The Alpha’s Hidden Vow

Chapter 3: The Price of a Life

The North Wing was too quiet. In the Gutter, there was always the sound of sirens, or neighbors fighting, or the drip of leaky pipes. Here, the silence felt like it was pressing against my ears.

Mia was still asleep, her face finally losing that deathly grey color as Killian’s blood worked through her system. Leo had fallen asleep at the foot of her bed, his small fingers still curled into a fist. Even in sleep, he was on guard.

I stood by the window, watching the rain wash over the stone balcony. My stomach gave a sharp, painful twist. I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning—a piece of stale bread I’d shared with the kids on the bus.

A soft knock at the door made me jump. I didn't say "come in." I didn't want anyone in.

The door opened anyway. It wasn't Killian. It was a young maid, maybe nineteen, carrying a silver tray. She looked at me with wide, terrified eyes, like she was seeing a ghost.

"The Alpha... he said you must eat, Miss Elara," she whispered, her hands shaking so hard the tea cups rattled.

Miss Elara. Nobody had called me that in five years.

"Put it on the table and leave," I said, my voice cold.

She scurried inside, dropped the tray, and practically ran back out. I looked at the food. Steak, mashed potatoes, fresh fruit. It smelled like heaven, but it tasted like ash in my mouth. Everything in this house was paid for with the lies that ruined my life.

I forced myself to eat a few bites for strength. I needed my head clear. If that howl at the church was who I thought it was, being inside these walls was just as dangerous as being outside.

"Mommy?"

I turned. Mia’s eyes were open. They were foggy, but the ice-blue tint was back.

"I’m here, baby," I said, rushing to her side. "How do you feel?"

"It’s loud," she whispered, touching her ears. "The dogs... they won't stop screaming."

My heart stopped. The mansion was soundproofed. There were no dogs.

"What dogs, Mia?"

"The ones with the red eyes," she said, her voice drifting. "They’re under the floor. They’re waiting for the man in the suit to fall down."

She was seeing it too. The Seer blood had bypassed me and hit her twice as hard. I pulled her into my arms, rocking her, trying to drown out the visions she wasn't ready for.

The door yelped open—not a knock this time, but a bang. Selena walked in, her silk robe fluttering behind her like a poisonous cloud. She looked at the tray of food, then at me.

"You really think a few sick kids and a pretty face are going to get you back in his bed?" she hissed, her voice low so the guards wouldn't hear.

"I don't want his bed, Selena. I want his blood for my daughter. After that, I’m gone," I replied.

Selena laughed, a sharp, ugly sound. "You're lying. You've been planning this for five years. You waited until the day of my wedding to show up and embarrass him. You think the Pack Council will let an Omega like you stay? They hate you even more than I do."

She stepped closer, her scent—cloying lilies—making me want to gag. "Killian doesn't love you. He feels guilty. There's a difference. Once that guilt wears off, he’ll throw you back in the Gutter, and I’ll make sure the kids stay here. They’re Blackwoods, after all. We can't have them raised by a rogue."

The threat hit me like a physical blow. I stood up, my wolf snarling in the back of my mind. "You touch my children, and I will show you exactly why they called me the 'Witch' of the Silver Moon."

Selena’s eyes widened, and for a second, she looked scared. But she masked it quickly. "We'll see about that. The Council is meeting in an hour. Killian has to explain why he stopped a political alliance for a ghost. Don't get too comfortable, Elara."

She turned on her heel and marched out.

I sat back down, my hands trembling. I had to get out of here. But Mia was too weak to move, and the "Blood-Lock" required another dose of blood in twelve hours. We were trapped.

An hour later, a guard came for me. "The Alpha wants you in the study."

I left Leo watching Mia and followed the guard through the maze of hallways. The study was a room I remembered well. It was where Killian’s father used to beat him for being "too soft." Now, Killian sat behind the heavy oak desk, looking like he’d aged ten years in a single afternoon.

Two older men stood by the fireplace. Elders. The same men who had signed my banishment papers without looking at the evidence.

"Elara," Killian said, his eyes scanning my face. "Sit."

"I’ll stand," I said.

One of the Elders, a man named Silas with a scarred face, stepped forward. "The Alpha tells us you have brought 'heirs' into this house. We have seen the boy. The resemblance is... noted. But it does not change the law. A banished wolf cannot return."

"I didn't return for the pack," I snapped. "I returned for medicine. Give me the blood I need for Mia, and we will leave tonight."

"You think we are a pharmacy?" Silas sneered. "You are a liability. The attack at the church happened because of you. The Blood-Alpha is hunting you."

"He's hunting the children!" I shouted, my voice echoing. "He knows their blood is stronger than yours. He knows the Seer line has returned!"

The room went deathly silent. Killian stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "The Seer line? Elara, what are you talking about?"

"My daughter is seeing things, Killian. Just like my grandmother did. That’s why I was framed five years ago. Someone didn't want a Seer Luna. They wanted someone they could control." I looked directly at Silas as I said it.

Silas didn't flinch, but Killian’s eyes narrowed. He walked around the desk, stopping inches from me. "If she is a Seer, she is the most valuable asset this pack has. You aren't leaving, Elara. Not tonight. Not ever."

"Asset?" I felt the fire rising in my chest. "She is a five-year-old girl, not a weapon for your wars!"

"She is my daughter!" Killian roared, his Alpha power filling the room. It made the air heavy, making it hard to breathe. "And I will not let her die because you're too stubborn to accept my protection."

"Your protection is what got me banished!"

We stood there, breathing each other’s air, the old heat between us turning into something explosive. For a second, I thought he was going to grab me. I wanted him to. I wanted to feel something other than this hollow ache.

But then, the alarm started. A long, low siren that meant the perimeter had been breached.

Killian snapped his head toward the window. "Silas, get the Elders to the bunker. Elara, get back to the kids. Now!"

He didn't wait for an answer. He shifted right in front of me, his clothes tearing as a massive black wolf took his place. He didn't look back as he leaped through the window, the glass shattering onto the lawn.

I ran. I didn't care about the Elders or the war. I ran back to the North Wing, my heart hammering against my ribs.

When I burst into the room, Leo was standing on the bed, holding a silver letter opener he’d found on the nightstand. His little face was set in a snarl.

"Mommy! The shadows!" he cried, pointing at the balcony.

A man was standing there. He wasn't a wolf. He was tall, dressed in rags, with eyes that glowed a sickening, bruised red.

"The little Seer," he rasped, his voice like dry leaves. "The King wants his prize."

He moved faster than I could blink. I lunged for him, but he swiped me aside like I was nothing. I hit the wall, my head spinning.

"Leave them alone!" I screamed, trying to crawl back to the bed.

The man reached for Mia, but before his fingers could touch her, Leo jumped. He didn't shift—he was too young—but a shockwave of silver light erupted from his small body, throwing the man backward through the balcony railing.

The man fell with a scream, disappearing into the dark.

Leo collapsed, his eyes rolling back in his head. Mia was crying now, the fever flaring up again.

I pulled them both into my lap, sobbing, as the sounds of battle roared outside.

We weren't safe. We were the bait.