The silver-lined walls of the dungeon seemed to pulse with malevolent energy, each breath I took feeling like fire in my lungs. My skin blistered wherever it came into contact with the toxic metal—a special precaution Drew had ordered for my "protection." The irony wasn't lost on me. Silver didn't protect wolves; it tortured them.

My wolf, Luna, thrashed wildly within me, her howls of betrayal echoing through my mind. *Seven years*, she whimpered. *Seven years of loyalty, and he locks us in silver*.

"It's not real," I whispered, trying to soothe her. "He'll realize his mistake. He has to."

But even as I spoke the words, I knew they were hollow. The Drew I'd loved—the one who'd fought beside me through rogue attacks and pack challenges—was gone, replaced by a stranger whose eyes only lit up for Lana.

The sound of approaching footsteps made me stiffen. The dungeon door creaked open, and Drew's imposing figure filled the doorway. For one wild moment, hope surged through me. He'd come to release me, to apologize...

"Evelyn." His voice was cold, detached. "You've had time to think about your actions."

I pushed myself up, ignoring the searing pain as silver residue burned my palms. "Drew, please listen to me. Lana is manipulating you. She broke those crystals herself—"

"Enough!" His Alpha tone slammed into me like a physical blow, forcing me back against the wall. "You will apologize to Lana for your jealousy and petty attacks."

My wolf snarled, urging me to fight back, but the silver weakened us both. "Jealousy? Is that what she's telling you?"

"Lana has shown nothing but grace under your harassment," Drew continued, stepping closer. His eyes—once warm amber—were now hard as flint. "She understands that as Alpha, I need to make decisions for the pack's benefit."

"And I don't?" I whispered, incredulous. "I've been by your side for seven years, building this pack from nothing!"

Drew's expression didn't change. "You've been useful. But your recent behavior has been... unstable."

I stared at him, searching for any flicker of the mate I'd known. There was nothing.

---

Three days passed in agonizing slowness. The silver cell leached my strength, leaving me trembling and weak. My wolf had grown quiet, conserving what little energy remained.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor—too light to be Drew's. I tensed, expecting guards with food or water.

Instead, Lana's face appeared at my cell door, her eyes gleaming with triumph.

"Comfortable?" she asked, her voice honey-sweet. Gone was the trembling vulnerability she showed around Drew. This was the real Lana—calculating, cold, and utterly without remorse.

"What do you want?" I managed, my throat parched.

"Just checking on our former Luna." She smiled, leaning against the bars. "Oh, did I forget to mention? Drew's agreed to let me wear his mother's silver pendant. The one meant for you."

I lunged forward instinctively, only to be thrown back by the silver's burning touch. Lana laughed, the sound like breaking glass.

"Careful, Evelyn. You're not as strong as you think." She glanced over her shoulder, ensuring we were alone. "The guards are loyal to me now. Amazing what a few tears and a sad story can accomplish."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, hating the tremor in my voice.

Lana's eyes narrowed. "Why? Because you don't deserve him. You never did. A low-born nobody who got lucky with a mate bond." She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I'll be Luna by the time he's done with you."

"And when he discovers your lies?"

"He won't." Her confidence was chilling. "Men like Drew see what they want to see. And what he wants to see is me."

---

While Drew was away managing pack business, Lana made her move.

I watched through the small window in my cell door as she slipped into the dungeon's control room, her movements precise and deliberate. She spoke briefly with the guards, her voice too low to hear, but their nods told me everything I needed to know.

Hours later, the packhouse erupted in chaos. Shouts echoed down to the dungeon—Lana had vanished from the gardens while working on the restoration pieces.

"Find her!" Drew's roar shook the very foundations of the building.

I closed my eyes, knowing exactly what was happening. This was no random abduction—this was Lana's master plan.

The next morning, a Delta warrior rushed into the control room, holding something in his hand. "Evidence from the garden, sir! Footprints leading to the east boundary!"

I strained to see what he held—a small brass button, distinctive and familiar. My brother's jacket. The one he always wore when working on pack projects.

Lana's scent was nowhere on it—she'd been careful about that—but my family's scent was unmistakable.

The trap was perfect. And I was powerless to stop it.

The packhouse erupted into chaos as news of Lana's disappearance spread like wildfire. I could feel the vibrations of running feet and panicked voices through the silver-lined walls of my dungeon cell. My wolf, Luna, stirred weakly within me.

*Something's happening*, she whispered, her voice faint from our prolonged exposure to silver.

I pressed my blistered palm against the small window in my cell door, straining to see what was happening in the corridor. The guards were gone—called away to search for the missing Omega, no doubt.

"They'll find her hiding somewhere," I murmured, knowing full well that Lana wasn't missing at all. This was her plan, perfectly executed.

Heavy footsteps thundered down the corridor—too heavy to be anyone but Drew. My heart lurched painfully in my chest as he appeared in the doorway, his face contorted with rage and something else—something that looked almost like fear.

"Where is she?" he roared, his Alpha aura exploding outward with such force that I was thrown back against the wall.

I struggled to stay upright, my legs trembling beneath me. "Drew, please—"

"She's gone!" His eyes were wild, unfocused. "And they found this in the garden!"

He thrust his hand toward me, and I saw what he held—a small brass button. My brother's jacket. The one Lana had carefully planted.

"That's my brother's," I whispered, horror washing over me as I realized how thoroughly I'd been set up.

"Your family," Drew snarled, his voice dropping to something inhuman. "You ordered them to take her, didn't you? To hurt her because you couldn't stand seeing me with someone else!"

"No!" I cried, my voice breaking. "Drew, you know me better than that!"

But there was no recognition in his eyes—only a manic, terrifying fury that I'd never seen before. He strode forward and grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking me to my feet.

"Where is she?" he demanded, his face inches from mine. "Tell me now!"

"The evidence is fake," I gasped, tears streaming down my face as silver residue burned my skin. "Lana planted it. She's manipulating you!"

Drew's grip tightened painfully. "You're the one who's been lying to me from the start."

With a savage motion, he dragged me from the cell, ignoring my cries of pain as silver dust clung to my clothes and skin. My legs barely supported me as he pulled me through the corridors of the packhouse, past shocked pack members who quickly averted their eyes.

"Alpha," one of the guards began, "the silver—it's dangerous for her—"

"Silence!" Drew roared. "She's responsible for Lana's disappearance!"

He pulled me outside, the bright sunlight momentarily blinding after days in darkness. A black SUV waited, engine running. Drew shoved me into the backseat and slammed the door.

"Where are we going?" I asked, clutching the door handle as the vehicle lurched forward.

Drew's eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, cold and unrecognizable. "Somewhere we can have a private conversation."

The drive was a blur of pain and fear. We left the main pack grounds behind, heading toward the mountains where our newest commercial development was underway—a massive construction project perched on a cliff edge, still months from completion.

"Why are you doing this?" I whispered, watching Drew's knuckles whiten on the steering wheel.

"Because you leave me no choice," he replied, his voice eerily calm now. "If your family has harmed one hair on Lana's head..."

The threat hung unfinished between us.

The construction site loomed ahead, skeletal steel beams rising against the sky. Workers stopped to stare as Drew parked and yanked me from the vehicle. Delta warriors appeared from every direction, forming a tight perimeter around us.

"Take her to the main platform," Drew ordered. "And prepare the crane."

My blood ran cold as I realized where he was taking me—to the unfinished observation platform that jutted out over a hundred-foot drop.

"Drew, please," I begged as they forced me toward the platform. "Whatever you think I've done—"

"Save your breath," he cut me off. "Your family will be joining us soon."

As if on cue, a second vehicle pulled into the site. My heart stopped as Marcus and Ryan emerged, dragging two figures between them.

My mother—fragile, wolfless, her gray hair whipping in the wind—and my brother, his face twisted in confusion and fear.

"Mom!" I screamed, lunging forward only to be restrained by the Delta warriors. "Drew, they have nothing to do with this!"

But Drew was beyond reason now, his eyes fixed on my family with cold determination.

"Bring them up," he ordered. "It's time for a family reunion."

The wind howled around us as we ascended the unfinished platform, high above the valley below. My mother's face was pale with terror, her human-weak heart clearly struggling with the stress.

"Drew," she pleaded, her voice thin and reedy. "Whatever Evelyn has done—"

"Silence!" he roared, his Alpha tone making everyone flinch. "You'll all learn what happens when you cross me."

My brother's eyes met mine, confusion giving way to dawning horror as he realized what was happening.

"This is insane," he whispered. "Evelyn would never—"

"Shut up!" Drew snarled, turning to the crane operator. "Prepare to lift them."

The massive construction crane loomed overhead, its steel cables swaying slightly in the mountain breeze. My mother trembled violently beside me, her human heart clearly struggling with the terror.

"Drew," I pleaded, my voice breaking. "Not my family. Please."

But the Alpha I'd loved for seven years was gone, replaced by a stranger whose eyes held nothing but cold determination and madness.

The wind whipped around us, howling through the steel beams as Drew's Delta warriors forced my mother and brother onto the makeshift platform. My mother's face was ashen, her human-weak heart visibly struggling against her ribcage. My brother's eyes were wide with terror as they bound his wrists with coarse rope.

"Drew, please," I begged, my voice breaking as I watched them secure my family to the crane's suspension cables. "They're innocent!"

He didn't even look at me. His attention remained fixed on the crane operator, a low-ranking wolf who couldn't meet my eyes as he prepared to lift my family into the air.

"Raise them," Drew commanded, his voice eerily calm.

The hydraulic whine of the crane pierced the air as my mother and brother were lifted off the platform. My mother's scream was thin and reedy, her wolfless body trembling violently as she dangled fifty feet above the concrete foundation below.

"Mom!" I shrieked, lunging forward only to be slammed back by Drew's Alpha aura.

He pinned me to the ground with his power, kneeling beside me as his warriors kept my family suspended in mid-air.

"Now," he growled, his breath hot against my ear as he forced our minds to link. "Tell me where Lana is."

"I don't know!" I cried, tears streaming down my face as I felt his presence invade my thoughts. "Drew, please—they have nothing to do with this!"

My wolf, Luna, thrashed wildly within me, her howls of anguish echoing through our bond. *They're hurting our family*, she screamed. *Our pack is attacking our family!*

"I swear on the Moon Goddess," I sobbed, feeling Drew's mental probes ripping through my consciousness. "I had nothing to do with Lana's disappearance!"

Drew's eyes narrowed, his mental touch becoming crueler as he searched for any hint of deception. "You're lying," he snarled, withdrawing from our mind-link. "I can feel it."

"No!" I screamed, struggling against his Alpha hold. "Drew, you know me! You know I would never—"

"I thought I knew you," he cut me off, rising to his feet. His expression was cold, distant—the eyes of a stranger looking down at me. "But the woman I knew wouldn't have tried to harm Lana."

With a casual flick of his wrist, he signaled to his Delta warriors. "Cut the safety cables."

Time seemed to slow as I watched the warriors move to obey. My brother's eyes met mine across the distance, wide with terror and confusion.

"Evelyn," he called out, his voice breaking. "What's happening?"

I couldn't answer. My scream tore from my throat as the first cable was severed with a metallic clang that echoed across the construction site.

My mother's frail body jerked violently in mid-air. Her eyes bulged, her mouth opening in a silent cry as her human heart—already weakened by years of discrimination and hardship—gave out under the terror.

"Mom!" I shrieked, watching helplessly as she went limp in her restraints.

The second cable snapped, and my brother plummeted toward the lower scaffolding. The sickening crunch of bone meeting steel filled the air as his leg twisted grotesquely beneath him.

"Matthew!" I screamed, fighting against Drew's hold with every ounce of strength I possessed.

Blood pooled beneath my brother's shattered leg as he lay among twisted steel beams, his face contorted in agony. My mother hung motionless above him, her life already slipping away.

Something broke inside me then—something fundamental and irreparable. My wolf howled in pure anguish, the sound tearing from my human throat as I scrambled to my feet.

"I need to get to them!" I cried, lunging toward the scaffolding ladder. "My mother—she needs help!"

Beta Marcus stepped into my path, his expression grim but determined. "Alpha's orders," he said, not meeting my eyes.

"Move!" I screamed, trying to push past him.

Delta Ryan appeared on my other side, his massive frame blocking my way. "We can't let you interfere, Luna," he said, his voice tight with the strain of following an order he clearly didn't agree with.

"Interfere?" I shrieked, watching my brother's blood seep into the concrete. "They're dying!"

"Stand down," Drew commanded from behind me, his Alpha tone forcing me to my knees. "This is pack justice."

I collapsed to the dirt, my hands clawing at the ground as I watched my family suffer. My mother's body swayed gently in the breeze, her gray hair dancing around her still face. My brother's cries had faded to whimpers as shock set in.

"Please," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Please let me help them."

But Drew's warriors remained unmoved, their loyalty to their Alpha overriding any compassion they might have felt for me or my family.

As I knelt there, watching my world shatter around me, something inside me hardened—a seed of hatred taking root where love had once lived.