Dangerous Games

Elara's POV

I crashed into the wall as Kaiden's strong hands pushed me backward. His lips smashed against mine, hungry and demanding. The mate bond between us hummed with energy, making my knees weak.

"You're driving me crazy," he growled against my neck. "I can't stop thinking about you."

Two weeks had passed since that terrible dinner when we learned we were mates. Two weeks of confusion, heartache, and these hidden midnight meetings in his private quarters.

His hands twisted in my hair as he kissed me again. Part of me wanted to push him away after how cruelly he'd treated me. The other part, the needy omega wolf inside me, craved any bit of attention from my mate.

"Someone will hear us," I whispered, even as my wolf howled with joy at his touch.

"No one comes to this wing at night," Kaiden said, his dark eyes locked on mine. "I made sure of it."

That was our routine now. Work all day in the kitchen, pretend I didn't exist when others were around, then sneak to his room at night like some dirty secret.

My birthday party had been only a memory now—a day that should have been magical turned into the beginning of this painful game.

"Take off your clothes," he ordered, already pulling at his own shirt.

I paused. "Kaiden, we need to talk."

"About what?" His voice was angry.

"About us. About this... arrangement." I wrapped my arms around myself. "Everyone saw you with Beta Sabrina today. You were holding her hand."

His face darkened. "We've been through this. You know the plan."

"Your plan," I amended. "Not mine."

Kaiden sighed and sat on the edge of his big bed. Everything in his room was beautiful and expensive—nothing like the tiny closet where I slept with three other omegas.

"Elara," he said, his voice softer now. "You know I have responsibilities as Alpha. The pack would never accept an omega as Luna."

"But I'm your mate," I said, the words burning in my throat. "The Moon Goddess chose me for you."

"And I'm trying to make this work the only way I can," he responded. "You get to be with me. Isn't that enough?"

Was it enough? To be loved in secret and ignored in public? To watch him court another woman while I warmed his bed at night?

"What about Sabrina?" I asked. "Doesn't she deserve someone who truly loves her?"

Kaiden ran his hands through his dark hair. "It's politics. She knows that. Her father is Alpha of the Mountain Ridge Pack. Our union would bring strength to both packs."

I looked away, fighting tears. "So I'm just for... pleasure? While she gets the title and respect?"

"Don't make this harder than it already is." Kaiden stood and cupped my face in his hands. "I feel the mate bond too, Elara. It's pulling me to you every minute. But I'm Alpha first. My personal feelings come second."

Personal thoughts. Like I was some kind of problem to solve instead of his fated mate.

"The Moon Festival is next month," I said quietly. "Everyone will expect you to announce your mate then."

His body tensed against mine. "I'll be announcing my engagement to Sabrina."

The words hit me like a punch. Even though I'd guessed it, hearing it out loud broke something inside me.

"So what happens to me?" My voice cracked.

"Nothing changes," he whispered, kissing my forehead. "We'll continue like this. I need you, Elara. My wolf needs you."

But not enough to claim me properly. Not enough to stand up to the pack for me.

"And if I get pregnant?" I asked. "What then?"

Kaiden's eyes widened with fear. "That can't happen. We'll be careful. And if it did... we'd figure something out."

"Figure something out," I repeated hollowly. Like getting rid of an unwanted omega baby? Or putting it away somewhere?

"Don't think about that now," he said, pulling me toward the bed. "Just be with me tonight. Please."

My wolf whined, desperate for any scrap of love from our mate. And I was too weak to say no.

Later, as we lay tangled in his sheets, Kaiden traced lines on my bare skin.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. "I wish things were different."

"You could make them different," I said. "You're the Alpha."

He didn't answer, just pulled me closer against his chest. The regular beat of his heart lulled me into a false sense of security.

"I should go," I said finally. "It's almost dawn. The kitchen staff will notice if I'm missing."

"Stay a little longer," he whispered, already half-asleep.

I slipped from his bed anyway, finding my clothes in the darkness. This was our plan. Me leaving before anyone could find us, while he slept peacefully in his big, comfortable bed.

As I dressed, something caught my eye on his desk. A small box with a ring inside. An engagement ring, no doubt meant for Sabrina.

My heart cracked a little more.

I was about to leave when his phone lit up with a message. I shouldn't have looked. I knew I shouldn't. But something made me look at the screen.

It was from Sabrina: Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Don't forget our special plans after dinner. Love you.

Special plans? Love you?

My stomach twisted into knots. I thought Sabrina was just a political match. That's what Kaiden had told me—that there was nothing real between them.

Another lie.

I slipped out of his room with tears running down my face. The mate bond ached inside me, stretched thin by pain and deception.

Every night, Kaiden took a piece of my heart. How much would be left by the time of the Moon Festival?

Back in my tiny bed, I curled into a ball, trying not to wake the others. My wolf paced restlessly inside me, angry and hurt.

We deserve better, she seemed to say. We deserve more than scraps of love in the darkness.

For once, I agreed with her. But what choice did I have? Where could an omega go without a pack? How would I survive alone?

Just as I was falling off to sleep, my phone vibrated softly. A word from Kaiden: Same time tomorrow night?

Not "I miss you already" or "Thank you for being with me." Just a request for another secret meeting. Another chance for him to use me while planning a future with someone else.

I turned my face into my pillow and let the tears flow easily. Tomorrow night, I'd have to decide—keep playing this heartbreaking game, or find the strength to walk away from the only person my wolf would ever truly love.

As I fell into troubled sleep, I didn't notice the strange warmth building in my chest, or the way my hands glowed slightly in the darkness. I didn't feel the changes happening deep inside me.

Changes that would soon turn our world upside down.