Chapter 1

Elara

My lungs burned like embers and I could hear the sound of my own ragged breath in my ears as I ran through the woods. The branches whipped at my face, tearing at the flimsy fabric of my dress, but I knew I couldn't stop. Behind me, the rhythmic thud of boots echoed through the silent night.

"Over here! Don't let her escape. Silas wants her back alive!" I heard the shout from a distance as it pierced through the woods, and it pushed me to force my legs to go faster.

They were looking for me and if they caught me, it would be the end of my life.

A choked sob escaped my lips as I stumbled. My legs were starting to feel like lead, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could go on. It was as if the universe was against me because I tripped.

Falling face-first into the unforgiving earth seemed to take away the last of my strength, and I whimpered, desperation clawing at my chest. Briefly, I considered collapsing, surrendering to the inevitable. But the image of Silas' cruel smile, his eyes gleaming with a sadistic pleasure, and the thought of what he would do to me if I were ever caught spurred me on. I forced myself to my feet.

In this moment, I wished to be able to transform into my wolf and allow her to take over, but Silas had made sure to sever my connection with her. I could still feel her presence, but our bond was weak at best.

My vision blurred and I shook my head to try to clear it, but it only seemed to get worse. I couldn't tell how long I had been running, but I knew I couldn't go on for much longer. Desperation numbed my fear, but my body was failing me, I could see white spots start to dance in front of my eyes.

"She's close by. Her scent is stronger around here. This way, come on." The voices were closer than I had expected and it was enough to pump some more adrenaline into me, forcing me to move faster.

A sliver of moonlight momentarily broke free from the oppressive cloak of clouds, illuminating a dark maw in the distance. A cave. Hope flickered to life inside me. I knew I couldn't go on for much longer and I needed to hide. With a final surge of adrenaline, I lurched toward the opening, the damp earth sucking greedily at my bare feet, making movement even harder.

Scrambling through the opening, I collapsed onto the unforgiving stone floor, my chest heaving. The darkness was a thick cloak, muffling the sounds of my pursuers but pressing down on me with a suffocating weight. I closed my eyes, letting the exhaustion seep into my bones.

I knew this darkness wouldn't hide me for long. Soon, someone or something would find me, but I couldn't go on any longer. I let myself succumb to the darkness.

Hours Earlier…

The scent of jasmine oil hung heavy in the air, a sickly-sweet counter to the nervous tremor in my hands. Beside me, Naya, my best friend, hummed a jaunty tune that worsened my anxiety. She looked perfectly okay on the outside, but I could see the tremor in her fingers as she applied her concealer. It was identical to mine.

"Silas said we're entertaining 'special guests' this time," Naya said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "Do you think…?" She trailed off as she spoke, almost as if she was too scared to say the words.

I didn't need to hear the rest though. I understood exactly what she was trying to say. Silas' "special guests" were never good news. Tonight, however, the air crackled with a different kind of tension.

"Maybe, he really does have special guests this time. You know, distinguished guests that he wants to impress," I said, in an attempt to put her at ease.

Even though I didn't believe the words myself. Naya's lips curled into a small smile, one that didn't seem to reach her eyes.

"Then wouldn't it be a little strange that he's making us doll up and dress in these beautiful dresses?" she asked, running her fingers over the silk dress she was wearing. The gowns had been carefully tailored to fit us. When she raised her head, her sad eyes mirrored mine and I moved to pull her into a hug.

A little strange? This entire life we'd known was all based on strangeness. We had been raised as weapons, honed to a razor's edge, then used to eliminate Silas' enemies at glittering galas like tonight's. It was a dance we had been forced to perfect and all of it never failed to feel strange.

"What if we ran away though?" I whispered into her hair, squeezing her tightly as a shiver ran through her frame. She pulled out of the hug and looked up at me with wide eyes.

Over the last few years, a seed of rebellion had taken root in my mind. It sprouted from the countless nights spent luring and manipulating men and women based on Silas' orders to their deaths. The brutal training session with Silas, the lavish galas, the special guests, the meticulously planned assassinations, keeping my wolf repressed, every one of these things I had collected in my mind. My memories had built the foundation of my thirst for freedom.

"Are you crazy? We would never make it very far and Silas will have our heads the very moment we're found and brought back. How could you even think of such a thing?" Naya whisper-yelled at me and I swallowed.

"I'm sorry. It's just a thought that ran through my mind. It's not something I'd ever consider. I understand how dangerous it is." I said softly, my gut twisting as I spoke.

Naya took my hands into hers and she forced me to look at her.

"You can't be thinking such things, Elara. I know it sounds tempting, but you will never make it if you try to escape and Silas would never forgive you," she said, shaking me gently and I gulped, nodding my head in response.

How could I tell her that it was all that I could think about? How could I tell her that I had spent the last couple of years learning every curve, every nook and cranny of Silas' castle, waiting for the perfect time and chance?

"Hey, listen to me, Elara. I know that look, I had it in my eyes for years and years, but soon enough, you'll realize that it's hopeless. This is the only home we've ever known, where would you go if you were to run away?" Naya asked, her voice still a whisper even when we were the only two people in the room.

"I don't know. But it's worth a shot. If there's a chance that you could one day escape from here, be free, maybe even fall in love with a kind man who wouldn't manipulate you to do his bidding, have a nice family, a normal life, far away from all of this, wouldn't you want to take the chance?"

"We're Silas' Sirens. The majority of the world would murder us on sight if they found out who we truly are. You might think that staying here and committing all these murders for Silas is a terrible thing, and it is, a hundred percent, but trust me when I say there are a worse fate out there. In the wrong hands, we can be extremely dangerous, even to ourselves." She paused, looking into the mirror in front of her with a faraway look in her eyes.

"In here, we're fed, trained, and clothed. It doesn't make Silas a better man, but at least we know him and his ways. Do right and get rewarded, do wrong and be punished. We're used to all of it. Outside, it's completely different," Naya said, tears brimming in her eyes as she spoke and it made me feel terrible for causing her so much distress.

"I understand. I'm sorry I brought it up, it'll never happen again," I reassured her.

"You're my best friend. I don't want to be separated from you and I don't want you to die, but I just have a feeling that you're going to try to do something stupid. So you have to promise me Elara. Promise me you won't try to escape," she said, her eyes piercing me so intensely that I had to look away.

I couldn't promise that because then I would have to break it, but I knew it was the only way to make her settle.

"I pr—"

A heavy knock on the door shattered our fragile conversation and with a last warning look thrown my way, Naya pulled away, straightening herself and returning back to her makeup like the last five minutes hadn't happened at all.

"Come in," I called, and a young maid entered, her face pale and eyes darting around nervously. In her hands, she carried two identical, beautifully wrapped boxes and I felt dread settle at the base of my spine.

"From Master Silas," she mumbled, placing them on the dresser before scurrying out of the space.

Naya reached for a box at the same time that I did the other and we both began unwrapping it. A gasp escaped my lips as a beam of light glinted off the pearlescent white opal nestled within. Delicate silver chains held the pendants. A matching note lay beneath the necklace. I pulled it out and written in Silas' messy scrawl were the words, "With Love, Silas."

Love.

I fought the urge to scoff at the words. As if Silas could ever be capable of such an emotion.

The gift looked beautiful. At least to the eyes, it was. But I knew better. They weren't gifts; they were shackles. Each pearl stone held a sliver of Silas' magic, and it bound us to his will. The more beautiful an item was, the more potent the magic he had placed in it. With the necklace around my throat, I wouldn't be Elara. I would have no identity of my own. I would simply be Silas' Siren. I would be a puppet and my every thought and move would be dictated by the whims of that sadistic madman.

"Those guests won't survive the night. Silas is planning something…something terrible," I whispered.

Naya was about to respond when a sharp and sudden scream pierced through the suffocating quiet.

That was another Siren.

It was followed by another and then a flurry of panicked yells. My eyes widened with panic at the thought of what could be happening.

Naya and I both sprung out of our seats and ran toward the source of the noise. Not surprisingly, everyone who lived in our quarters had gathered at the source. I struggled to make sense of everything that was happening.

"She only just put the necklace on and then it burned her for some reason."

"Maybe she did something and this is her punishment?"

"Do you think we should call Silas?"

These were the words that flew around me. I tried to put the pieces together. That was when it caught my eye. The door to our quarters had been left open and the guards were currently inside the Siren's room investigating. Naya's words rang in my ears.

Where will you go if you run?

This is the only home we've ever known.

If he finds you, he'll kill you.

I looked over to see my best friend, who was now involved in a conversation with another girl. Everybody seemed occupied with something. For years and years, I'd prayed to the Moon Goddess for an opportunity like this one. Just one chance is all I've ever asked. Maybe this was it.

The sound of Silas' cruel laughter if he were to catch me running away rang through my mind. The thought that I might never see Naya again was enough to make me pause for a second. This really was the only home I had ever known. I had no friends and I knew no one outside of Silas' wall. But this might be my only chance.

Even if it wasn't, I was willing to try.

I slowly inched away from the gathering of girls, keeping my movements subtle and my eyes on the door. Once I got close enough to slip out, I looked down the hallway and found that it was empty and completely still. I gathered my dress in my hands and moved out of the quarters and into the hallway.

Reaching the grand staircase, I glanced back to see that Naya wasn't following. I felt a surge of guilt wash over me. A part of me wanted to turn back and convince her to come with me. But I knew it would be useless. She would never agree and if I went back, I would never get this kind of opportunity again.

With a burst of speed, I sprinted down the stairs, my feet barely registering the coolness of the marble. The heavy oak doors at the bottom stood ajar, a sliver of moonlit forest visible beyond.

My heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs, urging me onward. I lunged for the opening, but a hand clamped down on my shoulder like a vise.

"Going somewhere, little dove?"

A guttural voice sent a tremor through me. Bruiser, Silas' most feared guard, stood behind me, his hulking form blocking the moonlight. His face, permanently marred by a jagged scar that ran from his temple to his jaw, was twisted in a cruel smile.

"I-I just needed some fresh air," I stammered, my voice barely a whimper. Bruiser's grip tightened, sending a jolt of pain through my arm. His breath reeked of something stale and foul that made my stomach churn.

"Fresh air, is it?" he sneered. "Silas wouldn't appreciate you wandering outside after dark. Especially not alone."

His words were laced with a sickening sweetness, a constant reminder of Silas' twisted affection. He kept us, clothed, fed, safe within these walls. But that safety came at a terrible cost—our freedom, our very lives.

Bruiser leaned impossibly closer, his voice a low growl. "Don't think about running, pet. There's nowhere you can go. These woods are teeming with dangers. And besides," he gestured toward the crescent moon mark that sat at the very base of my neck, a reminder of Silas' control, "you wouldn't want to get too far, would you?"

Panic clawed at my throat. I needed to act fast. Taking a deep breath, I locked eyes with him. My voice, barely above a whisper, was laced with a melody only he could hear. There were usually more guards here, but between the massive preparations for the gala and the commotion that was happening with the Siren, the majority of them were away. I knew this would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Tonight, the moon was high, its glow a silent accomplice. The necklace that bound me to Silas' magic had also thankfully been left in the room and so I tried the one thing I knew I was good at.

"It's a beautiful night, wouldn't you agree? The moon is calling, urging you to take a break, to enjoy its calming light." The words flowed off my tongue, each syllable dripping with the seductive power I possessed.

The guard's face slackened. His gaze, once sharp, glazed over. His rigid posture softened, "The moon...yes, the moon," he mumbled, his voice thick with a trance-like stupor.

Seeing my advantage, I pushed my power further. "Go on," I whispered, my voice a caress. "Let the moonlight wash away your worries. Breathe in its serenity."

Bruiser lumbered past me, his heavy boots thudding on the marble floor. He reached the doors, his hand fumbling with the handle before pushing it open and stepping out into the moonlight.

This really was my chance.

Bursting through the doors, I plunged into the night, the cool air stealing my breath. The moment I moved out of the door, I felt my bond to Silas hum before cutting off. Behind me, I heard the enraged bellow of Silas, a sound that sent shivers down my spine. A memory flashed through my mind.

I remembered the last time he'd been displeased, the blood-curdling screams of the girl who hadn't been able to complete her mission. There was no mercy with Silas, only pain and a slow, agonizing death. I began running as fast as I could. Tree branches clawed at my skin, thorns ripped at my clothes, but I didn't dare stop, not until I couldn't run anymore.