Page 52 of The Right to Bear Claws
"Ready," he confirmed, his bear's strength blending with her gift to create something neither of them could have achieved alone.
The final battle was about to begin.
25
ELIAS
The void around them began to shift, darkness taking shape into something far more insidious than physical walls. Elias felt the change like pressure building behind his eyes, and his bear's protective instincts surged as Tobias's presence grew heavier, more focused.
"Now then," the entity's voice echoed from all around, "let's see what fears your mate's brave rescuer carries in his heart."
"Whatever game you're playing—" Elias began, but the words died as the emptiness around them filled with images that made his stomach clench.
The Vane Construction compound materialized, but not as he'd left it. This version was cold, sterile, filled with his father and brothers going about their work without him. Their movements were more efficient, their laughter easier, their entire dynamic improved by his absence.
"Interesting," Tobias mused, his voice carrying new notes of satisfaction. "The black sheep of the family. The son who never quite fit, who chose shadows over sunlight, silence over leadership."
"That's not?—"
Magnus appeared in the projection, but this version of his father looked relieved, unburdened. "Always worried about you, Elias. Always wondering when you'd stop skulking around the edges and become the leader we needed you to be."
"He doesn't think that," Elias said, but uncertainty crept into his voice as more figures joined the scene.
Thorin, shaking his head with disappointment. "Could have been clan leader if he'd wanted it. Instead, he chose to hide in the Night Guard, pretending that avoiding responsibility was the same as being mysterious."
Finn's laugh was cruel in a way the real Finn's never was. "Remember when we used to make excuses for him? 'Elias just needs time to find himself.' Turns out what he found was a taste for playing protector to things too broken to save."
"Stop," Elias growled, his bear snarling beneath the surface.
"Oh, but we're just getting started," Tobias said with obvious delight. "Show him what his precious mate really thinks of her supposed rescuer."
The scene shifted to the lakeside where he'd explained mate bonds to Kaia, but in this version, her expression was pitying rather than interested. Dream-Kaia shook her head with gentle condescension.
"You really think I need someone who hides from his own family? Someone who's so uncertain of his own worth that he spent thirty-four years avoiding any position where he might have to prove himself?" She sighed with the kind of patient disappointment reserved for children. "I needed someone strong, Elias. Someone confident enough to lead, not someone who follows from the shadows."
"That's not what she said," he protested, but the words felt hollow even to his own ears.
"Isn't it what she thought, though? Deep down, when she looked at her options?" Tobias's presence pressed closer,suffocating in its certainty. "A mate is supposed to be an equal partner, not a project to fix. What exactly do you bring to her life besides good intentions and protective instincts any alpha could provide?"
The question hit something raw and vulnerable in Elias's chest. What did he bring to Kaia's life? He wasn't a leader like Thorin, wasn't charming like Finn, wasn't wise like his father. He was just... steady. Reliable. The kind of man who fixed things quietly and asked for little in return.
"That's right," Tobias whispered, sensing weakness. "You're ordinary, Elias Vane. Pleasant enough, useful in your way, but hardly the kind of mate a powerful dreamwalker deserves. She needs someone extraordinary, someone who can match her gifts with achievements of his own."
The projections around them multiplied, showing him scene after scene of his perceived inadequacies. Every time he'd chosen to work behind the scenes instead of stepping forward. Every moment he'd let others take credit for his contributions. Every decision to support rather than lead, to protect rather than command.
"Face it," dream-Kaia said with cruel clarity. "You're not hero material. You're a supporting character in other people's stories, including mine."
For a moment, Elias almost believed it. The weight of lifelong insecurities pressed down on him, all the moments he'd wondered if he was enough, if his quiet strength was actually weakness in disguise.
But then he felt Kaia's real hand in his, warm and solid and absolutely trusting. Not the projection Tobias had created, but the actual woman who'd chosen to run toward danger to protect the people she loved. Who'd trusted him enough to share her deepest fears, who'd looked at him like he was the answer to prayers she'd never spoken aloud.
"You're wrong," he said quietly, his voice gaining strength with each word.
"Which part, exactly?" Tobias sounded genuinely curious.
"All of it." Elias straightened, feeling his bear's confidence merge with his human understanding. "You think being a leader means being in charge, being the loudest voice in the room. But real leadership is about knowing when to step forward and when to step back. When to speak and when to listen."
"Pretty philosophy, but?—"
