Chapter 3: Silver Blood

The hallway was too hot. Too small. Too full of Xander—his scent, his power, the raw strength rolling off him that made Elena's wolf cry out with need.

​She hated it. Hated the way her body betrayed her, leaning toward him despite everything. Hated the way the mate bond wrapped around her ribs like iron bands, squeezing tighter with every breath he took. Hated that a part of her she couldn't control wanted him to close those last few inches and kiss her.

​His eyes dropped to her mouth again. His pupils grew wide, swallowing the gold until only thin rings remained.

​"Don't," she whispered. A warning. A plea. She wasn't sure which.

​"Don't what?" His voice had gone rough, barely human. "Don't stand too close to what's mine?"

​"I'm not yours. You made sure of that."

​Something flickered across his face—pain, maybe, or regret—but it was gone so fast she might have imagined it. His hand came up, fingers ghosting along her jaw. Not quite touching. The heat of his skin made hers prickle.

​"The bond says different."

​"The bond is a liar." But her voice shook. Her body moved toward him on its own, desperate for a touch, desperate for relief from the ache that had been building since she crossed the border.

​Xander's control was slipping. She could see it in the tension in his shoulders, the way his knuckles turned white as he gripped the wall beside her head. He wanted to claim her. Wanted to press her against the wall and make her remember exactly what it felt like to be his.

​But the anger was stronger. Colder.

​"Five years," he said again, and this time his voice cracked. "You kept her from me for five years."

​"You threw me away!" The words ripped out of Elena before she could stop them. "You stood in front of the entire Pack and told me I wasn't worthy. That I was nothing. Why would I tell you about a child when you had already made it clear I was nothing to you? Why would I bring her back to a man who didn't even want me?"

​"You didn't give me the choice—"

​"Alpha."

​They both froze. Miriam stood at the end of the hallway, holding a tablet with shaking hands. Her face was pale.

​Xander released Elena and stepped back, instantly hard as stone again. Only the tightness in his shoulders showed how close he'd been to losing it.

​"Results?" His voice was flat.

​Miriam approached slowly. She glanced at Elena, then back at Xander. "Perhaps we should discuss this in private—"

​"Now, Miriam."

​The healer flinched. "The child is yours. There is no doubt. She shares your blood, your strength, everything."

​The air punched out of Elena's lungs. Relief and terror hit her at once. Maya would be saved—Xander would never let his daughter die. But now, he would never let them leave.

​"There's more," Miriam continued, her voice barely a whisper. She turned the tablet around. "Her blood is... changing. Or maybe it’s finally waking up."

​"Explain," Xander said.

​"She's not a normal werewolf, Alpha. She has traces in her blood I've only seen in the oldest books. This part of her blood hasn't been seen in our kind for a thousand years. It’s been sleeping."

​Elena's heart hammered. "What are you saying?"

​Miriam looked at her directly. "Your daughter carries the blood of the Ancient Silver Wolves."

​The hallway went silent. The world seemed to stop spinning.

​"That's impossible," Xander said, his voice a low growl. "The Silver Wolves died out centuries ago. They were hunted down."

​"Apparently not." Miriam's hands trembled. "Their blood survived. Hidden. Sleeping. Until now." She glanced at Elena. "It has to come from the mother's side. Do you know who your parents were?"

​Elena's mouth was dry. "I was an orphan. Raised by a rogue pack. I don't know anything about them."

​The pieces clicked together. Rankless. Powerless. No family. She'd always thought she was just unwanted. What if she'd been hidden to keep her safe?

​Xander moved so fast she didn't see him coming. His hand wrapped around her throat again—not choking, just holding her there.

​"What are you?"

​"I don't know." And that was the truth. "I swear to you, I don't know."

​His eyes searched hers, looking for a lie. She stared back, letting him see her fear and her tiny spark of hope that maybe she wasn't just a "useless" omega after all.

​"The Silver Wolves," Miriam said quietly, "were the most powerful wolves to ever exist. Stronger than Alphas. They could command any wolf, no matter their rank. They were hunted because other Packs feared them. They feared what that kind of power could do."

​Xander's grip tightened slightly. "And my daughter has this blood."

​"Your daughter is half Silver Wolf and half Blackwood Alpha. I don't know what she'll become."

​But Elena saw it in his eyes. The exact moment everything changed. The doubt was gone. The anger was still there, but underneath it was something new.

​Possession.

​"She's mine." The words were soft and final. "My daughter. My blood. My Pack."

​"Xander—" Elena started.

​"No." He released her and stepped back, every inch the Alpha now. Cold. In control. "You don't get to speak. You kept her from me, and I will never forgive that."

​The words hurt like a physical blow.

​"But she needs her mother," he continued, his voice businesslike. "And you have a bloodline I need to understand. So here's what's going to happen. You're moving into the Pack House. Tonight."

​Her heart leaped. A tiny bit of hope sparked in her chest. Xander's next words crushed it.

​"Not as my mate. Not as Luna. I rejected you, and that stays. You'll live there as Maya's nanny. A servant. You'll have a room in the servant's wing. You'll follow my rules. You'll be fed and housed, and in return, you'll care for my daughter and let us test your blood so we can understand what you are."

​"You can't be serious," Elena whispered.

​"I'm an Alpha. I'm always serious." He stepped closer. "You wanted to come home? Congratulations. But you'll spend every day remembering that you're only here because I allow it. That you're nothing but a servant in the Pack you could have ruled."

​I still want him. The thought made Elena sick. Even now, with him cutting her to pieces, her wolf whined for him. She hated herself for it.

​"Do you accept?" Xander asked. "Or would you prefer I throw you out and keep Maya here without you? Because make no mistake—my daughter stays. The only question is whether you stay with her."

​He was punishing her. Keeping her close enough to hurt, but never close enough to hold.

​Elena lifted her chin. "I accept."

​Xander smiled, but it wasn't kind. "Good. Welcome home, Omega."