The elders were watching.
Elara felt them everywhere—in the kitchen, where Greta's sharp eyes followed her every movement. In the compound, where wolves she didn't know paused to stare. In the omega quarters, where Marta had started sleeping with one eye open, muttering about "old wolves with too much time and not enough kindness."
Three days had passed since Kael's performance in the great hall.
Three days of pretending she was nothing.
Three days of feeling his gaze from a distance—always there, always watchful, never approaching. He was true to his word. They couldn't meet. Couldn't be seen together. Couldn't give the elders any reason to suspect she mattered.
But at night, alone in her cot, Elara felt him.
A warmth in her chest. A presence at the edge of her awareness. A second heartbeat that wasn't her own.
He's thinking of me, she realized each time. He's there, somewhere, thinking of me.
The marks on her arms pulsed in response.
---
On the fourth day, everything changed.
Elara was collecting water from the compound well—a daily task that gave her precious minutes of solitude—when a shadow fell over her.
She looked up.
A woman stood before her. Older than Marta, younger than Thorne, with iron-grey hair pulled back in a severe braid and eyes like chips of flint. Elara recognized her instantly.
The elder who'd suggested killing her.
"Human." The woman's voice was cold. Precise. "Walk with me."
It wasn't a request.
Elara set down her bucket. Followed.
They walked away from the well, away from the compound, toward the tree line where the forest began. Elara's heart hammered. The marks beneath her sleeves burned.
If she kills me now, no one will stop her. No one will even know.
But the woman stopped well before the trees. Turned. Studied Elara with those flint-grey eyes.
"I am Elder Marlena." No warmth. No pretense of it. "I've led this pack's council for forty years. I've seen Alphas rise and fall. I've watched wars begin and end. And I've never—never—seen my Alpha behave the way he has since you arrived."
Elara kept her face blank. "I don't know what you mean."
"Don't insult me." Marlena's voice sharpened. "I've watched Kael since he was a pup. Watched him lose his mother. Watched him fight for the Alpha position at eighteen. Watched him become the most feared leader this pack has had in generations. He is cold. He is controlled. He does not make mistakes."
She stepped closer.
"And then you appeared. A human girl with nothing remarkable about her. And suddenly my Alpha is leaving his post during attacks. Standing outside omega quarters all night. Lying to his council about using you as bait." Her eyes narrowed. "You expect me to believe you're nothing?"
Yes. That's exactly what I need you to believe.
"I am nothing," Elara said quietly. "I'm an orphan from a human town. I was attacked by rogues and brought here by accident. Your Alpha feels responsible for my safety because I was hurt on his territory. That's all."
Marlena studied her for a long, terrible moment.
Then: "Roll up your sleeves."
Elara's blood turned to ice. "What?"
"Your sleeves. Roll them up. Now."
She knows. Somehow, she knows.
But defiance would be worse than compliance. Elara slowly pushed up her left sleeve.
Pale skin. No marks.
The silver had receded overnight—pulled back, hidden, as if the seal itself understood the danger. Elara had woken that morning to find her arms clear, the marks retreated to her shoulders and chest where clothing covered them.
Thank the Moon.
Marlena stared at her bare forearm. Frowned.
"Both sleeves."
Elara showed her the other arm. Also clear.
For a long moment, Marlena simply stared. Then something shifted in her expression—not belief, exactly, but grudging acceptance that she might, possibly, be wrong.
"Perhaps you are nothing," she murmured. "Perhaps the Alpha has simply... lost perspective." Her eyes snapped back to Elara's face. "But I'll be watching. If you're hiding something—if you're influencing him with witch magic or rogue tricks—I'll find out. And when I do, I'll remove you myself. Permanently."
She turned and walked away.
Elara stood frozen, heart pounding, until Marlena disappeared into the compound.
Then she ran.
---
The healing hut door slammed behind her.
Thorne looked up from his worktable, took one look at her face, and set down his herbs. "What happened?"
"Elder Marlena." Elara gasped for air. "She stopped me at the well. Made me show her my arms. She knows—she suspects—"
"But she didn't see anything."
"No. The marks retreated. This morning they were—I don't understand how—"
"The seal protects itself." Thorne guided her to a chair. "When it senses threat, it can withdraw. Hide. Make you appear human." His ancient eyes held hers. "But that takes energy. The seal is weakening itself to protect you. You're running out of time."
Three weeks until the Blood Moon. If I even have three weeks.
"What do I do?"
"You continue as you have. You keep your head down. You let the elders believe you're nothing." Thorne hesitated. "And you prepare for what's coming."
"Prepare how?"
"I've sent word to Elder Morwenna. At the Silver Palace ruins." He held up a hand before she could interrupt. "It's dangerous, I know. But she's the only one who can truly help you. If she agrees to see us, we'll go. Before the Blood Moon. Before the seal breaks on its own."
"Us?"
"You can't travel alone. The rogues are hunting you. The master wants you. You need protection." Thorne's jaw tightened. "And there's only one wolf in this territory strong enough to provide it."
Kael.
"He can't know," Elara said quickly. "The seal—"
"The seal won't let you tell him. But that doesn't mean he can't choose to protect you. To follow you. To fight for you." Thorne leaned forward. "The seal tests worthiness, child. It doesn't prevent worthiness. If Kael is meant to be your mate, he'll find a way to be there when you need him. Whether you ask or not."
Elara thought of silver eyes watching from a distance. Of warmth in her chest at night. Of a voice saying I'll wait. Whatever it takes.
He's choosing me. Slowly, blindly, but choosing.
Was it enough?
She didn't know.
But she was about to find out.
---
That night, Elara dreamed.
Not of chains this time. Not of caves.
Of a forest bathed in Blood Moon light. Of wolves running—hundreds of them, thousands, a sea of fur and fangs and hunger. And in the center, a figure in silver.
Herself.
Crowned. Terrifying. Alone.
This is what you'll become, a voice whispered. If you survive.
If he's worthy.
If the master doesn't find you first.
Elara woke gasping, marks blazing, heart pounding so hard she thought it might break free.
And felt, in the darkness, a presence.
Not threatening. Warm.
Kael.
He was there. Somewhere outside, watching. Protecting. Choosing.
She pressed her hand to her chest, where the bond burned hottest.
And for the first time, she reached back.
Not with words. Not with action. Just with intention—a push of warmth and awareness and something that felt almost like longing.
I'm here, she thought. I'm still here.
A pulse of warmth answered.
I know.
Her eyes burned.
He felt me. He felt me reach for him.
The marks on her chest glowed softly, silver and beautiful and alive.
For the first time in eighteen years, Elara didn't feel alone.
---
Morning brought new challenges.
Word had spread about Marlena's confrontation at the well. The pack watched Elara with renewed interest—some curious, some hostile, all waiting to see what would happen next.
Even the omegas kept their distance now. Marta brought her food with tight lips and averted eyes. The others simply pretended she didn't exist.
Good, Elara told herself. Let them ignore me. Let them forget me.
But one person hadn't forgotten.
Dace found her at the woodpile, where she'd been sent to chop kindling—a task that left her hands blistered and her arms aching. He lounged against a nearby shed, watching her struggle with obvious amusement.
"You know," he said conversationally, "most humans can't do that. The axes are weighted for wolf strength."
Elara ignored him. Swung again. The axe bit into wood, but barely.
"Here." He pushed off the shed, crossed to her, and took the axe from her hands before she could protest. "Like this."
He swung. The wood split cleanly.
Then he handed the axe back, his fingers brushing hers deliberately.
Elara jerked away.
Dace's eyes glittered. "Elder Marlena asked about you last night. Wanted to know if I'd noticed anything... unusual."
"And what did you tell her?"
"That you're exactly what you seem. A human girl who got unlucky." He tilted his head. "Lied to an elder for you. Hope you appreciate it."
"Why would you do that?"
He shrugged. "Curiosity. You're more interesting than anyone else in this pack. I want to see what happens."
"That's not a reason to protect me."
"Sure it is." He leaned closer. "The elders want you gone. The Alpha wants you—don't bother denying it, everyone knows. And the rogues want you captured." His eyes searched her face. "That many powerful people wanting things means you're valuable. And valuable things are worth watching."
He stepped back. Grinned.
"Don't worry, human. Your secrets are safe with me. For now."
He left.
Elara stared after him, heart pounding.
He knows something. Not everything, but something. And he's playing his own game.
Another player on the board. Another variable she couldn't control.
The marks beneath her clothes burned.
How much longer can I hide?
---
That afternoon, Kael made his move.
Elara was returning to the omega quarters, arms full of the kindling she'd finally managed to chop, when Cassian appeared at her side.
"Walk with me." His voice was low. Urgent. "Don't look around. Don't react. Just walk."
She walked.
Cassian guided her away from the omega quarters, away from the main compound, toward a part of the territory she'd never seen—a small clearing ringed by ancient pines, hidden from view.
Kael waited in the center.
He looked terrible. Dark circles under his eyes. Jaw tight with tension. His silver eyes found her immediately, devoured her, ached.
"You reached for me last night." His voice was rough. "I felt it. Like—like warmth, spreading through my chest. What was that?"
The bond. I reached through the bond.
But she couldn't say that.
"I don't know," she whispered. "I was dreaming. Scared. And I thought of you, and—" She touched her chest. "Something answered."
Kael crossed to her in three strides. Stopped inches away. His hands lifted, hovered near her face, didn't touch.
"I've been going crazy." The admission was raw. "Three days of watching from a distance. Three days of pretending you don't matter. Three days of feeling you—feeling you—and not being able to—" He broke off. Swallowed. "I can't do this much longer."
"You have to. The elders—"
"I know what the elders want." His voice hardened. "Marlena came to me after she spoke to you. Told me you're nothing. Told me to prove it by letting her move you to the outer cabins. Away from the compound. Vulnerable."
Elara's blood chilled. "What did you say?"
"I said no." His eyes burned. "Told her you're still my bait. Still useful. Still need to be visible to draw the rogues out." He shook his head. "She didn't believe me. Not really. But she couldn't prove otherwise."
"Kael—"
"She's going to keep pushing. They all will. And eventually—" He stopped. Struggled. "Eventually, I won't be able to protect you from here. Eventually, they'll force my hand."
Then what?
As if hearing her thought, Kael continued. "If it comes to that—if they try to move you, or hurt you, or kill you—I'll have to act. Publicly. Decisively." His jaw tightened. "And that will start a war within the pack."
"Then don't." Elara's voice was firm. "Don't start a war for me."
"I don't have a choice." He finally touched her—just a brush of fingers against her cheek, feather-light. "Don't you understand? I don't have a choice. You're—" He stopped. Struggled. "You're everything. I don't know why. I don't understand how. But you're everything."
Elara's eyes burned.
Tell him, her wolf begged. Tell him now. He's worthy. He has to be worthy.
But the seal held firm.
Not yet, it seemed to whisper. Not enough. Not yet.
"I have to go." Kael's hand dropped. "Cassian can only distract the patrols for so long. But I needed to see you. Needed to know you're real." His silver eyes held hers. "I'll find ways. Moments like this. However I can."
"Kael—"
"Trust me." He stepped back. "Whatever happens, whatever you're hiding, whatever this is—trust me. I'll find you. I'll protect you. I'll choose you. Every time."
He was gone before she could respond.
Elara stood in the clearing, marks blazing, heart pounding, tears streaming down her face.
He's choosing me. Blindly, desperately, impossibly—he's choosing me.
Please let it be enough.
---
That night, the dreams shifted again.
Not chains. Not caves. Not blood moons.
Kael.
Kneeling before her, silver eyes raised to hers, vulnerability etched into every line of his face.
I choose you, he whispered. Not because I have to. Because I want to. Because you're mine and I'm yours and nothing else matters.
Elara reached for him.
And woke to darkness and the echo of a bond that was growing stronger every day.
Soon, her wolf whispered. Soon.
---
End of Chapter 8🐺