ELARA POV

The satisfying crack of bone meeting bone echoed across the training grounds, and I didn't even blink.

"Again," I said, watching Jenna pick herself up from the dirt for the third time this morning. Her wolf was strong, her instincts sharp, but she telegraphed her moves like she was sending an engraved invitation. "You're dropping your left shoulder before you strike. Any competent fighter will see it coming and put you on your ass. Which is exactly what just happened."

Jenna wiped blood from her split lip and grinned. "Yes, Alpha."

That still sent a thrill through me. Alpha. Not omega. Not the pathetic, worthless nothing I'd been told I was for eighteen years. I was Alpha Elara Reed now, and every wolf in Shadow Creek Pack would follow me into hell if I asked.

I gestured for her to reset her stance. "Your power means nothing if you can't land a hit. Zara, demonstrate."

My head warrior moved like liquid death. One moment she was standing beside me, the next she had Jenna pinned with a blade to her throat. Jenna hadn't even seen her coming.

"Speed and precision beat raw strength every time," Zara said, hauling Jenna back to her feet. "The Alpha's right. You're broadcasting your intentions like a neon sign."

I opened my mouth to add something else when I felt them. Two little tornadoes of chaotic energy barreling toward the training grounds at full speed. My lips twitched despite myself.

"Mommy!" Aiden's voice rang out across the field, and I turned just in time to catch three and a half feet of pure excitement launching himself at my legs. His twin sister Luna was right behind him, her dark hair flying.

"We made you breakfast!" Luna announced proudly, thrusting a slightly squashed muffin toward me. "Owen helped but we did most of it."

I crouched down to their level, taking in Aiden's chocolate-smeared face and Luna's backwards shirt. My heart did that stupid thing it always did when I looked at them. These two tiny, perfect beings were mine. No one could take them from me. No one would ever make them feel small or worthless or like they didn't deserve to exist.

"Did you now?" I accepted the muffin and took a bite. It was terrible. Burnt on the bottom, raw in the middle, and I was pretty sure they'd used salt instead of sugar. "It's delicious. Thank you, babies."

Aiden beamed. His green eyes sparkled exactly like his father's, and I shoved that thought down deep where it belonged. In the box labeled 'Things That Can Go Straight To Hell.'

"Can we train with you?" Luna asked, bouncing on her toes. "Please? Aiden learned a new thing with his wolf!"

"Absolutely not. You're three. Go play with the other pups." I ruffled her hair and stood, trying to ignore the way my warriors were all grinning at us. "And find Harper. She's supposed to be watching you two."

"But Mommy—"

"No buts. Training grounds are dangerous. Go."

They pouted in perfect synchronization, another twin thing that was equal parts adorable and manipulative. But they knew better than to push me when I used my Alpha voice. They scampered off toward the packhouse, arguing about who got to tell Harper about the muffin.

I watched them go, that familiar knot of fierce protectiveness tightening in my chest. They were everything. My reason for surviving. For becoming strong enough that no one could ever hurt us again.

"They're growing fast," Zara said quietly. "Aiden's already showing dominance behaviors. And Luna's empathy gift is getting stronger."

"I know." It worried me. Three-year-olds shouldn't have Alpha-level abilities. Their power was unprecedented, and I had no idea what it meant for their future. Just one more thing to keep me up at night.

I turned back to the assembled warriors. Fifteen of Shadow Creek's finest, all watching me with respect and loyalty. Most of them were former rogues or rejected pack members. Wolves who'd been thrown away by their original packs for being too weak, too damaged, too different. I'd built Shadow Creek from nothing, and every single wolf here would die for each other.

"Pair up," I ordered. "Jenna, you're with Marcus when he gets back. Everyone else, hand-to-hand combat drills. I want to see improvement by tomorrow or we're doing this in wolf form, and trust me, you don't want that."

They scattered to follow orders, and I allowed myself a moment of satisfaction. This was mine. I'd created something good here, something worth protecting. Shadow Creek wasn't the biggest pack or the wealthiest, but we were strong. We were family.

The morning sun climbed higher, and I lost myself in the rhythm of training. Correcting stances, demonstrating techniques, pushing my wolves to be better. This was familiar. Safe. I was in control here.

That's when I felt Marcus approaching. My Beta's energy signature was distinct, all steady calm and protective instinct. But today something felt off. There was tension in the way he moved, urgency in his stride.

I finished showing Owen a proper chokehold release before turning to face Marcus. He looked uncomfortable, which was never a good sign. Marcus was unshakeable. The fact that he was shifting his weight and avoiding eye contact made my instincts flare.

"Whatever it is, just say it," I told him.

He glanced at the training warriors, then back at me. "Can we talk in your office?"

My stomach dropped. Nothing good ever started with 'can we talk in your office.' But I nodded and followed him across the grounds toward the packhouse. Shadow Creek's main building was nothing fancy, just a large lodge-style structure that housed our meeting rooms, my office, and guest quarters. Functional. Practical. Everything I needed.

I dropped into my desk chair and gestured for Marcus to speak. He remained standing, still looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"Marcus. Out with it."

"Alpha Kai Thornwood sent a messenger this morning." His jaw tightened. "He's requesting a formal meeting with you. Says it's urgent."

For a second, I couldn't breathe. The name hit me like a physical blow, dragging up memories I'd buried so deep I'd half convinced myself they weren't real. Kai Thornwood. My fated mate. The male who'd looked at me with disgust and rejected me in front of his entire pack.

I, Alpha Kai Thornwood, reject you, Elara Reed.

The phantom pain of that moment echoed through my chest, the bond shattering like glass, my wolf Aurora howling in agony as our mate ripped us apart. I'd been eighteen, terrified, and so desperately hopeful that maybe, just maybe, having a fated mate would mean someone finally wanted me.

Instead, he'd chosen someone else. Marked another female. Made it clear I was nothing to him.

My hands curled into fists on the desk. "No."

"Elara—"

"I said no." My voice came out flat and cold. "He doesn't get to summon me like I'm some omega he can order around. Not anymore."

"His pack is failing," Marcus said carefully. "From what the messenger said, Thornwood is under attack. They're losing wolves. Their borders are collapsing. He's desperate."

Good. The vindictive part of me that still carried scars from my time in that pack wanted to throw a party. Let Kai Thornwood and his perfect chosen Luna deal with their own problems. Let him suffer the way he'd made me suffer.

But the Alpha in me, the part that had learned to think strategically, knew this was bigger than old wounds. If Thornwood Pack fell, the territory would destabilize. Rogues would flood the region. Other packs would fight over the land. Shadow Creek's borders would be vulnerable.

Still. I didn't owe Kai Thornwood anything.

"Tell his messenger the answer is no," I said. "Alpha Thornwood made his choice three years ago. He chose to reject his fated mate and humiliate her publicly. He chose to let his pack treat me like garbage for years before that. He doesn't get to come crawling back now that he needs something."

Marcus studied me for a long moment. "He specifically asked for you. Said you're the only one who can help."

I laughed, and it came out bitter. "Of course he did. I'm sure his precious chosen Luna isn't getting the job done." The thought of Melissa, beautiful and powerful and everything I supposedly wasn't, made my blood boil. "Three years, Marcus. He's had three years to figure his life out. This is not my problem."

"I agree." Marcus moved closer, his expression softening. "You don't owe him anything. But I wanted you to hear it from me before rumors started spreading. The messenger was pretty vocal about the request."

Of course he was. Drama always followed the Thornwood Pack like a bad smell.

I rubbed my temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache forming. "Did the messenger say anything else?"

"Just that Alpha Kai emphasized how urgent the situation is. He'll come here himself if necessary."

Over my dead body. The thought of Kai setting foot in Shadow Creek, of him being anywhere near my home, my pack, my children, made my wolf snarl.

"If he shows up here, he's not getting past the border," I said. "Make sure our patrol knows. Alpha Kai Thornwood is not welcome in this territory."

Marcus nodded, but I could see the concern in his eyes. He'd found me three years ago, broken and pregnant and half-dead from wandering as a rogue. He'd helped me build Shadow Creek from nothing. He knew exactly what Kai had done to me, and he'd never liked the idea of that male having any connection to me or the twins.

The twins. My heart clenched. Kai didn't even know about them. He had no idea that the omega he'd rejected had been carrying his children. That I'd given birth alone in a rogue shelter, terrified and in agony, with only a sympathetic nurse and my own determination keeping me alive.

He'd never asked what happened to me after the rejection. Never checked if I survived. I was just the inconvenient fated mate he'd disposed of so he could be with someone more suitable.

"Elara." Marcus's voice pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. "Are you okay?"

No. But I'd stopped admitting weakness a long time ago.

"I'm fine," I lied. "Just annoyed that he thinks he can snap his fingers and I'll come running. Send the messenger back with my answer. Tell Alpha Thornwood to go to hell. I'm not his to summon anymore."

Marcus hesitated, like he wanted to say something else, but ultimately just nodded and left my office. The door clicked shut, leaving me alone with memories I'd worked hard to bury.

I stared at the papers on my desk without really seeing them. My mind was three years in the past, standing in Thornwood's grand ceremony hall wearing a simple dress while Kai looked at me like I was something disgusting he'd stepped in.

You're weak. Wolfless. An embarrassment. I won't tie myself to an omega who can't even shift properly.

Except I wasn't wolfless. My wolf had been there all along, trapped and suppressed by years of abuse and a bloodline I hadn't known I carried. The rejection had broken something in me, shattered the chains holding Aurora back. My wolf had erupted in a blast of power that sent half the pack scrambling, gold light exploding from my body as my True Alpha bloodline finally woke up.

I'd run that night. Fled into the darkness with blood streaming from where Kai's rejection had torn through our bond, my wolf howling in agony. I'd been sure I was going to die.

Instead, I'd survived. Built myself into something stronger. Became the Alpha I was always meant to be.

And Kai Thornwood could rot for all I cared.

I pulled a file toward me, determined to focus on actual pack business instead of ghosts from my past. But my hands were shaking slightly, and I hated that. Hated that just hearing his name could still affect me. I was stronger than this. I'd moved on.

Hadn't I?

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. "Come in."

Zara poked her head inside. "Training's wrapped up. Warriors are asking if you're joining us for lunch."

"In a minute." I forced a smile. "I'll be there."

She gave me a knowing look but didn't push, just nodded and left. Zara knew me well enough to recognize when I needed space.

I stood and walked to the window, looking out over Shadow Creek territory. My home. My sanctuary. Everything I'd built with my own hands and sheer stubborn will to survive.

Kai Thornwood thought he could just waltz back into my life because he needed something? He had another thing coming.

Whatever problems Thornwood Pack was facing, they were his to solve. I had my own pack to protect, my own children to raise, my own life to live. A life that was good and full and had absolutely nothing to do with the male who'd broken me.

I turned away from the window, squaring my shoulders. Time to go have lunch with my pack and forget this morning's news ever happened.

But as I walked toward the door, Aurora stirred restlessly in my mind. My wolf hadn't forgotten our mate's scent, the way our bond had felt before it shattered. She never would.

Neither would I.

And that was the real problem.