Chapter 4

KAI POV

The walk back to my car felt longer than it should have. Every step away from Elara was wrong, Titan snarling and clawing in my mind to go back, to not leave our mate. Except she wasn't our mate anymore. I'd made sure of that three years ago.

I'd gotten what I came for. Sort of. She hadn't killed me on sight, which honestly was more than I'd expected. And she'd agreed to think about helping, which was more mercy than I deserved. So why did I feel like I'd just lost something important all over again?

Because you saw her. Because she's not the broken omega anymore. Because she's everything you should have recognized from the start, and you threw it away.

I shoved the thoughts down and focused on driving. I had three days before Elara gave me her answer. Three days to figure out how to save my pack if she said no. Three days to prepare myself for the possibility that I'd have to watch Thornwood fall apart because of my own failures.

The territory line back into Thornwood land felt like crossing into enemy territory now. My own pack, and it felt hostile. Maybe because half the wolves here would happily replace me if they could. Or maybe because I knew, deep down, that I didn't deserve to lead them anymore.

Beta James was waiting at the packhouse when I pulled up. One look at his face told me something else had gone wrong.

"Tell me," I said, not bothering with pleasantries.

"Another attack. Western border this time. They got past our patrols and torched three homes before we could respond." His jaw was tight with barely controlled anger. "No casualties, but the families are terrified. And furious. They're demanding to know why their Alpha can't protect them."

Because their Alpha was too busy begging his rejected mate for help instead of defending his territory. I didn't say it out loud, but James's expression told me he was thinking the same thing.

"Where are the families now?" I asked.

"Temporary housing in the packhouse. Dr. Chen is checking them for smoke inhalation." James paused. "Kai, we can't keep this up. We need help. What did Alpha Reed say?"

"She's thinking about it. I have an answer in three days."

"Three days." James laughed, bitter. "We might not have three days at the rate things are going."

He was right. Everything was falling apart faster than I could hold it together. But what choice did I have? I'd already humiliated myself by going to Elara uninvited. I couldn't push harder without making things worse.

"Then we hold the line for three days," I said. "Triple the patrols. I don't care if every able-bodied wolf has to take shifts. No more breaches."

James nodded and left to organize it, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Which was dangerous, because my thoughts kept circling back to Elara. The way she'd looked at me with such cold fury. The power radiating off her, making my wolf want to submit even though every instinct said an Alpha should never submit to anyone. The fact that she'd built something strong and healthy while I'd destroyed everything I touched.

I made it to my office and collapsed into the chair, exhaustion hitting me all at once. When was the last time I'd slept? Really slept, not just passed out from exhaustion for a few hours before nightmares woke me up? I couldn't remember.

The door opened without warning. Melissa, of course. She never knocked anymore.

"I heard you went to Shadow Creek," she said, her voice sharp. "Did she laugh in your face? Tell you to rot? I would have."

"She's considering helping us." I didn't have the energy for one of her bitter tirades right now. "That's more than we had this morning."

"Helping us." Melissa's laugh was harsh. "Right. And what did you promise her in return? Me? Are you going to dissolve our bond and go crawling back to her?"

The thought had crossed my mind. If Elara demanded I end things with Melissa as a condition of helping Thornwood, would I do it? The answer should have been complicated, but it wasn't. Yes. I'd do it in a heartbeat. Not because I wanted Elara back, I'd lost that right. But because Melissa and I were a mistake that never should have happened, and we both knew it.

"I didn't promise her anything," I said instead. "I asked for help. That's all."

"You're pathetic." Melissa crossed her arms. "You know that? Still pining after some omega who ran away. Meanwhile I'm here, trying to make this work, trying to give you an heir, and you can't even look at me without flinching."

"You're not an omega." The correction slipped out before I could stop it. "Elara was never just an omega. She's a True Alpha. Always was. I was just too blind to see it."

"Oh, I see." Melissa's expression turned ugly. "So now you're defending her? After everything? You rejected her, Kai. You chose me. Or did you forget that part?"

I hadn't forgotten. I remembered every detail of that night, every word, every moment. It haunted me constantly. But explaining that to Melissa felt pointless. She'd never understand the difference between a choice made from cowardice and a choice made from strength.

"Get out," I said tiredly. "I have work to do."

She left, slamming the door again. I was starting to think she communicated exclusively through door violence.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of reports and emergency meetings and trying to keep panicked pack members calm. By the time night fell, I was ready to collapse. But sleep meant nightmares, so I stayed up going through old pack records instead, looking for anything that might explain who was targeting us and why.

That's when I found it. A note in my father's handwriting, dated fifteen years ago. Research into True Alpha bloodlines. Possible surviving members. Must be careful. Council is watching.

My blood ran cold. My father had known about True Alphas. Had been researching them. Why? And what did the Council have to do with it?

I pulled out more files, digging deeper. Found references to an old pack called Reed. Elara's pack. They'd been wiped out twenty years ago, the entire bloodline supposedly destroyed. Except Elara had survived, hidden as an omega in Thornwood. Had my father known? Is that why he'd allowed her family to join our pack?

The pieces were coming together, forming a picture I didn't like. Someone had hunted True Alphas to extinction. Or tried to. And now someone was attacking Thornwood, the pack that had unknowingly sheltered the last one.

Was this connected? Were the attacks on my pack related to Elara? To what she was?

I needed answers. But more than that, I needed to warn her. If someone was targeting True Alphas, Elara was in danger. Shadow Creek was in danger. And she had no idea.

The thought of anything happening to her made Titan lose his mind. My wolf didn't care that we'd rejected her. Didn't care that she hated us. He still wanted to protect her, still saw her as ours even though the bond was broken.

I grabbed my phone and pulled up Marcus's number. He wouldn't want to hear from me, but this was too important.

The call went to voicemail. I tried again. Same result. Either Marcus was ignoring me or Elara had told him not to take my calls. Probably both.

Fine. I'd drive back to Shadow Creek tomorrow and tell her in person. She could hate me all she wanted, but she needed to know she might be in danger.

I made it about four hours into fitful sleep before my phone rang. James, calling at three in the morning. Never good.

"Another attack?" I answered, already pulling on clothes.

"Worse." James's voice was grim. "They took someone. Young wolf, barely eighteen. Dragged her right out of her home while her parents were sleeping. Left a message."

My stomach dropped. "What message?"

"'The True Alpha's blood will pay for past sins.'" James paused. "Kai, what the hell does that mean? What True Alpha?"

I was already running for my car. "Call an emergency pack meeting. Now. I'll explain everything when I get there."

But my mind was racing ahead. They knew. Whoever was behind this knew about True Alphas. Knew about Elara. And now they'd taken one of my pack members as bait or leverage or just to send a message.

This wasn't just about destroying Thornwood anymore. This was bigger. More dangerous.

And Elara was right in the middle of it, whether she knew it or not.

I drove too fast, barely paying attention to the road. The packhouse was chaos when I arrived, wolves gathering in various states of dress and panic. The kidnapped girl's parents were sobbing, demanding answers I didn't have.

"Everyone quiet!" My Alpha command cut through the noise. The crowd fell silent, all eyes on me. "I need to explain something. About our pack's history. About why we're being targeted."

I told them everything. About True Alphas, about Elara, about the research my father had done. About the possibility that someone was hunting the last surviving bloodline and we'd gotten caught in the crossfire. Reactions ranged from disbelief to horror to anger.

"So you're saying this is because you rejected your True Alpha mate?" Gamma Rick's voice dripped with accusation. "We're suffering because of your mistake?"

"Yes." No point denying it. "This is my fault. All of it. And I'm going to fix it."

"How?" someone called from the crowd. "That girl's parents want their daughter back. What are you going to do, beg your rejected mate to save us?"

"If I have to." I met their eyes, one by one. "I'll do whatever it takes. Beg, grovel, give up my title. Whatever Elara Reed demands, I'll do it. Because you're right. This is my fault. And I won't let anyone else suffer for my failures."

The crowd muttered among themselves. Some looked satisfied with my answer. Others looked ready to challenge me for Alpha position right there. James stepped forward before things could escalate.

"We have until dawn to plan a rescue for the girl," he said. "Alpha Kai, if you're going back to Shadow Creek to ask for help, do it now. We need warriors and we need them fast."

He was right. I'd already humiliated myself once today. What was one more time?

I made the drive to Shadow Creek at dawn, crossing the border without permission again. Zara and her warriors intercepted me within minutes, looking even less pleased to see me than last time.

"You've got some nerve," Zara said, her hand on her weapon. "Alpha Reed told you not to come back unless she summoned you."

"I know. But this can't wait. One of my pack members was taken. A young girl. And the attackers left a message about True Alphas." I looked Zara in the eye. "Elara's in danger. Your pack is in danger. I need to speak with her now."

Zara's expression shifted from annoyed to concerned. She spoke into her mind-link, presumably to Elara or Marcus, then gestured for me to follow.

"The Alpha will see you at the packhouse. But if you step out of line even once, I'll put you down myself. Clear?"

"Clear."

The walk to Shadow Creek's packhouse was humiliating in ways I hadn't expected. Pack members stopped to stare as we passed. Some whispered. Others glared openly. Word had clearly spread about who I was and what I'd done to their Alpha. I was enemy territory here, and they wanted me to know it.

Good. I deserved every bit of their hatred.

The packhouse was smaller than Thornwood's but warmer somehow. Less cold stone and imposing architecture, more wood and natural light. It felt like a home instead of a fortress. Elara had built this. Created something welcoming and safe.

Marcus met us at the entrance, his expression carefully neutral. "Alpha Reed is in her office. Follow me. And Kai? Don't make me regret letting you in here."

"Understood."

He led me through the building, and I tried not to stare at everything. Photos on the walls of pack gatherings, children's artwork displayed proudly, comfortable furniture arranged for conversation instead of intimidation. This was what a healthy pack looked like. Everything Thornwood should have been and wasn't.

We passed through a common area, and that's when I heard them. Children's laughter, high and bright. Two voices, talking over each other in that way young kids do.

"I'm faster!" a boy's voice declared.

"No, I am!" a girl argued back. "Mommy said so!"

"Mommy says you're both fast," a woman's voice answered, amused. "Now finish your breakfast before it gets cold."

Marcus tried to steer me past, but I'd already turned toward the sound. Couldn't help it. Something pulled me that direction, Titan suddenly alert and focused.

The common area opened into a dining space. Several pack members sat eating breakfast, but my attention locked on two small figures at a corner table.

Twins. A boy and a girl, maybe three years old. Dark hair, delicate features. The boy had bright green eyes. The girl had one gold eye and one silver.

My eyes. Elara's eyes.

The world tilted. Everything else faded except those two children sitting there eating breakfast like they didn't just shatter my entire reality. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Just stared at them while my brain tried to process what I was seeing.

The boy looked up first, those green eyes—my eyes—meeting mine with curious intensity. Something passed between us. Recognition maybe, or instinct. His little face scrunched up in concentration.

"Zara," he called, not breaking eye contact with me. "Who's that man? He smells like Mommy."

And that's when Elara walked into the room.