Elias’s hand brushed mine when the Council summons letter slipped through my fingers. He caught it before it hit the ground, his eyes scanning the seal.

“You don’t have to go,” he said, voice low and urgent.

“I don’t have a choice.” My throat felt tight. The words blurred when I tried to read them again. Mandatory appearance. Immediate compliance.

The entire academy already knew. The stares hadn’t stopped since dawn. Girls whispered when I passed, boys smirked, professors avoided my eyes. My fate wasn’t just gossip anymore—it was official.

Elias folded the letter and pressed it into my palm. “I’ll protect you. No matter what happens in that chamber, you won’t be alone.”

I wanted to believe him. His gaze was steady, his voice softer than the storm raging inside me. He leaned closer, thumb grazing the edge of my hand.

“Lena,” he said, like he’d been waiting years to speak my name that way. His face was so close now. His mouth hovered a breath away.

Then heat ripped through my body. Not the kind Kael stirred—the slow, terrifying ache—but a violent burn that made my wolf snarl inside my chest.

“Don’t,” I gasped, jerking back.

But Elias moved faster, pressing his lips against mine.

It was meant to be gentle, comforting. Instead, pain exploded across my jaw. My wolf surged forward, a guttural growl tearing from my throat before I could stop it. My knees buckled, my entire body screaming rejection.

Elias broke the kiss instantly, shock in his eyes.

“What—what was that?” His voice cracked, hand half-lifted like he wanted to reach for me again but thought better of it.

I stumbled back, clutching my chest. My wolf clawed inside me, furious, restless, ready to tear apart anything that wasn’t Kael.

I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t explain. I just ran.

⸻

The forest behind the academy swallowed me whole. My sneakers tore across roots, breath catching in ragged bursts. The summons crumpled in my fist, damp with sweat. I didn’t know where I was going until the trees parted and I found him.

Kael.

Leaning against a low stone wall, sleeves rolled up, eyes fixed on the horizon like he’d been waiting.

When he saw me, his entire body tensed.

“What happened?” His voice was sharp. He pushed off the wall, crossing the space in three strides.

“Stay away,” I snapped, holding up a hand.

He stopped, but his eyes narrowed. His chest rose and fell like he was holding something back.

“You reek of him,” he said.

The heat in my cheeks had nothing to do with running. “Elias kissed me.”

Kael’s jaw tightened.

“I didn’t want him to,” I continued, heart racing. “But my wolf—she—” I broke off, pressing a hand against my sternum. “She rejected him. Like it was poison.”

Kael swore under his breath.

I stepped closer, furious. “What did you do to me?”

His nostrils flared. “Nothing you didn’t feel already.”

“No. Don’t do that. Don’t twist this. My body reacts like it’s not even mine anymore. You knew something. From the start.”

He didn’t answer.

I shoved him hard in the chest. “Say it.”

He caught my wrist before I could push again. His grip wasn’t cruel, but it was unshakable.

“Let go.”

“No.” His voice dropped, husky and raw. “You want the truth? Fine.”

The silence between us thickened, every heartbeat louder than the last. His thumb brushed the inside of my wrist where my pulse thudded wildly.

“You’re my mate, Lena.”

The words hit harder than a slap.

I yanked my arm free. “You—what?”

He stepped closer, voice rougher now. “I knew from the moment you walked into that hall. From the moment your scent hit me, I knew. I’ve known all along.”

My stomach twisted. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“I couldn’t.”

“You wouldn’t,” I spat.

His eyes burned into mine. “You don’t understand what it means. If the Council knew, they’d rip you apart before they let an omega bond to me. Selene would have you expelled—or worse. My family would hide you away. I was protecting you.”

I laughed bitterly, the sound harsh in the quiet woods. “Protecting me? By eating me out in the middle of the night and leaving me marked like a trophy? By letting the whole school think I’m just another slut chasing Alpha blood?”

He flinched, just barely, but enough.

“You took away my choice,” I said, voice shaking. “You decided everything without asking me. You kept me in the dark while my life burned down around me.”

Kael didn’t move. His fists clenched at his sides, veins rising along his arms. “Do you think this is easy for me?”

“I don’t care if it’s easy for you!” I shoved him again, harder. “You had a choice. I didn’t. And now everyone knows. Everyone thinks I begged for this.”

He caught my shoulders before I could push again. His forehead pressed against mine, breath hot, eyes wild.

“I can’t stop wanting you,” he whispered, broken. “Do you think I haven’t tried? Every day I fight it, every night I tell myself to stay away—and then I taste you and I’m gone.”

My chest rose and fell against his. His hands trembled where they gripped me, not from weakness, but from restraint.

I wanted to hate him. But the bond hummed between us, violent and undeniable, pulling me closer until my lips brushed his without meaning to.

For one heartbeat, I almost gave in.

Then I shoved him back, tearing away from his hold.

“You don’t get to talk about wanting me,” I said. “Not when you stole my choice.”

His eyes darkened, not with anger but something worse—hurt.

“Lena—”

“Stay away from me.”

I turned, heart pounding, throat tight. I ran again, this time not stopping until the forest opened back onto the academy’s stone paths.

⸻

I thought I was alone when I collapsed against the wall near the courtyard.

But then I heard footsteps. Slow. Deliberate.

Elias stepped out from behind the corner, eyes shadowed, expression unreadable.

“How much did you hear?” My voice cracked.

“Enough.”

His lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile.

“So it’s true. You’re his mate.”

The way he said it made my skin crawl.

Elias had always been careful, smooth, polished. But now his eyes burned with something darker.

“You should’ve told me,” he said quietly. “You should’ve trusted me.”

My chest tightened. “It wasn’t my choice.”

“Maybe not,” he said, stepping closer. “But I could’ve been the better one. I still can be.”

I backed up, pressing against the cold stone. My wolf snarled inside me, uneasy.

Elias stopped just short of touching me, his breath warm against my cheek.

“Don’t worry, Lena,” he murmured. “Bonds can be broken.”

The words sent ice straight through me.

And for the first time since I’d arrived at Silverfang, I was more afraid of Elias than I was of Kael.