CLAIMED BY THE DARKEST ALPHA

The Condition

The air in Damon’s study was heavy. Elara stood frozen by the door, her heart thundering in her chest as she waited for his answer.

“Fine,” Damon said finally, his voice low and steady, “you may go. But only on one condition.”

Her lips parted, but no words came. She could barely breathe. “What… what condition?”

Damon’s dark eyes locked onto hers. There was no softness there, no hint of negotiation. “You will not, under any circumstance, tell your family or anyone else that I am your mate.”

Elara blinked, startled. She hadn’t expected that. “Why—”

His sharp gaze cut her off. “You will tell them only this: that you have found your mate in my pack, and that you will be relocating here. Nothing more.”

Her heart pounded harder. “But… why can’t I—”

“Because it is not their business,” Damon said coldly, stepping closer until the air between them grew thin. “And because I do not know yet if I can trust you. What I tell you is not to be questioned, Elara. Do you understand?”

The way he said her name made her stomach tighten. She nodded quickly, her voice barely a whisper. “Yes, I understand.”

“Good.” His eyes lingered on her face, searching, weighing her. “Can you be trusted to keep this?”

Elara swallowed hard. “Yes. I won’t tell them. I promise.”

Something flickered across his expression—relief, or maybe warning—but it was gone before she could name it.

“Then prepare yourself,” Damon said. “In two days, you will go. The maids will help you with everything you need. Until then, you stay here.”

He turned back to his desk as if dismissing her entirely, but Elara stayed rooted in place. She wanted to ask why he was hiding, why it mattered so much that no one knew. But his broad back, his stiff shoulders, told her that pressing him now would get her nowhere.

She bit her lip, bowed her head slightly, and left the study.

Back in her room, she found Mary and the other maids waiting for her.Mary carried folded blankets, Lysa held a small chest of linens, and Kira’s arms were stacked with dresses.

“We have instructions from the Alpha,”Mary said kindly. “You are to be moved to a new room.”

“A new room?” Elara repeated, blinking.

“Yes,” Kira chimed in, balancing the pile of dresses against her hip. “The Alpha’s sister’s old chambers. They’ve been empty for years.”

Elara hesitated. “His sister?”

“She passed,”Mary said softly, her eyes lowering. “The Alpha has not allowed anyone to use that room since… but now it is yours.”

Elara’s heart ached at the thought. She wondered what kind of girl Damon’s sister had been, and why he would place her there, of all places. It felt both like an honor and a burden.

The maids led her down the hall to the new room. It was larger than the one she had woken up in, filled with soft light from tall windows. The walls were painted a pale shade, and the bed was wide, covered with a quilt that looked handmade. Shelves lined one side of the room, stacked with old books and little trinkets that must have belonged to Damon’s sister.

Elara stepped inside slowly, almost afraid to touch anything.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

Mary set the blankets at the foot of the bed. “It will be yours now. We’ll freshen it, of course, but much of it is as she left it. The Alpha wanted you to have it.”

Elara turned in surprise. “He… he wanted me to?”

“Yes,” Lysa said, her voice quiet but firm. “It means something.”

Elara didn’t know what to say. For someone as cold as Damon, the gesture felt strange, almost contradictory.

The maids busied themselves, opening drawers, shaking out fresh sheets, and arranging the dresses they had brought. Kira pulled out a pale blue gown and held it against Elara with a grin.

“This one suits you. We’ll make sure you’re well dressed when you visit your family.”

Elara flushed. “Thank you. But… I don’t need much.”

“Nonsense,” Mary said gently. “You are the Alpha’s mate. Even if it’s not spoken aloud, you must look the part.”

The words sent a shiver through Elara. The Alpha’s mate. It felt both comforting and frightening at once.

Over the next two days, the maids helped her prepare. They gave her clothes fitted to her size, brushed and braided her hair, and taught her small details of the household. What doors to avoid, which corridors were private, how the kitchen staff always baked bread in the afternoons.

Elara listened quietly, soaking in every detail. She found herself strangely drawn to the rhythm of the pack house. The warriors trained outside with fierce discipline, the halls were filled with order, and though Damon’s presence loomed like a shadow, there was life here.

But every night, she lay awake, thinking of her family. Her mother’s sharp eyes, her sister Anya’s easy smile. She wondered how they would react when she told them she had found her mate in the pack of Alpha Damon, though not him specifically.

Would they be happy for her? Or disappointed that she hadn’t secured a mate from within their own ranks?

The thought twisted her stomach.

On the second evening, Damon appeared at her door. He leaned against the frame, as unreadable as ever.

“You’re ready?” he asked.

Elara nodded, though her hands fidgeted in her lap. “Yes. The maids helped me.”

He studied her for a long moment, his gaze sharp. “You remember the condition?”

Her chest tightened, but she nodded again. “Yes. I won’t tell them about you. I’ll only say that I found my mate here, in your pack, and that I’ll be relocating. Nothing more.”

“Good.” His voice was low, approving. Then he added, “I’ll ask you again,can I trust you, Elara?”

She lifted her chin slightly, forcing herself to meet his eyes. “Yes. You can trust me.”

For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then, almost too quietly, Damon said, “We’ll see.”