Chapter 2 No.2

Kaelen POV:

*Yes, my Alpha.*

The reply came through the Mind-Link, clean and immediate. Too clean. Caelia's acceptance was so swift, so devoid of the usual emotion that clung to her messages, that it made the wolf inside me pace with an unfamiliar agitation.

I pushed the feeling down. This was good. This was what I wanted. Relief. That's what this feeling was.

"See? She took it well," I said to Jax, who was standing by the window of my office, looking out into the night. "The plan worked."

Jax turned, his expression still troubled. "I don't know, Kaelen. She's not the type to give up. This feels more like the quiet before a storm. She's probably planning some dramatic scene to win you back."

My jaw tightened. He was right. Caelia was persistent. Her crush had been the talk of the pack for years, a sweet but ultimately inconvenient fact of my life. I had to see this through, for Seraphina. I had to show Seraphina that I was completely, unequivocally hers.

The memory of Seraphina's scent-wildflowers and summer rain-filled my senses. I had first caught that scent years ago, a fleeting fragrance near the borderlands that my wolf had instantly claimed as *mate*. I'd spent years searching for its source, and a few months ago, I found it. On her.

Caelia's scent, a pleasant but unremarkable mix of vanilla and moonpetals, was a confusing distraction. My wolf ignored it, but the human part of me had always felt a strange sense of peace around her. A weakness I needed to stamp out.

The office door burst open, slamming against the wall. Ronan, my Beta and my best friend, stood there, his eyes blazing with fury.

"What did you do, Kaelen?" he snarled, his voice a low growl.

"I did what was necessary," I replied, standing to face him. "I ended her delusion."

"By humiliating her? By inventing a fake mate and a fake child?" Ronan took a step forward, his massive frame radiating menace. "She's my sister, Kaelen! An Omega under your protection!"

Before I could answer, a soft, feminine voice echoed in my mind. *Kaelen, my love? The pup is awake and needs feeding. Could you come with me to the market tomorrow? We need to buy some things to make this look more convincing.* It was Seraphina. Her mental voice was a balm to my frayed nerves.

My duty was clear. My chosen mate needed me.

I looked at Ronan, my oldest friend, and my voice dropped into the low, rumbling timbre of command. The Alpha's Command. "You will stand down, Beta."

The power in my voice hit him like a physical blow. Ronan froze, his muscles locking, his jaw clenched in a silent snarl of defiance. He was fighting it, his Beta strength warring against my Alpha authority, but it was a battle he couldn't win. His body was forced into submission, even as his eyes burned with hatred.

"We'll discuss this later," I said coldly, turning my back on him. I walked out of the office, leaving him paralyzed in a cage of my own making.

Jax and the other Gammas quickly surrounded him as I left. I heard their muffled voices through the door. "Don't be stupid, Ronan." "He's the Alpha." "She'll get over it."

I shut their voices out. They didn't understand. None of them understood the pull I felt for Seraphina. It was a bond forged by fate, and I would let nothing-and no one-stand in its way.

A few days later, the pack gathered for Ronan's birthday celebration. It was a large affair, held in the main hall. I made my entrance with Seraphina on my arm, holding the borrowed Rogue pup in a carrier. The pup was quiet, sedated with a mild herb to keep it from whining.

The pack members parted before us, their heads bowed in respect. My eyes scanned the crowd, looking for one person. I found her standing near the back, talking quietly with a few other Omegas. Caelia.

She looked different. Her usual bright-eyed optimism was gone, replaced by a calm, almost cold, composure. It was unsettling.

I led Seraphina directly to her. This had to be public. It had to be final.

"Caelia," I said, my voice projecting so those nearby could hear. "I'd like you to meet Seraphina, my chosen Luna." I gestured to the carrier. "And this is our son."

The entire hall seemed to hold its breath. All eyes were on the Omega girl I was about to shatter.

But she didn't shatter. She looked from me to Seraphina, her expression unreadable. Then, she lowered herself into a graceful, formal bow of submission, the kind an Omega offers to their Luna.

Her voice was clear and steady, without a single tremor. "It is an honor, my future Luna."

Seraphina, playing her part perfectly, placed a gentle hand on Caelia's shoulder. "Thank you, Caelia. I know this must be difficult for you." Her tone was sweet, but her eyes held a glint of triumph. "I do hope you'll come to our Marking Ceremony next month. It would mean so much to Kaelen... and to me."

The invitation was a final twist of the knife. A public demand for her to witness me binding my soul to another.

Caelia looked up, her gaze meeting mine for a fleeting second. There was nothing there. No pain, no love, no pleading. Just a vast, empty stillness.

"Of course," she said. "I would be honored to attend."

---