Pack Confrontation (Isabella's POV)

The moment I regained consciousness in my hospital bed, I could sense the tension in the room. My father Richard, mother Vivian, and Mike stood around me with grim expressions. Damon paced by the window, radiating fury.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice deliberately weak. "Where's Elara?"

Damon's head snapped toward me, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. "She escaped."

"What?" I gasped, summoning tears that began to roll down my cheeks.

My wolf, Bella, readily supplied the appropriate whimpers to accompany my performance. We'd perfected this act over the years.

"She ran away last night," Mike explained, his hand squeezing mine supportively. "Dr. Walker says her wolf was too weak for the transplant anyway."

I let my lower lip tremble. "I knew she wouldn't help me. Even after everything she stole from me."

Mother immediately rushed to my side, brushing my blonde hair from my forehead. "Don't upset yourself, darling. We'll find another donor."

"But I needed her kidney," I whispered, blinking rapidly to produce more tears. "She was the perfect match."

Damon slammed his fist against the wall, leaving a small dent in the plaster. "I'll find her. She can't have gone far in her condition."

Father stepped forward, his Alpha authority filling the room. "She was legally released from containment. We can't force her to donate."

"Can't we?" Damon snarled. "After what she did?"

I coughed weakly, drawing everyone's attention back to me. I'd always known how to recenter myself in any situation. It was a skill I'd honed during my years as an omega, watching from the shadows as Elara enjoyed the life that should have been mine.

"I just want to get better," I continued, my voice trembling. "I just want what's rightfully mine."

Mother's face hardened with determination. "And you'll have it, sweetheart. Everything that should have been yours will be."

I closed my eyes, allowing fresh tears to escape. "Twenty-one years. She took twenty-one years from me."

The room filled with the scent of their collective guilt - the pack that had failed to recognize their true Alpha daughter. Their shame was intoxicating.

"Everyone out," Mike suddenly commanded. "She needs rest."

One by one, they filed out, leaving only Mike with me. The moment the door closed, I dropped the fragile act. My back straightened and I wiped away the tears with an impatient hand.

"Did you see their faces?" I smirked, Bella preening within me. "They'd tear the city apart for me now."

Mike's expression remained serious. "Damon seemed too eager to find her."

My smirk vanished. "What are you implying?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Just an observation."

I grabbed his wrist, my nails digging into his skin. "Is he still in love with her?"

"No," Mike insisted. "Of course not. How could he be, after what we arranged?"

I relaxed slightly, releasing him. "You're right. No man could forgive finding his mate in bed with another wolf."

Mike rubbed his wrist, wincing. "That's the point. The plan worked perfectly."

I tossed my hair over my shoulder, confidence returning. "Not entirely perfectly. You were supposed to use Daniel Parker for the setup, but she somehow sleep with a different wolf."

Mike muttered “The wolf ran too fast. I couldn't find out who he was. I still don't know how that happened. Daniel swears he gave her the drugged drink like we planned."

I shrugged dismissively. "It doesn't matter. The result was the same. The mate bond was broken."

But a seed of doubt had been planted. Damon's intensity about finding Elara seemed excessive for someone seeking mere revenge.

"He'd better remember who his future mate is," I muttered, Bella growling in agreement.

"He knows," Mike assured me. "This is about pride, not love."

I settled back against the pillows, considering our next move. "We need to find her before he does."

"Why?" Mike frowned.

"Because," I said, my voice cold with determination, "I want to see her face when she realizes she'll never escape us. She stole twenty-one years of my life as the Stone Pack princess. Now she'll spend the rest of her miserable existence paying for it."

(Elara's POV)

After escaping the hospital, I'd barely managed to drive through Ocean City's winding streets without passing out.

The abandoned warehouse district loomed around me, a no-man's land between competing pack territories. Perfect for someone who belonged nowhere.

Emily stirred anxiously within me, her presence still alarmingly weak. We both sensed someone approaching.

"It's okay," I whispered to her, feeling for the door handle. "I think they're friendly."

I stumbled out of the car, my vision blurring momentarily. The stolen hospital clothes hung loosely on my frame. The baseball cap I'd grabbed from the hospital gift shop shadowed my face as I made my way toward the decrepit building.

A familiar scent stopped me in my tracks.

"Caleb?" I called softly.

A figure emerged from the shadows, and my heart leaped. My brother. My real brother.

"Elara," he breathed, rushing forward to catch me as my legs gave way.

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I clung to him. His familiar scent - motor oil, pine, and the unique musk of our bloodline - brought Emily surging forward with recognition.

"I went to the facility to pick you up," Caleb said, his voice thick with emotion. "They said someone had already collected you."

"The Stone Pack," I explained between sobs. "They wanted my kidney for Isabella."

Caleb's arms tightened around me. "Those bastards."

He helped me inside the warehouse and up a rickety staircase. The space was bare, with only a few pieces of salvaged furniture, but it was clean. A makeshift home.

Caleb's expression darkened. "You look terrible, Lara. What did they do to you in there?"

I shuddered, memories of silver restraints and daily torment washing over me. "Nothing I couldn't survive."

My brother's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry. You took the blame to protect us."

Five years ago, when the truth about my parentage emerged, the evidence of embezzlement had pointed to both of us. As the children of Theresa Rivers, we were natural suspects. I had confessed to save him.

"I'd do it again," I said firmly. "You kept Ethan safe. That's all that matters."

Caleb wiped his eyes, composing himself. "He asks about you every day."

My heart clenched. "Is he...?"

"Here," Caleb finished, smiling. "He's sleeping in the back room. I told him his mommy was coming home today."

Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. Five years. I'd missed five years of my son's life.

"How is he?" I whispered.

"Perfect," Caleb said simply. "Smart. Kind. Strong-willed. He has your eyes."

I glanced down at my hospital clothes, suddenly self-conscious. "I'm not... I don't want to scare him."

Caleb's expression softened. "You could never scare him. He has your picture by his bed."

He disappeared into another room, returning moments later with a small bundle of clean clothes. "They're not much, but they're better than hospital scrubs."

I changed quickly, noting the worn fabric and patched seams. The evidence of their poverty stabbed at my heart. This was my fault too - Caleb had given up better opportunities to stay close to Silver Creek, to keep Ethan connected to me.

"Mom?" A small voice came from behind me.

I turned, my heart stopping in my chest. Standing in the doorway was a small boy with unruly dark hair and emerald eyes - my eyes. He clutched a tattered stuffed wolf to his chest, uncertainty written across his tiny face.

"Ethan," I breathed, unable to move.

Five years. A lifetime. He'd been a baby when I left him. Now he stood on his own two feet, looking at me with cautious hope.

I wanted to rush to him, to gather him into my arms, but I held back. My weakened state, the years of separation - I couldn't force this reunion.

"You look like your picture," he said seriously, taking a tentative step forward.

I knelt down, bringing myself to his level. Emily whined within me, recognizing our pup despite never having met him in the flesh.

"Is it really you?" he asked, his voice so small it broke my heart.

"Yes, baby," I whispered. "It's really me."

He took another step, then another, until he stood directly in front of me. His small hand reached out, touching my cheek with wonder.

"Uncle Caleb said you had to go away to keep me safe," he said. "Are you back forever now?"

The simple question nearly undid me. "I'm going to try very hard to be," I promised, my voice cracking.

Something in my tone must have reassured him because suddenly he launched himself into my arms. I caught him, ignoring the pain that shot through my weakened body as I held him close.

His scent enveloped me - sweet and innocent, with the undercurrent of wolf that marked him as mine. Emily howled with joy inside me, giving me strength I didn't know I still possessed.

"I missed you, Mom," he mumbled against my neck.

"I missed you too," I whispered, stroking his hair. "Every single day."

Over his shoulder, I caught Caleb's eye. My brother was smiling through tears of his own.

For one perfect moment, everything was right in the world. I had my son in my arms. We were together. Safe.

Then I felt it - a shift in the air, a new scent cutting through the warehouse. Powerful. Dominant. Familiar.

Emily whined in warning, her fur bristling despite her weakness.

I pulled back from Ethan, my entire body tensing. "Caleb, take Ethan to the back room. Now."

The heavy tread of boots on metal stairs. The overwhelming aura of an Alpha wolf approaching.

"Go," I hissed, pushing Ethan toward his uncle.

Caleb scooped him up, disappearing into the back room just as the warehouse door crashed open.

"Found you," Damon's voice echoed through the space, his powerful wolf aura filling every corner.

I stood, positioning myself between the door and where my son had disappeared. Despite my weakened state, Emily rose within me, maternal instinct giving her strength she shouldn't have had.

"What do you want, Damon?" I asked, my voice trembling but determined as I faced my former mate.

My wolf positioned herself protectively, ready to fight despite her weakness. I would die before I let him near my child.