CHAPTER 4

The arrival of Elias Voss had sent a chill through her core. His reputation preceded him: a rogue Alpha with an army of wolves loyal to his every command. His silver hair flashed in the moonlight as he stood before her, and his bright eyes did not meet hers but just looked at her with mockery.

"So," Elias drew out, his voice a silk over steel. "This is the infamous Lena Hart, the rejected mate who thinks she can gather the lost and broken."

Lena's jaw tightened. She stepped forward, holding his gaze. "Let me guess, you're the little coward who needs to prey on the weak to build your army? What do you want from me, Elias?"

Elias laughed, a soft but sinister sound. "I want to see for myself if the tales are true. It's said that you have been gathering rogues and encouraging them. It is also said that you are destined for greatness. All I see is a little girl pretending to be brave."

The crowd murmured, the tension thick in the air. Lena felt the weight of their doubts pressing down on her but she wasn'T going to back down.

"Then you're blind," she said, her voice steady even though her heartbeat was thrumming fast. "These wolves come to me because I have their trust. I don't need to scare or control them like you do."

Elias smiled and stepped a little closer. "Oh, I do not need to manipulate anyone. My wolves follow me because they know I will lead them to victory. You are in my way right now."

"Victory over what?" Lena retorted, her voice edged. "Silver Ridge? Blood Moon? This isn't leadership, Elias; it's ruin. You're shattering everything the Moon Goddess blessed us with."

Elias's face darkened, and his voice became a growl of menace. "The Moon Goddess left us long ago. We're just her janitors after the mess she left behind."

Lena’s chest burned with rage, and her hands closed into fists. "No. You're just a bigger tyrant, using fear to get what you want. But you can't take these wolves from me."

Elias gazed with a sinister smile, “And we shall see.”

Before Lena could respond, Garrick—still smarting from their earlier fight—stepped forward. His loyalty had wavered since Elias arrived, and now it was about to crack.

"Lena," Garrick said, his voice heavy with doubt, "maybe Elias is right. He has an army. He has proven himself. Perhaps we should join him rather than fight a battle we will lose."

Lena spun around to him, her voice echoing with authority. "Is that what you think, that we should abandon everything we’ve fought for to follow a killer?"

Elias interjected smoothly, his voice dripping with feigned sincerity. "Murder is such a stiff word. I like to think of myself as a visionary."

"Enough!" Lena shouted, her voice slicing through the building tension. She turned back to the crowd, her eyes roving over their faces. "Listen up! I may not know how to feel about this situation, or even where I'm supposed to be, but we have a choice. We have the opportunity to create something better. We can follow someone different than he is- someone who only cares about his power."

His eyes narrowed, and for a second he lost his calmness. "Take care Lena. You don’t want to make me your enemy."

"You already are" Lena answered icily. "And if you think you can intimidate me into submission then you're mistaken"

In the crowd there was a nervy movement, something like the tension of an electric current that is about to discharge. Lena concluded rightly that this was the climax defining her leadership—that moment she would either climb up or tumble down.

Elias stepped closer, his voice becoming low and threatening. "I'll hand you one thing; you're brave. But bravery isn't going to help you when the war comes, and it's coming, Lena. You can stand with me or fall."

Lena met his gaze, her voice calm but unyielding. "Then I guess I’ll fall, but I won’t stand beside anyone who ruins everything I believe in."

The smile was back on Elias’ face but his eyes didn’t reflect it. “Fine. You know what you want to do. Let’s see if your wolves are as loyal as they seem to be.”

With that he turned and walked away, his wolves following behind him. The clearing was hushed all of a sudden, the importance of what he said fill heavy in the atmosphere.

Taking a step towards the audience, Lena's voice cut through the silence. ‘If any of you would want to go with him, I will not discourage you. But just know- if you choose his course then you will be walking out on all we have been fighting for’

The silence stretched on, and one by one the wolves began to step forward-not toward Elias but Lena. Garrick hesitated but finally bowed his head.

"I’m with you," he muttered.

Lena nodded, and relief washed over her. But looking at the faces surrounding her, she knew the fight wasn't over yet. War had been declared by Elias, and the blowswere only a formality now.

The moon had climbed high enough to cast a silvery light over the clearing, and the camp was unusually quiet then. The rogues moved in an uneasy kind of silence and their instincts sharp with anticipation. Lena stood at the edge of the camp keenly observant her as she peered into the shadows of the forest. She felt him before she saw him. A kind of presence that pricked her skin and accelerated her heart.

He was here.

The crack of breaking twigs pierced the silence, and then Kade Blackwood, Alpha, emerged into the clearing. His dark eyes shone like embers, and his taut physique halted only a few paces from her. A handful of warriors stood behind him all with cautious looks as they scoured the rogues.

"Kade" Lena said and her voice a little sharper than she intended. The name tasted strange on her tongue after so long heavy with the weight of betrayal "What are you doing here?"