Chapter 4
1302 Words
Silas POV
I felt the exact moment Elara left the dining hall.
The bond, which had been a constant ache in my chest all evening suddenly thin. My wolf snarled, demanding I follow her and bring her back.
Instead, I forced myself to nod at whatever Elena was saying. Something about pack logistics and supply chains. She was intelligent and had everything a Luna should be on paper.
She just wasn't her.
"Alpha?" Elena touched my arm lightly, "Are you alright? You seem distracted."
"I'm fine." I reached for my wine glass, only to find it empty.
"Please, continue,” I said.
But I'd lost interest in the conversation entirely. Through the windows, I could see the terrace. Could see…
"If you'll excuse me a moment," I said, standing.
Darius caught my eye from down the table. His expression was carefully neutral, but I'd known him long enough to read his concern.
Your mate is on the terrace with your brother, his look said. And you're sitting here with her sister.
"I need to check on something, I'll return shortly," I announced to the table.
I walked with measured steps toward the terrace doors, even though every instinct screamed at me to run. To get to Elara before…
"Congratulations, Elara. You're mine," Kaelen's voice drifted through the open terrace door. I froze just inside the doorway, hidden in shadow.
"That's impossible," Elara said.
"Is it? Did anyone explain the contract to you? Your father promised his firstborn to Silas. And his second-born to me."
"You're lying."
"Am I? Why don't you ask my dear brother?" Kaelen's smile was vicious, "Oh wait, he's too busy courting your sister to bother with details like who owns you."
I stepped onto the terrace. "Kaelen."
My brother's grin widened.
"Silas. We were just discussing the contract. I think our new guest deserves to know all the terms."
Elara's eyes met mine, "Is it true?" she asked, "Am I bound to him?"
"The contract is complicated," I said.
"That's not an answer."
"The original agreement did include provisions for both Vance daughters," I admitted, "But the primary marriage was meant to be between myself and the firstborn. Your situation is unclear."
"Unclear?" She laughed, "My entire life is unclear. I'm collateral for a debt I didn't incur, bound to men I've never met, and apparently my own mate can't even fight for me because of a piece of paper."
The word mate hung in the air and Kaelen's eyes sharpened.
"Mate?" He looked between us, "Well, isn't this interesting."
"Go back inside, Kaelen," I ordered.
"Why? This is the most entertainment I've had in months," He moved closer to Elara, and my wolf snarled, "Tell me, little mate, does the bond hurt knowing he can't have you?"
"Back off," The Alpha command rolled through my voice.
Kaelen raised his hands in mock surrender, but his eyes glittered with malice. “I'll leave you two to your moment. But Elara, the contract is binding. Whether my brother fights for you or not, you belong to one of us. It's best you start deciding which fate you prefer."
He disappeared inside, leaving us alone on the terrace.
Elara wrapped her arms around herself, staring out at the training grounds. The moonlight caught her hair turning it silver, and something about her scent…
"You should have told me," she said quietly, "About Kaelen and the full terms."
"I only confirmed the details this afternoon. I was planning to…"
"To what? Break it to me gently?" She turned to face me, "Let me guess. You're going to marry Elena to honor the contract, and I'm supposed to marry your brother to tie up loose ends."
"No," I said.
"No?"
"I won't let him have you. Kaelen is cruel and sadistic. He'd break you just to spite me."
"And Elena won't break you?"
The question hit harder than it should have, "What I feel doesn't matter. The pack needs this alliance and the debt needs to be settled."
"The debt?" She laughed again, "Tell me, Alpha, what happens if I refuse and walk away from all of this?"
"You can't."
"Watch me."
She started to move past me but I caught her wrist. The moment our skin touched, the bond flared.
"Elara, please."
"Please what? What exactly are you asking me to do, Silas?"
"I'm asking you to give me time to find a solution."
"There is no solution. You said it yourself, the contract is binding," She pulled her wrist free, and the loss of contact felt like a physical wound, "I'm going back to my room. Tomorrow, I'm calling my mother and figuring out how to break this contract. And if I can't break it, I'm running away. I don't care about the debt, the alliance, or any of it."
"If you run, I'll find you."
The words came out before I could stop them.
Why would you bother? You can't have me, remember? The contract won't allow it."
"Because you're mine. Mate bond or not, contract or not, you are mine and I will not let you go."
For a moment, something flickered in her eyes.
"You don't get to have it both ways. You can't claim me while planning to marry someone else,” she said.
"Elara…"
"Goodnight, Alpha."
She walked away, and every step she took felt like she was carving out pieces of my chest. I gripped the terrace railing hard enough that the stone cracked under my hands.
"Well, that was painful to watch."
I turned to find Darius standing in the doorway.
"How long have you been there?" I asked.
"Long enough," He moved to stand beside me, "You're in love with her."
"But I barely know her."
"The bond doesn't care about time. You know that.
“I read the full contract this afternoon. You were right, it's a mess. Marcus Vance was desperate when he signed it and my father took advantage of that."
"Your father was Alpha then. He did what he thought was best for the pack," Darius said.
"He also hated the Vance’s. You and I both know he designed this contract to be cruel.
“There might be a way out."
"What?"
"The contract specifies marriages to Vance daughters. It doesn't specify which brother marries which daughter."
"You're suggesting I marry Elara and Kaelen marry Elena."
"Elena is the firstborn. So as the Alpha, you have first claim to her under pack law. But nothing in the contract explicitly prevents a swap,” Darius said.
"Kaelen would never agree to it."
"Kaelen wants power and Elena is calculating and ambitious. They might actually suit each other,” Darius met my eyes, "It's worth exploring. Unless you really do plan to marry Elena while your mate bonds with your brother."
"No."
"Then find a way to fight for her, Silas. Because that girl is about to run, and if she does, I don't think you'll survive it."
He was right. The thought of Elara leaving and never seeing her again, made my wolf howl in agony.
"I need to speak with the Council," I said, "Tomorrow get me copies of all the documents."
"Already done. They're in your study," Darius smiled slightly, "I had a feeling you'd need them."
"What would I do without you?"
"Probably make a lot more mistakes," He pushed off the railing and left me alone with my thoughts and the lingering scent of Elara's perfume on the night air.
Through the windows, I could see Elena holding court with the senior pack members. She was good at politics and charming.
But she wasn't Elara.
And I was going to burn down every contract and every rule that stood between me and my mate.
Even if it meant going to war with my own brother.
- Writer
