Chapter 281
Chapter 281
ELENA
“Silverclaw,” Derek said.
It was quiet. Just the word. One word, one name–but it detonated my mind like a stone cracking glass.
Silverclaw.
I blinked at him.
Moonstone’s generational enemy.
+25 BONUS
The pack our grandparents warned us about. The one they said would slit our throats in our sleep if we let our guard down. I had grown up hearing whispers about them, warnings coated in blood and fear.
And Derek–the man I had just recently fucked in an alley, the one who made my wolf howl with need and recognition–was their Alpha.
yheart thudded.
My h
“You’re the Alpha of Silverclaw,” I repeated slowly.
He nodded. Calm. Steady. No shame, no flinch. Just truth.
I sat back into the leather seat of his private jet and stared at him for a full beat. My brain flipped through every warning, every ancient grudge, every cold look passed between our elders whenever Silverclaw came up.
And yet-
I wasn’t afraid.
That was the strange part. There was no fear in my chest. No sense of danger.
There was only fascination. I recalled vaguely that we had a current treaty.
Finally, I raised an eyebrow, unable to stop the sly smile tugging at my lips.
“Okay,” I said. “You’re going to need to tell me everything.”
***
We were mid–flight.
Derek leaned back into his seat across from me and started talking his hands clasped loosely in his lap.
He told me about Silverclaw. About the generations that came before him, about the isolationist mindset, the ruthless reputation, the slow turn toward diplomacy. He told me about his rise to Alpha, how he implemented reforms, how he wanted to build a legacy that didn’t rely on dominance or fear.
“Why volunteer at the Foundation then?” I asked, genuinely curious.
His eyes met mine. “Because if you want a pack that respects all its members, you start by serving them. Including the smallest
ones.”
My breath hitched a little at that. My fingers curled around the champagne glass in front of me. That answer had felt… real. Undeniably so.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was holding something back. Just a flicker of restraint in his eyes, Something shuttered. Carefully chosen words. I couldn’t put my finger on it–and maybe I didn’t want to. Not right now.
Not when I was having such a good time.
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Chapter 281
+25 BONUS
I sipped the champagne. A flight attendant appeared a moment later, placing a silver tray in front of me with a warm meal beneath a golden cloche. It lifted with a puff of steam and the scent of truffle butter and rosemary filled the cabin.
Derek was saying something about Iceland’s summit protocol, but my eyes were on him. Not just my eyes.
Nox paced beneath my skin. Prowling. Wanting. Recognizing.
He was hers.
And maybe–maybe I was his.
I must have dozed off somewhere over the ocean. The seat reclined slightly, and the hum of the engine lulled me.
I woke when we touched down in Reykjavík.
Derek reached over gently and helped unbuckle me before I could even open my eyes. His hand slid into mine as we descended the steps of the jet into the icy Nordic air.
A sleek black town car waited at the base of the tarmac.
Joe stood beside it, already holding the door open, his usual calm expression in place. But it was the woman next to him- Caroline–that gave me pause.
She was stunning. Impeccably dressed. Perfect posture. Eyes like frost.
She looked me over once. Not with overt malice, but with a kind of detached curiosity. As if I were a detail in a report she hadn’t expected.
Derek made quick introductions. “Elena, the
“It’s so nice to meet you,” I said.
Caroline gave me a thin smile. “Likewise.”
There was a vibe there. Subtle. Cold.
I couldn’t place it yet.
are my Betas. Joe you know. This is Caroline.”
Nevertheless, I was determined to win her over, one way or the other.
I always did.
***
The drive to the hosting pack’s estate took less than an hour, but it felt like entering another world.
The farther we drove, the more the landscape transformed. The narrow road twisted through cliffs crusted in ice and snow, bordered by dense evergreen forests that seemed untouched by time.
The trees stood tall and ancient, their limbs heavy with frost, like silent sentinels bearing witness to everything we were about
to walk into. I caught glimpses of ravens darting between branches and the occasional glint of water far below–rivers frozen in motion, glassed over with winter’s hold.
