CHAPTER 5: THE OMEGA’S WHISPER

ELENA

My body felt like lead. Every muscle ached with a deep, heavy exhaustion, a direct consequence of Kaelen’s ruthless, possessive claim. I could still feel the heat of his skin against mine, and the overwhelming scent of rain and crushed pine needles clung to the silk sheets like a brand.

I hated him. I hated how easily his Lycan aura reduced my human defenses to liquid fire. But more than that, I hated being trapped.

A soft, hesitant knock rattled the heavy oak door.

I tried to sit up, but a sharp ache in my thighs made me gasp, forcing me back onto the pillows. "Who is it?" I called out, my voice raspy and breathless.

The lock clicked. The door creaked open, and a young, petite girl shifted into the room. She wore the grey uniform of a palace omega maid. Her head was bowed low, her eyes fixed on the floor, and she carried a silver tray with a bowl of hot broth and a glass of water.

"M-My Luna," she stammered, her shoulders trembling. "The Alpha King ordered that you be fed. He... he explicitly stated you are not to leave the bed."

I flushed with humiliation. Kaelen had basically told the entire staff what he had done to me. "Just leave it on the table," I sighed, pulling the heavy duvet tighter around my bare shoulders.

The girl walked over, her steps completely silent. But instead of placing the tray on the nightstand, she stepped closer to the edge of the bed. Her heart was hammering so loudly I could hear it.

"Luna," she whispered, her voice suddenly losing its timid edge. She flicked her eyes toward the heavy double doors, checking for guards. "I don't have much time. The King's Betas are monitoring the hallways."

I frowned, instantly alert. "Who are you?"

She dropped to one knee, reaching into the hidden pocket of her apron. She pulled out a small silver vial and a tightly rolled piece of parchment.

"My name is Maya. My pack in the South owes everything to Alpha Tristan," she whispered fiercely, pressing the cold silver vial into my hand. "This is an omega scent-blocker. If you drink it, it will temporarily mask Kaelen's scent on you, and it will hide your pure-blood sweetness from the guards."

My heart leaped into my throat. Tristan.

"He sent you?" I whispered.

"Alpha Tristan is currently in the Council chamber, keeping the King distracted," Maya explained rapidly, her eyes wide. "He is challenging Kaelen’s claim to the throne, forcing a full-day debate. He wants you to know that he hasn't forgotten his promise to you. Read the note, Luna. Then burn it."

Before I could ask her anything else, Maya stood up, bowed politely as if she had just finished her duties, and hurried out of the room, locking the door behind her.

Trembling, I unrolled the tiny piece of parchment. Tristan’s elegant, sharp handwriting filled the page:

Elena,

He thinks he can lock you away, but a King without a crown is just a beast. I am pushing the Council to demand a formal coronation ritual. It buy us three days. Do not let him break your spirit. Drink the vial tonight at midnight. The guards will change shifts, and Maya will open the eastern garden gate for you and the twins. I will be waiting in the shadows. Let me save you again.

— T.

A gasp escaped my lips. An escape plan. He was giving me a way out, a chance to take Leo and Lily back to safety, far away from Kaelen's suffocating golden cage.

But as I looked at the silver vial in my hand, a dark, sinking feeling settled in my stomach. Kaelen was obsessed. If I ran away with his rivals, he wouldn't just look for me—he would start a continental war.

Suddenly, a violent tremor shook the entire room.

The heavy oak doors didn't just unlock—they were thrown open so hard the doorknobs shattered against the marble walls.

Kaelen stood in the doorway. His tie was gone, his top three shirt buttons ripped open, and his chest was heaving with raw, unfiltered fury. The silver in his eyes was completely gone, replaced by a blinding, territorial gold that illuminated the dim room.

He didn't say a word. He just sniffed the air.

His eyes locked directly onto my hand, where the silver vial and Tristan's note were still gripped tightly in my fingers.

"What," Kaelen roared, his voice rattling the glass windows until they cracked, "is that?"