ELARA THE WARRIOR

POWER

ELARA

Power means nothing…

If you still have to bow your head.

The kitchen smells like smoke, spice, and exhaustion.

I stand over the fire, stirring a heavy pot as heat clings to my skin. My arms ache, my back protests, and the faint bruises from yesterday throb beneath my sleeves.

Back where I belong.

Cooking.

Cleaning.

Invisible.

“Don’t burn it.”

Claire’s voice slices through the air like a blade.

I don’t turn.

“I won’t,” I reply flatly.

A mistake.

Silence follows—thick, dangerous.

Then slow footsteps.

“You’re getting very comfortable with that tone,” Claire says, stopping just behind me.

I can feel her eyes on my back.

Waiting.

Pushing.

Testing.

I tighten my grip on the wooden spoon but keep my movements steady.

“I’m just doing what I was told,” I say.

Another pause.

Then—

A sharp shove.

I stumble forward, my hand hitting the edge of the counter before I can fall into the fire.

Pain shoots through my palm.

“Remember your place,” Claire whispers coldly.

I straighten slowly.

My pulse quickens.

Not from fear.

From restraint.

Because it would be so easy now.

Too easy.

I say nothing.

That seems to satisfy her.

“For someone who almost died,” she continues, walking away, “you should’ve come back quieter.”

Almost.

The word lingers.

So they are hiding it.

Of course they are.

—

I find out why an hour later.

The entire pack is on edge.

Servants rushing.

Warriors stationed.

The air thick with anticipation.

Visitors.

Important ones.

“Elara.”

I turn at the sound of his voice.

The alpha stands at the entrance of the kitchen, his presence sucking the air out of the room. My body instinctively stiffens—but I force myself to stay still.

Controlled.

“You will prepare the meal,” he says.

“I already am.”

His gaze sharpens slightly at my tone.

Then he steps closer.

Lower.

More dangerous.

“No mistakes,” he murmurs. “We have guests. Powerful ones.”

I meet his eyes briefly.

Just enough.

“Who?”

His jaw tightens.

“Alpha Scavia.”

The name lands heavily.

Even I’ve heard of him.

A neighboring alpha.

Stronger.

Ruthless.

The kind of man even my alpha doesn’t want to look weak in front of.

That explains everything.

“And listen carefully,” he adds, his voice dropping to a quiet threat. “What happened yesterday—”

“It won’t be mentioned,” I finish for him.

His eyes narrow.

For a second, I think I’ve gone too far.

Then he nods once.

“Good.”

He turns to leave, then pauses.

“If you value your life… you will remember who you are today.”

A servant.

A nobody.

A ghost.

The door closes behind him.

I exhale slowly.

He’s afraid.

Not of me.

Not yet.

But of what I represent.

And that…

That’s new.

—

The sun dips low by the time they arrive.

I don’t see them at first.

I hear them.

Voices.

Deep.

Confident.

Unbothered.

I keep my head down as I carry trays into the main hall, my hood casting a shadow over my face.

But I feel it the moment I step inside.

Power.

Heavy.

Oppressive.

Different from my alpha’s.

Stronger.

My eyes flick up despite myself.

And I see him.

Alpha Scavia

He stands at the center of the room like he owns it—tall, composed, his presence commanding without effort. Around him, his council members watch everything with sharp, calculating eyes.

Predators.

Real ones.

My alpha greets him with a forced smile.

“Welcome, Alpha Scavia. It’s an honor.”

Scavia’s gaze drifts lazily around the room… then stops.

On me.

My breath catches.

It’s brief.

A second.

Maybe less.

But it feels like he sees everything.

The bruises.

The restraint.

The… difference.

I look down immediately, forcing myself to move.

Don’t react.

Don’t stand out.

Don’t—

“Wait.”

The single word freezes me in place.

My heart pounds.

Slowly, I turn.

Scavia is watching me now, his expression unreadable.

“You,” he says. “Come here.”

The room goes silent.

I can feel it.

Claire’s confusion.

Bella’s sharp attention.

Henry—

Watching.

Always watching.

I step forward carefully, every instinct on edge.

“Yes, Alpha?”

Scavia studies me for a long moment.

Too long.

Then—

“Lift your head.”

My stomach tightens.

Slowly…

I do.

Our eyes meet.

And for a split second—

I forget how to breathe.

Because his expression shifts.

Just slightly.

Interest.

Real, unmistakable interest.

“Well,” he murmurs.

The word is soft.

But it sends a ripple through the room.

“How… unexpected.”

My alpha stiffens.

“What do you mean?” he asks quickly.

Scavia doesn’t look away from me.

“Nothing,” he says lightly. “Just… surprised.”

Liar.

I can feel it.

He sees it.

Whatever is happening to me—

He knows.

And that’s dangerous.

“Return to your work,” my alpha snaps.

I don’t hesitate.

I turn and walk away, my pulse racing, every nerve on edge.

But I can still feel Scavia’s gaze on my back.

Burning.

Curious.

Calculating.

And for the first time since I came back—

I realize something.

I’m not just a secret anymore.

I’m a risk.

*****

Something feels… wrong.

I don’t know what it is at first.

Just a pull.

A quiet unease that settles deep in my chest as I move through the pack house, carrying empty trays back toward the kitchen. The hallways are quieter now—most of the attention still on Alpha Scavia and his council.

Good.

Less eyes on me.

But the feeling doesn’t go away.

It grows.

Sharp.

Persistent.

Like something is trying to guide me… or warn me.

I slow near the corridor leading to the alpha’s private office.

I shouldn’t be here.

Servants aren’t allowed past this point unless called.

Still…

I hear something.

A sound.

Soft.

Breathless.

I frown.

Then I step closer.

The door is slightly open.

Just enough.

I don’t mean to look.

I really don’t.

But I do.

And everything inside me goes still.

Bella

Henry

They’re together.

Too close.

Too familiar.

Her hands gripping his shirt. His head bent toward her. Their bodies pressed together in a way that leaves no room for doubt.

The Luna.

And her lover.

In the alpha’s office.

A mistake.

A dangerous, deadly mistake.

My breath catches.

My mind blanks.

Then—

Panic.

I step back too quickly, my shoulder brushing the wall. The faint sound makes Bella’s head turn slightly.

I don’t wait.

I run.

My heart is pounding by the time I reach the outer corridor.

Too fast.

Too loud.

My thoughts spiral.

If they saw me—

If they think I’ll tell—

No.

No, no, no.

I need to get away.

Think.

Hide.

Disappear.

I turn a corner—

And slam straight into something solid.

Strong hands catch my arms before I can fall.

“Careful.”

The voice is deep.

Controlled.

But there’s something beneath it.

Something that sends a strange, sudden heat through my chest.

I freeze.

Slowly… I look up.

Alpha Scavia

My breath catches.

His eyes are already on me.

Locked.

Sharp.

Searching.

And the moment they meet mine—

Everything shifts.

The air.

The space between us.

My heartbeat stutters, then races wildly, completely out of control. A strange pull tightens in my chest, unfamiliar but overwhelming.

What is that?

Scavia’s grip on my arms tightens slightly.

Not enough to hurt.

Just enough to keep me there.

“You,” he says quietly.

The word feels heavier this time.

Different.

His gaze flickers over my face, then stills—like he’s trying to understand something he doesn’t want to.

I should move.

I should bow.

Say something.

Anything.

But I can’t.

Because I feel it too.

That pull.

That connection.

Terrifying.

Impossible.

His jaw tightens.

“No…” he murmurs, almost to himself.

Denial.

Clear.

Immediate.

My stomach drops.

Before I can stop myself, I step back—pulling out of his grip.

The moment our skin breaks contact—

The feeling snaps.

But the echo of it lingers.

“What are you?” he asks, his voice low, intense.

Panic surges again.

I can’t answer that.

I don’t even know.

So I do the only thing I can.

I run.

“Elara—wait.”

He follows.

Of course he does.

His footsteps are fast, controlled, closing the distance quickly.

But fear makes me faster.

I cut through side corridors, slipping past servants, ignoring the sharp turns and narrow paths. My breath burns in my lungs, my heart racing wildly—not just from running.

From him.

From whatever that was.

“Stop!” his voice echoes behind me.

I don’t.

I can’t.

Not when everything inside me is screaming.

I take one last turn—

And duck through a narrow service passage.

Dark.

Hidden.

Empty.

I press myself against the wall, forcing my breathing to quiet, my presence to shrink.

Seconds pass.

Then footsteps.

Slower now.

Measured.

Scavia steps into the corridor I just left.

I can hear it.

Feel it.

He’s close.

Too close.

The air feels charged again, like something is searching… reaching.

For me.

I hold my breath.

Don’t move.

Don’t exist.

After a long moment—

Silence.

Then his voice.

Low.

Certain.

“You can’t hide from me.”

A chill runs down my spine.

But I stay still.

Minutes pass before his presence finally fades.

Only then do I slide down the wall, my legs giving out beneath me.

My hands tremble.

My chest tight.

What… was that?

That pull.

That connection.

That look in his eyes.

I swallow hard.

“No,” I whisper, shaking my head.

It can’t be.

It cannot be that.

Because if it is—

Everything is about to get so much worse!