Chapter 22: Oh dear

Calla's pov

I turned to find Lucas standing behind us.

Darius's arm tightened around my waist. "I don't think—"

"It wasn't a request," Lucas interrupted, his Alpha authority bleeding into his tone. Several nearby wolves visibly tensed at the power in his voice. "One dance. That's all I'm asking."

I looked between them, feeling the tension crackling in the air. This could go very badly, very quickly. But before I could intervene, Darius slowly released me, stepping back with obvious reluctance.

"One dance," he agreed coldly. "Then you leave her alone."

Lucas didn't bother responding. He simply took my hand, pulling me back onto the dance floor as a new song began. This one was slower, more intimate, and I felt every eye in the room on us as Lucas's arm wrapped around my waist.

"You look beautiful," he said quietly, his lips close to my ear. The mate bond sang between us, stronger than ever. My wolf practically purred at his nearness.

"Don't," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "You don't get to say things like that. Not after what you did."

His hand tightened on my waist. "I know. I was an idiot, Calla. I let politics and pride get in the way of what the Moon Goddess gave us."

"You humiliated me," I reminded him, the memory of that night still raw. "In front of everyone."

"I know," he repeated, his voice rough with emotion. "And I've regretted it every single day since. The bond—" He broke off, jaw clenching. "The bond won't let me forget. I feel everything you feel. Your pain. Your anger. Your... connection to Darius."

That last part came out bitter, and I found myself studying his face. Really looking at him for the first time since that awful night. He looked tired, I realized. There were shadows under his eyes, and new tension lines around his mouth.

"You're the one who rejected me," I pointed out. "What did you expect would happen?"

"Not this." His stormy eyes met mine, and the vulnerability in them caught me off guard. "Not watching you fall for someone else while I can still feel the bond pulling at me every second of every day. It's torture, Calla. Pure torture."

My breath caught. Part of me—the hurt, angry part—wanted to tell him good, that he deserved it. But another part, the part that remembered how I'd once had a crush on him, felt my resolve waver.

"Lucas—"

"I made a mistake," he interrupted, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "The biggest mistake of my life. And if you give me a chance, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

The mate bond flared hot between us, my wolf howling for her mate. I could feel Lucas's wolf too, pressing against mine, begging for acceptance. It would be so easy to give in, to let the bond pull us together the way nature intended.

But then I caught sight of Darius watching us from the edge of the dance floor, his expression carefully blank. And I remembered that I wasn't just Lucas's rejected mate anymore. I was becoming something more, something stronger and that I could choose for myself.

"I don't know if I can forgive you," I said honestly. "And I don't know if—"

The massive ballroom windows exploded inward.

Glass rained down as wolves…no, rogues, poured through the openings. Screams erupted throughout the crowd as pack members shifted into defensive positions, but these weren't normal rogues. They moved with purpose, organized and deadly, their red eyes fixed on one target.

Me.

"Calla!" Lucas shoved me behind him as three rogues charged straight for us. "Get back!"

But there was nowhere to go. Rogues were everywhere, cutting through the crowd like a knife. I saw Darius fighting his way toward us, his eyes flashing gold as his wolf rose to the surface.

One of the rogues lunged at me, bypassing Lucas entirely. Instinct took over. I threw up my hands to protect myself, and a bright light exploded from my palms. The rogue went flying backward, slamming into a marble column hard enough to crack it.

Lucas stared at me, shocked. "How did you—"

Another rogue attacked from the side. This time, I felt my wolf surge forward. Not a full shift, but something else. My vision sharpened, turning everything into shades of silver and black.

My hands changed, claws extending from my fingertips. And my eyes…I could feel them glowing, that distinctive silver that marked me as different.

The rogue froze mid-lunge, fear flashing across its twisted face. "The Omen Wolf," it rasped before Lucas tore its throat out.

All around us, the fighting continued. But I noticed more and more wolves stopping, staring at me with expressions ranging from awe to terror. My silver eyes reflected in the shattered glass scattered across the floor, undeniable proof of what I was.

Darius reached us then, blood splattered across his suit. "We need to get her out of here. Now."

"Agreed," Lucas said, and for once, they weren't arguing. They formed a protective circle around me, working together to cut a path for me.

"Silver eyes..." Someone called out, staring at me. "The prophecy...She'll destroy us all..."

I swallowed and backed away. My secret was out.