Chapter 2: The Enemy's Prize

I slapped his hand away.

The sound echoed in the quiet night, a sharp crack against his skin. Kael didn't flinch. He didn't even look surprised. He just watched me with those glowing gold eyes, his hand hovering in the air where I had pushed it away.

"Don't touch me," I spat. My voice was shaking, but I forced myself to meet his gaze. "I didn't cross the border for a new Alpha to claim me. I just wanted to be left alone."

"You're bleeding, Elara," he said. His voice was a low rumble, vibrating in my chest. It didn't sound like Jason's voice—it wasn't cruel or mocking. It was steady. Final. "And you're in my territory. You are not alone anymore."

My wolf stirred again. She was pacing inside my mind, frantic, pushing against my skin. Mate, she whispered. He smells like pine and snow. He is strong.

Shut up, I told her. We just got rejected by our own Alpha. We don't need another one.

Kael didn't wait for me to argue. He reached down, slid one arm under my knees and the other around my back, and lifted me off the ground as if I weighed nothing.

"Put me down!" I shoved at his chest, but it was like pushing against a brick wall. "I can walk!"

"Your legs gave out a minute ago," he said, walking into the dark trees. "And you're leaving a trail of blood. You'll attract the rogues if you walk. So be quiet and let me carry you."

I wanted to fight him. I wanted to bite him. But the adrenaline was fading, and the exhaustion hit me like a wave. My body went limp against his chest. The cold was seeping into my bones, and without meaning to, I leaned into his warmth. He smelled like the forest—pine, snow, and something deep and wild.

We walked for a long time. I didn't see the packhouse until we were right in front of it. It was massive, built of dark stone and wood, tucked into the side of a mountain.

The moment we walked through the front doors, the room went silent.

Dozens of wolves stopped what they were doing and stared. A woman with short black hair and sharp eyes stepped forward. She looked at me—bloodied, broken, and wearing a Silver Creek jacket—and her face twisted in disgust.

"Alpha," she said, her voice tight. "That's a Silver Creek wolf. She's the enemy."

"She's my mate," Kael said. He didn't raise his voice, but the entire room seemed to shrink. "And she's the true Luna of this pack."

Gasps echoed through the hall. The woman looked like she had been slapped. "But Alpha Jason—"

"Alpha Jason," Kael said slowly, "is a dead man walking."

The words sent a shiver down my spine. I looked up at him, and for the first time, I saw the ruthless reputation that everyone whispered about. His eyes weren't just gold—they were burning.

He carried me past the frozen crowd, up a flight of stairs, and into a large bedroom at the end of the hall. He set me down on the edge of the bed with surprising gentleness.

"I know you don't trust me," he said, kneeling in front of me. He reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "I know you're angry. But I've known you were mine since the day I saw you at that council meeting ten years ago."

I froze. "What?"

"You were fifteen," he said. "You were hiding behind a pillar, reading a book. I knew then. But I couldn't take you from your pack. So I waited."

My heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear. "You waited?"

"Until you walked across that river," he said, his thumb tracing my jaw. "I didn't reject you, Elara. Your Alpha did. That makes you mine."

He stood up and walked toward the door. He paused, looking back at me.

"Rest. Tomorrow, we start your training. You're going to be the most powerful Luna this world has ever seen."

He closed the door. And for the first time in my life, I felt a spark of something I hadn't felt in years.

Hope.