The guards dragged me from the Omega quarters at dawn, their hands rough against my arms. Mabel clung to my leg, her small fingers trembling.

"Mama, where are they taking us?"

I smoothed her silver-blonde hair, trying to mask my fear. "Just to work, my little moon. Stay close to me."

They marched us to the main hall where Amora's gathering was already underway. Dozens of pack members mingled, their laughter and conversation filling the space. At the center stood Amora in a flowing blue dress that matched my eyes—another piece of my identity she'd stolen.

"Lilith will serve drinks," announced Beta Marcus, his voice flat. "As befits her Omega status."

A weighted tray of crystal glasses was thrust into my hands. The silver collar burned against my throat as I moved among the guests, invisible except when someone needed refreshment.

"Tell us more about Lilith's betrayal," an elder called to Amora, her voice carrying across the room.

Amora's eyes found mine as she spoke, her smile venomous. "When Lilith left with the rogues, she abandoned everything sacred to our pack."

"I didn't leave," I whispered, the words barely audible even to myself.

"She chose a rogue over her fated mate," Amora continued, her voice breaking with false emotion. "She chose darkness over the Moon Goddess's blessing."

Something snapped inside me. Five years of captivity. Five years of fighting to survive. Five years of singing lullabies to Mabel in the dark—all reduced to a lie.

"No," I said, louder this time.

Silver surged within me, clawing against the silver collar's suppression. For one breathtaking moment, she broke through—

A feral snarl tore from my throat, raw and primal. The room fell silent.

Amora stepped back, her eyes widening in momentary fear before her mask of composure returned.

"Maverick!" she cried out. "She threatened me!"

He materialized beside her in an instant, his Alpha aura exploding outward like a physical force. The weight of it crashed into me, driving me to my knees.

"Submit," he commanded, his Alpha tone vibrating through my bones.

The silver collar burned white-hot against my skin. I fought against it, muscles straining, tears streaming down my face.

"Mama!" Mabel screamed, trying to pull away from the guard who held her. "Stop hurting my mama!"

The elders watched with cold eyes as I collapsed fully to the floor, my body convulsing under the pressure of Maverick's dominance.

"Remember your place," he said quietly, for my ears alone. "You are nothing here."

---

"The Alpha's office needs cleaning," Beta Marcus informed me the next day. "Every surface, every book, every drawer."

I nodded numbly, Mabel safely hidden with an elderly Omega who had shown her kindness.

Maverick's office smelled of him—pine and winter frost, once intoxicating, now suffocating. I dusted his mahogany desk, careful not to disturb the precisely arranged papers.

A leather-bound journal caught my attention as I wiped the shelf behind his desk. It was pushed far back, almost hidden. I glanced at the door before pulling it free.

Mind-link logs. Dating back five years.

My hands trembled as I flipped through the pages. The entries had been altered—ink smudged, words changed. But one thing remained consistent: mentions of search parties being redirected, patrol routes changed.

And beneath it all, the faintest trace of scent—rare herbs that could alter one's natural fragrance. The same herbs Amora used to mimic my jasmine scent.

"She planned it," I whispered to Silver, who stirred weakly within me. "She orchestrated everything."

---

The forest edge was shrouded in shadow when I slipped away to meet Talon. Mabel was asleep in the Omega quarters, the wooden wolf pup clutched to her chest.

"You found something," Talon said as I approached, his amber eyes reflecting moonlight.

I handed him the journal I'd managed to steal. "Look at these entries from five years ago."

His expression darkened as he studied the pages. "These routes... these were the search parties looking for you."

"Amora changed them," I said. "She deliberately sent them away from where I was being held."

Talon's jaw tightened. "The pack is corrupted, Lilith. From top to bottom."

I nodded, the truth settling like ice in my veins. "The mate bond is poisoned beyond repair."

"We need to leave," Talon said quietly. "Both of you."

"How?" The territory was heavily guarded, especially now with my return.

Talon took my hand, his touch warm against my cold fingers. "I have contacts beyond the border. Former packmates who owe me favors."

"Where would we go?"

"Somewhere safe," he promised. "Somewhere Mabel can grow strong without fear."

As we planned our escape in whispers, the moon rose higher in the night sky. For the first time since my return, I felt something beyond pain and betrayal.

Hope.

But as Talon sketched a route on the forest floor, a twig snapped in the distance. We froze, scenting the air.

Someone was coming.

I felt Maverick's eyes on me as I scrubbed the kitchen floors. It was the third time today he'd found some excuse to pass through, his gaze lingering on my bent form before he quickly looked away.

"The floors need to be spotless before the Summit guests arrive," Beta Marcus barked, though his voice lacked its usual conviction.

I kept my head down, focusing on the harsh soap burning my cracked hands. The silver collar around my neck had worn raw skin, a constant reminder of my place.

"Mama works too hard," Mabel whispered to the elderly Omega beside her. The old woman had taken pity on my daughter, allowing her to sit in the corner while I worked.

I heard Maverick's footsteps pause at the doorway. "The kitchen smells like jasmine again," he muttered, almost to himself.

My heart stuttered. The jasmine scent—my scent—had been slowly returning as my body adjusted to the silver collar. It wasn't as strong as before, but it was there, beneath the metallic tang of burning silver.

"Alpha?" Beta Marcus questioned.

Maverick's jaw tightened visibly. "Nothing. Just memories."

But I'd seen something flicker in his eyes—recognition, perhaps. Or longing. His wolf paced restlessly behind those ice-blue eyes, and for a moment, our gazes locked.

Silver stirred within me. *He still feels us.*

"Get out," Maverick ordered suddenly, his voice rough. "All of you. I need a moment."

The kitchen staff scattered, leaving me alone with him. The air thickened with tension as he approached, crouching beside me.

"Why did you really come back?" he asked quietly.

I met his gaze steadily. "This is my home."

His fingers reached out, almost touching my cheek before he jerked back. "Your scent... it's changing."

"The silver can't suppress what the Moon Goddess ordained," I whispered.

Something wild flashed in his eyes—his wolf, fighting against his control. He stood abruptly. "Prepare the VIP guest list for the Alpha Summit. I want every neighboring Alpha King to meet Amora."

---

"The Summit preparations are complete, Alpha," Beta Marcus reported the next morning.

Maverick stood in his office, adjusting his formal Alpha attire. The room gleamed from my thorough cleaning the day before.

"Good. Amora will accompany me as Luna representative."

I kept my eyes down as I entered with a stack of freshly pressed shirts. The silver collar made it difficult to shift, but I'd managed to clean his clothes as ordered.

"Where is Amora?" Maverick asked, noticing her absence.

"Preparing her travel wardrobe, Alpha," I replied mechanically.

He nodded, then turned to me. "While we're gone, you'll take double shifts in the kitchens."

"Double shifts?" I couldn't hide my surprise. "But Mabel—"

"Will be cared for by the Omegas," he cut me off. "And the Omega quarters will receive no firewood until we return."

The cruelty of it stole my breath. Winter had settled in, and the Omega quarters were already freezing. Without firewood...

"Is that all, Alpha?" I managed to ask, my voice steady despite the rage building inside me.

He studied me for a long moment. "Yes. Oh, and Lilith?"

I paused at the door.

"Make sure Amora has everything she needs for the trip."

---

I was elbow-deep in soapy water when Amora slipped into the laundry room. The other workers quickly found excuses to leave, sensing danger.

"You're still here," she observed, circling me like a predator. "Like a bad scent that won't fade."

I said nothing, focusing on my work.

"It's annoying," she continued, examining her perfectly manicured nails. "The way he looks at you sometimes."

My hands stilled in the water. So I wasn't imagining it.

"Kira!" Amora's voice suddenly hardened as she spotted an Omega girl entering with a basket of linens.

The young woman froze, her eyes widening with fear. "Luna Amora."

"Come here," Amora commanded, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

Kira approached cautiously, setting down her basket. She couldn't have been more than sixteen—young, vulnerable, with family members who depended on pack protection.

"I have a special task for you," Amora said, glancing at me meaningfully before leaning close to Kira's ear.

I strained to hear, but Amora's voice was deliberately pitched too low.

Kira's face drained of color. "No, please—my brother, he needs—"

"Your brother will be well taken care of," Amora interrupted smoothly. "Unless, of course, you prefer I mention to Maverick how your family has been stealing from the pack stores?"

Tears filled Kira's eyes. "What do you want me to do?"

Amora smiled, her voice dropping even lower. I caught only fragments: "...wolfsbane..." "...in her food..." "...no one will know..."

Kira's horrified gaze darted to me, then quickly away.

"Do it," Amora commanded, "or your entire family suffers."

As they left, Kira's trembling hands and tear-streaked face told me everything I needed to know.

Something terrible was coming.

My hands were raw and blistered from the scalding water as I finished my second shift in the kitchens. The skin around my silver collar had turned angry red, the metal biting deeper into my flesh with each passing day. But none of that mattered now. All that mattered was getting back to Mabel.

I'd managed to steal a small wool blanket from the laundry room—one of the extras meant for the Alpha's guests. It wasn't much, but it might be enough to keep my little moon warm through another freezing night in the Omega quarters.

"Running somewhere, Omega?" Beta Marcus called as I hurried across the courtyard.

I kept my eyes downcast. "Just returning to my quarters, sir."

He sniffed disapprovingly but waved me away. "Make sure you're back for the pre-dawn cleaning. The Summit guests will be inspecting the grounds tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," I murmured, quickening my pace once I was out of his sight.

The Omega quarters loomed ahead—a stark, stone building set apart from the main pack house. No firewood, Maverick had ordered. No warmth for the daughter he refused to acknowledge.

I pushed open the heavy wooden door, the familiar smell of damp stone and mildew washing over me. But beneath it was something else—something that made Silver rear up in alarm inside me.

*Danger!* my wolf snarled, clawing against the silver collar's suppression.

The scent hit me full force as I stepped inside—acrid, bitter, and unmistakably toxic. Wolfsbane.

"Mabel?" I called, my voice rising with panic. "Mabel, where are you?"

The room was dark, save for a thin shaft of moonlight from the small window. I rushed toward our cot in the corner, the stolen blanket clutched to my chest.

"Mama?" came a weak voice from the shadows. "Mama, I don't feel good."

I dropped to my knees beside the cot. Mabel lay still, her small body rigid beneath the threadbare blanket. Her lips were stained purple, her skin ashen in the dim light.

"Oh, my little moon," I whispered, gathering her into my arms. "What happened?"

"The nice lady brought me soup," she murmured, her eyes unfocused. "It tasted funny."

My blood turned to ice. Kira. Amora. The wolfsbane.

"Stay with me, Mabel," I said, laying her flat on the cot. I began compressions on her tiny chest, counting desperately under my breath.

"One, two, three, four..." My tears fell onto her still face. "Please, Moon Goddess, please."

Silver howled within me, her anguish matching my own. *Fight, pup! Fight!*

"Five, six, seven..." I tilted Mabel's head back, pinched her nose, and breathed into her mouth. "Eight, nine, ten..."

Nothing. No response. Her small hands clutched the wooden wolf pup Talon had carved for her, the toy now staining with purple from her fingers.

"No," I sobbed, collapsing beside her. "No, no, no!"

I gathered her lifeless body into my arms, rocking back and forth on the cold stone floor. My tears fell onto her peaceful face, but there was no answer.

*Mine!* Silver roared inside me. *They took ours!*

The door creaked open sometime later. Talon's scent—cedarwood and earth—filled the room before he did.

"Lilith?" he called softly. "I brought some food for—"

He stopped dead in the doorway, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. "Moon Goddess, no."

I looked up at him, still cradling Mabel's body. I felt hollow, emptied of everything but a cold, growing certainty.

"They poisoned her," I said, my voice eerily calm. "Wolfsbane. Amora ordered it."

Talon dropped to his knees beside me, his face contorted with grief and rage. "We need to leave," he urged, reaching for my arm. "Now, tonight. Before they realize what they've done."

I stared down at Mabel's peaceful face, then back at Talon. Something had shifted inside me—the last remnant of hope extinguished, replaced by something darker, colder.

"No," I said, my eyes glowing with an unnatural amber light. "I'm not leaving."

"Lilith—"

"I'm going to burn this pack to the ground," I continued, my voice steady and terrible. "I'm going to take everything from them, just as they took everything from me."

Talon's eyes widened as he saw the change in me—the tears dried up, the grief crystallizing into something lethal.

"Starting with Maverick," I whispered, clutching Mabel tighter. "I will not rest until he pays for what he's done."

Silver's agreement rumbled through my bones, her bloodthirsty roar finally breaking through the silver collar's suppression.

*Vengeance,* she growled. *Blood for blood.*