Elaine caught fragments of it, the words not fully formed but their meaning clear enough-
Unmated… unwanted… still here…
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you,” Alpha Darius’s deep voice cut through the low hum of the dining hall.
Elaine nearly dropped her fork. Her heart leapt to her throat as she lifted her gaze, startled to see him standing right in front of her table. She hadn’t even noticed his approach. It was as if he had simply appeared out of nowhere, his presence commanding enough that the air seemed to shift with him.
“Why are you here, sitting alone?” He asked, his brow furrowing slightly as he studied her.
“Alpha Darius…” That was all Elaine managed, her voice catching as though her throat had forgotten how to work.
“What did I tell you earlier?” His tone softened, and his lips curved into an easy smile. “Just call me Darius.”
His smile was warm, disarming. It held none of the sharp edges she was used to from alphas, none of the practiced superiority she endured daily from her own leaders. Something about it tugged at her walls, and against her better judgment, she felt the corners of her lips twitch upward.
It had been so long since she’d smiled for real that the sensation startled her.
But before she could respond, another voice cut in sharply.
“Alpha Darius, you know her?”
Michael’s voice carried an edge that made Elaine’s stomach twist. He was staring at her from across the hall, his expression dark with something she couldn’t quite name-anger, maybe? Displeasure? As though she had committed some unspoken offense simply by existing. His eyes, once so full of promise, now looked at her as though she were a problem he wished would vanish.
“Yes,” Darius said easily, turning his head toward Michael with unshaken calm. “Met her after my run earlier. Got to know a little.”
He said it almost teasingly, and the hint of playfulness in his voice sent heat rushing to Elaine’s cheeks.
She didn’t know how to react. This was still a stranger, wasn’t he? And yet, every time their paths crossed, something inside her shifted. Around him, the crushing weight of judgment seemed to lighten, as if he carried a different kind of air with him, one that made her feel safe.
Michael’s jaw tightened. Elaine could feel his gaze burning into her, a silent accusation she could not understand.
What right does he have? she thought bitterly.
He sat there, Kathy’s hand entwined with his, her presence draped over him like a claim of ownership, parading her proudly as his chosen Luna. And yet he glared at Elaine as though she were the one out of line, she the one who had betrayed. The hypocrisy stung so sharply she had to clench her fists beneath the table to keep from trembling.
“Anyway,” Darius said, his tone brightening again, as if unaware-or perhaps deliberately ignoring the tension that stretched across the hall, “why are you sitting here alone? I was looking for you at the beta table.”
“This..” Elaine hesitated, her voice small, though her eyes stayed fixed on him. “This is my place.”
Confusion flickered across Darius’s features. His gaze swept the nearly empty end of the table, the stark contrast between her isolation and the clusters of laughter and camaraderie filling the rest of the room. It didn’t make sense to him.
She was the daughter of the Beta, raised within this powerful pack. By all rights, she should have been seated proudly near the front, surrounded by respect. Instead, she was tucked away like a shadow no one wanted to claim.
He didn’t press her. Not here, not in front of everyone. But he didn’t need to. He could feel it, the thick current of tension that hummed between her and the Alpha family. Even her parents stood stiffly, discomfort etched across their faces, their glances flickering nervously toward her as though afraid Darius might ask the very questions they wanted buried.
There was a story here, and he would bet his Alpha status that it was the reason this accomplished, sharp-eyed young woman was forced into the margins.
“Not today,” Darius said firmly. His tone brooked no argument, but his smile remained warm and inviting. “Today, you will sit at my table. Come. Let me introduce you to my Beta.”
He extended a hand slightly, as though to guide her. His presence radiated confidence, the kind that turned heads and silenced doubts.
Around the hall, conversations faltered, curiosity sparking in every corner. Elaine felt every gaze snap toward them, the weight of collective shock pressing down like a physical force.
“You do not mind, do you, Alpha Efrein?” Darius called out casually, his tone polite but edged with something that made the question feel less like a request and more like a declaration. “I know we’ve only just met, but I truly enjoyed our walk earlier.”
The words hung in the air like a challenge.
Elaine’s breath caught. She didn’t know where to look-at Darius’s easy confidence, at her father’s stony silence, at her mother’s anxious eyes, or at Michael’s furious glare.
The entire hall had gone still, as though the walls themselves leaned closer to witness.
Michael’s expression was carved from fire and ice, fury blazing in his eyes even as his hand tightened protectively around Kathy’s. His reaction made no sense. What right did he have to feel anger when he had already cast her aside? He had chosen his path, chosen the Luna sitting beside him, chosen to brand Elaine as unwanted. And yet here he was, glaring as though she were betraying him by being noticed, by being… seen.
Hypocrite. The word burned in her mind. He wasn’t the only one. From the Alpha to the Luna, to her own family who stood silent while her world was stripped away, all of them were hypocrites. Every single one of them.
They all knew the truth. They all knew she was the true Luna, Michael’s fated mate, chosen by the Goddess herself. Yet because Alpha Efrein decreed otherwise, because Kathy already carried the future heir. They cast her aside as if she were an inconvenience, an interloper, a mistress, a rejected half-life forced to live in the shadows.
And now, for the first time, someone dared to reach into that shadow and pull her into the light.
Elaine’s heart hammered. She did not know whether to follow or to run.
Elaine did not even have a chance to think. One moment she was quietly eating on her own, and the next she felt a firm but steady grip around her wrist. Alpha Darius, towering and confident, pulled her up with surprising ease. In his other hand, he carried her plate of food as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“You eat so little. You should eat more,” Alpha Darius said, his deep voice drawing every ear in the room.
Elaine froze, unsure how to respond. Her mind spun in confusion.
What is going on here? She had only met him that morning, their introduction brief and unexpected. Yet now, he acted as though they were old friends, closer even.
Around them, the dining hall grew quieter. The eyes of every guest and pack member followed their every step. Whispers rippled like waves through the crowded tables.
Her pack leaders sat stiffly, their expressions carefully controlled, though their eyes betrayed disapproval. Michael’s jaw clenched as if he were biting back the urge to stand and interfere, but not even he dared, not against Darius.
The Crescent Moon Pack carried a reputation carved in blood and steel. They were the warrior pack, unmatched in strength and feared across territories. If Silverblade was respected for its influence and power, Crescent Moon was revered-and dreaded-as the number one pack in existence. Their Alpha was not one anyone challenged.
Yet the way Darius looked at her, spoke to her, and tugged her along with such casual authority, he did not appear as the ruthless wolf the world described. He smiled easily, laughed softly, and held himself with the kind of charm that disarmed those around him. Friendly, almost boyish.
But Elaine knew better. Everyone here knew better. Behind that warmth was a man who commanded armies, a wolf no one dared cross.
When they reached his table, a tall man already seated there fixed them with an unimpressed stare. Darius’s Beta, Marcus, stood immediately, his presence sharp and disciplined. His brows lifted in disbelief.
“Marcus,” Darius said without hesitation, pulling Elaine forward as though presenting something precious. “This is Elaine. The one I told you I met earlier.”
Marcus’s frown deepened. “Darius, you do remember we are not in our own pack house right now, don’t you? You cannot just drag a member of another pack to sit with you.”
Darius c****d his head, feigning innocence. “Oh? Should I have dragged you instead, then?”
Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated.
“That is not what I meant. Protocol exists for a reason. You should have asked the Alpha’s permission before insisting one of his pack members sit at your side.” His tone was patient but sharp, the way one might speak to a reckless child.
Elaine’s lips parted, and despite herself, a small laugh slipped out. The tension around them cracked like thin ice. Both men immediately turned toward her, one with irritation, the other with amusement. Elaine’s face flamed, and she lowered her gaze.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, though her laughter bubbled again. “It’s just… is this how it always is? It seems like the Beta is the one taking care of the Alpha.”
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