Elara threw herself at Kian's feet.
"Please!" she cried. "Don't hurt him! I'll do anything you want!"
Kian looked down at her and smiled like she was a dog begging for scraps.
"I'm sure you will, little omega. But your father needs to learn that breaking deals has consequences." He nodded to one of his men, who raised a silver blade to her father's throat.
"Stop!" Alaric's voice boomed through the clearing. "You want to fight? Fight me, not him."
"How about this," Kian said, tilting his head. "I'll make you both a deal. Elara comes with me right now, no arguments, no running. And I'll let daddy live. For now."
Elara looked at her father's terrified eyes. Then at Alaric, who was clenching his fists so hard his knuckles were white.
"Okay," she whispered. "Okay, I'll come."
"Elara, no," Alaric started toward her.
"Don't move," Kian warned. "Or the old man dies."
Elara stood up slowly and walked toward Kian. Each step felt like moving through thick mud. The mate bond was screaming at her to run back to Alaric, but she couldn't let her father die.
"Good girl," Kian said when she reached him. He grabbed her arm roughly. "See how easy that was?"
But as they started to walk away, Elara felt something strange. The collar around her neck was getting warmer. Much warmer.
"Wait," she said, stopping. "Something's wrong with the charm."
Kian looked down at her neck and his eyes went wide. The silver pendant was glowing so bright it was hard to look at.
"That's impossible," he muttered. "It's not supposed to do that."
The necklace was burning hot now. Elara tried to pull it off, but it wouldn't budge. It was fused to her skin.
"What's happening to me?" she gasped.
That's when the world exploded with light.
When Elara's vision cleared, she was lying on the ground. Kian and his men were scattered around the clearing, all of them unconscious. Her father was free, the ropes that had bound him turned to ash. And Alaric was kneeling beside her, his eyes full of concern.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, helping her sit up.
"I don't think so." Elara touched her neck. The collar was cool again, but something was different. She felt different. Stronger.
"What just happened?" her father asked, stumbling toward them.
"I think," Alaric said slowly, "Elara's power just awakened."
---
Three weeks later, Elara was sitting by the old creek behind her house, waiting. It had become their secret meeting place. Every night at midnight, when everyone else was asleep, she would sneak out to meet Alaric.
It was dangerous and foolish and completely against all the rules. She loved every minute of it.
"You're late," she said when she heard footsteps behind her.
"Sorry. Kian's men are watching the inn. I had to take the long way around."
Elara turned and smiled at him. In the moonlight, Alaric looked nothing like the cold, dangerous alpha everyone else saw. His hair was messy, his shirt was wrinkled, and he was smiling back at her with an expression that was purely happy.
"How's your father?" he asked, sitting down beside her on the grass.
"Better. The doctor says he'll recover completely, but he needs to rest." Elara sighed. "He still won't tell me what deal he made with Kian. He just keeps saying he was trying to protect me."
"Parents do foolish things when they're scared," Alaric said gently. "Trust me, I know."
"What about your parents? You never talk about them."
Alaric's expression darkened. "They died when I was sixteen. Killed by a rival pack who wanted our territory."
"I'm sorry," Elara said, reaching for his hand. "That must have been terrible."
"It was. But it taught me something important. The only person you can really rely on is yourself."
"What about me?" Elara asked. "Can you rely on me?"
Alaric squeezed her fingers. "You're different. You're the first person who's ever made me want to trust someone again."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, listening to the water gurgle over the rocks. These stolen moments were the only time Elara felt truly at peace. When it was just her and Alaric, the rest of the world seemed to disappear.
"I brought you something," Alaric said suddenly. He pulled a small wrapped package from his pocket and handed it to her.
Inside was a silver bracelet with a single blue stone that matched his eyes.
"It's beautiful," Elara breathed. "But I can't take this. If someone sees it—"
"It's not just jewelry," Alaric said. "It's enchanted. If you're ever in real danger, squeeze the stone and I'll know. I'll come find you no matter where you are."
Elara slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. It felt warm against her skin, like it was alive.
"Thank you," she said. "But I have to ask you something, and I need you to be honest."
"Always."
"Are you only being kind to me because of the mate bond? Because you have to be?"
Alaric turned to face her fully. "Do you want to know the truth?"
Elara nodded, even though she was afraid of what he might say.
"When I first felt the bond snap into place, I was angry. I've spent my whole life avoiding emotional attachments. I thought you were going to make me weak."
Elara's heart sank. "Oh."
"But then I got to know you," Alaric continued. "Really know you. And I realized something. You don't make me weak, Elara. You make me want to be better. Stronger. The kind of man who deserves someone like you."
"Someone like me?"
"Brave. Kind. Loyal. You were ready to sacrifice yourself for your father without even thinking about it. That's not weakness, that's the most courageous thing I've ever seen."
Elara felt tears prick her eyes. No one had ever said anything like that to her before.
"I think I'm falling in love with you," she whispered.
"I think I already have," Alaric said back.
He was leaning closer to kiss her when they heard voices coming through the trees.
"Search everywhere!" someone shouted. "Kian wants them found tonight!"
Alaric cursed under his breath. "We have to go. Now."
They jumped up and started running toward the woods, but it was too late. Flashlights were coming at them from all directions. They were surrounded.
"Well, well," a familiar voice said. "What do we have here?"
Dorian stepped out from behind a tree, surrounded by six armed men. Alaric's own beta. His most trusted friend.
"Dorian?" Alaric's voice was full of shock. "What are you doing here?"
"My job," Dorian said coldly. "The job you forgot how to do when you started sneaking around with this little omega."
"You're working with Kian," Elara said, the pieces clicking together in her mind.
"I'm working for the future of our pack," Dorian corrected. "Something Alaric seems to have forgotten about."
"You betrayed me," Alaric said, and Elara could hear the hurt in his voice.
"You betrayed yourself," Dorian shot back. "Running around like a lovesick puppy while our enemies gather strength. Did you really think I would just stand by and watch you destroy everything we've built?"
"I trusted you," Alaric said quietly.
"And I trusted you to be the alpha our pack needed. But you chose her instead."
Dorian nodded to his men, who raised their weapons.
"Kian's offer still stands, omega," Dorian said to Elara. "Come willingly, and your mate lives. Fight us, and we kill him right here."
Elara looked at Alaric, who was shaking his head frantically.
"Don't do it," he said. "We'll find another way."
But Elara could see the odds. Six armed men against one alpha, no matter how strong. And if Alaric died, it would be her fault.
She was about to step forward when the bracelet on her wrist started to glow.
"What—" Dorian started to say.
That's when the trees around them burst into flames.
Through the smoke and fire, a figure appeared. Tall, powerful, and absolutely furious.
It was Kian.
But he wasn't alone. Walking beside him, very much alive and smiling coldly, was someone Elara thought she would never see again.
Her mother.