Cassian's POV
Something was wrong with my sister.
Elara stood beside me at the Moon Dance, but she wasn't really there. Her eyes moved constantly, studying every face in the crowd. Her breathing was too fast. Her hands shook even though she tried to hide it.
This wasn't fear. This was fear.
"Elara," I whispered, touching her arm. "Are you okay?"
She jumped like I'd burned her. When she looked at me, her eyes were wild. Desperate.
"Stay close to me tonight," she said, squeezing my hand so tight it hurt. "Don't leave my side. No matter what happens."
"You're scaring me. What's going on?"
"Just promise me, Cassian!"
People nearby turned to stare. I pulled Elara away from the crowd, toward the edge of the pavilion where we could talk quietly.
"Talk to me," I said sternly. "Right now. What are you afraid of?"
Elara's eyes filled with tears. "I can't explain. You'll think I'm crazy."
"Try me."
She opened her mouth, then closed it. Shook her head. "I just have a bad feeling about tonight. Please, just trust me. Stay close."
A bad feeling. That's all she would say. But I knew my sister. Elara didn't get "bad feelings." She was always the positive one, seeing the best in everyone.
This was different. This was like she knew something terrible was coming.
Before I could push harder, our mother appeared out of nowhere.
"There you are!" Mom smiled happily, but something felt off about it. "Elara, why did you change your dress? I laid out the silver one."
"I wanted to wear this one," Elara said coldly.
Mom's smile tightened. "Well, it's not as flattering. But I guess it's too late now." She looked around the crowd. "Many important people are here tonight. Make sure you're nice if anyone approaches you."
"I know how to behave, Mother."
The way Elara said "Mother" made me flinch. It was sharp. Almost angry.
Mom noticed too. Her eyes narrowed for just a second before the smile returned. "Of course you do, darling. I'll leave you young people to enjoy yourselves."
She faded into the crowd, but I saw her glance back at Elara with an expression I couldn't read.
"Since when do you talk to Mom like that?" I asked.
"Since I figured out she's been lying to me my whole life."
My stomach dropped. "What are you talking about?"
"That woman who came when I was eight. The doctor. Mom invited her. Mom let her do something to me. And Mom has been hiding it ever since."
This again. Elara was obsessed with that memory since this morning.
"Even if that's true, why bring it up now? Tonight is going to be fun."
Elara laughed, but it sounded broken. "Fun. Right. This is the night everything goes wrong, Cassian. I can feel it."
"You're not making any sense—"
"Alpha Kieran is here."
I followed her gaze across the pavilion. Sure enough, Alpha Kieran Frostborne had just arrived with his pack. He was tall, powerful, and every woman in the room turned to look at him.
Including my sister.
But Elara wasn't looking at him with respect like the others. She was looking at him with pure hate.
"What did he do to you?" I asked quietly.
"He hasn't done anything. Yet." Elara's grip on my hand tightened. "But he will. Tonight, he's going to ask me to be his mate."
"How do you know that?"
"I just do. And when he asks, I'm going to say no."
Relief flooded through me. "Good. I don't trust him. There's something cold about his eyes."
Elara looked at me sharply. "You see it too?"
"Yeah. Always have. He smiles too much but his eyes never match."
"Why didn't you ever say anything?"
I shrugged. "You seemed to like him. You talked about him all the time. I figured it was just me being overprotective."
Elara's face crumbled. "I was so stupid. I thought he was great. I thought—" She stopped herself. "Never mind. What matters is I see the truth now."
Before I could ask what truth, a wave went through the crowd.
Kieran was walking toward us.
Elara's whole body went rigid. Her breathing stopped. For a second, I thought she might pass out.
"Breathe," I whispered. "I'm right here."
She nodded, but her face had gone pale.
Kieran stopped in front of us, his smile charming and practiced. "Cassian. Good to see you." "Alpha Kieran," I said politely but coldly.
His eyes moved to Elara and something flashed in them. Something that made my senses scream danger.
"Elara Silvermoon," he said easily. "You look lovely tonight. Different dress than I expected."
My blood ran cold. How did he know what dress she was meant to wear?
Elara lifted her chin, meeting his stare without flinching. "People change their minds."
"Indeed they do." Kieran's smile widened, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I came to ask you something important. Would you walk with me? Privately?"
"No," Elara said instantly.
Kieran blinked, shocked. "No?"
"Anything you want to say, you can say in front of my brother."
Tension crackled in the air. Several people nearby stopped talking to watch.
Kieran's jaw stiffened, but he kept smiling. "Very well. Elara Silvermoon, I would like you to accept my claim as your chosen mate. Be my Luna. Rule the Northern Pack by my side."
The crowd around us gasped. This was a big honor. Alpha Kieran was one of the most powerful wolves in the land.
But Elara didn't look honored. She looked disgusted.
"No," she said clearly. "I reject your claim, Alpha Frostborne."
The quiet was deafening. No one moved. No one moved.
I stared at my sister in shock. She actually did it. She rejected him.
Kieran's smile disappeared. His eyes turned to ice. "You might want to reconsider—"
"I don't." Elara's voice was steady and strong. "I will never be your mate. Not in this life or any other."
What a strange thing to say. Not in this life or any other?
Kieran took a step closer, and I quickly moved between him and Elara.
"You should leave," I told him. "She gave you her answer."
"This doesn't concern you, boy."
"She's my sister. Everything concerning her concerns me."
Kieran's hand moved to his side, and I realized with fear that he was reaching for a weapon. At a peaceful Moon Dance.
But then a voice cut through the stress like a blade.
"Is there a problem here?"
Everyone turned.
A man stood in the dark at the edge of the pavilion. He wore a silver mask that covered the top half of his face—traditional for the Lycan King during Moon Dances.
The Lycan King was here.
Everyone immediately bowed. Even Kieran, though he did it slowly and with clear reluctance.
The masked man walked forward, and I felt power rolling off him in waves. This was someone even Kieran couldn't challenge.
"Alpha Kieran," the Lycan King said softly. "Did this young woman not just reject your claim?"
Kieran's face flushed with anger and embarrassment. "She's confused, Your Majesty. She doesn't understand—" "She seemed quite clear to me." The King's voice was cold. "Or do you question her right to refuse?"
"Of course not, Your Majesty."
"Good. Then our business here is finished." It wasn't an idea. It was an order.
Kieran shot one last look at Elara—pure death in his eyes—before turning and walking away.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
The Lycan King turned to Elara. "Are you alright, Miss...?"
"Silvermoon," Elara whispered. "Elara Silvermoon."
The King went completely still. Even through the mask, I could feel his intense attention on my sister.
"Elara," he repeated, like her name meant something.
And then my sister did something that made my heart stop.
She walked straight toward the Lycan King, reached up, and pushed his mask away.
Before anyone could respond, before I could pull her back, before the guards could stop her, she kissed him.
The entire Moon Dance exploded into chaos.