The Dungeon

The dungeon was a pit of despair, its walls slick with moisture and the air heavy with the stench of decay. Elara's breath came in shallow gasps as the Beta shoved her into the cell, the iron bars slamming shut with a finality that made her stomach churn. She stumbled forward, her knees hitting the rough stone floor, and for a moment, she just sat there, staring at the ground as if it might offer her some kind of escape.

The Beta didn't speak. He didn't need to. His disdain was evident in the way he turned his back on her, his footsteps echoing down the narrow corridor until they faded into silence. Elara was alone—truly alone—for the first time since the bond had snapped into place.

She wrapped her arms around herself, her fingers digging into the thin fabric of her dress. The cold was relentless, seeping into her bones and making her shiver uncontrollably. But it wasn't just the cold that made her tremble. It was the memory of Kael's face, his golden eyes blazing with fury as he'd declared the bond a mistake.

"This changes nothing," he'd said. "The bond is a mistake, and it will be dealt with accordingly."

Elara's chest tightened, and she pressed a hand to her heart, as if she could somehow ease the ache there. "Why?" she whispered, her voice barely audible in the empty cell. "Why me? What did I do to deserve this?"

The Moon Goddess's light had chosen her, of all people. A powerless Omega. A servant. It made no sense. Was it some cruel joke? A punishment for a sin she didn't remember committing? Or was it something else—something she couldn't yet understand?

She clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms. "I'm nothing," she muttered, her voice trembling. "I've always been nothing. So why… why would the Moon Goddess bind me to him?"

The question hung in the air, unanswered. Elara didn't know. And that was the worst part.

Kael stood on the palace balcony, his hands gripping the stone railing so tightly his knuckles turned white. The night air was cool against his skin, but it did nothing to quell the fire raging in his chest. He could still feel it—the bond, that damnable bond—pulling at him like a tether, urging him to go to her.

But he wouldn't.

He couldn't.

An Omega. The Moon Goddess had bound him to an Omega. It was unthinkable. Omegas were weak, powerless, meant to serve, not rule. They were the lowest of the low, and yet, the bond was there, a constant, nagging presence in the back of his mind.

Kael growled low in his throat, his wolf stirring restlessly beneath his skin. He didn't want this. He didn't want her. And yet, he couldn't stop thinking about her—about the way she'd looked at him, her dark eyes wide with fear and something else, something he couldn't quite place.

"She's nothing," he muttered to himself, his voice harsh in the stillness of the night. "A mistake. A burden."

But even as the words left his lips, he felt a pang of something—guilt, maybe, or regret. He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts away. He was the Lycan King. He didn't have the luxury of weakness.

And yet…

His gaze drifted toward the dungeon, hidden deep within the palace's underbelly. He could feel her there, a faint pulse of warmth amidst the cold. The bond was stronger now, more insistent, and it gnawed at him like a splinter he couldn't remove.

"Damn it," he snarled, slamming his fist against the railing. The stone cracked beneath the force of his blow, but he barely noticed. He needed answers. He needed to understand why the Moon Goddess had chosen her.

And so, against his better judgment, he turned and strode toward the dungeon.

Back in the cell, Elara's head snapped up as a strange sensation washed over her. It was faint, like the whisper of a breeze, but it was there—a warmth in her chest, a flicker of something she couldn't quite name.

She frowned, pressing a hand to her heart. "What… what is this?" she murmured, her voice trembling.

And then it happened.

A surge of power, sudden and overwhelming, rushed through her, lighting up her veins like fire. She gasped, her back arching as the energy consumed her, filling her with a strength she'd never known. For a moment, she felt invincible, like she could tear the world apart with her bare hands.

"No," she whispered, her voice breaking. "This can't be real. This can't be…"

But it was. The power was real. It was hers.

And then, just as quickly as it had come, it was gone.

Elara slumped forward, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She stared at her hands, her mind racing. "What… what just happened?" she muttered, her voice barely audible. "Is this… is this my power?"

She didn't know. But for the first time in her life, she felt a spark of hope. Maybe she wasn't as powerless as she'd always believed.

As Elara sat there, trying to make sense of what had just happened, the sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor. She froze, her heart pounding as the footsteps grew closer, until finally, a figure appeared outside her cell.

It was Kael.

He stood there, his golden eyes glowing in the dim light, his expression unreadable. For a long moment, he just stared at her, and Elara felt the bond between them flare to life, a silent, pulsing thread that connected them in a way she couldn't explain.

And then, finally, he spoke.

"What are you?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

Elara's breath caught in her throat. She didn't know how to answer. She didn't know what she was.

But she had a feeling she was about to find out.