Alpha's Third Chance Mate

Chapter 3

Elara's POV



My hands trembled faintly as I arranged the tea service on a polished cedar tray, movements mechanical from muscle memory alone. My thoughts churned in chaotic circles, thrown into turmoil after the brief but loaded encounter with the imposing Crescent Alpha.

By the Goddess, after all my years of imagining what Elijah Valkner must be like, reality far eclipsed expectations. Power and passion radiated from his tall frame in scorching waves I nearly felt on my skin. And his scent—earthly pine and cedar woods layered over moon-kissed fur and ancient parchment. Never had I sensed anything so elemental and wild. He seemed more a force of nature than a man or wolf. Compared to his raw vitality, the rest of us seemed nearly spectral.

And his eyes—they pierced me deeper than sword blades when recognition and incredulous shock ignited their stormy depths. I had frozen like a startled doe under that wild, hungry stare. For a brief moment, I swore those quicksilver and cobalt orbs glowed with ethereal light before he masked it under polite neutrality.

What had he glimpsed in me to inspire such intense but wary regard? Surely a weak, useless Omega like myself could hold no fascination for the near-mythical Crescent Leader.

Unease trickled down my spine. None of this sat well with my wolf instincts.

I shivered as portent prickled at my mind. Glancing furtively, I crept toward the archive entry, straining my senses toward the muted voices within but only catching the barest edges through the heavy curtain.

"It is not so simple as mere ailments of the body, Elijah Valkner," she admonished with a sly grin. Her eyes reminded me of moonlit pools hiding dangerous secrets. "You suffer the sickness of the soul that no mundane cure can mend."

"You speak in riddles still, Alpha Zeta," he growled softly. Massive fists clenched, and I could hear the scrape of claws against his palms. "I came seeking cleansing for my fading divine gifts, not superstitious nonsense."

Frustration sank sharp fangs into my curiosity. Gods all be damned, what twisted scheme was Zeta playing with the proud Crescent leader?

Elijah's broad back was to me, blocking sight of his reaction. But disgust fairly radiated from his imposing frame.

Zeta's taunting laugh echoed sharply off the stone walls. "Gifts...or curses? Perhaps fate herself has rescinded her blessings, leaving you crippled without her favor." A contemplative finger tapped his full lips as she circled him. "Curious...does the vaunted Wolf God Fenris still heed your songs under the moonlight, I wonder?"

An enraged snarl tore suddenly from the Crescent leader's throat as he twisted with remarkable speed, one fist lashing out to grab Zeta by the throat. Her choked shriek sent ice water down my spine. God save me, he was going to crush her windpipe right here!

But strangely, Zeta made no move to defend herself as Elijah forced her back against the stone with vicious strength. Her lips peeled from small white fangs in a gruesome, defiant sneer.

"Think carefully before you shred old treaties to pieces." She spat the taunt at his thunderous expression, even as claws at her pale throat beaded dark blood against that delicate skin.

A tense, frozen tableau held for several pounding heartbeats. I scarcely dared breathe at what I was witnessing. This was no political negotiation; it was a clash of bitter enemies poised on the dagger's edge of war. And for some unfathomable reason, Zeta seemed intent on provoking the unstable Crescent leader to open violence.

Just as I braced for Elijah to tear my Alpha's head from her shoulders in a spray of arterial blood, he released her with a disgusted snarl. Zeta sagged back against the wall, massaging her ravaged throat with an unsettling smile. A vicious promise lit her gaze brighter than candle fire.

"Play your games as you will, witch," Elijah said harshly. "But my pack's favor runs thin as your riddles grow tiresome." He stabbed one clawed finger toward her defiant face, the muscles in his jaw visibly knotted tight. "Give me plain answers, or our pact dies this night."

My breath stalled in my lungs, thoughts spinning wildly as I struggled to process everything unfolding rapidly around me.

Zeta's mocking laughter grated harshly across my nerves. "Answers? Very well then."

She swept forward, her scarlet gown hissing across the stones, until she stood toe-to-toe with the bristling Crescent Alpha. One sharp nail under his chin forced his head up as she stared intently into those icy eyes.

"As the prophecy foretells, your cure can only be yielded by a True Luna—one chosen by the Goddess herself to stand as the apex female Alpha. A legendary wolf who possesses the moon's sacred magic in her veins."

Triumph glittered fiercely in her expression as comprehension dawned on Elijah's stoic features.

"There is but one such wolf in all the city, Valkner. And you look upon her now."

The ringing silence deafened me. She couldn't possibly mean no! Surely even Zeta did not harbor delusions of divine ordainment. Yet inevitability clenched icily around my heart as she continued, deadly certainty ringing in each word.

"I am the First Daughter of Solenna, her vessel in mortal flesh. The power you require resides in my ancient bloodline. I can restore your gifts and more.” She leaned closer with a cunning smile. “For a price.”

Elijah stared at her, something dark and contemplative shifting behind his eyes. "And what price does the esteemed Alpha require for such a gift?" Steel laced the deceptively mild question. They circled each other now with the focused intensity of rival predators.

Zeta tapped one long nail thoughtfully against her chin, as if musing over complex terms of parley. But I sensed the trap's jaws poised to crush fragile hope.

"In one lunar cycle, the Council of Alphas convenes to elect a new High Chief. You shall support my claim to that revered seat.” Her smile turned vicious. “As your mate."

The floor seemed to fall away beneath my feet. Darkness encroached on my vision. I scarcely felt Taya's bruising grip as she hauled me forcibly upright. I never heard her snarling whispers to get a hold of myself. Mutely, I stared at the proud Crescent Wolf, now wearing an expression akin to my own horror.

Zeta meant to bind him—control one of the oldest and most powerful packs—through a union he clearly reviled, yet he could not refuse if she held the sole means of saving his waning power. The audacity and ambition of it stole my very breath.

A small sound of denial escaped my own throat, unbidden. Ice shards seemed to pierce my lungs as Zeta’s scarlet gaze cut me knowingly. Why was my heart stuttering as though it were breaking? I harbored no affection for this unknown Alpha, who meant to conquer or destroy us. Yet seeing him trapped and manipulated made me feel inexplicably wrong.

With visible effort, Elijah mastered his rioting emotions, his sharp gaze shuttering to cold practicality. "Your terms intrigue, but words hold little substance without proof, my lady. Demonstrate this vaunted cure before I gamble my pack’s future on your ambitious plots."

Zeta dipped her head magnanimously. "Of course. A wise commander trusts only tangible victory." Her gaze slid toward me, heavy with intent. My stomach knotted.

"As a show of good faith between us, I offer you one of my she-wolves to take as a guarantee. She shall be your guest to monitor the effects of my remedy from within your halls."

Panic surged so violently that I nearly doubled over, gagging. Dark spots swarmed my vision. A wretched cry built in my chest. She could not mean me! Not even Zeta would stoop so low as to...

My Alpha's piercing look speared me where I wavered. "Come here, Elara. Serve your rightful purpose for once."

I wanted to run. I could feel my frantic pulse urging flight or fighting. But my knees betrayed me, my wooden legs carrying me toward her beckoning claws as if pulled by invisible strings. Behind me, Taya's grinning whisper scraped my ears.

"Remember well my promise, pup. One false step puts the pups to our blades."

Halting before watching Alphas, I sank immediately into full obeisance, a supplicant awaiting her sentence. Mortification and despair drowned out my courage until I shook. Let these tyrants condemn me outright rather than continue this agonizing pretense.

"Look up, girl."

Zeta’s cool command raised my eyes miserably to meet her calculative smile. With one arm, she drew a silently enraged Elijah forward.

"I present my she-wolf Elara, ward of my pack’s sacred archives. She shall serve as gracious hostage against delivery of your cured health one cycle from now."

My vision tunneled dangerously. Surely she jested! I was less than no one—too weak even to shift forms. Of what use could I possibly...

Understanding broke slowly through the panicked haze. She meant me as a spy—her eyes and ears observing everything within the enemy’s halls. Not just any wolf, but her Alpha’s heir betrayed them into their clutches. The perfect trick is to cripple the Crescents from within.

Bile scorched my throat as the full depth of her scheme was unveiled. Zeta would see me dead or broken without hesitation if it fueled her ambitions. I was merely a throwaway pawn.

And our once-proud Alpha had just cavalierly sold my life and freedom to this foreign silver devil without a flicker of remorse.

The tray slipped silently from my numb fingers.