Elara ran.
Branches clawed at her skin. Her breath came in bursts, heart pounding like war drums. The first Alpha's words echoed in her head: "There are three of us. And only one will win you."
Win her?
She wasn't a prize. She was a person. A survivor.
But even as she ran, her Mark guided her—pulling her deeper, deeper into the wild.
Suddenly, the forest shifted. Softer. Quieter. No growling beasts. No ancient dread. Just the hush of leaves and moonlight dripping through the branches like silver.
She slowed, panting, wary.
That's when she heard it—music.
A flute?
No… a melody more beautiful than anything she'd heard. It pulled at her chest, made her legs forget the pain, her heart forget the fear. She followed it without realizing.
And found him.
He stood barefoot in a circle of white flowers that had no business growing in the Shadowlands. Cloaked in moonlight, hair like silver silk, he looked more spirit than man. His eyes lifted to hers—and she nearly staggered backward.
Silver. Bright. Unblinking.
But where the first Alpha had been raw fury, this one was poison wrapped in charm.
"I was wondering when you'd come," he said softly, voice like warm wine. "The forest whispered all night."
Elara tensed. "Who are you?"
He smiled. Tilted his head. "Alpha Cassian of the East. But you can call me Cass. Everyone does. At least, the ones who live long enough."
She narrowed her eyes. "You don't look like an Alpha."
He stepped closer, hand brushing the petals of a flower. "That's because I don't need to. Power doesn't have to roar. Sometimes… it sings."
She tried to resist the pull, but her Mark burned again—not in pain this time, but recognition.
He saw her flinch. And his eyes glittered.
"It's true, then," he murmured. "You're the one. The girl marked by moonfire."
"I'm not yours," she snapped.
"No," he said, circling her like a predator cloaked in silk. "But you will be."
Elara's fists clenched. "Why? Because of some prophecy?"
Cassian laughed. "Because when the moon chose you, it didn't just curse you, little flame—it cursed all of us. We're bound to you now. And the more we fight it, the stronger it pulls."
She shook her head. "I didn't ask for this."
He stopped in front of her. Reached out—almost touching her cheek—but didn't.
"No one ever does."
And then his smile vanished.
"But if you think the first Alpha was dangerous, Elara… wait until you meet the third."
A shadow passed overhead—fast, furious, winged.
Cassian's smile returned, colder this time. "He's not like us. He doesn't want to win your heart. He wants to break it."