Alaric moved faster than lightning. One second he was standing in front of Elara, the next he had grabbed her hand and was pulling her toward the woods. Behind them, Kian's men shouted and started chasing them through the yard.
"Run!" Alaric yelled.
Elara's bare feet hit the cold ground hard as they ran between the trees. Branches scratched at her arms, but she didn't slow down. She could hear the men crashing through the trees behind them, getting closer.
"This way," Alaric pulled her to the left, toward the old creek that ran behind her house.
They jumped over fallen logs and dodged low-hanging trees. Elara's lungs burned, but the mate bond was making her stronger. Faster. Like Alaric's energy was flowing into her.
They reached the creek and splashed through the shallow water. The cold shocked Elara's system, but it also woke her up totally. This was really happening. Kian really was trying to force her to marry him tonight.
"There!" one of Kian's men yelled from behind them. "I see them!"
Alaric swore under his breath and pulled Elara up the steep bank on the other side of the creek. They were in the deep woods now, where the trees grew so thick the moonlight barely came through.
"I can't run much farther," Elara gasped.
"Just a little more," Alaric said. "I know a place."
He led her to a small clearing where an old hunting cabin sat abandoned between two giant oak trees. The door was hanging off its hinges, but it would give them shelter.
They stumbled inside and Alaric immediately went to the window to look out.
"Do you see them?" Elara whispered.
"Not yet. But they'll find us soon."
Elara sank down on an old wooden chair that creaked under her weight. Her heart was beating so hard she could hear it in her ears.
"This is all my fault," she said. "If I hadn't come outside—"
"Stop." Alaric turned away from the window and knelt down in front of her. "None of this is your fault. Kian has been planning this for years, remember?"
"But if I marry him, at least my pack will be safe."
"Will they?" Alaric's blue eyes were fierce. "Do you really think Kian will keep his word? Men like him don't respect deals. They take what they want and destroy everything else."
Elara knew he was right, but she felt so trapped.
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Fight back."
"I'm just an omega. I'm not strong enough to fight someone like Kian."
Alaric reached up and cupped her face in his hands. "You're not *just* anything. You're special, Elara. I felt it the moment our bond snapped into place. There's power in you. Real power."
The way he was looking at her made Elara's stomach flip. Like she was the most important person in the world.
"I don't feel powerful," she whispered.
"Because you've never tried. You've spent your whole life letting other people make choices for you. Your father, your pack, and now Kian. When do you get to choose what you want?"
"I want..." Elara's voice trailed off. She had never really thought about what she wanted before. She had always done what was expected of her.
"Tell me," Alaric said softly. His thumbs brushed across her cheeks.
"I want to be free," she said. "I want to make my own choices. I want to be with someone who sees me as more than just a prize to be won."
"And what about us? What do you want with us?"
Elara's breath caught. They were so close now she could feel the warmth of his body. The mate bond was humming between them like electricity.
"I want to know what it feels like," she whispered.
"What what feels like?"
"To be kissed by someone who actually wants me. Not because they have to. Not because of some deal or arrangement. But because they choose to."
Alaric's eyes went dark. "Elara..."
"I know it's wrong. I know I'm supposed to marry Kian. But I can't stop thinking about you. About this." She gestured to the space between them where the mate bond was pulling them together.
"It's not wrong if it's what you want."
"Is it what you want?"
Instead of answering with words, Alaric leaned closer. His lips were just inches from hers.
"I've never wanted anything more," he said.
Then he kissed her.
The world exploded. The mate bond that had been pulling at Elara's chest suddenly burst into life. It felt like fireworks going off in her blood. Like coming alive for the first time.
Alaric's lips were warm and soft and perfect. He kissed her gently at first, like he was afraid she might break. But when Elara kissed him back, he deepened it.
This was nothing like the stories she had heard about first kisses. This was magic. This was destiny.
When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathing hard.
"Oh," Elara breathed.
"Yeah. Oh."
She could feel something changing inside her. The mate bond was getting stronger, wrapping around her heart like golden rope. But it wasn't painful anymore. It felt right.
"I can feel you," she said in wonder. "In my head. In my heart."
"I can feel you too." Alaric smiled, and for the first time since she had met him, he looked truly happy. "This is how it's supposed to be."
But their moment was shattered by a loud bang outside the cabin.
"We know you're in there!" Kian's voice echoed through the woods.
Elara and Alaric both froze.
"Come out now, and I might let your mate live," Kian called. "But if you make me come in there and get you, I'll kill him slowly."
Elara's blood turned to ice. Through the dirty window, she could see torches circling the cabin. There had to be at least twenty men out there.
"How did they find us so fast?" she whispered.
Alaric's face went pale. He looked down at her neck, where the silver necklace was sparkling brighter than ever.
"The charm," he said. "It's not just linking us. It's tracking you."
Elara's hands flew to her throat. "What?"
"Kian has been able to find you this whole time. That's how he knew you were in the yard. That's how he knew you were here."
"I have to take it off—"
"No!" Alaric grabbed her hands. "If you take it off now, the mate bond might break. We might lose each other forever."
"But if I don't, he'll always be able to find me."
They stared at each other, both realizing the terrible truth. As long as Elara wore the collar, Kian could track her anywhere. But if she took it off, she might lose the only real connection she had ever felt.
"You have ten seconds!" Kian shouted. "Then I'm burning this place down with both of you inside!"
Elara looked at Alaric with tears in her eyes. "I don't know what to do."
"Trust me," he said. "Whatever happens, trust me."
Before she could ask what he meant, Alaric stood up and walked to the cabin door.
"I'm coming out!" he called.
"No!" Elara jumped up and grabbed his arm. "He'll kill you!"
Alaric turned back to her with a strange smile. "Remember what I said about you being special? About having real power?"
"Yes, but—"
"It's time to find out if I was right." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Close your eyes and think about saving the people you love. All of them. Even me."
"Alaric, what are you—"
But he was already opening the door and stepping outside.
"Let her go, Kian," Alaric said loudly. "Your fight is with me."
Kian's laughter filled the night air. "How noble. But I'm afraid it doesn't work that way."
Through the window, Elara saw something that made her heart stop. Kian wasn't alone. Standing next to him, with his hands tied behind his back and a gag in his mouth, was her father.
"You see, little omega," Kian called toward the cabin, "your father decided to change his mind about our deal. He thought he could protect you by going back on his word. So now he gets to watch you marry me, right before I kill him."