Silas POV

She started to move past me but I caught her wrist. The moment our skin touched, the bond flared. 

"Elara, please."

"Please what? What exactly are you asking me to do, Silas?"

"I'm asking you to give me time to find a solution."

"There is no solution. You said it yourself, the contract is binding," She pulled her wrist free, and the loss of contact felt like a physical wound, "I'm going back to my room. Tomorrow, I'm calling my mother and figuring out how to break this contract. And if I can't break it, I'm running away. I don't care about the debt, the alliance, or any of it."

"If you run, I'll find you."

The words came out before I could stop them.

Why would you bother? You can't have me, remember? The contract won't allow it."

"Because you're mine. Mate bond or not, contract or not, you are mine and I will not let you go."

For a moment, something flickered in her eyes. 

"You don't get to have it both ways. You can't claim me while planning to marry someone else," she said. 

"Elara..."

"Goodnight, Alpha."

She walked away, and every step she took felt like she was carving out pieces of my chest. I gripped the terrace railing hard enough that the stone cracked under my hands.

"Well, that was painful to watch."

I turned to find Darius standing in the doorway.

"How long have you been there?" I asked.

"Long enough," He moved to stand beside me, "You're in love with her."

"But I barely know her."

"The bond doesn't care about time. You know that.

"I read the full contract this afternoon. You were right, it's a mess. Marcus Vance was desperate when he signed it and my father took advantage of that."

"Your father was Alpha then. He did what he thought was best for the pack," Darius said. 

"He also hated the Vance's. You and I both know he designed this contract to be cruel.

"There might be a way out."

"What?"

"The contract specifies marriages to Vance daughters. It doesn't specify which brother marries which daughter."

"You're suggesting I marry Elara and Kaelen marry Elena."

"Elena is the firstborn. So as the Alpha, you have first claim to her under pack law. But nothing in the contract explicitly prevents a swap," Darius said. 

"Kaelen would never agree to it."

"Kaelen wants power and Elena is calculating and ambitious. They might actually suit each other," Darius met my eyes, "It's worth exploring. Unless you really do plan to marry Elena while your mate bonds with your brother."

"No."

"Then find a way to fight for her, Silas. Because that girl is about to run, and if she does, I don't think you'll survive it."

He was right. The thought of Elara leaving and never seeing her again, made my wolf howl in agony.

"I need to speak with the Council," I said, "Tomorrow get me copies of all the documents."

"Already done. They're in your study," Darius smiled slightly, "I had a feeling you'd need them."

"What would I do without you?"

"Probably make a lot more mistakes," He pushed off the railing and left me alone with my thoughts and the lingering scent of Elara's perfume on the night air.

Through the windows, I could see Elena holding court with the senior pack members. She was good at politics and charming. 

But she wasn't Elara.

And I was going to burn down every contract and every rule that stood between me and my mate.

Even if it meant going to war with my own brother.

Elara POV

I couldn't sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, I felt Silas through the bond.

By dawn, I had made my decision. I was leaving.

I shoved my clothes back into my backpack, fingers trembling as I wrapped the herb vials. The silver scent suppressant had maybe two days left, but two days was enough to disappear.

A soft knock made me freeze.

"Miss Vance? I've brought breakfast.". 

I opened the door to find a young woman with brown eyes and a tray of food.

"I'm Sera," she said, "Beta Darius thought you might want to eat in your room." 

"Thank you. Sera, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"The main gates, do they stay guarded all day?"

Her smile faded. "You're thinking of leaving."

"I can't stay here."

"Everyone already knows about the mate bond. Word travels fast in a pack this size," She lowered her voice, "There's a service entrance near the kitchens. Guards change shift at seven. If someone wanted to slip out, that would be the time."

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because you deserve better than being passed around like property."

She left before I could thank her.

At six-thirty, I took my backpack and moved through the empty hallways, following Sera's directions. 

I was almost there.

"Going somewhere?"

I spun around and I saw Dr. Reyna Solis standing in the corridor. Her expression was unreadable. 

"I'm just exploring," I said. 

"With your backpack? Interesting exploration technique.

"You're a terrible liar, Elara," She added as stepped closer to where I was and studied me, "The bond is killing you already, isn't it? How long do you think you'll last?"

"Long enough to get away."

"The bond doesn't care about distance. It'll pull you constantly and painfully until you either come back or it drives you mad." 

She pulled a small bottle from her pocket. 

"This is a diluted wolfsbane extract. One drop every six hours. It won't break the bond, but it'll dull it enough that you can function."

I took the bottle, "Why?"

"Because I've known Silas since he was a boy, and I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you," She turned to leave, "The guard shift changes in five minutes. If you're going to run, now's your chance."

I made it to the service entrance. The door was right there, unlocked. Through the window, I could see the forest. 

My hand was on the doorknob when I felt it, it was a intense spike of pure agony through the bond.

Something was wrong with Silas. Silas was afraid.

My feet moved before my brain caught up, running back through the corridors and staircase following the bond. Shouting erupted from above.

"Where is she?" Silas said. 

When I got there, a crowd had gathered outside his study.

I made way through the crowd and in the center, Silas had Kaelen pinned against the wall by his throat.

"Tell me what you did," Silas said, "She's gone and you were seen near the East Wing."

"I'm right here," I shouted toward Silas.

Silas dropped Kaelen and crossed the room in two steps, pulling me against his chest. The bond felt relief.

"You're here. You're safe."

"What's going on?"

"Sera told me you were planning to run. I thought something had happened to you."

Guilt stabbed through me, "I was going to run. But I changed my mind."

"Why?"

Before I could answer, Elena's voice cut through from the doorway.

"How touching. The Alpha is ready to murder his own brother over a girl he can't even keep," She stood there, perfectly composed, "I'm not an idiot, Silas. I saw the way you looked at her at dinner," Her eyes moved to me, "You're his mate right?" 

Silence fell in the room.

"That doesn't matter, yhe contract states that he marry the firstborn and that's you," I said.

"The contract doesn't account for fated mates." Elena said, "Tell me Alpha, what were you planning to do? Marry me and keep her as your mistress?"

"I was trying to find a solution to all of this," Silas said. 

"Well, let me save you the trouble. I don't want a husband who's in love with someone else.

"The contract requires marriage to a Vance daughter. It doesn't specify which brother marries which sister," Elena added. 

"You want to marry me?" Kaelen asked. 

"You want power and a husband who'll actually pay attention to me. We can make that work right?"

"This is insane," I said.

"This is politics," Elena said as she circled the room, "You will get your mate and I will get a husband who wants me. Kaelen gets elevated status and the contract is fulfilled. Unless you have a better idea?"

"The Council will never approve it," Kaelen said. 

"The Council answers to the Alpha," Elena said as she stared at Silas, "And the Alpha wants his mate more than he wants to admit."

Every eye in the room turned to Silas.

"I need time to review the legal implications," he said after a long silence, "Darius, get the Council together. We'll discuss terms this afternoon."

"And what about her?" Elena pointed toward me, "Does she get a say?"

"She's my mate," Silas said quietly, "Nothing happens without her agreement."

"How refreshing." Elena headed for the door and disappeared into the crowd. 

"Are you really willing to hand me the firstborn? To give me that kind of leverage?" Kaelen said. 

"I'm willing to find a solution that doesn't involve anyone being forced," Silas replied.

"This is a very stupid but noble act," Kaelen said as he smiled coldly, "But if this plan doesn't falls through and the contract still stands. I won't be generous about sharing."

He left. Finally, it was just Silas, Darius, and me.

"You were really going to run?" Silas asked.

"I was."

"Why did you come back?"

"Because I felt that you were in pain and I couldn't leave you like that."

"I'll let you two talk," Darius said quickly, disappearing through the door.

"You destroyed your study," I said.

"I thought I'd lost you before," He held my hands with warmth, "Please don't run from me again, Elara."

"Don't give me reasons to run," I said. 

"What if the Council rejects this and I have to choose between you and the pack?"

"Then I guess we'll just have to find out what you're really made of, Alpha."

"I'm starting to think you're the bravest person I've ever met," Silas said. 

"The Council meeting is in four hours. Will you be there?" He added. 

"Do I have a choice?"

"Yes. You always have a choice with me, Elara."

"I'll be there. But Silas, If this doesn't work, I'm not marrying Kaelen. I don't care what the contract says."

"Neither am I marrying Elena. We'll find another way."

"And if there isn't one?"

"Then I'll burn the contract and deal with the consequences."

The bond surged between us. 

Four hours until the Council meeting and four hours until everything changed.

Again.

-------------

The corridor felt colder the moment the heavy Council doors slammed shut behind us, and Silas didn't say a single word as he kept my hand firmly locked in his, our fingers threaded together so tightly that it almost hurt, pulling me down the long hallway with the kind of urgency that suggested the entire building might collapse if we dared to slow down even for a second.

We didn't stop until we reached his private quarters, where he shoved the door open with his shoulder, tugging me inside after him, and then kicked it closed so hard that the whole frame rattled before the lock snapped into place with a click.

For a long moment we simply stood there in the near-darkness, breathing too loudly in the quiet room, the only light coming from the low, flickering fire still burning in the hearth.

Then he turned and looked at me and everything he had been holding back so carefully during that endless Council session came rushing out all at once.

"Elara," he said, my name sounding rough and raw.

I took one small step toward him, and that was all it took for him to close the remaining distance between us, his hands rising to cup my face with the kind of gentleness that made my pulse race.

"You shouldn't have revealed the silver scent to them," I said, my voice trembling just a little despite my best efforts to keep it steady. "You could have waited, could have fought the challenge without giving them that advantage."

"Stop," he said, shaking his head. "Don't even try to talk me into being reasonable tonight."

And then he kissed me.

It wasn't gentle or careful, instead it felt like he had been holding back from doing this; the kiss was hungry and messy and carried the edge of anger, his mouth crashing against mine as though he had been starving for month, his teeth were grazing my lower lip, and his tongue was sweeping in without hesitation, a low growl rumbling from deep in his chest and vibrating straight into mine.

I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and kissed him back with the same fierce intensity, because if I didn't pour everything I was feeling into that moment, I was afraid I would either burst into tears or start screaming.

Without any warning he lifted me, and my legs wrapped around his waist on instinct, locking tight as he carried me across the room without ever breaking the kiss or stumbling once, until the backs of my knees hit the edge of the bed and we tumbled down together in a chaotic heap of tangled limbs and desperate, searching hands.

He pulled back just far enough to look at me properly, his pupils blown wide, lips swollen and red, chest rising and falling in heavy, uneven breaths.

"Tell me to stop," he said, his voice completely wrecked. "Right now, if you want me to stop, say the words."

I reached up and touched his face slowly, tracing the hard line of his jaw, the faint scar on his cheek, the tense curve of his mouth. "Don't you dare stop."