Chapter 4

ELARA’S POV

My entire body went rigid.

The voice was deep, rough and dangerously calm.

It was not loud, nor was it cruel. Somehow, that made it worse. Slowly, I lifted my gaze toward the man standing outside the carriage door.

And froze.

Half his face was covered by a silver mask carved with dark intricate markings, the metal stretching from his temple down across his cheekbone and jaw. It did nothing to soften him.

If anything, it made him more terrifying. He was massive. Broad shoulders wrapped in black armor. Scarred hands. Dark hair falling loosely around his face. And eyes—Gods.

His eyes were the coldest thing I had ever seen. It was like violence lived quietly behind them. So the rumors were true after all. The Bloodreaver Alpha really was scarred.

Fear tightened painfully around my lungs. I should answer him, kneel or do something. Instead, I just stared. The corner of his mouth moved slightly.

“Have you forgotten how to speak already, little wolf?” The nickname unsettled me instantly. Little wolf.

No one had ever called me something that sounded almost gentle before. I swallowed hard and lowered my gaze quickly. “N-no.”

His scent reached me then. He smelled like smoke, rain and steel. He also carried the Alpha aura.

The pressure of it wrapped around me heavily enough that my weak wolf curled instinctively beneath my skin.

But strangely, it did not hurt the way Kaelen’s had.

That realization terrified me more than anything else. I forced myself to move carefully from the carriage, placing trembling fingers into his scarred hand.

The moment he touched me, warmth spread unexpectedly through my palm. His grip tightened slightly as he steadied me. It was like he knew I expected pain and was deliberately giving me none.

Confusion twisted painfully inside my chest. He studied me silently once my feet touched the ground. Then he said quietly, “You’re frightened.”

It was not a question. Heat rushed into my face immediately. Of course I was frightened. Everyone in the territories feared him.

General Varak. The Bloodreaver Alpha. The monster who painted battlefields red. I nodded weakly anyway because lying to an Alpha felt dangerous.

Something unreadable flickered in his gaze. Then he released my hand slowly and motioned toward the fortress behind him.

“Come inside.” That was all. I followed him cautiously through the massive gates while confusion gnawed harder at my thoughts with every step.

This was not what I expected. The fortress itself should have felt cold.

And yet, a warm golden firelight flickered across black stone walls inside the entrance hall. Large chandeliers hung overhead while servants and soldiers lined both sides of the corridor silently waiting.

The moment Varak stepped inside, every head bowed immediately. Fear curled tighter inside my stomach. Power radiated from him naturally here.

And now I belonged to him.

The thought made my pulse stumble violently. I kept my eyes lowered while we walked deeper into the fortress. Whispers followed quietly behind us.

“That’s her?”

“She’s tiny.”

“She’s the rejected one?”

Rejected one. My chest tightened sharply. Varak stopped suddenly beside me. Instant silence followed. When he spoke, his voice carried easily through the entire hall.

“She is my wife now.”

The room went completely still. My breath caught softly.

“No one disrespects her,” he continued coldly. “No one questions her place here. You bow when she enters a room, and you will address her as Lady Elara.”

Shock rippled visibly across the servants. Then, every single person bowed. “To Lady Elara.”

The words hit me so hard I nearly stumbled. Nobody had ever bowed to me before. Nobody had ever looked at me like I mattered enough to acknowledge.

Emotion burned unexpectedly behind my eyes. I lowered my head quickly before anyone could notice. Why was he doing this?

This had to be temporary. A performance. Perhaps he simply enjoyed making broken things feel safe before destroying them completely.

That would make more sense. It had to. He looked up at me. “The mating ceremony will take place now. After that, you'll be my Luna.”

What? Now? I wasn't prepared for that but I didn't have the luxury to refuse so I just nodded. He took my hand and led me to what I figured was the grand hall and then, the mating ceremony started.

It passed like a blur.

Ancient vows were spoken by the high priest beneath black candles. Our plans were split and our blood was pressed against sacred stone. Pack witnesses surrounding us silently.

I barely remembered most of it afterward. Only the feeling of Varak’s hand around mine. Every time I expected roughness, he gave me patience instead.

It unsettled me more than cruelty would have.

By the time the ceremony finally ended, exhaustion dragged heavily through my entire body.

I was led toward a massive bedroom deep inside the fortress while servants hurried quietly around me. The room alone was larger than my family’s entire estate wing back in Silvercrest.

It was adorned with dark curtains, a massive fireplace and black silk sheets spread across an enormous bed. There were rose petals spread all over the bed and that's when I realized what this was.

My wedding night. Fear slammed into me again immediately. A woman entered shortly after the servants left. She was tall, sharp-eyed, and carried herself like someone who tolerated very little nonsense.

“Sena, my lady,” she introduced flatly. “I oversee the household servants.” I nodded quietly. She stared at me for a moment before sighing softly. “Sit.”

I obeyed immediately. Sena brushed my hair far rougher than necessary while preparing me for the night ahead. Her fingers tugged painfully through knots.

I stayed silent through it. She probably hated me. Most people did. “You’re trembling,” she muttered eventually.

Heat crawled across my face. “I’m sorry.”

Sena paused. Then slowly, she looked at me through the mirror. For one strange second, something almost conflicted crossed her expression.

But it vanished quickly. “You apologize too much,” she said simply. The words stunned me enough that I forgot how to answer.

A few minutes later, she stepped back after adjusting the thin dark fabric covering my body.

“There,” she said shortly. “You are all ready for your wedding night.”

Fear twisted violently inside my stomach again.

She left me soon after and then I was alone.

Silence swallowed the room whole.

I curled instinctively toward the corner of the massive bed, wrapping my arms tightly around myself while panic climbed steadily higher beneath my skin.

What if the rumors were true? What if kindness had only been temporary? What if this was the moment he finally became the monster everyone feared?

The bedroom door opened quietly. My breath stopped. Varak entered slowly, already changed from ceremonial armor into dark clothing that somehow made him look even larger.

More dangerous. The silver mask still covered half his face. His eyes landed on me immediately and stayed there. My pulse hammered wildly.

He shut the door behind him gently before walking deeper into the room. “You smell like fear,” he said calmly.

Humiliation burned through me instantly. I lowered my gaze quickly. “I’m sorry.” There was silence. Then—

“Why do you keep apologizing for being afraid?”

The question caught me so off guard I looked up before I could stop myself. Varak stood near the fireplace now watching me carefully.

“I…” My throat tightened painfully. “I thought…”

“That I would hurt you?” I couldn’t answer. That alone was enough. Something dark flickered briefly across his expression then disappeared.

He moved closer slowly. Every instinct inside me screamed to brace for something painful. Instead, he stopped several feet away from the bed.

Far enough not to crowd me. “You don’t need to fear me tonight, little wolf.” I stared at him in stunned silence. “I won’t touch you until you’re ready,” he continued quietly.

The words hit me so hard I genuinely forgot how to breathe. What? Confusion crashed violently through me. Why? Why would he care whether I was ready?

I wasn’t his fated mate. I was a rejected omega handed to him like leftover property. He owed me nothing. And yet, his gaze remained fixed on me with something dangerously close to restraint.

Like touching me was something he wanted very badly and was choosing not to do. My heart stumbled painfully inside my chest. “I don’t understand,” I admitted softly.

For the first time since meeting him, something almost human crossed the monster’s face.

Sadness. It vanished so quickly I almost missed it.

“You don’t have to understand tonight,” he said quietly.

Then he stepped away from the bed entirely.

And somehow, that frightened me far more than if he had climbed into it beside me.