The sun glittered off the water as Rhett's yacht sliced through the lake, music and laughter spilling from its decks. I stood at the railing, tray of champagne flutes balanced carefully in my bandaged hands, watching pack members celebrate Saige's pregnancy announcement.

"Mackenzie." Saige's voice cut through the party chatter. She approached with Rhett at her side, her hand protectively cradling her still-flat stomach. "I need to speak with you."

I followed them to the bow of the yacht, away from curious ears. The wind whipped my hair across my face as Rhett's expression darkened.

"Saige tells me you looked at her with malice earlier," he said, his voice dangerously low. "That you wished harm upon her and our unborn child."

"What? No!" I shook my head vehemently. "I would never—"

"Silence!" His Alpha tone vibrated through the air, making my knees buckle. "You dare deny it when she saw the hatred in your eyes?"

Rhett turned to the gathering crowd. "Everyone! Your attention!" The music died as all eyes turned toward us. "My mate has informed me of a disturbing incident involving our Omega servant."

My cheeks burned with humiliation as pack members whispered among themselves.

"Mackenzie," Rhett continued, his voice carrying across the deck, "you will apologize to your future Luna. Now."

I swallowed hard, fighting against the command. "I'm sorry," I managed to whisper.

"Louder," he demanded. "And on your knees."

The Alpha command hit me like a physical blow. My legs trembled as I fought against it, blood trickling from my nose as I struggled to remain standing.

"I said KNEEL!" Rhett roared, his eyes flashing gold with Alpha power.

My knees hit the deck with a painful thud. The champagne glasses shattered around me, but no one moved to help.

"Apologize properly," Saige instructed sweetly. "Kiss the hem of my dress."

I looked up at her, at the triumphant gleam in her eyes, and felt something inside me crack.

"I'm sorry," I repeated, blood dripping onto my lips as I leaned forward to press them against the fabric of her expensive gown.

Rhett watched, his chest tightening with an emotion he refused to acknowledge. He turned away, grabbing a bottle of whiskey from a nearby table and drinking deeply.

---

Weeks passed with no glimpse of Andy. My only connection to him was through brief mind-links, which had become increasingly strange.

"Andy?" I called through our link during one of my rare moments alone in the basement. "Are you there?"

"I'm here, Kenzie," came the reply, oddly mechanical. "I'm fine. The healer is taking good care of me."

Something felt wrong. The responses were too repetitive, too perfect.

"I miss you," I pressed. "Do you remember the time we snuck out to catch fireflies?"

A pause. "Yes. We had fun."

No mention of how we'd gotten caught in the rain. No memory of how we'd laughed when our clothes got stuck to our skin.

A distraction came in the form of smoke billowing from the kitchen. Chaos erupted as servants rushed to extinguish the fire. I slipped away, following the familiar path to the healer's ward.

Andy's bed was empty.

"Where is he?" I demanded when I found Elena alone, tears streaming down her face.

"He's gone," she whispered, her hands trembling. "They took him."

"Who took him? Where is he?"

Elena's shoulders shook with silent sobs. "The dungeon in the rogue territories. It was Saige's orders, not the Alpha's. She wanted... leverage."

The room spun around me. "The mind-links?"

"A witch," Elena admitted, shame coloring her features. "She's been mimicking his signature to keep you compliant."

---

I didn't remember the walk to Rhett's office, only that rage propelled me forward. Beta guards tried to stop me, but I pushed past them, my body vibrating with fury.

"Where is my brother?" I screamed as I burst through the door.

Rhett looked up from his desk, surprise flashing across his face before darkening into anger. "What are you doing here?"

"They took Andy to a dungeon!" I spat, advancing on him. "Your precious Saige had him moved to the rogue territories!"

"That's impossible," he said, rising from his chair. "I would have known."

"You're lying!" My voice cracked with desperation. "Elena told me everything! The mind-links are fake—a witch has been pretending to be him!"

Rhett grabbed my wrists as I lunged at him. "Calm down," he ordered, but I could see confusion in his eyes.

For a moment, his grip softened. He inhaled deeply, scenting my distress, and something flickered in his expression—doubt, perhaps even concern.

His wolf surged forward, eyes flashing gold as he pulled me closer. His face lowered toward mine, and I thought—foolishly—that he might kiss me.

The door opened.

"Mackenzie?" Saige's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "What is going on here?"

Rhett's expression hardened instantly. He shoved me away with such force that I stumbled backward into the wall.

"Get out," he snarled at me. "You're confined to your room for insubordination."

As the guards dragged me away, I caught a glimpse of Saige's satisfied smile—and the dawning realization in Rhett's eyes that something was terribly wrong.

I paced my small room like a caged animal, my mind racing with escape plans that kept crumbling under the weight of reality. The door was locked from the outside, and even if I could pick it, where would I go? Andy was still out there, suffering because of me.

A soft click made me freeze. The door swung open silently, revealing Saige's perfect silhouette against the hallway light.

"Comfortable?" she asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness as she stepped inside. "I thought we should have a little chat."

I backed away, my wolf snarling a warning. "What do you want?"

Saige's eyes glittered as she pulled something from behind her back—a silver dagger that caught the dim light. "Insurance," she said, running her finger along the blade. "You're becoming quite the inconvenience."

My heart hammered against my ribs. "Rhett will never believe you over me."

Her laugh was cold and brittle. "Oh, Mackenzie. You still think you matter to him." She moved closer, her expensive perfume suffocating me. "Let me show you how little you mean."

In one fluid motion, she dragged the blade across her own forearm. Blood welled up, bright red against her pale skin.

"What are you doing?" I gasped, frozen in horror.

"Setting the stage," she whispered, then screamed—a piercing, theatrical sound that echoed through the pack house.

The door burst open. Guards flooded in, their eyes widening at the sight of Saige bleeding on the floor.

"She attacked me!" Saige sobbed, clutching her wounded arm. "She said she'd kill me and the baby!"

"I didn't touch her!" I protested, but the guards were already grabbing me, twisting my arms behind my back.

"Take her to the holding cells," one ordered. "The Alpha will want to deal with this personally."

---

The tribunal was held in the great hall, torches casting long shadows across the stone floor. Pack members filled the space, their faces blurred by my tears. I stood in the center, bound by silver chains that burned against my skin.

Elder Marcus Sullivan presided, his ancient face carved with disgust. "Mackenzie Miller, you stand accused of attempting to murder our future Luna and the unborn heir to Silver Lake Pack."

"I didn't do it," I said, my voice barely audible.

"Lies!" Saige cried from her seat of honor, her arm now bandaged dramatically. "I caught her lurking outside my room earlier. She threatened me!"

Rhett sat stone-faced beside her, his amber eyes unreadable. But I could see the conflict in him—his wolf eyes flashing gold beneath the surface, his jaw clenched tight.

"Evidence?" he finally asked, his voice rough.

"The knife," Saige said promptly. "It has her scent all over it."

A guard produced the silver dagger—the one she'd used to cut herself. Of course my scent would be on it; she'd made sure of that.

"The penalty for such a crime is death," Elder Marcus announced, satisfaction curling his thin lips. "I move for immediate execution."

A murmur ran through the crowd. I closed my eyes, waiting for Rhett's final word.

"Mackenzie Miller," Rhett's voice cut through the noise, "you have been found guilty of attempted murder."

My knees buckled.

"But," he continued, his wolf howling visibly beneath his skin, "I commute your sentence."

Relief and confusion warred within me.

"You will undergo The Hunt," he declared. "You will be given a one-hour head start in the northern woods. If you survive until sunrise without being caught by my warriors, you will be exiled. If you are caught..." He didn't need to finish.

Elder Marcus looked furious, but Rhett's Alpha tone brooked no argument.

---

They threw me into the holding cell beneath the pack house—a damp, cold space that smelled of mold and despair. Hours passed as I huddled in the corner, trying to prepare for what was coming.

The door creaked open. Saige stood there, illuminated by the single bulb hanging from the ceiling.

"Enjoying your last moments of pack protection?" she asked, stepping inside. "Once you're out there, no one will save you."

"Why are you doing this?" I whispered. "What did I ever do to you?"

She smiled, all teeth and no warmth. "You exist. That's enough."

From her pocket, she pulled out a tablet and tapped the screen. "I thought you might want to see your brother before you die."

The screen flickered to life, showing a live video feed. My breath caught in my throat.

Andy sat hunched in a silver-lined cell, his skin gray and mottled. Chains bound his wrists and ankles. His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.

"No," I whimpered, reaching for the screen.

"He's dying," Saige said conversationally. "The dampness is accelerating the fading of his wolf. By tomorrow, he'll be nothing but an empty shell."

Tears streamed down my face as I watched my brother's labored breathing.

"Once The Hunt is over," she whispered, leaning close to my ear, "I'll kill him myself. A mercy, really."

Something broke inside me then—something fundamental and irreparable. The fear and desperation that had defined me for so long crystallized into something else entirely.

Cold. Calculating. Murderous rage.

I looked up at Saige through my tears, and she actually stepped back, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her perfect features.

"What are you?" she whispered.

I smiled then, a smile that held no warmth, no hope—only promise.

"Your worst nightmare," I said softly.

The guards shoved me through the pack house's back door into the cold midnight air. My hands were bound with silver chains that burned against my skin, but they'd remove them once I crossed the boundary line. One hour—that's all I had before The Hunt would begin.

"Run, Omega," Beta Marcus sneered, his breath forming clouds in the chilly night. "It'll make the chase more interesting."

I didn't waste time with words. The moment the chains fell away, I sprinted into the forest, my feet finding purchase on the familiar terrain. Three years of gathering herbs and mushrooms in these woods had taught me every path, every shortcut.

But I wasn't running blindly. I had a destination.

The cliffs overlooking Silver River.

---

Behind me, howls erupted as the hunting party assembled. Rhett's wolf would be among them—massive, black, and relentless. I pushed myself harder, my lungs burning as I navigated the darkened forest.

"Mackenzie!" Rhett's voice carried through the trees, human but amplified with Alpha power. "Stop now!"

I didn't look back. The wind whipped my hair across my face as I ran faster than I'd ever moved before. Something was changing inside me—a strange warmth spreading through my veins, as if the talisman I'd crafted was activating something dormant within.

The scent of pine gave way to ozone and water. The cliffs were close.

---

I burst through the treeline and stumbled to a halt at the edge of the precipice. Below, Silver River roared over jagged rocks, its surface gleaming silver under the full moon. Behind me, the forest trembled as something large moved through it.

A massive black wolf emerged from the shadows, his amber eyes glowing in the darkness. Rhett. Even in wolf form, I could see the conflict in his gaze—his wolf's reluctance warring with his human determination.

"You're cornered," he growled, his voice distorted by his wolf form. "Surrender now."

I turned to face him fully, my back to the cliff edge. For the first time since I'd known him, I stood tall instead of bowing.

"Like you cornered my brother?" I asked, my voice steady despite the thundering of my heart. "Like you cornered me for three years?"

His wolf whined, pawing at the ground. "Mackenzie, please—"

"Alpha," a Beta called from behind him, "the others are spreading out to surround her."

Rhett's eyes flashed gold with frustration. He took a step toward me, then stopped as a shadow detached itself from the darkness beyond the cliff edge.

A hooded figure stood silently, watching. The pack warriors tensed, their attention diverted from me to this new threat.

"Who's there?" Rhett demanded, his wolf circling back to protect his pack.

The figure didn't answer. Instead, they moved with preternatural grace, drawing the warriors away from the cliff edge.

I looked back at Rhett, who had shifted partially back to human form, his eyes wild with conflicting emotions.

"You killed us both," I whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. "The moment you chose her over me."

Before he could respond, I turned and jumped off the cliff, into the darkness below.

---

The fall seemed to last forever. Wind rushed past my ears as I plummeted toward the churning waters. I had calculated this jump carefully—the current would carry me under the cliffs to where Darius waited with transportation.

But nothing could have prepared me for the icy shock of hitting the water. Pain exploded through my body as I plunged beneath the surface, the current immediately seizing me and dragging me downstream.

Above, I heard Rhett's scream—raw and primal—as he reached the cliff edge.

"MACKENZIE!"

Then silence as the pack bond between us snapped shut. To him, it would feel like I had died.

---

On the cliff above, chaos erupted. Rhett shifted back to human form, his body convulsing as he vomited blood onto the rocky ground. The "widower" pain—the severing of a mate bond—tore through him like wildfire.

"Get her!" he choked out, crawling toward the cliff edge. "Find her!"

Beta Marcus and Gamma Tyler held him back, their faces grim.

"Alpha, she couldn't survive that fall," Marcus insisted. "The rocks alone—"

"She's not dead!" Rhett roared, his eyes wild with grief and denial. "I would know if she were dead!"

In the shadows behind the hunting party, Saige watched with undisguised satisfaction curling her perfect lips. The Omega was gone—her biggest threat eliminated.

Or so she thought.

Miles downstream, I dragged myself from the river's edge, coughing and shivering. The Lycan magic in my blood had protected me from the worst of the impact, but I was far from safe.

Darius waited in the shadows, his hood pulled back to reveal a face I didn't recognize—but his eyes held something familiar.

"Princess," he said softly, extending his hand to help me up. "It's time to claim your birthright."