The diplomatic trip to the Lycan King's territory had been grueling. Two weeks of political maneuvering, careful negotiations, and maintaining the perfect image of the Silvercrest Pack. All I wanted was to sink into Julius's arms and forget the stress.

I'd managed to return a day early. A surprise I knew he'd appreciate.

The Pack House smelled of pine and freshly baked bread as I entered, but something felt off. The usual warmth of homecoming was missing.

"He's probably in his office," I murmured to myself, making my way through the familiar corridors.

My wolf, Luna, stirred within me. *Something's wrong*, she whispered.

"It's just been a long trip," I assured her, but she remained agitated.

I pushed open the door to our private quarters, expecting to find Julius waiting. Instead, the room was empty, but the scent hit me like a physical blow.

Cloying. Sickly-sweet. Floral.

It wasn't just another woman's scent. It was an Omega's heat mingled with the distinct musk of post-coital arousal.

Luna growled, the sound rumbling up my throat before I could stop it.

"Paige? You're back early." Julius appeared in the doorway, his shirt half-buttoned. "I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow."

I crossed the room and hugged him, burying my face in his neck. The cedar scent that always calmed me was tainted now, layered with traces of someone else.

"What is that smell on you?" I asked, pulling back to look at him.

His eyes darted away. "Pack business. Some of the Omegas needed... assistance with their quarters. It's been a busy few days."

Luna snarled within me, recognizing the lie. *He smells like sex. Like her.*

"I need a shower," he said, awkwardly pulling away. "Didn't expect you back so soon."

As he turned, I caught sight of something on his neck—a scratch mark, fresh and deep. Not the kind of wound that came from battle or patrol.

"Julius," I said quietly, "what happened to your neck?"

He touched the mark, his expression flickering. "Nothing. Just a branch caught me during border patrol."

But we both knew the lie.

---

The next morning, I headed to Julius's office to file my diplomatic report. The Lycan King had made several suggestions about strengthening our territory's defenses—suggestions Julius needed to hear immediately.

I pushed open the office door without knocking. As Luna, I had that right.

The scene before me froze my blood.

Briella Woods sat behind the Alpha's desk—a place forbidden to Omegas—her fingers drumming casually on the mahogany surface as she barked orders at two senior staff members.

"I need those reports by noon," she was saying, her voice dripping with false authority. "And make sure the northern border patrols are doubled. The Alpha wants it done yesterday."

The staff looked uncomfortable but didn't contradict her.

"Briella." My voice cut through the room like ice. "What exactly are you doing?"

She turned slowly, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. "Luna Paige! I didn't expect you back so soon."

"You're sitting in the Alpha's chair," I said, stepping closer. "You're giving orders to senior staff. What part of pack protocol allows for that?"

"Oh, I was just helping out while the Alpha was busy." She gestured vaguely. "He said I could use his desk to organize some files."

"Get out of that chair. Now."

She didn't move. Instead, her eyes flicked toward the door where Julius had appeared.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, though his tone suggested he already knew.

"I'm filing my diplomatic report," I said, using my Luna Voice—the authority that came with my position. "Briella needs to leave."

"Just relax, Paige," Julius said, his tone condescending. "She was just helping organize some files. The staff needs direction while I handle more pressing matters."

Briella's smirk widened as she reluctantly stood. "Of course, Luna. Whatever you say."

The way she said my title made it sound like an insult.

---

That evening, as I dressed for a minor pack dinner, I opened my jewelry box for a simple pair of earrings.

Something was wrong. The velvet lining was disturbed, items shifted from their usual places.

My fingers trembled as I searched through the layers.

No.

No, no, no.

The Moonstone necklace—my mother's most prized possession, passed down through generations of Lunas—was gone.

I could still remember her words as she placed it around my neck on my mating day: "This stone has seen countless moons, Paige. It will guide you when I cannot."

Frantic, I searched the entire room, but knew deep down it was futile.

At dinner, I scanned the room for any sign of the thief. And then I saw her—Briella, serving wine to the elders, her Omega uniform tightly fitted to her curves.

There, nestled against her collarbone, was my mother's necklace. The moonstone pendant glowed faintly against her skin.

Our eyes met across the room. Instead of looking away guiltily, she deliberately fingered the pendant, a slow smile spreading across her face.

In that moment, I understood.

This wasn't just an affair. This was a declaration of war.

The moonstone necklace's disappearance was the final straw. I needed proof—irrefutable evidence that would expose Julius and Briella's betrayal.

I contacted Marcus Reed, Beta of the Mountainview Pack. We'd known each other since childhood, before pack politics and mate bonds complicated everything. If anyone could help me without raising suspicion, it would be him.

"We need to meet," I texted him, using our old coded language. "Trade negotiation. Tomorrow. The usual place."

His reply came almost instantly: "Confirmed. 10 AM."

---

The safe room beneath the old hunting cabin had been soundproofed decades ago—a relic from when our packs first formed alliances. No one would hear us here.

"Paige," Marcus greeted me, his expression serious as he pulled me into a brief embrace. "What's really going on?"

I didn't waste time with pleasantries. "I need to see the pack ledger."

His eyebrows shot up. "That's not a small request."

"I know." I removed my Luna pendant, placing it on the table between us. "But something's wrong in Silvercrest. Funds are missing. And I think I know where they've gone."

Marcus studied my face for a long moment before nodding. "I'll help you."

We connected his secure tablet to the pack's financial server. As Beta, he had access to allied pack financials for trade purposes—not enough to make changes, but enough to see discrepancies.

"Start with the border security allocations," I suggested, standing behind him as he navigated through the system.

Marcus's fingers moved swiftly across the screen. "This is... odd. The allocations for the past year show significant discrepancies."

"Show me."

He pulled up a spreadsheet, highlighting rows in red. "Funds marked for northern border reinforcements. Gone. Training equipment for new recruits. Never purchased." His voice hardened as he scrolled further. "Schooling for the pups—diverted."

My stomach clenched as the numbers added up. Hundreds of thousands of dollars, all vanished.

"Can you trace where it went?"

Marcus nodded grimly. "Already on it."

The trail led to a series of shell companies, but Marcus was relentless. Within an hour, he'd traced the money to its final destination.

"A luxury condo in the city," he said, turning the screen toward me. "Purchased eight months ago. And..." he tapped another file, "high-end designer goods. Jewelry. Spa retreats."

All the receipts and invoices pointed to one name: Briella Woods.

"There's more," Marcus said quietly. "The condo is in her name, but the down payment came from these diverted funds."

I closed my eyes, fighting the wave of nausea that threatened to overwhelm me. "Two years," I whispered. "This has been going on for two years."

---

"The pack's private network has a sub-forum," Marcus explained as we moved to the second phase of our investigation. "Not many know about it."

"But you do," I said, a small smile touching my lips despite everything.

"Benefits of being a Beta who actually does his job." He winked, then turned serious again. "Briella's been posting there under a pseudonym."

"Alpha'sTrueLove," I guessed bitterly.

Marcus's expression confirmed it. "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess."

We hacked into the account—Marcus insisted it wasn't technically hacking since he had legitimate access as a Beta—and what we found made my blood run cold.

Photos. Dozens of them. Julius and Briella at romantic getaways, expensive restaurants, luxury hotels. The timeline stretched back two years—long before my mother's death.

I scrolled until I found it—a photo dated the exact week my mother died. Julius and Briella at a spa resort, champagne glasses raised in a toast. His arm was around her waist, her head thrown back in laughter.

"He chose me over duty," the caption read.

My hands trembled as I stared at the image. While I'd been sitting beside my mother's deathbed, holding her hand as she slipped away, Julius had been celebrating with his mistress.

---

"The eastern border is vulnerable," I told the patrol guards as I joined their inspection. "I want to see it for myself."

Julius had conveniently skipped this inspection—the third one he'd missed this month.

We hadn't gone far when a scent hit us—rogue wolf.

"Stand ready," I commanded as the guards tensed.

The rogue burst from the treeline—a massive male with wild eyes and matted fur. He'd caught our scent and was charging straight for us.

"Alpha Julius isn't here!" one of the younger guards panicked.

"Then it's a good thing I am," I growled, letting Luna take over.

My transformation was swift, practiced. The rogue didn't expect resistance—certainly not from a Luna traveling with only three guards.

He was wrong.

Luna's rage fueled every strike, every bite. This was the first time I'd truly let her fight without restraint. The rogue never stood a chance.

As I stood over his body, fur matted with blood, the guards stared at me with newfound respect.

"The Alpha hasn't been to a border patrol in months," one of them finally said, his voice low. "We're understaffed because he keeps reassigning guards to... other duties."

"I've noticed," I replied carefully. "And I've noticed who actually shows up when it matters."

Their eyes met mine, understanding passing between us.

"Who do you think keeps the rogues from our borders, Delta?" I asked softly.

"Not the Alpha," he answered after a moment.

I nodded slowly. "No. Not the Alpha."

I couldn't sleep. The moon hung heavy outside my window, its light casting long shadows across the floor of my private study. The border patrol incident kept replaying in my mind—the rogue's attack, my wolf's fury, the guards' newfound respect. And beneath it all, the nagging suspicion that something wasn't right with the pack's medical supplies.

I pulled out the audit reports Marcus had helped me compile. There it was—a discrepancy in the medical inventory that I'd noticed during our initial review but hadn't fully investigated.

"The Moonshade Antidote," I whispered, running my finger over the entry. "One dose received, zero doses administered."

My mother had died of silver poisoning. This antidote was her only hope—a rare cure my family had paid a fortune to procure from the Lycan King's personal reserves.

"Julius claimed it was administered," I remembered, my stomach tightening. "He said there wasn't enough time."

Luna stirred within me, her growl soft but insistent. *Something's wrong. Find out.*

I rose from my chair, decision made. The pack's medical archives were encrypted, accessible only to the Alpha and Luna. Julius had forgotten to revoke my override code—a careless mistake that would cost him dearly.

The corridors were silent as I made my way to the medical wing. My footsteps echoed against the polished floors, each sound amplifying my determination.

The Head Healer's office was locked, but the keypad accepted my code with a soft click. Inside, the air smelled of antiseptic and old paper.

I sat at the computer terminal, my fingers flying across the keyboard as I navigated through layers of encryption. The system recognized my Luna authority, granting access to the hidden archives.

"Search: Moonshade Antidote," I typed.

The results appeared instantly—a single entry, marked with a red deletion flag.

"Attempted deletion," I murmured, clicking on the file.

The log appeared on screen:

*Received: One dose Moonshade Antidote (silver poisoning treatment)

Destination: Elena Barnes (former Luna)

Status: ADMINISTERED*

But the log had been altered. Digital forensics wasn't my specialty, but I could see the inconsistencies in the code.

Someone had tried to cover their tracks.

---

I waited until midnight to confront the Healer. The infirmary was quiet, most staff gone for the night. Only the emergency lights cast a dim glow over the sterile rooms.

The Head Healer jumped when I entered their office, nearly dropping the clipboard they'd been holding.

"Luna Paige," they stammered, "I wasn't expecting—"

"Clearly," I interrupted, closing the door behind me. I placed the printed log on their desk, watching as their face drained of color.

"You accessed the encrypted archives," they whispered.

"Yes." I leaned forward, letting Luna's authority seep into my voice. "And I found this. Care to explain why my mother's antidote shows as administered when she died of silver poisoning?"

The Healer's hands trembled, their eyes darting toward the door as if calculating an escape.

"Don't even think about it," I warned. "You know what happens to those who lie to their Luna."

Something broke in them then—a dam of fear and guilt finally overflowing.

"I couldn't refuse," they choked out, tears streaming down their face. "The Alpha Command... it's impossible to resist."

"Julius ordered you to divert the antidote?" My voice was deadly quiet.

They nodded miserably. "Not just ordered. He used his Alpha voice—the supernatural command. I felt my will crumble as he spoke."

"Where did it go?"

"To Garrett Woods," they whispered. "Briella's cousin. He was injured in a border skirmish."

The room seemed to tilt around me. "My mother died so Briella's rogue cousin could live?"

"I kept records," the Healer continued, voice breaking. "Physical journals, hidden recordings of his commands. I knew... I knew someday someone might need proof."

---

We retrieved the evidence together—a small metal box hidden beneath a loose floorboard in the Healer's quarters.

Inside were leather-bound journals and a small voice recorder.

With shaking hands, I pressed play.

Julius's voice filled the room: "Let the old hag die. Briella needs her family. Give the antidote to the rogue."

The Healer flinched at each word, but I remained frozen, my grief crystallizing into something harder, colder.

"Did you hear me?" Julius's recorded voice demanded. "That's an Alpha Command."

The Healer's recorded response was barely audible: "Yes, Alpha."

I stopped the recording, my decision made.

"Copy these files to a secure cloud server," I instructed, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. "And give the originals to Marcus Reed for safekeeping."

As the files transferred, I stared at Julius's photo on the wall—the man I'd once believed was my fated mate.

"You killed my mother," I whispered to his smiling image. "And now I'm going to destroy you."