The Alpha's forbidden firstborn

CHAPTER 7: OPENING UP

18+ Content

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The meeting ended shortly after. The council left in near silence, but Kael could still feel the residue of their doubt hanging in the air like smoke.

It clung to him as he climbed the stairs two at a time, jaw locked, every protective instinct in his body wound tight.

He found Elara on the balcony of their room. She stood with her arms wrapped around herself against the cool breeze, staring out over the training fields below, where a few late patrols moved. The moonlight caught in her hair and made the simple dress Lyra had given her almost silver.

The moment the balcony door closed behind him, he started walking toward her.

He crossed the space in three strides, his hands framing her face with careful strength, thumbs pressing against the high bones of her cheeks. His eyes moved to her lips, and before he could think, his lips were on hers.

Elara flinched, making Kael pull away immediately. He was about to apologize, but Elara nodded, giving him approval.

Kael didn't believe it. "Are you sure?" he asked, surprise written all over his face.

Elara nodded again. She was finally opening up, and that made Kael so happy. His wolf jumped happily in his mind. She trusted them, and that was a big move.

He reached for her lips again, but this time, it was not gentle.

It was deep, possessive, and edged with the leftover anger of the council chamber. He kissed her like he needed to erase every doubt that had been spoken downstairs, like the only truth that mattered was the one burning between them.

His tongue slid against hers in long, deliberate strokes, tasting her thoroughly, claiming the soft sounds she made as he angled her head for better access. One hand stayed in her hair; the other slid down the line of her spine and settled at the small of her back, pulling her flush against his body until there was no space between them.

Elara gasped into his mouth, her fingers curling into the front of his shirt. She kissed him back, following his lead—tentative at first, then with growing hunger.

That made the hunger inside Kael grow more. He backed her against the railing without breaking the kiss. His body caged her possessively, kissing her more roughly.

He finally dragged his mouth from hers, trailing open-lipped kisses along her jaw, then beneath her ear.

"They don't get to decide what you are," he growled against her skin, his voice rough. "Only I do. Only the bond does. You are mine, Elara. Say it."

"Yours," she whispered, the word shaking but very clear.

"I will not let them make you feel small," he said, his voice absolute. "Not now. Not ever. You are my mate. You will be their Luna."

Elara rose onto her toes and pecked his lips before resting her head on his chest—that is her safe place, the one she knows for sure.

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Kael held her there for a long moment, his arms wrapped around her like she was the only thing keeping him tethered to the earth. The anger from the council meeting slowly bled out of him, replaced by something warmer. Something softer.

"I'm sorry," he murmured against her hair. "I shouldn't have kissed you like that. Not when you're still—"

"Don't apologize," she whispered, cutting him off. Her voice was small but certain. "I wanted it. I wanted you."

He pulled back, searching her face. "Elara..."

"I spent twelve years being told I was worthless," she said, her voice trembling. "Twelve years believing I deserved the pain. But you—" She reached up, touching his cheek. "You make me feel like I'm worth something. You make me feel... safe."

Kael's throat tightened. He turned his head and pressed a kiss to her palm. "You are worth everything, Elara. You are worth more than this world has ever given you. And I will spend the rest of my life making sure you know that."

---

That night, Kael didn't leave her side.

He lay beside her in the large bed, his arms wrapped around her protectively. Elara nestled against his chest, her ear pressed to his heartbeat—steady, strong, reassuring.

"Kael?" she whispered into the darkness.

"Mm?"

"What happens now? With the council? With Viktor?"

Kael was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Viktor will try to take you back. He knows what you are—or at least, he knows you're not ordinary. He won't give up easily."

Elara stiffened. "What if he comes for me?"

"He won't get to you." Kael tightened his arms around her. "I will tear him apart before he touches you again. I swear it."

She pressed her face into his chest, breathing in his scent—pine and ozone, clean and wild. It made her feel grounded. Safe.

"Kael," she said softly, "what if the council is right? What if I'm not strong enough to be your Luna?"

He rolled her onto her back, hovering over her, his eyes burning with intensity. "Listen to me, Elara. You survived twelve years of torture. You survived Viktor. You survived the abuse, the starvation, the pain. You are still standing. You are still kind. That is not weakness—that is the greatest strength I have ever seen."

Tears pricked at her eyes. "Kael..."

"You will learn to be Luna because you are already a fighter," he continued. "You just don't know it yet. And when the time comes, you will stand beside me—not because I made you, but because you are ready."

She stared at him, her heart swelling. "You really believe that?"

"I don't believe it," he said, leaning down to press his forehead against hers. "I know it."

Elara closed her eyes and let the words sink in. For the first time in her life, she felt like she might actually have a future worth fighting for.

---

Across the compound, Seraphina sat in her darkened room, her fingers tracing the edge of a small vial.

She'd obtained it from a rogue trader—a concoction that could make a wolf forget their mate bond temporarily. Just long enough for her to convince Kael that Elara was nothing but a distraction.

"Enjoy your time with him, slave," she whispered into the darkness. "I'm going to take everything from you. Everything you love. Everything you think you deserve."

She smiled—cold, cruel, and utterly determined.

"You will never be his Luna. I will make sure of it."

---

The next morning, Elara woke in Kael's arms—warm, safe, and for the first time in twelve years, unafraid.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming.

Something dark.

Something that would test everything she had learned to believe.

She touched her chest, where her power still stirred beneath the surface. The necklace pulsed faintly on the bedside table, a constant reminder of the mystery she still had to uncover.

And in her mind, a voice whispered:

"Find me, my daughter. The truth is waiting."

Elara closed her eyes and made a promise to herself.

I will find you, Mother. I will find out who I really am.