The first bond
1125 Words
Chapter 3.. The first bond.
Elara took way too long getting ready.
Partly because the dress looked like it belonged on royalty and she was 80% sure she’d trip and die on the stairs… and partly because every time she looked in the mirror, she didn’t recognize the girl staring back.
The silver gown flowed over her body like it had been made for her — soft, weightless, elegant in a way she had never felt. Her hair, usually tied back in a messy bun, fell loose over her shoulders in gentle waves after she brushed it out. Even her skin looked different. Brighter. Warmer.
Glowing, her brain whispered.
“Absolutely not,” she told her reflection. “We are not glowing. We are moisturized at best.”
Still… she couldn’t deny the strange energy humming under her skin.
A knock came at the door right on time.
Elara inhaled deeply, smoothed her hands down the dress, and opened it.
A young woman stood there, smiling kindly. “I’ll escort you to dinner.”
“Please tell me there’s a dress code I somehow nailed by accident,” Elara said.
The girl’s smile widened. “You look perfect.”
That did not calm her nerves.
They walked through the halls, and Elara noticed something new — people were stepping aside as she passed.
Not awkwardly.
Instinctively.
Heads dipped. Shoulders lowered slightly. Conversations quieted.
She leaned toward her escort and whispered, “Okay, seriously, why does everyone look like I outrank them in a monarchy I didn’t sign up for?”
The girl hesitated. “It’s… respect.”
“For what?”
“For you.”
That answer followed her all the way to the dining hall.
The room was massive, lit by warm chandeliers and a roaring fireplace along one wall. A long table stretched through the center, already filled with people — men and women of different ages, all strong-looking, alert, their attention snapping toward the entrance the second Elara stepped in.
And then—
Silence.
Forks paused midair. Conversations died instantly.
Every eye turned to her.
Her instinct screamed run.
But before panic could fully set in, she felt it again — that strange ripple in the air, like invisible energy brushing across her skin.
And just like outside earlier…
Heads lowered.
Not all the way. Not submissive.
Her escort guided her forward. At the head of the table stood a single empty chair beside Kael’s.
Of course it was.
Kael was already there, dressed in a dark button-down that made him look unfairly good. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were sharp — scanning the room, then locking onto her.
And then something in his expression changed.
The control slipped.
Just a fraction.
His gaze darkened, jaw tightening as he took in the sight of her in the silver dress.
Elara suddenly felt very aware of the way the fabric hugged her waist.
“Well,” she muttered under her breath, “this isn’t awkward at all.”
She reached the chair. Kael pulled it out for her before she could touch it.
“Thank you,” she said,
His voice was lower than before. Rougher. “You look…” He stopped himself.
She raised an eyebrow. “Contractually acceptable?”
A muscle in his cheek twitched. “Sit, Elara.”
She sat.
The moment she did, a strange sense of… rightness settled over the room. Like something had clicked into place.
People started breathing again. Eating again. Talking softly.
Elara blinked. “Did I just accidentally fix the vibe?”
Kael didn’t answer.
He was staring at the table like it had personally offended him.
“You okay?” she asked quietly.
His fingers tightened slightly on the edge of the table. “You need to be careful.”
“Of what? Fork etiquette?”
“Of what you’re doing to my wolves.”
She froze. “…Your dogs seem fine?”
His eyes snapped to hers.
Not human calm.
Something deeper. Wilder. Gold flickering faintly at the center of his pupils before fading.
“They are calmer than they’ve been in years,” he said. “No fights today. No challenges. Even the patrol reports were quiet.”
“That sounds… good?”
“It’s unnatural.”
Her chest tightened. “I didn’t do anything.”
“I know,” he said.
Which somehow made it worse.
Dinner passed in a blur of polite introductions. Names she instantly forgot. People watching her like she was both fragile and powerful at the same time.
Every time someone spoke directly to her, they softened without meaning to. Smiles came easier. Tension drained from their shoulders.
She didn’t know how she knew that.
She just felt it.
Like emotions in the room had volume, and hers was set higher than everyone else’s.
Halfway through the meal, a deep voice spoke from farther down the table.
“With respect, Alpha,” a broad-shouldered man said carefully, “the border patrol reported rogues near the eastern ridge last night.”
The room tensed.
Kael’s focus sharpened instantly. “How many?”
“Three. Maybe four.”
Low murmurs spread.
Elara frowned. “Rogues?”
No one answered.
But she felt the fear. Sharp. Protective. Angry.
Before she could stop herself, she spoke again.
“Were they hurt?” she asked softly.
The warrior blinked, surprised. “What?”
“The rogues. Were they injured?”
“…One looked thin,” he admitted. “Starving, maybe.”
A strange ache spread through her chest. Sadness that wasn’t fully hers.
“They’re desperate,” she murmured. “Not hunting. Surviving.”
The warrior stared at her.
Kael went completely still.
“How would you know that?” he asked quietly.
Elara’s heart started racing. “I—I don’t know. I just… feel it.”
Silence swallowed the table.
Then, slowly, Kael nodded to the warrior. “Send food to the eastern ridge. Leave it at the tree line. No confrontation.”
Shock flickered across multiple faces — but no one argued.
The warrior bowed his head slightly. “Yes, Alpha.”
Conversation resumed, but softer now. Thoughtful.
Elara looked at Kael. “Was that wrong?”
“No,” he said. His voice had changed again. Quieter. Almost… awed.
“That was exactly what a Luna would do.”
There was that word again.
Luna.
It echoed in her chest like something ancient being called by its true name.
She laughed nervously. “Good thing I’m just pretending.”
Kael didn’t laugh back.
And across the room, more than one pair of eyes watched her with growing certainty.
The fake Luna had just given her first command.
And every wolf in the territory had listened.
- Writer
