KAELEN POV:
At the reception that followed, the air was thick with tension. Many of the Pack members shot confused glances between me, Seraphina, and her new pet. An elderly pack member, unaware of the drama, approached me with a smile.
"Alpha, a toast to the happy couple!" he said, handing me a goblet of wine.
It was a beautiful, ornate cup, crafted from gleaming silver.
Before my fingers could even brush the metal, Seraphina's hand shot out, slapping the goblet from the elder's grasp. It clattered to the floor, wine splashing across the stone.
"He can't touch silver!" she snapped, her voice sharp with instinct.
A hush fell over the nearby guests. Seraphina's eyes widened as she realized her slip. She, the amnesiac, had just remembered my deadliest weakness.
"I... I heard Axel's mate mention it," she stammered, recovering quickly. She turned her back on me, a dismissive gesture, and began fussing over Lian, peeling a large shrimp for him with delicate fingers to cover her embarrassment.
Lian leaned in, whispering something in her ear. I didn't need to hear it to know it was vulgar. A dark look crossed Seraphina's face, a mix of annoyance and arousal. She grabbed his hand and pulled him from the hall.
Later, needing some air, I walked toward the terrace. As I passed a row of private lounges, I heard them. Muffled sounds from behind a closed door. Her breathless moans, his guttural pants. The unmistakable rhythm of two bodies moving together.
My vision turned red. My wolf howled in my mind, a hurricane of pure, murderous rage. It screamed at me to break down the door, to rip the Omega limb from limb, to reclaim what was mine. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms, and forced the beast back down into its cage. My control, honed over a decade of Alpha leadership, was the only thing that kept me from committing murder.
The night ended. As I was leaving, Lian's sports car screeched to a halt beside me. He leaned over, grinning. "Need a ride, ex-Alpha? Let me give you a lift."
Before I could refuse, he'd strong-armed me into the passenger seat. The car reeked of his cheap cologne and Seraphina's perfume. It was suffocating.
As he drove, he opened a Mind-Link, flooding my head with a stream of taunts.
"She's incredible, you know? So tight. So responsive. She screams my name..."
I closed my eyes, reinforcing my mental shields, trying to block him out. My silence only seemed to fuel his pathetic need to prove himself.
Suddenly, he wrenched the steering wheel. "Let's have some fun!"
We were at the edge of our territory. A small group of Rogues, gaunt and desperate, were lurking in the shadows of the trees. Lian aimed the car directly at them.
Everything happened in a blur of screeching tires and shattering glass. The car hit a tree and flipped, rolling over and over before coming to a sickening crunch. Pain exploded in my head. Through the shattered windshield, I saw the glowing eyes of the Rogues descending upon us.
A clawed hand reached in, raking across my arm. Searing, white-hot agony shot through me. Silver. The claws were laced with silver. The wounds were deep, black smoke rising from them as the poison burned my flesh.
The world began to fade. I could hear the shouts of our Pack's Warriors arriving. I heard the frantic voice of our lead Healer.
"Alpha! The Omega! They're both hit with silver poison! Who do I save first?"
Seraphina was there. I could feel her presence, her panic. With the last of my strength, I pushed a single, desperate thought through our weakening bond.
"My hand... I'm a fighter... I can't lose my hand..."
I heard Lian let out a series of loud, theatrical groans of pain.
And then I heard Seraphina's choice, clear as a death knell in my fading consciousness.
"Save him," she commanded the Healer, her voice trembling. "Save Lian first."
And then, there was only darkness.