INICIAR SESIÓNElara slowly opened her eyes and realized she was no longer in the underground cell where she had been imprisoned for the past several days.What happened to me?Confused, she tried to push herself upright. But a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, leaving her head light and spinning. She had no choice but to let herself fall back onto the soft mattress.“You’re awake.”Healer Maeve appeared through the doorway, carrying a wooden tray with a steaming bowl and cup.“Eat. You need to regain your strength,” Maeve said as she placed the tray on the bedside table. “For a wolfless Omega, you’re awfully cautious.”Elara wasn’t sure whether it was meant as an insult or a compliment.“I just need to make sure I stay alive,” she replied quietly, attempting to sit up again.The weakness in her body was not simply the result of being locked inside a prison cell. It was the culmination of everything she had endured over the past several weeks.After being declared a wanted fugitive by the Re
“Yes, Alpha. I’ll do it. As long as you promise not to send me back to the Redlake Pack, I’ll do whatever you ask of me,” Elara answered firmly, without the slightest hesitation.Gareth fell silent for a moment.Many would likely disapprove of the decision he was about to make, but as far as he was concerned, this was the best path available to him.“I will make you my breeder,” he said at last. “In return, you will receive my personal protection. Your existence will remain a secret, and you will live wherever I decide to place you.”His voice hardened.“But there is one thing you must remember. This arrangement is purely transactional. Do not involve your feelings. Do not expect special attention from me, and do not place any hopes on me.”His cold gaze locked onto hers.“If you break that rule, you will be the one who suffers.”Elara remained perfectly still.She understood exactly what Gareth meant.Even without his warning, she had no intention of falling in love with anyone ever
“I knew I’d find you here.”Without turning around, Gareth knew Victoria was approaching. He would have recognized her scent and footsteps even from several yards away.“Do you need something?” Gareth asked indifferently.He was sitting in his study, reading the report Cole had given him—a report he had been neglecting since that afternoon.“I just wanted to see you. You’ve seemed busy lately. Is something urgent happening at the border?”Victoria stepped closer. Without the slightest hesitation, she perched herself on the edge of his desk and reached for his shoulder, deliberately trying to seduce him.Gareth caught the strong scent of Victoria’s pheromones.But instead of feeling tempted by her, his thoughts drifted to Elara.Gareth slowly lifted his head and fixed Victoria with a cold stare.That look alone made his meaning perfectly clear.He did not want to be disturbed.And he wanted her out of his study immediately.Victoria realized she had overstepped. She quickly rose to her
“Victoria? What about her?” Gareth asked, his brows furrowing.“You know perfectly well why she’s here.”“She wants to become my Luna and take the place of her late sister? Yes, I know that. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to grant her wish.”“She loves you.”“Does she?” Gareth scoffed. “I thought she wanted to get revenge by killing me in my sleep as payback for killing her sister.”The sarcastic remark was clearly aimed at himself.Gareth knew Victoria adored him. But he had never been interested in her. No matter how hard she tried, he had never shown the slightest interest in her, and that rejection had become a personal humiliation for Victoria.Yet, for reasons Gareth couldn’t understand, the woman still remained in Silverhollow, convinced that someday she would win his heart and take her late sister’s place.Ten years ago, Gareth had married Aria Vale—Victoria’s half-sister—because he loved her.He had worshiped t
Gareth let out a low chuckle. “Your grandfather, Magnus Calloway… Do you really think Logan Sterling would simply let him leave? His healing abilities are extraordinary. Even when the Alpha King offered him a position at the royal palace, he turned it down. Do you really think your grandfather would be willing to abandon everything just to join another pack?”Elara slowly lowered her gaze.Her grandfather had never been the kind of man who craved power or luxury. The main reasons he had remained in Redlake were the deep memories he had built there and the rare medicinal plants that, according to him, grew only in the forests surrounding that territory.“Think carefully,” Gareth said firmly as he rose to his feet. “Are you truly capable of living in isolation? If you are, we’ll seal it with a Blood Contract.”Perhaps driven by desperation—or some reckless impulse she couldn’t explain—Elara suddenly lunged forward.She dropped to her knees and wrappe
“If I tell you the truth… will you let me go?”Gareth gave no answer.He remained perfectly still, his gaze fixed on Elara’s face.What’s the point? Elara thought bitterly.Even if she told him the whole truth from her perspective, there was no guarantee the Alpha standing before her would believe a word of it. The label of fugitive that had already been stamped on her would not disappear simply because she offered a few words in her own defense.Elara drew a resigned breath.Perhaps all she could do now was wait for whatever punishment he decided to give her.Gareth remained silent, waiting for her to say more.He had expected the girl to plead, beg, or desperately try to convince him to believe her.Instead, Elara chose silence.For some reason, that only irritated the Alpha.Gareth wanted to hear her defense.The same girl who had begged him the night before, nearly on her knees,







