Chapter 9
Elara's POV
The beautiful one—the Alpha, based on the authority in his voice—stopped about ten feet away. His amber eyes swept over me, taking in everything: my dirt-covered clothes, my bleeding hands, the backpack on my shoulder, the way I was standing with my weight slightly forward despite my exhaustion.
His nostrils flared slightly. Scenting me.
I felt the weight of his Alpha presence press down like a physical force. It was designed to make weaker wolves submit—drop their eyes, bare their throats, fall to their knees. I'd used the same technique countless times in my past life.
But Lynette's soul had endured pressure that made this feel like a gentle breeze.
I didn't lower my eyes. Didn't look away. Just met his gaze steadily and waited.
Something flickered in those amber eyes. Surprise, maybe. Or interest.
"You're very far from town," he said, switching to English. His voice was deep, smooth, with an edge of cold steel underneath. "What are you doing in Black Ridge Forest?"
I swallowed, letting my voice come out small and shaky—not hard to fake, given how exhausted I was. "I... I was hiding."
One dark eyebrow lifted slightly. "Hiding from what?"
"From people. At school." I looked down at my feet, playing the part of a scared, bullied Omega. "They... I just needed to get away."
It wasn't even a lie. Just not the whole truth.
The man behind him—Drake, apparently—made a skeptical sound. "Alpha, this doesn't—"
"Drake." The Alpha's voice cut through without rising in volume. "Wait here."
He took two steps closer. I forced myself not to back up, even though every instinct I had was screaming that I was in the presence of a predator. He moved like liquid shadow, each step deliberate and controlled.
When he was close enough that I could see the flecks of gold in his amber eyes, he spoke again. "You're bleeding."
I glanced down at my hands. "I... I fell. A few times. The trail was rough."
His gaze dropped to my hands, then back to my face. "You fell enough times to break all your fingernails?"
Fuck. He was too observant.
I scrambled for an explanation. "I have asthma. I got dizzy. Lost my balance."
To prove it, I pulled the inhaler from my pocket and held it up with shaking fingers. "I had an attack earlier. That's why I'm... why I look like this."
The Alpha studied the inhaler for a long moment, then looked back at me. His expression was unreadable.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Elara," I said quietly. "Elara Grey."
Something shifted in his expression—recognition, maybe. "You're Marcus Grey's daughter."
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
"The exiled Beta of Goldenclaw pack." His tone was neutral, but I caught the implication. He knew exactly what my family was. Bottom of the hierarchy.
"Yes," I said, keeping my eyes down now. Playing the role.
Silence stretched between us. I could hear the other three men shifting restlessly behind him, could feel their eyes on me, assessing whether I was a threat.
Then the Alpha did something I didn't expect.
He reached out and caught my chin with his fingers, tilting my face up so I had to meet his eyes.
His touch was warm. Firm but not painful. And the moment his skin made contact with mine, something electric shot through my entire nervous system—a jolt that made my breath hitch and my heart slam against my ribs.
What the actual fuck was that?
His eyes widened slightly. He'd felt it too.
For three seconds, neither of us moved. His fingers stayed on my chin. My pulse hammered in my ears. Those amber eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my stomach flip.
Then he released me and stepped back, his expression shuttering closed.
"You should go home," he said, his voice rougher than before. "This forest isn't safe after dark."
I nodded quickly, not trusting myself to speak.
He turned to leave, then paused and looked back over his shoulder. "Elara."
"Yes?"
"If you're being bullied at school..." His jaw tightened slightly. "There are better ways to handle it than hiding in rogue wolf territory."
Then he was gone, melting back into the shadows with his three companions, moving so silently I could barely hear their footsteps fade.
I stood there for a full minute after they left, trying to get my heart rate under control.
What the hell just happened?
That electric shock when he touched me. The way he'd looked at me. The way I'd looked at him.
No. No, no, no. I didn't have time for this bullshit. I had a fight to prepare for. I had weapons to secure. I had—
My legs gave out.
I caught myself against the oak tree, breathing hard. The adrenaline crash hit like a sledgehammer. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely grip the bark. My chest felt tight again, that familiar pressure building.
I fumbled for the inhaler and took two puffs, forcing the medicine deep into my lungs.
Slowly, the tightness eased. My vision cleared.
I pushed away from the tree and started walking, retracing my steps toward the trail. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest. My legs felt like they were made of wet cement. But I kept moving, one foot in front of the other, because stopping meant collapsing, and I couldn't afford that.
The forest around me was dark now. The sun had set while I was digging up the cache. Moonlight filtered through the canopy, painting everything in shades of silver and shadow.
I made it back to the trail and followed it downhill, moving as fast as I dared. My body was running on fumes. The bracers felt heavy on my arms. The knife pressed against my lower back with each step.
But I had what I needed. Tomorrow, when Sophia tried to humiliate me in front of the whole school, I'd be ready.
And that beautiful, dangerous Alpha with the amber eyes? I'd deal with whatever the hell that was later.
Right now, I just needed to make it home alive.