The Great Hall buzzed with activity as wolves from the neighboring Moonridge Pack mingled with our own. I kept to the shadows, serving drinks and avoiding eye contact. My hands still ached from Harrison's rejection, but the physical pain paled compared to the hollow ache in my chest.

"Layla!" Poppy's voice cut through the noise as she waved me over to a quiet corner. Her bright smile was the only light in my dark world.

"Don't you look pretty tonight," she said, straightening the simple dress I'd managed to repair with careful stitches. "I told you that blue brings out your eyes."

I managed a small smile. "Thank you for covering my shift. I know it's—"

"Stop." She pressed her finger to my lips. "We're friends. Real friends."

The warmth of her gesture made my eyes sting with unshed tears. In a pack where I was nothing but a joke, Poppy had always stood by me.

"Did you hear about Jocelyn's new title?" she whispered, her expression darkening. "She's calling herself the 'Acting Luna' now."

The words hit like a physical blow. I'd heard the whispers but hadn't wanted to believe them.

"Let's get you some water," Poppy said, noticing my pale face. She disappeared into the crowd, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I didn't notice Jocelyn approach until her shadow fell across me.

"Look at you," she sneered, her perfect features twisted with disgust. "Still lurking around like a ghost. Harrison's little secret."

I lowered my eyes, determined not to give her the satisfaction of seeing me break.

"Nothing to say?" She laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "No matter. Everyone knows your place now."

When I looked up, she was gone—but the damage was done. My hands trembled as I continued serving, trying to ignore the weight of stares.

Poppy returned with two glasses of water, her eyes bright with indignation. "She was talking to you, wasn't she? What did she say this time?"

"Nothing important," I murmured.

"She's nothing but a fraud," Poppy hissed, accepting a glass from a passing server. "And that Moonstone around her neck—it's a disgrace. It hasn't glowed once."

I gasped, grabbing her arm. "Poppy, don't. She'll hear you."

"I don't care if she does!" Poppy's voice rose. "Someone needs to—"

She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening in shock. The glass slipped from her fingers, shattering on the stone floor.

"Layla," she whispered, her voice strained. "Something's wrong."

Before I could respond, her body began to contort. Bones cracked and reformed as fur erupted across her skin.

"Poppy!" I screamed, reaching for her as she collapsed.

She thrashed wildly, her partially shifted form writhing on the floor. Guests scattered, tables overturned, and chaos erupted throughout the hall.

"What's happening?" I cried, trying to hold her still.

"She's shifting uncontrollably!" Someone shouted. "Get the Alpha!"

Jocelyn's voice cut through the panic: "The Omegas are revolting! They're attacking the guests!"

"No!" I protested. "She would never—"

A familiar scent hit me then—bitter and sharp. Wolfsbane. I'd smelled it in the kitchens before, but this was concentrated, deadly.

"Someone poisoned her drink," I realized aloud, horror washing over me.

Jocelyn's eyes met mine across the room, a small smile playing at her lips.

Heavy footsteps thundered toward us as Harrison burst into the hall, his face a mask of fury.

"What is the meaning of this?" he roared.

"Alpha," Jocelyn cried, rushing to his side. "The Omega attacked me when I confronted her about disrespecting you!"

"That's not true!" I shouted, still trying to hold Poppy down as she thrashed.

Harrison's eyes darkened as he approached us. Without asking for an explanation, he towered over me.

"KNEEL," he commanded, his Alpha Voice crashing into me like a physical force.

My knees buckled instantly. The command was impossible to resist—it crushed me to the floorboards beside Poppy's writhing form. I felt something crack in my chest as I hit the ground hard.

"Alpha, please," I gasped, pain radiating through my ribs. "She's been poisoned—"

"SILENCE!" His voice cut through my plea.

I bit my lip until I tasted blood, fighting to stay conscious as Poppy's claws accidentally raked across my arm.

"Apologize," Harrison ordered, his voice cold. "Apologize to our guests for this disruption and for your incompetence."

Tears burned my eyes as I looked up at the circle of faces—visiting Alphas, their Betas, and my own pack members—all watching my humiliation.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, the words ash in my mouth.

"Louder," Harrison demanded. "So everyone can hear your shame."

"I'm sorry," I repeated, my voice breaking as Poppy whimpered beside me.

Harrison's eyes narrowed. "You've proven yourself unworthy of pack resources. Until further notice, you'll receive only starvation rations."

The room spun around me as his words sank in. Starvation rations—barely enough to keep a wolf alive, let alone healthy.

"As for your friend," he continued, looking down at Poppy with disgust, "she'll be confined until she learns control."

As he turned away, Jocelyn's hand slipped into his, her triumphant smile burning into my memory as darkness crept at the edges of my vision.

The summons came at dawn—a formal letter bearing Harrison's seal. My fingers trembled as I broke the wax, though I already knew what it contained.

"Your presence is required at the Luna Coronation tonight," Beta Thomas announced, his voice devoid of emotion. "Alpha Harrison insists you attend."

I looked up from the meager breakfast I'd been forced to ration—a single piece of bread and a cup of water. "Why?"

"Because he wants you to see your replacement officially take your place," Thomas replied, his eyes flickering with something that might have been pity. "He believes it will help you... accept your new role."

My stomach twisted painfully. After weeks of starvation rations, even this small amount of food felt like a luxury. But the hunger in my chest—the empty ache where our bond should have flourished—was far worse.

"He's going to reject me publicly," I whispered, the realization settling like ice in my veins.

Thomas's silence was confirmation enough.

---

The Great Hall had been transformed for the occasion. Silver banners bearing the pack's emblem hung from the rafters, and white roses—Jocelyn's favorite—adorned every surface. I stood in the shadows at the back, wearing the same blue dress I'd worn to our failed mating ceremony, now patched and faded.

Harrison stood tall on the dais, resplendent in ceremonial black, his dark hair gleaming under the chandelier light. Beside him, Jocelyn preened in a flowing white gown, her golden hair arranged in elaborate curls.

"Tonight marks a new chapter for Silverclaw," Harrison announced, his voice carrying effortlessly through the hall. "As you all know, the mate bond is sacred—but so too is a pack's strength and stability."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Many eyes turned to find me, their gazes burning into my skin.

"Recent events have proven that my Omega mate is... unstable," he continued, the word cutting through me like a blade. "Her actions have endangered our allies and disrupted pack harmony."

Jocelyn stepped forward, her expression a perfect mask of concern. "I've tried to help her adjust, truly I have."

"Liar," I whispered, too softly for anyone but myself to hear.

"Therefore," Harrison's voice hardened, "I have decided to formally reject our mate bond tonight, under the full moon's witness."

Gasps echoed through the hall. Even those who had expected this moment seemed shocked by its public declaration.

"Following the rejection, I will crown Jocelyn as Luna of Silverclaw," he continued. "She has proven herself worthy of the title through her loyalty, strength, and dedication to our pack."

Jocelyn's smile was radiant as she bowed her head in false modesty. The Moonstone around her neck remained dull, lifeless—a dead thing around the neck of a false Luna.

"Layla," Harrison's eyes found mine across the room, "you will witness this transfer of power. It is my hope that seeing Jocelyn's rightful ascension will help you accept your place in our pack."

My place. As his secret mistress, his hidden shame.

Something inside me cracked—not with despair, but with clarity. The weeks of hunger, the months of humiliation, the years of servitude—they all crystallized into a single, shining moment of understanding.

I would not be his secret. I would not be his shame.

As the ceremony began, I moved forward through the crowd. Wolves parted before me, sensing something different in my scent, in my stride.

"Harrison," I called, my voice steady and clear.

He turned, surprise flickering across his features. "This is not the time, Layla."

"It is exactly the time," I replied, stepping onto the dais.

Jocelyn's face contorted with rage. "How dare you interrupt—"

"Be silent," I cut her off, surprising even myself with my firmness.

I turned to face Harrison fully, drawing myself up to my full height. The words came without rehearsal, as if the Moon Goddess herself whispered them in my ear.

"I, Layla Woods, reject you, Harrison Bryant, Alpha of Silverclaw, as my mate."

The air around us seemed to freeze. Then, in an instant, it exploded with magical force.

Harrison's eyes widened in shock before pain contorted his features. He staggered backward, clutching his chest as if I'd driven a knife between his ribs.

"No," he gasped, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "You can't—"

But I could. And I had.

A violent spasm wracked his body, sending him crashing to his knees. More blood spilled from his lips as the bond between us shattered like glass.

"You're killing me," he choked out, his eyes wild with panic.

I stood over him, my heart pounding but my resolve firm. "No, Harrison. You killed us the moment you chose power over love."

As he collapsed fully to the floor, vomiting blood onto the pristine marble, I felt something inside me break free—not just the bond, but my spirit, finally unfettered from his cruelty.

I turned away from his writhing form, stepping down from the dais as gasps and screams filled the hall. No one moved to stop me as I walked through the crowd toward the doors.

Behind me, I heard Jocelyn's shrill voice: "Don't let her leave! She's a murderer!"

But I was already gone, disappearing into the night as the full moon watched my escape with silent approval.