Elara
The room was too quiet.
I stood near the arched window of Lucien's estate—no, fortress—and stared out at the darkened woods that seemed to press in from all sides. The moon had dipped lower, its silver glow now a muted sheen against the frost-kissed trees.
It had only been a few hours since Lucien had brought me here, but it felt like I was already losing pieces of myself.
The heavy wooden door creaked open behind me.
"I told you I don't need a guard," I said flatly, without turning around.
"And yet here I am," came a smooth voice—deeper than Lucien's, with a bite of dry humor. "Not a guard, by the way. Just someone who doesn't like being ignored in his own house."
I turned to find a man leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed. He was tall like Lucien, though not quite as imposing. His hair was shorter, neater, and his eyes were sharp—amber, not gray, and full of scrutiny.
He wore a half-buttoned shirt, rolled at the sleeves, and there was a scar slicing down one brow, giving him an almost rakish charm. But it was the air of quiet authority around him that told me who he was even before he said it.
"You're the Beta," I said.
"Kieran," he offered. "Lucien's right hand, punching bag, occasional babysitter."
I raised an eyebrow. "So... you're here to babysit me?"
He grinned. "Something like that."
I didn't smile back. "Well, I'm not in the mood."
"I got that impression," he said, pushing off the wall and stepping into the room like he owned it. "But I'm also not here to play nice. I'm here to figure out if you're going to destroy him."
My breath caught. "Excuse me?"
Kieran's expression sobered. "Lucien's been different since you showed up. He's colder. Edgier. Like the bond is driving him mad—and he's barely holding it together."
A mix of guilt and something darker stirred in my chest. I hadn't asked to be mated. I hadn't wanted to ruin anyone's life.
"I didn't choose this," I said quietly.
"None of us do." Kieran walked to the opposite window, his eyes flicking toward the woods. "But you're not just any omega. There's something… off. He won't tell me what it is, but he's on edge like I've never seen."
I looked away. "He doesn't trust me."
"Not fully," Kieran agreed. "But he doesn't want to let you go either. Which means he'll fight anyone—including himself—to keep you."
I swallowed hard. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"No," Kieran said. "It's supposed to make you think."
Before I could answer, a low knock came from the door, followed by Lucien's voice. "Kieran."
The Beta gave me one last lingering look. "I hope you're worth it," he muttered under his breath, then moved to open the door.
Lucien stepped in, his presence shifting the energy in the room immediately. His gaze swept over me like a storm—calculating, hungry, and conflicted all at once.
"Kieran," he said, eyes never leaving mine. "Give us the room."
Kieran hesitated just a second too long. "Don't wait too long to tell her, Lucien," he said quietly. "She deserves to know."
And then he was gone.
The door clicked shut.
Lucien moved closer, his body taut like a coiled spring. "What did he say to you?"
"That you're losing your mind."
His jaw clenched. "He's not wrong."
The silence between us stretched, the tension tightening with every breath. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, echoing in the stillness.
"You brought me here like I'm some kind of treasure," I said. "But you won't even look at me the same way twice."
He stepped forward. "You think I don't want to?"
My voice trembled. "Then why are you always so... cold?"
He stopped a foot away from me, the heat of him making it impossible to breathe.
"Because if I let go," he growled, "I'll ruin you."
His words hit like a punch to the gut.
"You won't," I said, quietly but firmly. "You don't scare me."
"You should."
We were so close now. His hand hovered near my face, trembling slightly. I could feel the restraint in him—the need to touch, to claim, to feel—battling the part of him that believed he was poison.
I hated how drawn I was to him. How my wolf ached every time he was near. How part of me wanted him to lose control.
He finally brushed a knuckle down my cheek.
It burned like fire and soothed like water.
"I don't know how to be this," he whispered. "How to have a mate."
"And I don't know how to be wanted by someone like you."
We stood like that for a moment—silent, raw, broken.
Then the door slammed open.
Kieran burst in, breathless, eyes wild. "We've got a problem."
Lucien's body went rigid. "What is it?"
"Scouts just returned," Kieran said. "Rogues. Two miles from the southern border. And they weren't just wandering."
Lucien's tone turned lethal. "What were they doing?"
"Tracking someone."
His eyes snapped to me.
My stomach dropped.
"They were tracking her," Kieran confirmed grimly.