Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Eliara's POV 

“So you really thought you could run from us, huh?” an elder sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. “An omega like you?”

A loud slap rang in my ears the moment I was shoved into the room.

My head snapped to the side, pain exploding across my cheek before I could even steady myself.

Another hand seized my chin, forcing my face up.

“You’d better pray the Alpha survives,” he hissed. “Because if he dies, we swear… you will meet a fate far worse than death.”

“P…please have mercy,” I cried, my voice breaking.

“Enough of this nonsense,” one elder scoffed. “Get to work, omega. Or do you need another reminder of your place?”

They shoved me toward the bed, their grip harsh.

“Don’t think of trying anything funny,” another elder barked, his eyes narrowing. “Or that little omega friend of yours will die for your insolence.”

My hands flew to Alpha Kael’s neck, trembling fingers pressing against his skin.

“He… he has a pulse,” I whispered. “B—but it’s weak. Very weak.”

“Then move!” one snarled. “What are you waiting for?”

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I reached for his blood-soaked armor.

“I… I need help taking this off,” I stammered, tugging at the straps with shaking fingers.

“Didn’t you hear?” another elder hissed. “He was struck by a poisonous arrow. Do you want us to touch the poison too? If we die, who will manage the pack? Who will reinstate a new Alpha?”

I clenched my jaw and forced my hands to work.

The straps bit into my palms, skin tearing as I struggled with the heavy metal. My fingers burned, slick with blood, until finally the armor came free.

My breath hitched.

The arrow had pierced the flesh just beside his heart.

The wound was grotesque, edges blackened and torn, the tissue shredded as though the poison was actively devouring him from within.

Dark, thick blood clung to the jagged cavity, veins stained an ugly purple as the surrounding skin swelled and bruised.

One elder staggered back, his hand flying to his mouth.

“The Moon Goddess forbid…” he whispered, voice trembling. “In my two hundred and fifty years, I have never seen anything like this. How… How is he still alive? The arrow struck so close to his heart…”

Swallowing hard, I reached for the dagger tucked into his side pocket.

The instant I pressed the blade to his flesh, slicing carefully to expose the poisoned tissue, the room erupted.

“What are you doing?!” an elder bellowed.

“Are you trying to kill him? Stop tearing him apart!”

“I…I’m trying to locate the source of the poison!” I cried, my voice shaking. “It’s spread… if I can find it, I can pull it out!”

My hands trembled as I clasped Alpha Kael’s, pressing my palms to his as fire tore through my veins.

“Ahhh! My heart!” he roared. “Stop! It hurts…stop!”

His body jerked violently beneath my touch, eyes rolling back as a feral snarl ripped from his throat.

“He’s shifting!” an elder shouted. “His wolf is taking over! Do you think he’s going to kill her?!”

Tears streamed down my face, hot and blinding, but I didn’t let go.

I couldn’t.

I was doing this for Lyra.

If I let go… Lyra would pay the price.

But then…something changed.

Images flooded my mind. Memories that weren’t mine..

I had never touched the core of a wolf’s thoughts before.

Little Kael…

Drenched in blood.

Running through the forest, screaming for his mother.

And then he ran into a dark cave…

“Don’t you dare let go of his hands!” an elder barked. “Continue! Keep him alive!”

My body trembled violently, strength draining fast.

And just before I slumped forward, his wolf growled inside my head.

“MATE.”

The elders erupted in jubilant cheers.

“Praise the goddess!" one shouted, arms lifted. “The Alpha is alive! Tell everyone…prepare a feast!”

“Do not let the pack know this filthy omega saved him! She must never get credit!”

Hushed whispers rippled through the room.

“She’s not moving… do you think she’s dead?” one elder muttered.

“Who cares?” another sneered. “I knew she wasn't going to survive it anyways. It’s a win regardless. She’s a nobody. She’s done what we needed her to do. The Alpha mustn’t know we broke the pack rules to save him.”

A cruel smirk twisted the first elder’s face.

“Take her to the forest. The rogues will have dinner tonight.”

I didn’t know how I had survived, or how long I had been unconscious.

When I finally opened my eyes, the room was quieter… just the Alpha and me.

From outside, laughter and music still pulsed faintly through the walls, but something had changed. I felt it immediately.

Whatever I had done back there… it wasn’t just a transfer ritual. It was like our souls had merged.

For the first time, I looked at him… not as the cruel Alpha I had always feared and hated, but as a man.

A terrifyingly handsome man.

Every instinct in me screamed for him. 

My skin burned in his presence, my pulse racing uncontrollably. The only thing I wanted was to take off his clothes, feel every inch of him pressed against me, drown in him all night.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” I whispered, tears spilling down my cheeks. “I'm supposed to hate him, why am I feeling this way?”

No… this couldn’t be real. An omega mated to an Alpha? It hadn’t happened in over a thousand years.

And yet… my body betrayed me.

My insides throbbed with need, and my wolf roared in my head, flooding me with impossible, filthy images of him touching himself, caressing himself… wanting me.

I tried to resist, but every nerve in my body ached. 

My folds were slick and trembling, my thighs quivering as heat pooled low in me.

And then it clicked.

During the ritual, Alpha Kael’s wolf had claimed me.

And now… I was in heat.