rank in the Pack, and her pride couldn't take it. She opened her mouth, her canines elongating as she prepared to escalate the confrontation.

"Enough, Britteny!"

Elder Seraphina's voice cut through the tension like a silver blade. The sharp command instantly silenced the hall. Seraphina fixed her granddaughter with a stern, unforgiving glare.

"A Luna's care for the Pack's young is a virtue, and your behavior this morning is a disgrace to the Hale name," Seraphina stated, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You will show your Luna the respect she is owed."

Publicly rebuked by the most powerful elder in the Pack, Britteny snapped her mouth shut. She sank back into her chair, her face pale with humiliation, though the hatred burning in her eyes only deepened.

I kept my expression neutral, but inside, my mind was working rapidly. From my past life, I knew exactly where Britteny's obsession with blood purity stemmed from. She and her mother, Lady Debbra, despised these three pups because their father was merely a Beta who had died saving Kaelen. To the arrogant Hale women, a lower-class wolf's sacrifice was simply their duty, not something worthy of elevating his 'common' children to the Alpha's table.

With the immediate conflict suppressed, Elder Seraphina turned her piercing gaze to me. Her expression softened marginally, but the calculation in her eyes remained sharp.

"My dear, you've just arrived," Seraphina said gently, though her words carried the weight of law. "Focus on the children for now. We shall not burden you with the complexities of the Luna's duties yet. The running of the Pack House will remain with Lady Debbra."

It was a test, framed as a kindness. She was withholding my rightful power to observe me, unsure if a wolfless Omega could handle the intricate politics of the Alpha's household.

I immediately lowered my head in a picture-perfect display of respect. "Of course, Elder Seraphina. Lady Debbra is far more experienced, and I have much to learn. I am happy to focus on the boys."

Seraphina nodded, seemingly satisfied with my compliant and humble response.

Let them underestimate me. Let them think I crave the petty power of holding the keys to the pantry. My goal was never the household ledger; it was the key to the Alpha's heart. And that path ran directly through his sons.

Breakfast concluded in a stiff, formal silence. As the elders and warriors began to disperse, I turned my attention back to Jaxon. Up close, I noticed a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead, and his small hands were subtly pressing against his stomach. He looked pale and lethargic.

"Come, boys," I said softly, standing up and offering Jaxon my hand. "It's too stuffy in here. Let's go get some fresh air in the gardens outside the Alpha's office."