Chapter 9
Elara’s POV
310
“Hope you enjoyed the show, Alpha Thorne.”
I stopped beside him, wiping the sweat from my brow, not bothering to hide the glint in my eye. My voice was light, almost playful–but the weight behind it was undeniable.
Thorne didn’t answer right away. His gaze scanned me slowly, lingering for a second too long.
I could see it–the hesitation. The confusion. And something else he wasn’t ready to name.
Behind me, cheers still echoed from the field. The Blood Moon Pack was alive with pride, while Direstone Keep’s side simmered in discomfort. Garron’s defeat had rattled them more than they were willing to admit.
“Gamma Garron,” I said clearly, turning toward the recovering mass of muscle still nursing his jaw. “Still think I don’t belong at this table?”
Garron struggled to stand fully upright, jaw clenched, face burning red from a mix of pain and humiliation. But the silence he gave me said more than any
excuse ever could.
“Didn’t think so,” I said.
I crossed my arms and added, “But if you’re still feeling bold, I’m happy to make it two rounds.”
That drew laughter from the crowd. But not all of it was good–natured.
“You got lucky!” someone shouted.
I didn’t even need to turn to know who it was.
Miela.
Of course.
Her voice cut through the noise like a blade wrapped in insecurity.
“And who’s to say that fight wasn’t rigged?” she yelled, stepping out from the crowd, arms crossed tightly over her chest, eyes burning holes through me.
The hush that followed was instant.
I tilted my head, watching her approach.
She looked like she hadn’t slept–hair unbrushed, eyes rimmed with bitterness, posture twitching with rage. I could almost taste her jealousy from where
I stood.
“Still desperate for attention, Miela?” I asked.
“Still pretending you’re someone you’re not?” she shot back.
I walked toward her. Slowly. Purposefully.
The crowd split around us like parting waves, giving us space. I stopped right in front of her and spoke so only she could hear.
“You want to question my strength?”
Miela took a step back, but I grabbed her shoulder before she could retreat.
1/3
13.00
Chapter 9
“You’re saying I didn’t win that fight fairly?”
She blinked, panicking under my grip but too proud to step down.
“You couldn’t have changed that much in six months,” she hissed. “You had to cheat. Or take something. You’re still that same pathetic girl who used to curl up on the training mats while Olive kicked you like a stray mutt!”
My expression didn’t change.
“You really want to go there?” I asked.
Her chin lifted. “I’m just telling the truth.”
SLAP
My hand cracked across her cheek before the last syllable left her mouth.
Gasps erupted around us.
She staggered sideways, clutching her face, stunned.
“You want to try again?” I said, stepping forward.
She glared at me with wet, furious eyes. “You think you can hit me because you’re Gamma now?”
“I hit you because you forgot your place,” I said. “And if you keep pushing, I’ll remind you again.”
I grabbed her chin and leaned in close enough for only her to hear. “You want to know how I got strong, Miela? It’s not potions or shortcuts. It’s because I’ve always had this strength. You just never looked hard enough to see it.”
She blinked rapidly.
“You… you’re lying.”
“No,” I said quietly. “I was hiding.”
My wolf was always strong. I just kept her buried under layers of fear, Fear of what would happen if I fought back. Fear of being punished harder. Of Olive following through on his threats.
But that fear didn’t own me anymore.
Now? Now I had a pack that saw me. A family that believed in me. And I had finally learned to believe in myself.
“You’re still weak,” Miela whispered.
SLAP.
This time it was her other cheek.
“Didn’t I just tell you to respect your Gamma?”
Before I could raise my hand again, a firm grip caught my wrist.
I turned, finding Thorne beside me. His jaw was tight. His eyes unreadable.
“That’s enough.”
I raised an eyebrow. “She insulted me.”
213
15:08 Mon, 28 Jul G
Chapter 9
“I know,” he said.
“And I handled it.”
“I saw that too.”
He released my wrist and took a step back.
Then, to my surprise, he began loosening his tie and tossing it to the grass.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
He straightened his shoulders and looked me directly in the eye. “If you still need to hit someone, Elara, hit me.”
“What?”
“You want to settle this? Settle it with me,” he said. “As Alpha of Direstone Keep Pack, I challenge you, Gamma Elara, to a match.”
The crowd gasped again.
Even Miela stepped back in shock.
But I just stared at him, letting the silence hang between us.
“…You sure you want that smoke, Thorne?”
His answer was immediate.
“Try me.”
