CHAPTER 2: Be My Mate

The entire pack froze, every wolf holding its breath as if they had all been struck by invisible lightning at the exact same moment.

Silas Stone stared down at her, his tall massive frame completely still, his cold grey eyes narrowing slightly behind his black iron half-mask.

A slow, dangerous smirk curled under his mask, his voice low and rough, "You are a brave little thing, but you do not know what you are asking for when you ask to be mine."

Silas tilted his head slightly, "Every she-wolf who tried to be my Luna screamed and ran when she saw what hides behind this mask, so why would you be different?"

Elara frowned, tilting her head stubbornly as she looked up at him, "Maybe those other girls were just weak and foolish… and maybe you are just too scared to have a Luna who is not afraid."

Silas's eyes widened slightly, his cold ruthless aura flickering for the first time in years because no one had ever dared to call him scared before.

Elara's lips curled into a cold smile, her chubby hands balling into fists as she took one more brave step closer to his massive chest.

"Or are all the Alphas of Obsidian Fang just big cowards who hide behind masks because they are afraid of being truly seen by someone?"

A sharp gasp rippled through the crowd, some wolves covering their mouths as they stared at the chubby girl who had just insulted the most ruthless Alpha alive.

Silas's smirk grew wider, "You have a sharp tongue for a soft little girl who was just rejected, and I find that I like bravery more than beauty in a Luna."

System chimed loudly inside Elara's head.

*[LINK QUEST PROGRESS: BRAVERY CHECK PASSED. ALPHA SILAS INTEREST LEVEL: 80%. POISON STATUS: STABLE BUT CRITICAL. TIME LEFT: 30 DAYS.]*

*[HIDDEN QUEST UPDATED: THE SCAR IS NOT A NORMAL SCAR. IT IS A WITCH BLADE CURSE LACED WITH NIGHTSHADE VENOM. IT IS EATING HIS HEART SLOWLY.]*

*[IF YOU TOUCH THE WOUND WITH YOUR MATE ENERGY, YOU CAN SLOW IT DOWN. BUT FULL CURE REQUIRES THE CURE CODEX REWARD.]*

Elara's heart hammered, her eyes flicking briefly to the edge of his mask where she could see faint black veins crawling like spider webs.

She remembered this detail from the book she had been reading, the author had written that the scar was not from battle at all, but from a witch blade sent by Kade's mother to kill Silas before he could claim the Alpha King title.

No one in this world knew that truth, and no one knew that the poison had already seeped deep into his blood.

Silas leaned down slightly, his masked face coming closer to hers, his voice dropping to a whisper that only she could hear in the silent hall.

"Little chubby Luna, if you become my Mate, you will have only a little time left, because this poison will kill me soon."

Elara's breath caught, her eyes filling with unexpected tears not from pity but from anger that someone so strong was being killed so slowly.

"Few days as your chosen Luna is better than a lifetime as Kade's unwanted maid."

Silas's hand shot out, wrapping around her soft chubby waist, pulling her roughly against his hard massive chest.

Elara gasped, her hands landing on his black shirt, her soft body trembling not from fear but from the sudden heat of his touch.

"I, Alpha Silas Stone of Obsidian Fang Pack, accept you, Elara Moon, as my Mate and as my Luna from this day until my last breath."

Kade roared from the floor, his bloody hands slamming against the cold stone as he tried to push himself up despite the backlash tearing his chest apart.

"Elara, you cannot do this, you cannot go with him, because you are still part of Red Moon Pack and you belong to me!"

Silas's eyes flicked to Kade, his cold ruthless aura spreading through the hall, "Kade, your former Mate is now my Luna, and if you or your curvy little she-wolf ever speak to her again, I will rip your tongue out."

Kade flinched, his body shaking as Silas's Alpha King bloodline pressed down on him, heavier and stronger than any Alpha aura he had ever felt before.

Silas bent down, lifting Elara up despite her weight. She squeaked, her arms wrapping instinctively around his neck.

The system chimed again, its voice smug and satisfied, flashing new words that made Elara's heart race with excitement and fear at the same time.

*[LINK QUEST COMPLETED: YOU ARE NOW LUNA OF OBSIDIAN FANG PACK. REWARD UNLOCKED: +50 WOLF AWAKENING POINTS. YOUR WOLF IS STIRRING.]*

At the border of Red Moon, Kade was still bleeding on the floor, his wolf whimpering one single name over and over inside his broken heart.

"Elara.”