Episode 2 – Whispers and Cameras

(Elena's POV)

I heard a heavy click as the door shut behind me.

Inside the car, it seemed like everything was quieter and darker. When it rained, it hit the windows like a million fingers moving quickly. The man next to me didn't say anything. It was impossible to avoid him because he filled the room with a thick, dark smoke.

My heart was still beating fast as I leaned back in my seat. It was heavy and wet, and my wedding dress stuck to my skin. I had wet arms and a pool of water in my lap from the rain.

He started the car. The engine purred like a big cat getting ready to run.

"Where are you taking me?" It was hard to hear me when I finally asked.

He didn't look at me. "Somewhere safe."

"Safe?" I was going to laugh. "I don't even know your name."

He looked at me for a split second, long enough for our eyes to meet. "You don't need it yet."

It wasn't mean in tone; it was firm. It felt like a door slammed in my face.

It was easy to drive in the city, and the headlights made lines of silver on the wet road. Outside, people were still having a good time, but they had no idea that my life had just fallen apart hours before.

I looked at myself in the cold glass with my head against it. My hair was straight and my mascara was running down my face. My lipstick was on its way out. The bride in the window looked like a ghost.

"Why did you stop for me?" I whispered the question.

"Because no one else would have," he replied. "Not after what just happened."

I was sick. "You know?"

He gave a quick nod. "Everyone will find out soon." People quickly tell each other when an Alpha leaves in the middle of a vow.

It was hard for me to swallow. "Were you there?"

"No," he replied. "But half of the region was." Before midnight, the other half will see it.

I made a face. " see it?"

He let out a sigh, pulled out a small black tablet, and gave it to me. As I tapped the screen, my hands were shaking.

The title really hit me.

"ALPHA DAMIAN HALE LEAVES BRIDE AT ALTAR-SAYS HIS PREGNANT MISTRESS IS IN THE HOSPITAL."

There was a picture below it. My picture. Damian turned his back, my bouquet fell, and my face went red with shock.

I kept scrolling down and saw more: pictures from different views, chatting guests, my dad's angry face, and Selene's smirk. A short film of me running in the rain.

"Oh my Moon..." I said softly.

He didn't say anything.

I felt sick. The comments below the video were really mean.

"Poor girl."

"She should have known better."

"Guess she wasn't good enough for him."

"Alphas don't get married to people who aren't important."

The tablet fell to the floor, and I looked down at the ground.

When I said, "He ruined me," my voice shook. "In front of everyone." Now... this.

The car stopped. "You weren't broken." He just proved himself.

I looked at him. "And what are you?" "Another Alpha is here to teach me a lesson?"

He laughed in a low, dull way. "Alpha?" Not at all.

Then he looked at me with eyes that were still and hard to read. "I'm a lot worse than that."

It made my skin crawl the way he said it. It wasn't scary; it was just interesting. He didn't look like a human or a wolf in some way. Auras like him made the air hum around him.

"Who are you?" I whispered once more.

"Someone who knows the difference between being strong and being cruel," he said. "And someone who doesn't owe your old Alpha anything."

The car went off the main road and into the woods on a narrow path. The clouds and tall, dark trees were lit up by headlights that moved over them like ghosts.

We stopped in front of a stone wall. Two men in black stood guard. As the car went by, they stooped a bit.

"Where are we?" I asked in a low voice.

What he said was "neutral land." "Far enough away from your ex-pack that they won't be able to find you."

I could see the huge house through the fog. It had old stone walls, wide arches, and windows that lit up like eyes watching over them. I was having trouble breathing.

"This is yours?"

He gave one nod.

That question made me feel like I had to ask something else, but I was too tired. All over my body hurt and made me feel bad. While I was following him, I got out of the car and put my bare feet on the wet dirt.

He looked at the torn dress I was dress in. "You're cold."

"I'll survive it."

"Not like that, you won't ." He took off his coat and wrapped it around me. It was warm and had a light smoke and woods smell to it. He was already on his way to the door when I tried to stop him.

It was warm inside, and the air smelled like wood. It was too quiet in the huge, pretty hall. Lines of shadow moved along the stone walls.

He looked at a guard. "Get her some dry clothes to wear."

I made a face. "You don't have to-"

He looked at me and told me to stop. "It's not a request."

Soon after, I was in a guest room that was the same size as my old flat. I put on shorts and a simple gray shirt. It still smelled like rain and sadness on my skin.

When I came back into the hall, he was waiting by the window with a glass in his hand. His jaw looked sharp and his eyes looked cold as the firelight flashed across his face.

"What's your name?" I asked again.

He looked at me after turning a little. "Adrian."

"Adrian who?"

He raised his lips a bit. "Adrian Black."

I was frozen. I knew the name. It was something I had heard before, but only in words of fear and respect. He is the Lycan king.

My heart beat faster. "You're-"

"Yes."

I moved back. "Why would a Lycan King help me?"

He turned around and looked out the window again. His voice was quiet, but it had a sharp edge to it. "Because I hate men who take things that aren't theirs."

Something in me shook when I heard those words.

I took a big breath. "I'll be the talk of the town now," I said. "Damian's group, the elders, and the rest of them." they will say I deserve it.

He looked at me. "Then make them choke on what they say."

"How?"

"By going higher than they ever thought you could."

He walked toward me. The air between us became heavy and charged. His eyes looked darker because of the fire. "You don't know who you are yet, Elena Rivers." They will, though.

I stared at him. "Who am I?"

He gave a small smile. "Not who. What?

Before I could ask, there was a loud buzzing sound that cut me off. He looked at the table and saw a small black screen blinking. He had a guard come through the door.

"My King." the guard said "It's begun."

Adrian told me to follow him.

We went down the hall and into a room with many screens. Dozens of live feeds showed different areas of the pack, like newsrooms, meetings, and even the council hall. I was on every screen.

My wedding. It made me feel bad. My name is.

It was being spread all over the place.

I put my hand over my mouth in horror. "Why would they do that?"

Adrian's jaw got tight. "Someone who wants to hurt you." He took a moment to think, "And maybe someone who is scared of what you are."

I was confused as I looked at him. "What do you mean?"

One of the screens went out before he could answer. Damian showed up on it and stood next to Selene. There were reporters all around him like birds.

Damian said in a smooth voice, "She was never good enough to be Luna." "The wedding was planned." I could no longer lie to my people.

The room turned around. I grabbed the edge of the desk because I couldn't see clearly.

I said in a whisper, "Turn it off." "Please."

Adrian wasn't moving. Even though his face didn't change, his attitude did. The sharp, cold air around him got worse.

When he did speak, it was in a quiet but dangerous way. "I didn't know he was starting a war,"

My heart was beating fast as I looked at him. "War?"

When he looked at me, his eyes burned right through me. "Yes." You can hide when it starts, or you can become who you were meant to be.

I made a face and waited. "And what's that?"

Adrian walked up to her and spoke softly.

"An Alpha bloodline that no one would touch."

Before I could do anything, a guard ran in. "My King, there is movement at the border." Hale's scouts are now here.

Adrien's eyes went totally dark. "So it begins," he said softly.

I looked through the window. Far away, through the rain, faint howls could be heard.

The sound sent chills down my spine.

I knew at that moment that my sadness was just the beginning.

Episode 3 – The Deal He Spoke Of

(Elena's POV)

The growls were sharp and hollow, and you could hear them in the rain.

He had a tight jaw as he watched the shadows move through the fog. His men were ready, and in the dark, their eyes looked a faint gold color. My whole body was tense.

The wedding dress I took off hours before was still following me around. The silk, the flowers, and the broken vows still bother me.

The trees, the night, and the man next to me who didn't care were all there.

"What do they want?" I whispered the question.

Adrian looked at me quickly. "To send a message."

"What kind of message?"

His eyes got less light. "The kind that makes you feel guilty."

Before I could ask anything else, the gates opened with a squeak. A small group of wolves approached-Damian's colors marked across their armor. One of them held a black envelope.

Adrian's guards did not move until he said "yes." The wolf bowed his head and gave him the envelope. "From Alpha Damian Hale."

Adrian opened the envelope, took out a folded letter, and read it quietly. It was hard to read his face because of the firelight, but he then laughed slowly and dangerously.

"What is it?" My voice was shaking as I asked.

When he turned around, his voice was dull. He says that you are still his.

It made my stomach hurt. "What?"

"He says that your marriage is strong because it was witnessed and can't be broken by any Lycan law." I was told to bring you back before dawn.

I turned my head away. "That's crazy." He was the one who left.

Adrian handed the letter me. As I read the words, anger made it hard for me to focus.

Elena Rivers is still subject to pack law. While the wedding was still going on, it was not an act of love but a political union. We still have a good deal between our packs. She can't leave the Hale area without permission. It will be seen as an act of war if you don't follow through.

- Alpha Damian Hale

It made my hands shake. "He's calling our wedding a... business deal?"

Adrian's speech was calm, but I could hear the edge in it. "He's changing the story before you can say anything."

I broke down in some way. It was all the shame I had hidden behind tears that came back to me. "He's trying to get rid of what he did!" To make me look like a pawn!

Adrian's eyes became a little less harsh. "Then show him you're not."

I looked at him. "And how do I do that?"

With less noise, he stepped closer and spoke. "By making your own deal."

"Mine...?"

He said yes. "Let's play better politics if he wants to." Elena, you're not the weak bribe he thinks you are. "You're the daughter of Alpha Rivers."

I was frozen. "How do you know that name?"

He gave a small smile. "Because your dad stood next to mine once."

I was shocked and blinked. "Your father... the Lycan King before you?"

Adrian gave a single nod. "He put his faith in your family bloodline. said you'd change everything when the time was right.

It hurt my chest. "My dad is dead."

"His legacy isn't."

Before I could answer, the door opened all of a sudden. One of Adrian's guards walked in and was breathing hard. "My King, there's a signal from Hale's territory." Check this out.

I followed Adrian as he quickly went to the monitor room. The screens came back to life.

Damian walked out in front of media and pack members and stood tall. Selene was standing next to him. She was wearing a white dress and made a fake sad face.

It felt like my throat was on fire as I listened.

"Today was a misunderstanding," Damian said in a calm voice. "Elena Rivers and I agreed on something with our families." It was always about peace, never love. She was wrong, though. When I found out Selene was pregnant with my child, I had to respect our real bond.

People in the room gasped.

Selene wiped her eyes in a dramatic way. "I never wanted to get in the way of them," she stated. "But fate had other plans."

"Fate?" I asked in a low voice.

He then said, "Elena can do what she wants." She was never Luna, though. There was no treason; only correction.

The palm of Adrian's hand closed up stiffly.

It was hard for me to breathe. "He's making me sound like some crazy person!"

Adrian turned off the screen. "He's making you sound small." That's even worse.

When I looked up at him, my eyes hurt. "Then make me big again."

He didn't smile this time. "Be careful what you ask for."

"I really mean it, Adrian." I'm not going to hide while he calls me a mistake.

He gave me a long look. Then, in a low voice, he said, "Tomorrow night, Alpha leaders, elders, and Lycan representatives will meet as a council." If you tell them the truth, it can change everything. You'll have to pay me though.

"Do I owe you?"

"Yes." There is no such thing as free in this world.

I thought about it. "What kind of debt?"

As he leaned in, the light from the fire caught his eye. "As my ally, you'll be there for me in person and in name." People in the packs will think that the Lycan King is watching out for you. And in return, no one will ever question your place again.

My heart beat faster. "You mean... act like yours?"

He said, "Act like," but it was hard to understand what he meant this time.

It was crazy. But I felt strong for the first time in days.

"okay," I said in a low voice. "I'll do it."

Adrian looked at me for a second and then nodded. "Then we have a deal."

By morning, the storm was over. The sky was a dull metal color, and the air was cool. There was a mirror in one of Adrian's rooms where I stood. I wasn't a bride; I was a new person.

The black dress was simple, classy, and strong, like armor. Things that were warmer had taken the place of the bruises under my eyes.

A maid took a step back. "You look... strong."

"Good," I replied. "That's what I need to be."

When I walked into the main hall, Adrian was already there. It was hard to read his face because he was wearing a black suit. He looked at me with soft eyes for a split second.

He said, "You look good."

"So do you."

Before the doors opened, we smiled briefly, as if we knew each other.

There was no bias in the place where the council meeting took place. The round great hall was filled with lights and flags from different packs. There were whispers all around us when we walked in.

"Is that her?"

"The bride who was left at the altar?"

"With the King of the Lycans?"

Some of their eyes were interested, while others were angry. I didn't move, though.

Adrian showed me the way to the middle. It was a whispered "Stay close."

The head of the council stood up. He was an old wolf with silver eyes. "King Adrian, what do we owe this surprise visit?"

The way Adrian spoke was cool. "To get rid of a lie before it gets bigger."

The boss turned his attention to me. "The girl from Rivers?"

He replied, "Yes." "She's not Hale's pawn anymore." This is my promise to protect her.

A quiet sound made its way around the room.

Before anyone could answer,

Damian walked in from the other side, his steps loud and sure. Selene went after her, holding her stomach as if to protect her "unborn child."

I felt old pain when I saw him, but I stood tall.

"King Adrian," Damian said without a hitch. "I didn't know you were interested in my private life."

Adrian said, "Your lies made it political."

It was hard for Damian to smile. "Elena's marriage to me was set up by our elders." "She knows that."

My voice was steady. "No." Damian, I had faith in you. You made me swear to you that I would live my whole life. It wasn't business; it was treason.

The crowd got up. Damian's face twitched with anger.

He lost it and said, "I did what was best for my pack."

"Good for your ego." I said "Not your people."

Selene moved ahead of her. "It's not okay to talk about right and wrong. As soon as he left, you ran to another man.

I looked her straight in the eye. "At least he didn't have to lie to keep me."

As Adrian walked toward her, the room became quiet. He said in a harsh voice, "This conversation is over." "I'll see it as an act of war if Hale sends scouts near my borders again."

It got darker in Damian's eyes. "Are you protecting her because you feel sorry for her?"

Adrian smirked slowly and in a scary way. No, she's mine now, so I say "no."

In the hall, people gasped.

Damian's jaw got tight. "You wouldn't dare-"

"Try me," Adrian said.

It felt like the air between them was really tense, like it was popping and burning.

No one moved for a second.

Then a voice from the far corner of the room spoke. It was a woman. It was soft, but it broke the quiet.

"It said that wasn't true."

Everyone looked around.

A tall person in silver stepped forward. When she took off her hood, I got scared.

It was my mom.

Living.

We looked at each other. Her eyes calm, but I couldn't tell what was going on inside them. "You shouldn't have made that deal, Elena," she said softly. "You don't know what he really wants."

I was having trouble breathing.

Adrian's face looked different from the first time I met him when I looked at him.

He seemed... shocked.

Episode 4 – A Pregnant Lie

(Elena's POV)

The room sagged. I could still hear her voice when I turned to look at my mom. She stood a few feet away and was still and calm.

"Mom?" My voice broke like a weak tree branch.

She walked up to me and took off her silver hood. Her hair used to be black, but now it had white spots through it. Her sharp blue eyes, which I inherited, were full of secrets.

"Don't call me that here," she said softly, glancing at Adrian. "There are people who don't deserve the truth."

"What truth?" I asked while shaking. "You died ten years ago." I saw your grave!

Her lips curved into something between sorrow and warning. "You saw what I wanted you to see."

There was more smoke in the meeting hall. They were all looking at her and were also very quiet. Damian's grin went away for the first time, and Selene's hand dropped from her stomach, which meant she wasn't more than just acting calm.

Adrian, on the other hand, just stood there with a blank look on his face.

My mother looked straight at him. "You promised me, Adrian. You said she'd be left out of it."

My heart stopped. "Left out of what?"

Adrian looked at her quickly with cold eyes that didn't show much. "That was before her groom humiliated her in front of every pack in the region."

My mom yelled, "You weren't supposed to use her."

"Used?" I said it again, but this time it was louder. "What are you talking about?" Used for what?

Both of them didn't answer.

"Someone tell me what's going on!"

The stress was broken by Damian's laugh. He said, "Oh, I can tell her," his tone dripping with mock pity. "Elena, your dear Lycan King has his own ideas." Are you sure he brought you in to keep you safe? His plan is to use your Rivers bloodline to gain power over half the packs and become your friend.

Adrian looked at me, and I was looking for any sign of denial on his face.

He didn't say anything.

Something in me broke when it was that quiet.

"So it's true." I whispered"You made deal with her. With my mom. You knew who I was all the time.

Adrian's jaw got lock up. "I kept you safe."

"By lying?"

His voice got hoarse as he got closer. "By keeping you alive!"

The hand of my mom shook. "Stop this right now, both of you." It's not right here-

The hall was already a mess, though. There were low growls instead of whispers. Me, The Lycan King, the woman who wasn't supposed to exit, was being looked at by all of the pack leaders.

There was no more noise after that. Selene's voice came through.

It was mean of her to say, "Stop this pathetic show." "Do you think any of this is important?" Elena, He's mine now. He's always been.

Damian called out, "Selene,"

"No," she yelled and stepped forward. "Be honest with them. You might be safe with the Lycan King, but I have something better for you.

Her hand returned dramatically to her stomach. "A child." His child.

People in the crowd gasped. Even the council head got up.

The words cut me like knives.

"That's not true," I said, and my voice shook.

Selene's eyes were filled with a cruel love. "You can't prove that."

Damian put his hand on her shoulder to make her feel better, but his smirk told her he wasn't telling the truth.

Adrian's face turned dark. He said, "Enough," with a Lycan voice full of power. "You are manipulating the council."

Selene tilted her head to look like she didn't understand what was going on. "Am I? Then she asked why she-she pointed at me-was staying safe with you when everyone knows that what you say can change the course of wars. Why her? Unless she's the next piece in your never-ending power game.

Around us, the whispers got stronger and louder. I could feel every question, every glance, and every eye on me.

The noise was not as loud as Damian's speech. "The Rivers girl being here is bad for the peace of our packs if Selene's child is really mine." Just get her off of the council grounds.

My mom stepped forward. "You touch her, and I'll-"

Adrian told her to stop. "She stays."

Damian's lip turned up. "You'd put the safety of your realm at risk to protect another man's wife?"

Adrian couldn't take it anymore. The darkness and power in his aura grew stronger. For a moment, it even shook Damian.

Selene laughed, though.

"Go ahead, Damian." Tell them rest.

I made a face. "What's the rest of it?"

She looked mean at me. Damian came to me the night before your wedding. Before the ceremony, did you think he was scared and hoping for peace? Oh no, Elena. He slept in my bed.

The words hurt more than any hit.

I was so taken aback that I couldn't breathe. Damian "Tell me she's lying."

He didn't say anything.

I wouldn't let the tears fall even though they hurt. Not here. Not in front of them.

I said in a low voice, "You disgust me."

He laughed. Elena, you made a deal. You should have known that by now.

My mom's eyes were very angry. " you just declared war on yourself, boy."

She took something out of her coat and threw it on the floor before anyone could do anything. A bottle broke and a faint golden mist came out. A sharp and familiar smell came from it, like wolfbane and truthroot mixed together.

The council leader made a face. "What is this?"

In a calm voice, my mom said, "A truth spell." "If Selene is really pregnant, the spell will react to the smell of a child's essence."

Then Selene froze.

Adrian gave her a cold, critical look. "Then let's see the truth."

The room was quiet. As it moved around her, the mist gave off a soft glow. But after only a short time, the light became less bright. Nothing. No beating heart.

Nothing.

In the hall, people gasped.

Selene's voice was shaking as she took a step back. "This spell-it's-it's old magic; it could be-"

"Lies," my mother said. "Just like your claim."

Damian's face turned dark as he saw what was going on too late. "Selene, what did you-"

She turned on him, frantic now. "You said this would work! You said-"

The council erupted in chaos. As the guards moved forward, screams and voices filled the chamber.

I felt Adrian grab my hand. "We're leaving."

He was pulling me toward the doors before I could talk, ask, or fight. My mom went after her and pulled up her hood again.

We didn't stop until we were outside. The air was cold and sharp, making my lungs hurt.

"Why didn't you let me know?" I looked at my mom and asked. "About Damian, this deal with Adrian, and everything else?"

Her eyes became less harsh. "Elena, you were never supposed to marry him."

"What?"

"It wasn't you he wanted; it was your bloodline." The power in it. The Rivers bond has the strongest link of all of the pack. You come from the first Luna, who was blessed by the Moon.

I froze. "That's impossible."

Adrian's voice was soft but clear. "That's true." That's why each Alpha wanted to link their pack to yours. That includes me.

I was having trouble breathing. "So this is what it is." I'm a tool to both of you.

He moved forward. "No." You're the key to world peace."

"I don't want peace if it means being owned," I yelled.

His eyes told me something I couldn't understand, but he didn't say anything.

After that, a guard ran out of the main hall while breathing hard. "Your Majesty, there has been an attack!"

Adrian quickly turned his head toward him. "Where?"

The guard took a bite. "At the border." A pack that helps Hale-Selene's backers. They want to get to the Rivers estate.

My heart stopped. "My home?"

The guard gave a sad nod. "It's on fire."

I did not think. I ran through the night, past the guards and my mom's screams of warning.

I was interested in Adrian's voice, though, because it was strong and firm.

"Elena, stop!"

I shook and turned around. "That's my family!"

He looked at me. "You'll die with them if you leave now." They want you, not your house.

Behind him, my mom said something that made me feel cold all over.

"Already, they have what they came for."

I stopped moving. "What do you mean?"

She had a broken face and looked scared and raw. "They took your sister."