"I am sorry about that," Cora said, leaning against the porch railing beside her. "Our pack has strong opinions about outsiders."
"Especially Siren outsiders, it seems," Elara observed.
Cora was quiet for a moment, studying Elara with an intensity that reminded her of Damon. The family resemblance was striking. The same amber eyes. The same proud bearing. But where Damon's gaze made Elara feel exposed and vulnerable, Cora's felt more assessing and calculating.
"Walk with me," Cora said suddenly, gesturing toward a path that led into the woods. "I want to show you something."
Elara hesitated. Glancing back at the house, where at least twenty hostile werewolves were finishing breakfast. "Is that safe?"
Cora's smile held a hint of mischief. "Safer than staying here while they are all riled up. Besides, I outrank everyone except Damon. No one will challenge us."
The path wound through ancient trees. Dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy above. Birds called from the branches. And somewhere in the distance, a stream gurgled over rocks. The forest would have been peaceful under different circumstances.
"Damon does not know I am telling you this," Cora said after they had walked in silence for several minutes. "But you deserve to know why some of the pack fear you."
Elara's steps faltered. "Fear me? I am one human against a pack of werewolves."
"But you are not human, are you?" Cora's gaze was penetrating. "You are a Siren. And if my suspicions are correct, you are from one of the royal bloodlines."
The pendant at Elara's throat seemed to grow warmer. "Why does everyone keep saying that? I am just a singer with an unusual voice."
"A voice that silenced my brother's wolf," Cora reminded her. "I saw his face when he returned from the pub that night. I have never seen him so shaken. Not in the decade since he became Alpha."
They reached a small clearing where a fallen log provided a natural bench. Cora gestured for Elara to sit.
"Two centuries ago," Cora began, settling beside her, "werewolves and sirens were at war. The Blood War, we call it. It nearly destroyed both species."
"That's what Elena mentioned at breakfast," Elara said. "She said Sirens nearly wiped out three packs."
Cora nodded. "That is the version most wolves know. But the truth is more complex. The war began when a Siren royal was captured by a pack much like ours. They intended to use her voice in a ritual that would have bound all Sirens to werewolf control."
Elara's throat went dry. "Like the ritual Damon mentioned Viktor is planning."
"Similar, yes. But the Sirens fought back. They discovered they could use their voices not just to influence emotions. But to command wolves directly. Even Alphas. Even to force a shift when the wolf was not ready." Cora's expression grew somber. "Many died on both sides before peace was brokered."
"What does this have to do with me?" Elara asked. Though part of her already suspected the answer.
"The pendant you wear," Cora said, gesturing to the silver spiral at Elara's throat. "It marks you as a descendant of the Siren royal line. The same line that nearly brought werewolves to extinction. The same line whose voice is required for Viktor's ritual."
Elara's hand went to her pendant protectively. "This was my mother's. I never even knew my father."
"Your mother must have known what you were," Cora said. "That pendant is a powerful symbol among the old supernatural families. She would not have given it to you by accident."
The implications were staggering. Had her mother known all along? Had she kept Elara's true nature secret deliberately? And if so, why?
"I still don't understand why Damon is protecting me," Elara said. "If your pack has such a history with Sirens, why not just eliminate the threat, or hand me over to Viktor to avoid conflict?"
Cora's expression shifted, becoming curiously guarded. "That is a question only Damon can answer fully. But I have my suspicions." Her gaze dropped to Elara's pendant again. Then back to her face. "There is another legend about Sirens and werewolves. A rarer one. About what happens when a Siren's voice matches the frequency of an Alpha's howl."
Before Elara could press for more details, a twig snapped somewhere in the forest beyond the clearing. Cora was on her feet instantly. Her posture became alert. Her head tilted as if listening for something beyond human hearing.
"What is it?" Elara whispered, rising more slowly.
"We need to go," Cora said, her voice tense. "Now! Back to the house."