CHAPTER 5

Elara's POV 

I stared at him, swallowing hard, my body betraying me with every breath.

Damain chuckled, dark and knowing. "And no matter how much you fight me..." He leaned in, his tongue grazing my pulse.

"....your body will always betray you."

I hated that he was right. I hated myself even more for knowing it. 

A satisfied smirk plastered on his face, his eyes lingering on me longer than necessary.

"Damian."

Lyra's voice cut through the tension, light but laced suspicion. I turned to see her striding towards us, her face masked with barely restrained fury. Kael, Damain’s best friend, was beside her, his presence only worsening the sick feeling in my gut.

Kael's sharp gaze scanned me before turning to Damian. "Congratulations, Damian. You did it," he said, as he extended a handshake towards Damian.

Seriously? I had known that Kael was up to no good. We've never gotten along in the past, but I didn't realise he was such an asshole. So, he knew about Damain's schemes to steal my family's legacy."

"Elara," he taunted, his lips curling. "How does it feel....to be a nobody now?"

Rage simmered beneath my skin, but I refused to let him see it. Instead, I smiled. A slow, cutting smile.

"You can only tag me a nobody, after you've become somebody yourself, kael," I said, my voice smooth, deliberate. "Being Damain’s little shadow doesn’t make you powerful. It just makes you… a minion.”

Silence fell over the group like a dark cloud. "And don't forget," I added, letting my words sink in. "I am the Luna of this pack. "Be careful how you address me."

Kael's expression darkened with fury. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. 

Without another glance at him, I turned away. In the distance I caught sight of Gomez. He met my gaze and gave me the briefest of nods before disappearing into the shadows.

A spark of hope ignited within me. My captivity had begun, but so had my resistance.

I wasn’t giving up yet.

Damain's POV 

I watched as Elara walked away, leaving Kael stunned into silence.

Good. 

Kael was my best friend, but I never gave him permission to disrespect my Luna. Kael's face darkened with fury, his fists clenched at his side, but he couldn't do anything.

I turned toward him, my voice low, dangerous."You heard her." 

Kael blinked, startled. "What?"

"Watch the way you talk to the Luna of this pack, Kael. Only I have the right to put her in her place."  My tone was clipped, carrying an edge of warning. "No one else." My gaze flicked to Lyra. "Not even you."

Disbelief and shock plastered on their faces. 

"Damian, I'm the mother of your child. You can't —" 

Lyra started, but I cut her off with a single gesture of my hand. "Respect her. And keep to yourself." Lyra's jaw tensed, but she nodded slowly.

Without another word, I left the grand hall and made my way to my room. 

The second the door shut behind me, I yanked off the suit jacket and tossed it aside. The weight on my chest didn’t lift. The frustration burned hotter.

She is beautiful.

She is strong.

She is defiant.

She is confident.

She is Elara.

I was supposed to hate this woman — this woman whose family had taken everything away from me. Destroyed my bloodline. Left me clawing my way back to the top.

But I didn't hate her.

I had convinced myself that I was justified. That I was only making her suffer the way her family had made me suffer. But then I remembered—

Four years.

Four years since she became my confidante. Four years since she gave me a home. She gave me a family. She gave me the whole of herself.

And now, she looked at me like I was nothing but a monster. Her glares were daggers, her words filled with nothing but hatred.

But one thing hasn't changed yet— her body still responded to me.

She shouldn't have to suffer for her family's sins. But if this was the only way to keep her close, so be it.

The one-year contract was a lie. I know, deep down when the time comes I'd never let her go.

She belonged to me. In my home. In my bed. On her feet, taking my cock in her mouth.

Lyra was beautiful and supportive, but there was something about Elara that I couldn't get over. 

Even in those times that I cheated with Lyra, I had always felt guilt. But desperate times call for desperate measures. 

I have a mission, and that was the only thing that mattered right now. Not love. Not obligations. Not the past.

 But when I saw her this morning, her curves barely hidden beneath her lingerie, I barely managed to hold back. 

Elara was a perfect silhouette of temptation and I'm not sure I can get over her just yet. 

My cock twitched painfully beneath my trousers, as Elara's moan echoed in my mind. She thought I left but I was standing at the door, listening to her moans as she fucked herself. 

I clenched my jaw, crossing the room to the drawer. Sliding it open, I brought out a bottle of lubricant. My fingers were quick, unfastening my trousers, freeing my aching cock.

I poured a generous amount into my palm, slicking my cock as I closed my eyes.

"Arghhhhh," I groaned, throwing my head back in reckless abandon as my hand worked in slow, torturous strokes.

I pictured Elara riding on me, her lips parted, her eyes hooded with needs. I imagined myself taking one of her hardened nipples in my mouth, rolling it between my teeth—

Knock. Knock.

I stiffened, my entire body tensing from the sensation. Fury ran down my spine.

Clenching my jaw, I tucked myself back in, pulling my trousers up as I stormed to the door. I yanked it open.

It was Ben. One of my guards.

I exhaled sharply, forcing down my irritation. "What?" 

He bowed slightly before speaking. "Luna is meeting with the high-ranking elders in the hall." His voice was careful. "I think ....she's trying to go against you."

"What?"

A slow, deadly silence filled the space between us. Then my lips curled.

Elara.....

What the fuck are you up to?