Chapter 2
Elara
Leaving them standing in stunned silence, I turned and walked out the heavy oak doors.
I didn't even make it across the porch before I saw Chloe. The second she locked eyes with me, she let out a blood-curdling scream.
What is she playing at now?
Heavy boots pounded behind me as the brothers sprinted out of the foyer. Right on cue, Chloe lunged. She grabbed my wrist, yanked it hard against her chest, and threw herself backward toward the hard stone edge of the pack's deep plunge pool.
Kael was a blur. He caught her waist right before she hit the stone.
"Chloe! Are you hurt?" he demanded, his scent spiking with panic.
She melted against his chest, shooting me a triumphant smirk over his shoulder. "I'm fine, Kael. It was an accident. Elara didn't mean to shove me."
Before I could even roll my eyes, Zane and Finn flanked me. They grabbed me like a feral rogue and shoved me hard.
I crashed into the freezing water.
The cold swallowed me whole. Panic hit instantly. Thanks to childhood trauma, deep water was my ultimate weakness—a phobia that paralyzed my wolf. My lungs seized as I went under.
Before I could thrash to the surface, Zane grabbed a fistful of my hair and shoved my head back down.
"Why are you so damn vicious, Elara?" his muffled roar vibrated through the water. "Can't stand seeing us treat her right?"
I choked, swallowing icy water. My chest burned. I was suffocating.
Zane finally yanked my head up. "Ready to behave?" he snarled.
I blinked through the stinging water. The patio was empty. No guards. Just them. Gasping for air, I forced myself to nod. Survival first.
Zane loosened his grip. "Apologize to Chloe. Or we leave you in here." He pushed my head down an inch to make his point.
"Fine!" I coughed. "I apologize. Hope you choke on it."
Zane scowled. "Make it sincere. Use her name."
I gritted my teeth, locking eyes with the Omega. "You win, Chloe. Keep them. I wouldn't bond with them anyway."
Chloe's eyes flashed with satisfaction before she slapped on a terrified mask.
"Elara, please," she whimpered, burying her face in Kael's chest. "I'm just the caretaker's daughter. I don't deserve this." She grabbed Zane's arm frantically. "Pull her up! If she drowns, the Alpha will kill us!"
Tires crunched heavily on the gravel. My mother's armored SUV swerved into the driveway, back early from her summit. She jumped out, her Alpha aura exploding the second she saw me freezing in the water.
"What the hell is going on here?!" she roared.
The brothers went dead pale. They hauled me out in a split second.
Kael stripped off his jacket and threw it over my shoulders. "Elara, watch your step!" he lied smoothly. "You can't just fall in without calling for help!"
My mother shoved Kael aside, barking into her radio for the pack doctor. The adrenaline crashed. The cold took over, and I blacked out.
When I woke up, the room was dim.
Kael sat by my bed, arms crossed, glaring at me.
"The Alpha says you're finalizing a mating contract next month."
I just nodded, too exhausted to talk.
Disgust twisted his features. "Are you really this desperate to lock me down?"
I shook my head, my throat raw. "It's not you."
Kael froze. His arrogance slipped, replaced by raw shock. "Not me? Then who? Are you going after Zane or Finn?"
"None of your business."
He lunged, his hand clamping hard around my jaw. "Are you trying to drag my brothers into this?"
I tried to pry his fingers off, but his grip was iron. "Neither of them are worth the ink on that contract," I gritted out through the pain.
Kael stared at me, then let go with a harsh laugh.
"Right. Still playing games." He stepped back, his smug smirk returning. "I know you're obsessed with me, Elara. You couldn't drop me if you tried. But if you want to keep playing this fake engagement stunt..."
He walked to the door, stopping to look over his shoulder.
"Keep your mouth shut about the pool to your mother. Or I'll personally make sure your 'fiancé' walks away before you even hit the altar."
