Elara POV

I stood frozen in the hallway, my eyes tracking every detail of the scene before me.

The silk pajamas clinging to Selene’s shoulders.

The custom-made slippers on her feet.

The mug cradled in her hands.

They were all mine.

Every single item was meant for the future Luna of the Blood Moon Pack.

Selene noticed me and immediately jumped up from the armchair, her eyes wide like a frightened rabbit.

She released a thick wave of her green tea Omega scent, layering it with a chemical tang of fear.

“Lady Elara!” she squeaked, taking a step back. “I am so sorry! I was shivering last night, and the Alpha said I could borrow something warm. I promise I will wash them carefully before giving them back!”

My gaze fell not on her, but on the mug she held—a piece of hand-painted porcelain my father had brought me from Vienna. Her cheap, chipped fingernails were curled around its handle.

The clothes didn't matter.

What made my stomach turn, what made the beast under my skin bare its teeth, was Kael.

He stood there, a plate of food in his hands, watching another female claim his Mate's territory.

He was the Alpha. He was supposed to protect the sanctity of our den.

Instead, he had opened the door and invited the intruder inside.

I pulled my rolling suitcase from behind me and pushed it into the center of the room.

“Keep them,” I said, my voice flat and completely devoid of emotion.

“They are already tainted by a low-rank scent. I have no use for dirty things.”

Selene let out a soft, pathetic whimper, her eyes filling with tears.

Kael’s face darkened, his jaw clenching.

He set the plate down on the table with a loud clatter.

Suddenly, a palpable pressure descended upon the room, a physical weight intended to crush the defiance from a lesser wolf and force them to their knees.

It was the Alpha's Command.

“Watch your mouth, Elara,” Kael warned, his voice vibrating with unnatural power. “There is no need for such poison.”

Most wolves would have collapsed under that pressure.

But I was not most wolves.

Deep within my veins ran blood that was old, far older and more potent than his. It was the dormant, silvered blood of the First Wolves, a lineage that answered only to the Moon herself.

I didn't even flinch.

I stood perfectly straight, letting his weak Command wash over me like a light breeze.

“Save your tricks for the Omega, Kael,” I mocked, a cold smile touching my lips. “They do not work on me.”

Kael looked taken aback, his brow furrowing in confusion at my resistance.

“She is an orphan, Elara,” he argued, his voice losing some of its unnatural edge. “She has no pack, no family. You know she is fragile. Why must you target her?”

I didn't bother arguing.

Explaining loyalty to a blind man was a waste of breath.

I walked past them, my shoulder brushing against Kael’s arm, and headed straight into the master bedroom.

I opened the massive walk-in closet.

My breath hitched slightly.

Three of my evening gowns were missing.

My vanity table was a mess, and the rare, Moon-blessed perfume my mother had gifted me was half-empty. My eyes flickered to the heavy, silver-backed mirror on the vanity. I knew the small, magically shielded scrying crystal my father had embedded in its frame was still active. This was not the moment for proof, but for observation.

A hot, violent surge rose in my throat, the primal urge to tear and rend.

I shut my eyes, forcing the creature back into its cage of bone and flesh with a slow, deliberate breath.

I began throwing my remaining jewelry and important documents into my suitcase.

I heard heavy footsteps behind me.

Kael leaned against the doorframe of the closet, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Why are you packing?” he demanded, his eyes scanning my suitcase. “You are moving out of the territory over a few borrowed dresses?”

I zipped the suitcase shut and turned to face him.

“I am leaving because you use her supposed weakness as a weapon,” I told him, looking directly into his eyes.

“You use her tears to force your Mate to step back. That is the real sickness here.”

Kael’s face flushed with anger, but before he could speak, I grabbed the handle of my luggage and walked toward the door.

As I reached the threshold of the bedroom, Kael called out to me.

“Tomorrow night is my mother’s birthday banquet,” he said, his voice hard. “Do not make a scene. Do not embarrass the pack.”

I paused, my hand resting on the doorframe.

I looked over my shoulder, my eyes gleaming in the dim light.

“Do not concern yourself, Alpha,” I promised softly. “You will find my performance... flawless.”