Blood splattered across the ground as Kael struck down the North Pack Alpha with a strong blow. The fight had lasted less than five minutes, but it felt like hours to Elara as she watched from the edge of the clearing, her heart in her mouth.
"It is done!" Kael roared, standing over his fallen enemy. "The challenge is met!"
The North Pack wolves fled, carrying their wounded Alpha. They disappeared into the trees, but Elara knew this wasn't over. It was just a pause in a much bigger fight.
The pack exploded in cheers around her. Kael had defended them all. Defended her. Despite her worries about him, pride swelled in her chest.
Their eyes met across the clearing. Kael's golden gaze locked onto hers, angry and possessive. Without looking away from her, he yelled orders to his betas about strengthening the borders. Then he strode straight toward her, ignoring everyone else.
"Come with me," he said when he reached her, his voice low and focused. "Now."
Before she could answer, he took her hand and pulled her away from the crowd. His grip was strong but gentle, his skin hot against hers. That familiar electric feeling buzzed between them.
"Where are we going?" Elara asked, rushing to keep up with his long strides.
"Somewhere we can talk," Kael answered, not slowing. "Really talk."
He led her up a path she'd never taken before, climbing higher into the mountains that sheltered their area. The moon lit their way, full and bright above them.
They reached a small cave hidden behind a waterfall. Inside was a private den—Kael's personal refuge, she realized. A place few pack members had ever seen.
"I come here to think," Kael explained, freeing her hand. "To be alone."
Elara looked around, surprised by the ease of it. Just a bed, a small table, some books. No signs of the powerful Alpha everyone feared.
"You're bleeding," she noticed, grabbing for his arm where a deep cut was still healing.
"It's nothing," he said, but he didn't pull away when she touched him.
Elara focused her energy like she had before, sending her healing power into the wound. The cut closed under her fingers, leaving only a faint line behind.
"You're getting stronger," Kael noted. "Learning to control your gifts."
"I have a lot of questions," Elara said, pulling her hand away. "About everything. Luna Lyra, the vision, you and Riven..."
Kael sighed deeply and sat on the edge of the bed. "I know. And I owe you answers."
"The truth," Elara insisted, sitting beside him. "All of it."
He looked at her, his golden eyes worried. "The truth is complex. And dangerous."
"I don't care. I need to know."
Kael was quiet for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. "There is an omen, as Luna said. It's ancient—older than any living dog."
"What does it say?"
"When the three bloodlines unite in one child, a power will be born that can either save our kind or destroy it," Kael repeated, as if he'd known the words his whole life. "The child of moon, sun, and storm will change everything."
Elara frowned. "Three bloodlines? What does that mean?"
"The three original wolf packs," Kael explained. "Moon Pack, which became White Rock—your mother's pack. Sun Pack, which became mine. And Storm Pack, which became..."
"North Pack," Elara finished, understanding dawning. "That's why they want me."
Kael nodded. "If a Luna Wolf from the Moon bloodline has a child with Alphas from both Sun and Storm bloodlines..." "The prophecy child," Elara whispered. "That's what Luna meant about my future child." She looked at Kael, her mind racing. "Is that why you took me as a baby? To prevent the prophecy?"
Pain flashed across Kael's face. "No. I took you to protect you."
"From what?"
"From Darius—the North Pack Alpha I just fought. He killed your mother, trying to take you." Kael's voice hardened. "He would have raised you as his own, waited until you were old enough, and used you to fulfill the prophecy."
"And Riven? What's his part in this?"
Kael looked away. "Riven was there that night. He failed to protect your mother—his own sister. When I found you, I thought keeping you hidden in my pack was the only way to keep you safe."
"But now Riven has found me," Elara said. "And so has North Pack."
"Yes. And they both want the same thing—you." Kael's eyes met hers again, intense and burning. "But neither of them truly cares about you. Just what you represent."
Elara's heart ached. Was that true? Was she nothing but a tool to all of them?
"And what about you?" she asked quietly. "What do you want from me?"
Something changed in Kael's expression—the hardness melting away, replaced by a weakness she'd never seen before.
"I want you," he said simply. "Just you."
Before she could reply, he leaned forward and kissed her. His lips were soft but eager against hers, sending sparks of that electric feeling throughout her body. Elara gasped, shocked by the sudden passion, but she didn't pull away.
Instead, she kissed him back, her hands making their way to his shoulders. All her worries and questions seemed to fade in the heat of the moment.
Kael pulled her closer, one hand tangled in her hair. The kiss deepened, making her head spin and her heart race. This was what she had dreamed about for so long—the Alpha wanting her, picking her.
"Elara," he breathed against her lips. "I've fought this feeling for years."
"Why?" she whispered.
"Because I was afraid," he revealed. "Afraid of how much I needed you. Afraid of what our bond might mean."
His lips moved to her neck, dragging fire across her skin. When he reached the spot where her shoulder met her throat, he paused.
"I want to mark you," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "Show everyone you're mine."
Elara knew what that meant. Not a full mating—not yet—but a claim. A public sign that she belonged to Kael.
"Yes," she whispered, turning her head to give him better access.
His teeth grazed her skin, then bit down—not hard enough to break skin, but enough to leave a scar that would last for days. The sensation sent a wave of pleasure through her body, making her gasp.
When he pulled back, his eyes were glowing with pleasure. "Now everyone will know," he said, gently touching the mark he'd made. "Including Riven."
Reality crashed back into Elara's happiness. Riven. Luna Lyra. The forecast. All the problems that still stood between them.
"What about your engagement?" she asked, pulling slightly away from him. "Luna Lyra—"
"Was never my true choice," Kael said firmly. "The alliance was formed by our packs. I never wanted her."
"But she's still here. Still your fiancée."
Kael's face hardened slightly. "Not for long. After what happened today, the partnership is broken."
"And us?" Elara asked, suddenly unsure. "What are we?"
He took her hand, bringing it to his chest where she could feel his heart beating strongly. "We're meant to be together. I've always known it, even when I tried to ignore it."
"But you didn't complete the bond," Elara pointed out. "You stopped at just a mark."
"Because you deserve to choose," Kael said, startling her. "After everything I've kept from you, all the secrets... I want you to be sure."
Elara didn't know what to say. This was a side of Kael she'd never seen—considerate, vulnerable, giving her a choice.
"What about Riven?" she asked. "When he touches me, I feel something too. Different, but strong."
Kael's jaw clenched. "Blood calls to blood. What you feel with him is family closeness, not a mate bond."
"Are you sure?"
"I have to be," he said, his voice low. "Because I can't lose you to him. Not now. Not ever."
He kissed her again, softer this time but no less strong. Elara sank into it, wanting to believe everything he said. Wanting this moment to last forever.
But as the night darkened around them, doubt crept back into her mind. Was Kael telling the whole truth? Could she really trust him after so many lies?
And what about the way she felt when Riven touched her? Was it really just family link, or something more?
As if feeling her thoughts, Kael pulled her closer. "Stay with me tonight," he whispered against her hair. "Just to sleep. I need to know you're safe."
Elara nodded, letting him pull her down beside him on the bed. His arms wrapped around her, strong and protective. Despite her confusion, she felt safe there—wanted.
She was drifting toward sleep when Kael spoke again, so quietly she almost missed it.
"I should have told you sooner," he whispered. "About the child. About what Darius did to your mother. About what he'll do to you if he gets the chance."
Elara's eyes flew open. "What do you mean? What did he do to my mother?"
But Kael had fallen asleep, his breaths deep and even.
Outside the cave, a twig snapped. Elara sat up, suddenly awake. Someone was out there, watching.
She carefully slipped from Kael's arms and moved to the cave opening. In the moonlight, she caught a glimpse of a figure fleeing into the trees.
Luna Lyra. But how had she found them? And why was she spying?
As Elara watched, Luna turned back once, her face visible in the moonlight. And on her neck—in exactly the same spot as Elara's fresh mark—was a similar bite.
Kael's mark.