[Elara's POV]
I arrived at the Blackwood Pack Hall carrying the defense schematics for the rogue threat, only to stop dead in the doorway. Alpha Kaelen was fastening a necklace around Seraphina's neck.
The Moon Goddess Amulet shimmered under the candlelight, like a single, solidified tear of the moon itself.
I froze, the papers nearly slipping from my fingers.
A mournful howl echoed from my inner wolf. A sharp, needle-like pain shot through the mate bond that tethered my soul to Kaelen's.
In three years, I had never asked him for a single thing. This was the first. And only because that amulet was the last thing I had of my mother's.
"It's just a necklace. You're staring at it like you've never seen silver before," Kaelen's Beta, Lucian, sneered from his post by the fire. "Then again, a lone wolf from a dead clan probably hasn't. Your world is just as small."
I ignored his barb. The beast inside me snarled, wanting to tear that arrogant smirk from his face, but I fiercely crushed the urge.
With long strides, I closed the distance between us, my hand reaching for Seraphina's neck.
In the next instant, a powerful grip clamped around my wrist. Kaelen.
"I've already given it to Seraphina," his voice was ice.
"But you promised me!" I snapped my head up, fury blazing in my ice-blue eyes. It was the first time he had ever seen me lose my composure.
Kaelen's brow furrowed, his amber eyes clouded with displeasure. "Don't be difficult, Elara. It's a gift for Seraphina. We're celebrating her appointment as War Master."
Difficult?
My heart didn't just sink; it shattered into a million frozen shards.
"And what if I insist on taking it back?" My voice trembled with a rage I could barely contain.
Lucian let out a derisive snort. "See, Kaelen? I told you she wasn't worthy of you. Greedy, useless, and weak. You should have rejected her years ago. Only a powerful she-wolf like Seraphina deserves to stand by your side."
We were secret mates, a fact known to only a trusted few. But it was common knowledge that Seraphina was Kaelen's intended "political match."
"Don't be absurd. I have no interest in being a third wheel," Seraphina drawled. Her scent flooded the air—a contemptuous, thorny vine of pheromones that wrapped around me, choking me.
She unclasped the amulet and tossed it carelessly at my feet.
The Moon Goddess Amulet—my mother's priceless heirloom—lay like a piece of forgotten trash on the cold stone floor.
My eyes instantly burned hot. My mother had cherished that amulet more than anything.
I slowly knelt, my fingers trembling as I picked it up. The cold metal stung my palm, a pain that shot straight through to my soul.
Seraphina stared down at me, her tone laced with condescension. "A she-wolf's value is in her bloodline and her strength. Instead of fighting over a dead woman's trinket, maybe you should focus on improving yourself."
"What strength could she possibly have?" Lucian's venomous words slithered into my ears. "Some stray who crawled out of a ditch. If Kaelen hadn't taken pity on her with some pointless job, she'd have starved in the wilds years ago."
And my mate, my Alpha, stood there in silence.
He was letting it happen.
I rose to my feet, clutching the amulet tightly, my gaze cutting past them to lock directly onto Kaelen.
Taking a deep breath, I swallowed every ounce of humiliation and rage. I remembered the mind-link I had received just before coming here. My parents' Hero's Spirit Stones had been transported. They would arrive at the Elder Council's Sanctum tomorrow.
"Fine. Forget the amulet," I said, my voice terrifyingly calm. "Tomorrow, my parents' Spirit Stones are being returned from the Forbidden Lands. I want you to be there with me to receive them."
In life, my parents' greatest worry had been for my future.
I wanted Kaelen to be there, to grant them—and me—one final piece of honor. A final shred of dignity.
Kaelen froze. A flicker of something—hesitation, maybe even guilt—crossed his handsome face. He knew my parents were heroes who had sacrificed themselves to protect every pack.
Seraphina's expression soured.
Lucian just scoffed. "Elara, you really know how to play the victim, don't you? You'd even lie about something like that just to get Kaelen's attention."
I paid him no mind. My eyes were fixed stubbornly on Kaelen, waiting.
He was silent for a long moment before finally nodding. "Fine. I'll be there tomorrow."
Without another word, I turned and left the Pack Hall.
Behind me, I could still hear Lucian's incredulous voice. "Are you really going with her tomorrow?"
"Regardless of anything else, Elara is my mate," Kaelen's voice was low but firm. "It's my duty to be there."
"She's lying! Who would transport the relics of some lone wolf's parents all the way back from the Forbidden Lands?"
Lone wolf.
The words were a poisoned dagger, twisting deep in my heart.
I looked down at the amulet in my hand. "Father, Mother," I whispered. "Tomorrow… I'm coming to bring you home."
The next day, the appointed time came and went. Kaelen never showed.
A cold tide of unease washed over me. I reached out to him through our mind-link.
The moment the connection opened, his impatient voice flooded my thoughts.
"Seraphina's mother was scratched by a thornvine. I'm with her at the Shaman's."
"Kaelen, quickly, help my mother," Seraphina's urgent voice cut through the link, painfully clear.
"I'm here," Kaelen replied. His tone was gentle enough to soothe a storm.
For me, all that remained was the cold, metallic ring of duty.
Before I could say another word, he slammed the connection shut.
For a moment, the world went black. The sensation of my soul being ripped in two was so intense I nearly collapsed against the ancient stones of the plaza. My mate. He had abandoned me on the day I was to welcome home the spirits of my heroic parents… to comfort his political match's mother over a scratch.
The irony was a bitter pill I could barely swallow.
I braced myself against the wall, slowly pushing myself upright and wiping the angry moisture from the corners of my eyes.
I went alone to the solemn Elder Council's Sanctum.
At the entrance, Sanctum Wardens in heavy armor stood guard, their halberds held firm, their faces grim. I walked forward and stopped before them, my spine ramrod straight.
Even if I was the only one here, I would bring my parents' honor home.
I took a deep breath, mustering every ounce of strength I had left, and announced in a loud, clear voice that seemed to pierce the heavens.
"Elara of Clan Silvermoon, here to receive the heroes who gave their lives for all wolf-kind!"
My voice rang out across the sanctum plaza, echoing off the clouds.
The heavy, ornate doors of the Sanctum, carved with the sigil of the Moon Goddess, began to swing open.