The forest was unusually silent that night. No rustling of leaves, no howling wind, not even the usual chirps of nocturnal birds. It was the kind of silence that felt loud—a warning cloaked in stillness. Elena felt it in her bones as she paced behind the pack house, her heart still pounding from her earlier encounter with Lucien.
She couldn’t erase the sensation of his fingertips brushing her skin, the way his voice had dipped low when he’d called her “mine.” It had sounded possessive. Dangerous. But what scared her more wasn’t him—it was her own response. She had felt something. Something more than fear.
Something primal.
Something forbidden.
“You should be resting,” came a voice from behind her. She didn’t need to turn to know it was Kael, her best friend, and the beta of the Crescent Blood Pack. He was the only person who knew the truth—knew that she wasn’t just another omega. She was the daughter of a disgraced alpha and the bearer of a secret that could dismantle the pack if it came to light.
She turned, arms folded across her chest. “I couldn’t sleep.”
Kael studied her closely, his sharp hazel eyes flickering with concern. “Is it because of him?”
Elena looked away. “I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what’s happening to me.”
Kael walked closer. “You’re his mate, Lena. The bond is awakening.”
“No,” she snapped. “I can’t be. That’s not possible. The Moon Goddess wouldn’t—she wouldn’t pair me with a monster.”
Kael’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t argue. They both knew Lucien’s reputation was soaked in blood. He ruled with fear and fire. He had conquered more packs than any Alpha before him. A mate like Elena—timid, rejected, and tainted by her lineage—made no sense.
“Maybe the Goddess made a mistake,” Elena whispered.
“Or maybe,” Kael said gently, “you’re stronger than you think. Maybe you're exactly what he needs.”
Elena hated how comforting his words were.
But comfort didn’t change facts.
Lucien had rejected her in front of everyone. He had humiliated her. Even if something was growing between them now, how could she ever trust it? How could she trust him?
Crack.
A branch snapped. Elena’s head jerked toward the sound, her wolf stirring beneath her skin. Kael stepped in front of her instinctively, his posture tense.
Three shadows emerged from the tree line—rogues. Their eyes were feral, their clothes tattered, and their scent pungent with bloodlust. Elena’s wolf howled in warning.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” Kael growled, voice dipping into his Beta command.
One of the rogues—a tall, scarred brute—grinned. “We go where we please. The Alpha King can’t protect you all forever.”
Kael didn’t hesitate. He launched forward with terrifying speed, meeting the rogue mid-air. Teeth sank into flesh, bones cracked, and snarls ripped through the silence. Elena ducked as another rogue lunged at her. Her wolf surged forward, but she was still learning to control it. She managed to dodge, scraping her arm on a jagged rock.
“Shift!” Kael roared between attacks. “Elena, shift!”
But she couldn’t—not fully. Not yet. Her transformation had always been incomplete, her wolf trapped beneath the surface.
Still, she didn’t run.
She grabbed a fallen branch, swung it hard, and knocked the rogue off balance just long enough for Kael to sink his claws into the intruder’s neck.
Blood sprayed across the grass.
Silence returned.
Elena’s chest heaved. Her hands shook. Kael turned to her, bleeding from his side but still alert.
“You okay?”
She nodded, though the lie tasted bitter.
Within minutes, more pack warriors arrived—summoned by the scent of blood. Lucien was among them. His eyes locked on Elena, then shifted to Kael. The fury in his gaze was ice cold, deadly.
“What the hell happened?” he demanded.
Kael stood straighter. “Rogues. Three of them. She was out here alone.”
Lucien turned to her, his expression unreadable. “Why were you outside?”
“I needed air,” she said softly.
He stepped closer, towering over her. “You could’ve died.”
“But I didn’t.”
“You could have.”
Elena met his gaze. “Why do you care?”
Lucien didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out and brushed his thumb across the cut on her cheek. She flinched, but he didn’t stop.
“This never should’ve happened,” he muttered, almost to himself.
Then, without warning, he turned on his heel. “Clean this up,” he ordered his warriors. “Bring the bodies to the holding pit. I want them examined.”
As the pack scrambled, Elena stayed frozen.
Lucien hadn’t denied caring.
And that terrified her more than anything.
