Chapter 2

Elara POV

The sun rose, a mockery of warmth against the frost settling in my marrow.

It brought no light to my world. I hadn't slept. I had spent the night staring at the ceiling, feeling the mating bond in my chest wither like a dying leaf, curling in on itself until only ash remained.

When morning finally broke, I walked into the Council Hall. The air was heavy with the scent of old parchment, ancient timber, and the dust of centuries-old tradition.

Elder Silas, Kael's grandfather, sat at the head of the mahogany table. He looked up, blinking in surprise as I entered.

"Elara, child? What brings you here so early?"

"I am dissolving the engagement."

My voice was calm. Unnervingly so. It didn't sound like the voice of a heartbroken girl; it sounded like a stranger. It scared me.

Silas dropped his quill. It clattered loudly against the wood. "Dissolve? You are the Alpha's Mate. This is not a human marriage you can simply walk away from."

"It is a business arrangement," I corrected him, my tone crisp. "A contract. One that Alpha Kael has publicly and flagrantly breached."

I didn't wait for a response. I laid a thick file on the table between us.

"My family supplies sixty percent of this Pack's silver ore. We control the trade routes to the North. If I am merely a 'political necessity,' as your grandson so eloquently puts it, then I am withdrawing my political assets."

Silas's eyes widened. He was a wolf of logic, not emotion. He knew the Pack's economy relied on the lifeline my family provided.

"You would cut off the supply?" he asked, his voice dropping. "For a lovers' quarrel?"

"For my dignity," I said. "I will cut the supply. I will starve this Pack of silver until you beg. Unless the engagement is annulled, and I am free to find a new Pack."

Silas looked at me-really looked at me-for the first time in years. He didn't see a compliant girl anymore; he saw the steel in my spine.

"I... I will speak to the Council," he stammered, shifting in his seat. "We cannot afford to lose the trade routes."

I walked out, feeling a strange, hollow lightness in my chest. But the universe wasn't done testing me.

I turned a corner and nearly collided with Lyra.

She was coming from the direction of Kael's bedroom. The air around her was thick with his scent-musk, pine, and the undeniable, cloying smell of sex.

She smiled, a sickly sweet curving of her lips that didn't reach her eyes. She hooked her arm through mine with feigned familiarity.

"Oh, Elara! Good morning. Did you sleep well? Kael kept me up all night talking about Pack business. He's so dedicated."

Pack business. Right.

My stomach churned violently. The smell of her, mixed with him, was revolting.

"Don't touch me," I snapped.

I pulled my arm away. I didn't push her. I barely touched her.

But Lyra gasped. She threw herself backward, flailing her arms theatrically, and collapsed onto the stone pathway.

"Ah!" she shrieked, clutching her ankle. Tears instantly welled in her eyes, a perfect performance. "Elara! Why did you push me?"

Within seconds, the sound of thundering footsteps surrounded us. Pack members, warriors, servants-they circled us, their eyes wide and judging.

"She pushed her," someone whispered. "I saw it. Jealousy is an ugly thing."

Then, the air pressure dropped.

Alpha.

Kael pushed through the crowd. He didn't even look at me. He went straight to Lyra, kneeling beside her in the dust. His eyes were filled with a tenderness he had never, not once, shown me.

"Lyra? Are you hurt?"

"She... she didn't mean it, Kael," Lyra sobbed into his chest, burying her face in his shirt. "She's just upset because you spent time with me."

Kael looked up at me. His eyes were cold obsidian, void of any recognition.

Enough.

His voice boomed in my head through the Mind-Link. The Alpha Command.

My knees buckled, hitting the stone with a painful crack. My muscles locked up against my will, forcing me into submission. It was humiliating.

"You are the future Luna," Kael spat, standing up and pulling Lyra with him, shielding her from a threat that didn't exist. "Act like it. Stop bullying those weaker than you."

He wrapped a protective arm around Lyra and walked away. The Pack followed, leaving me kneeling alone in the dust.

They thought I was weak. They thought I was broken.

I looked at the retreating figure of the man who was supposed to be my soulmate.

"Alpha Kael," I whispered to the wind, a vow taking shape on my lips. "Your favor today is your regret tomorrow."