Chapter 2 A Voice in the Dark

Elara didn't remember fleeing.

One moment, she was standing in total darkness beneath the burning mark on her neck. The next, she was outside in the cold night air, barefoot and breathless, the gravel beneath her feet biting with every step. Her lungs burned, her skin stung from the wind, and her heart thudded wildly like a war drum.

Somehow, she had slipped past everyone-Kael, the elders, the guards. There had been no alarm, no chase, no hands grabbing her. Just... silence, then motion. Like something had pulled her out.

She had no memory of the in-between.

> "Keep moving. Don't stop."

That voice again. Deep. Smooth. Familiar, yet alien. It echoed in her skull like a command and a caress.

Elara's limbs were trembling. She darted across the edge of the courtyard, ducking behind one of the towering wolf statues that guarded the ancestral grounds. The stone was cold against her back, but she welcomed it-it grounded her in something real.

She pressed her palm to the burning mark on her neck. It was still glowing softly, still warm like an ember nestled against her skin. Her breaths came in gasps, fogging in the moonlight.

"Am I going crazy?" she whispered to herself.

> "No. You're awakening."

She flinched.

The voice hadn't just replied. It had felt her question, like it was inside her thoughts. It didn't sound like her inner voice-it was someone else entirely.

"What are you?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

> "Not what. Who. But we'll talk soon."

That wasn't comforting.

Then, movement caught her eye.

Across the courtyard, lit by the faint silver of the moon, stood Kael.

Half-shifted, his eyes glowed like wildfire under a calm mask that barely held back rage. His claws were out, fangs bared, his tall frame visibly shaking as he scanned the grounds like a predator sniffing blood.

Elara shrank further into the shadow of the statue, her breath hitching. Her fingers dug into the grooves in the stone.

He was looking for her.

His head snapped in her direction.

Panic rose in her throat.

She slapped her hand back over the glowing mark on her neck, silently begging it to stop shining. It pulsed under her palm like a heartbeat.

> "The mark is cloaking you-for now," the voice assured her.

For now?

Kael took a step closer.

Her entire body went still, her heart threatening to leap from her chest. If he found her, if he saw what she had become-no, what had been awakened-what would he do?

Claim her? Imprison her? Kill her?

She didn't know anymore. Everything she had believed about fate, the mate bond, her place in the pack-it had all crumbled the moment Kael said she wasn't his. And then the mark... the light... the voice.

Nothing made sense anymore.

Her fingers trembled against the cold stone as she peeked around the statue again.

Kael was now only a few steps away.

Just as he turned slightly, his nostrils flared.

He was scenting the air.

She panicked and stepped back-but someone was already there.

A tall, lean figure emerged from the shadows just behind her. She spun, startled, her mouth opening to scream-until she saw him clearly.

He was beautiful.

Striking silver eyes, wild black hair falling into his face, a faint, calm smile resting on his lips. He looked completely at ease, as if this wasn't the middle of a chase, as if wolves weren't hunting them down.

"Don't scream," he said, voice smooth but light. "You'll give us both away."

"Who-" Her whisper was harsh. "Who are you?"

He tilted his head. "Ronan."

He said it like they were old friends. Like she should already know him.

"I-what-how do you know my name?"

"I know more than your name, Elara. I know why your mark is burning. I know who you really are." He paused. "And I know you're not safe here. Not with him."

Her gaze darted back toward Kael, who was now stalking the edge of the courtyard like he could feel something just out of reach.

Elara backed up a step. She didn't trust this stranger, no matter how calm he seemed. But at the same time, he didn't feel dangerous. He felt... right. There was something in his presence that didn't set off alarms in her body. Something even familiar.

"Why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn't." He grinned. "But you're out of time."

"Elara!"

Kael's voice cut through the silence like a blade.

He had seen her.

"Now!" Ronan hissed.

Elara hesitated-until Kael growled and lunged forward, closing the distance in a single, terrifying leap.

She didn't think. She just reached out.

Ronan grabbed her hand-and in that exact moment, the world exploded into light.

Silver light.

Everything shifted. The ground disappeared. The sky melted. Wind roared in her ears, and her body felt weightless. Like she was being torn out of one world and dropped into another.

And just before the courtyard vanished completely behind her, she heard Kael's roar.

"Elara-don't!"

But it was too late.

She was gone.