It had been three weeks since the wedding—three weeks of strained smiles, whispered rumors, and the suffocating silence left by a dominant Alpha who simply ran out and vanished.
In the lavish Alpha quarters of the Steelheart packhouse, the air was thick with tension, not love. A perpetual chill seemed to cling to the polished wood and rich tapestries, refusing to be warmed by the huge stone fireplace. Throne Steelheart, the pack patriarch, was still simmering with a quiet, lethal fury over Arthur’s absence. The rage had nothing to do with paternal heartbreak and everything to do with social standing. He didn't care about the heartache; he cared that his dominant son had publicly disgraced the pack and avoided the punishment Throne had been planning. To Throne, Arthur was not a missing person, but an overdue problem—a stain on the Steelheart name that needed to be violently scrubbed away.
Throne sat alone in his study, a glass of expensive amber liquid untouched on his desk. The papers detailing the pack’s recent business ventures blurred before his eyes. All he could see was the memory of Arthur, mid-shift, tearing across the courtyard, the howls of the abandoned wolf a mockery of the sacred moon-binding ceremony. Coward, he thought, grinding his teeth. The boy had always been too sensitive, too emotional for the Alpha blood in his veins. Throne was certain Arthur was simply hiding in some derelict shack, nursing his bruised ego before he was forced to crawl back. And when he did crawl back, Throne would teach him a lesson about responsibility and obedience the boy would never forget. The pack needed strength, not sentimentality. And in his anger, Throne gave no thought to the idea that Arthur might not be coming back at all.
Downstairs, the forced gaiety of the wedding celebration had long ended, but the anxiety in Omega Elias Steelheart had only grown. The relief of being officially mated to Grey was overshadowed by the crippling weight of guilt. He sat nestled by the main hearth, picking relentlessly at the silver ring on his finger, its cold metal a constant reminder of the prize he had claimed.
Alpha Grey Steelheart, now his moon-bound mate, sat beside him, gently pulling Elias close. Grey’s scent—a calming blend of cedar and smoke—should have soothed Elias, but the Omega was vibrating with unease.
"You're doing that thing again, Eli," Grey murmured, his voice a low, husky rumble, resting his cheek on Elias's hair. "Worrying."
Elias leaned into the comfort but couldn't truly relax. He could smell the lingering scent of Arthur's despair on the edges of the pack’s territory, an olfactory ghost that no amount of Grey’s presence could fully dispel. He twisted the ring again, staring into the flickering flames.
"It's all my fault, Grey," Elias whispered, the words heavy and slow. "I know it is. He was your mate first. And I… I stole him." Elias’s voice broke on the last word, choked by a sudden surge of tears. "Arthur is out there because of me. We took his life. His future."
A flash of impatience crossed Grey’s handsome features, but he immediately masked it with practiced control. He understood Elias’s sensitivity, but the constant remorse was exhausting. He tightened his hold, his voice firm and reassuring.
"Don't say that. Don't you dare say that, Elias." He pulled back just enough to look his Omega in the eye, his gaze intense. "Look at me. You didn't steal anything. We had a bond before the wedding, didn't we? A quiet bond, yes, but it was there, and Arthur knew it. The only thing he can blame is his own wolf for not being dominant enough to hold my attention."
Grey smoothed the silver ring on Elias's finger, his thumb tracing the Moon Goddess symbol. "It's not your fault. It never was. The Moon Goddess chose us. She moon-bound us. Do you know how rare that is? For an Alpha to reject one path and be so powerfully drawn to another? We can’t deny fate, my love. Arthur’s bond just wasn’t strong enough. Ours is."
He took Elias's face in his hands, forcing their eyes to meet. "He ran because he was weak. He chose to abandon his pack, his father, and his duties. That is on him, Elias. Not on us. We simply followed the will of the Moon."
Elias searched Grey’s eyes for any sign of doubt, any flicker of regret for the Alpha he had promised his life to years ago. He found none. Grey’s conviction was a lifeline.
"But Throne is still so angry," Elias whispered, fear lending his voice a tremor. "He blames Arthur, yes, but he also blames me for the disruption. If Arthur comes back..."
"He won't hurt you," Grey interrupted fiercely, pulling Elias into a chest-to-chest embrace. "I promised you. I am your mate now, and my promise is stronger than any Alpha's anger, even my father's. I am bonded to you for life."
He pulled back, his eyes dark with solemnity. He smoothed the worry lines from Elias's brow with his thumb. "Look at me. No matter what happens—no matter what Throne says or what the pack whispers—I'll be with you. I'll protect you." He lifted Elias's hand, pressing a kiss to his knuckles with a solemnity that was meant to be a new, unbreakable vow. "And I love you for the rest of my life, my Luna."
Elias finally let out a shuddering breath, a flicker of hope and relief finally breaking through the heavy shroud of guilt. He clung to his mate, drawing strength from the dominant Alpha scent, believing the promise with every fiber of his Omega heart. He needed to believe that their love was a decree from fate, not a cruel, selfish choice. He was completely unaware that the true, crimson-eyed consequence of their sacred bond was already beginning to heal miles away, being forged into something far more powerful, and far more dangerous, than the 'weak' Alpha they had both forgotten.
The night air was cold, but Elias felt warm, safe in the embrace of his Luna—the title Grey used for him now, a constant reminder of their new status. For the first time in weeks, Elias allowed himself to relax, his anxieties temporarily soothed by Grey's passionate conviction. He closed his eyes, his peace purchased at a terrible cost.
