Elara's POV
The growl that came from Kaelen's throat made every bird in the forest fly away.
"MINE!" he yelled so loud that the ground under my feet shook.
Before I could blink, his strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me off the ground. I felt like a rag doll in his huge hands. The other alphas backed away from us, but their eyes still glowed with hunger.
"Put me down!" I tried to sound strong, but my voice came out squeaky and scared.
Kaelen ignored me. He turned to face the crowd of pack members who were all looking at us. His voice boomed across the clearing.
"Let it be known to all," he declared. "Elara Winterbane is now under my care. She belongs to me. Anyone who touches her will die."
My heart jumped into my throat. Did he just say I belonged to him? In front of everyone?
The crowd started talking and pointing. Some looked excited. Others looked worried. Mrs. Hartwell was crying.
"Kaelen, wait," called out Marcus Ironwood, the leader who had challenged him earlier. "The girl should have a choice."
Kaelen's eyes flashed dangerously. "She made her choice the moment her smell called to me. There is no going back now."
He started walking toward the pack house with me still in his arms. I felt so confused. Part of me was scared. But another part of me felt... special. The most powerful alpha in our world had picked me. Out of all the girls in the pack, he wanted me.
Maybe this was what love felt like.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked quietly.
"To my rooms," he said without looking down at me. "Where you'll be safe."
Safe. That word made my heart beat. He wanted to keep me safe.
As we walked through the pack house, everyone we passed stopped and stared. The female pack members looked jealous. The guys looked respectful and a little scared.
We climbed a big ladder to the top floor. I had never been up here before. This was where the alpha lived.
Kaelen stopped in front of a big wooden door. He shifted me to one arm and opened it with his free hand.
The room inside was bigger than the full cottage where I lived with Mrs. Hartwell. There was a fireplace, comfy chairs, and the biggest bed I had ever seen.
He set me down gently on my feet.
"This is where you'll stay," he said.
I looked around the room with wide eyes. "It's beautiful."
"You like it?"
I nodded. "But I don't understand. Why me? I'm nobody special."
Kaelen walked over to the fireplace and stared into the flames. "Your smell is special, Elara. It's the kind that only shows once in a generation. It marks you as... valuable."
Valuable. Not liked. Not loved. Valuable.
Something cold settled in my stomach, but I pushed it away. He was probably just bad with words. Actions meant more than words, right?
"What happens now?" I asked.
He turned to look at me. His bright eyes seemed to see right through me. "Now you rest. Tomorrow, things will be different."
"Different how?"
"You'll understand tomorrow."
He walked toward the door. Wait, was he leaving?
"Where are you going?" I called out.
"I have work to attend to. Sleep. I'll have food brought to you."
The door closed behind him with a soft click.
I stood alone in the huge room, feeling smaller than ever. But then I smiled. He had picked me. The alpha had claimed me in front of everyone. This had to mean something special.
I walked over to the big bed and sat down on the edge. The blankets were so soft. Everything in this room was expensive and beautiful. I was like a princess in a fairy tale.
Hours passed. A helper brought me food, but I was too excited to eat much. I kept thinking about Kaelen's strong arms around me. The way he had protected me from the other alphas. The way he had announced to everyone that I was his.
Finally, I heard footsteps in the hallway. The door opened, and Kaelen walked in.
But something was wrong. He looked different. Angry. Dangerous.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
He didn't answer. Instead, he walked straight to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of something that smelled strong and bitter.
"Kaelen?"
He drank from the bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. When he looked at me, his eyes were cold.
"Do you know what you've done?" he asked.
I felt confused and scared. "What do you mean?"
"Your smell tonight. It nearly started a war. Three alphas challenged me for you. I had to fight them all."
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't mean for that to happen."
"Of course you didn't mean it," he said angrily. "You have no idea what you are, do you?"
Tears started burning my eyes. "What am I?"
He walked toward me slowly. Each step made my heart beat faster, but not in a good way anymore.
"You're a weapon," he said quietly. "A tool that can destroy everything I've built."
"I don't understand."
"Your smell, Elara. It doesn't just draw alphas. It makes them lose their minds. It makes them forget their mates, their families, their loyalty. They become animals."
I started backing away from him. "That's not my fault."
"Isn't it?" His voice was getting louder. "You could have stayed hidden. You could have kept your head down. But no. You wanted to come to the wedding. You wanted attention."
"I just wanted to belong somewhere!"
"Well, congratulations," he said with a mean smile. "You belong to me now. Whether you like it or not."
The cold feeling in my stomach was spreading through my whole body. "You don't want me."
"What I want doesn't matter anymore. What matters is keeping the peace. And the only way to do that is to make sure no other alpha can have you."
I felt like he had hit me. "So this isn't about love?"
Kaelen laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound. "Love? Little omega, this is about life. Mine and yours."
He walked to the door and put his hand on the handle.
"Get some sleep," he said without looking back at me. "Tomorrow, I announce my proposal to Cerys Stormveil. After that, you'll understand exactly what your place is in my world."
The door slammed shut.
I stood there with my mouth hanging open. Engagement? To someone else?
But he had claimed me. He had said I belonged to him.
My legs gave out and I fell to the floor. Tears poured down my face as the truth hit me like a punch to the stomach.
I wasn't his chosen mate. I wasn't special or loved.
I was his prisoner.
And tomorrow, I would find out that everything I thought I knew about my life was a lie.