Elara POV:

The Great Hall was draped in bolts of white silk, the air thick with the scent of expensive incense and the underlying musk of a hundred wolves packed into one space.

I stood in the corner, my hands trembling as I held a tray of silver goblets. The metal felt ice-cold against my fingertips, a constant reminder of my weakness.

Seraphina, my sister, walked into the room on the arm of the Northern Alpha. She wore a dress of midnight blue, her head held high, her scent a cloying mix of jasmine and vanity.

Kael watched her from his throne, his eyes glowing a deep, dangerous red. The jealousy radiating from him was a palpable thing, a low hum in the air that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

He stood up, his movement so fast it was a blur. He strode across the hall, his eyes locking onto me instead of Seraphina.

He grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my skin. "Here," he barked.

The entire room went silent. I felt the eyes of every pack leader upon me.

He dragged me toward the throne, his grip firm and unrelenting. He didn't care about the whispers, the gasps, or the shock on Seraphina’s face.

He shoved me onto the velvet cushion at his feet. It was a calculated, brutal move. By publicly degrading me, he was signaling to the rival Alphas that I was worthless—a twisted strategy to ensure no one would use me as a political hostage.

A low frequency in his voice vibrated through the floorboards and up my spine, a tidal wave of authority that forced my body to submit, my muscles trembling as his presence flooded my senses.

He wanted to hurt her, to show her that he didn't care, and I was the instrument of his spite.

I closed my eyes, trying to detach myself from the humiliation. This was just another day in the life of an Omega.

When it was over, he stood up, adjusting his tunic without a second glance. He walked toward the balcony, leaving me on the floor, shivering in the cold draft.

I gathered my wits, my body aching, and made my way toward the back exit. I needed to wash the scent of him off me.

I walked toward the garden, the moonlight casting long, jagged shadows across the path.

Suddenly, a hand shoved me hard from behind. I tumbled over the edge of the stone embankment, landing with a sickening splash into the lake below.

The water was freezing, filled with the faint, biting sting of silver ore. I gasped, trying to swim, but my limbs felt weighted down by lead.

I saw a figure standing on the bank, the moonlight reflecting off her pale, cruel features. It was Seraphina.

She watched me struggle, a small, satisfied smile playing on her lips.

I reached for the surface, my lungs burning, my vision blurring as the cold took hold.

As I sank into the depths, a strange, blinding white light suddenly flared deep within my chest. The mysterious energy surged through my veins, forcibly pushing the toxic silver out of my system and propelling my heavy limbs toward the surface.

My head broke the surface with a gasp. Rough hands grabbed me, hauling me onto the wet grass before the blackness finally consumed me.

The last thought that flickered through my mind before the darkness took me was a cold certainty: my sister had just made her final mistake. And I would live long enough to make her regret it.