Greyson's laugh cut through the tension like a blade. Sharp. Mocking.

"You want her?" He stepped closer, his boots crunching on gravel. "You want this broken thing? This mad rogue who can't even shift?"

The black wolf—Reynolds, Greyson had called him—didn't flinch. His body stayed between us, a wall of muscle and barely contained fury.

"She's yours," Greyson said, his voice dripping contempt. "Take her. I'm done wasting resources on damaged goods."

Something in my chest cracked. Damaged goods. That's all I was to him now.

Reynolds shifted back to human form. His voice was low, dangerous. "Name your price."

Greyson's smile widened. He'd been waiting for this. "The eastern border. Five miles of Silver Lake territory. Sign it over, and she's yours."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd of Alphas outside. Five miles was a fortune. Hunting grounds. Water rights. Power.

Reynolds didn't hesitate. "Done."

The word hit me like a slap. He was buying me. Trading land for a broken omega he didn't even know. Why?

Greyson's expression flickered—surprise, then something uglier. He'd expected negotiation. Expected Reynolds to walk away. Instead, he'd lost territory and looked weak doing it.

"Beta Kane will draw up the papers," Greyson said, his jaw tight. "Take her and go."

Reynolds moved. He crouched beside the ruined cage, his hands reaching for me. I flinched hard, my body slamming back against the bars. Every instinct screamed danger. Men who touched me brought pain.

He froze. His hands hovered in the air, not touching, not forcing.

"I won't hurt you," he said. His voice was soft. Careful. Like I was something precious instead of broken. "I'm going to carry you out of here. Is that okay?"

No one had asked my permission for anything in five years.

I managed a tiny nod.

His arms slid under me, gentle as a whisper. He lifted me like I weighed nothing, cradling me against his chest. The vanilla scent wrapped around me, warm and safe. My body went rigid, waiting for the pain that always came.

It didn't come.

He carried me through the crowd. Alphas stepped back, their faces a mix of curiosity and disgust. I kept my eyes down, my fingers clutching the fabric of his shirt. He was warm. Solid. Real.

When we reached his caravan, he set me down on soft cushions inside. Not a cage. A bed. Blankets that smelled like pine and winter air.

"Rest," he said. "We'll be home soon."

Home. The word felt foreign.

The journey blurred. I drifted in and out of consciousness, my body finally giving in to exhaustion. When I woke, we were moving through gates. Silver Lake Pack territory.

The pack house was nothing like Blood River. It was smaller, warmer. Lights glowed in windows. Wolves moved through the grounds without fear, without the rigid hierarchy that had ruled my old life.

Reynolds carried me inside and up a staircase. He pushed open a door to a room that stole my breath. Soft carpet. A massive bed with clean white sheets. Windows overlooking a forest that stretched forever.

"This is yours," he said, setting me down on the bed. "No one will come in without your permission. Not even me."

I stared at him. At this stranger who'd traded land for a broken omega. Who spoke to me like I mattered.

"Why?" The word scraped out of my throat.

His eyes met mine. Gold and warm and impossibly gentle. "Because you're my mate. My true mate. And I've been searching for you for a very long time."

The world tilted.

He moved toward me with a cloth and water basin. "Let me clean your wounds."

His hand reached for my arm. I jerked back so hard I nearly fell off the bed. My heart hammered. My breath came in short gasps.

He pulled back immediately. No anger. No frustration. Just patience.

"Okay," he said softly. "Okay. I won't touch you."

He set the basin on the nightstand and backed toward the door. Then he grabbed a pillow and a blanket from the closet.

"What are you doing?" I whispered.

"Sleeping here." He gestured to the floor by the door. "So you know you're safe. So you know I'm not going anywhere."

He settled onto the floor, his back against the wall. A powerful Alpha, sleeping on hardwood to make a broken omega feel safe.

Over the next two days, he proved it wasn't an act. He brought me food and set it on the nightstand, never forcing me to eat. When I finally reached for the bread with shaking hands, he smiled like I'd given him the world.

He spoke to me in low, soothing tones. Told me about his pack. About the forest. About nothing and everything. Never demanding answers. Never pushing.

On the third morning, there was a commotion downstairs. Shouting. The sound of someone being dragged.

Reynolds stood, his body going tense. "Stay here."

He left. I heard his voice, sharp with command. Then another voice. One I recognized.

Dr. Thorne.

My blood went cold. I crept to the door, pressing my ear against it.

"I didn't have a choice!" Thorne's voice was high with panic. "She threatened my family!"

"Tell me everything." Reynolds' voice was ice. "Now."

"The pregnancy—it's fake. Scent charms and herbs. I've been lying in every report. And the wolfsbane injections—Camille ordered them. To keep the omega weak. To keep her wolf dormant."

Silence. Heavy and terrible.

"What else?" Reynolds growled.

"Files," Thorne gasped. "Old files about the Moonshadow Luna's death. Greyson tried to burn them, but I saw—it wasn't rogues. It was his father. He orchestrated the whole attack."

The floor disappeared beneath me.

My mother. Greyson's father had killed my mother.

And Greyson knew.

The days passed in a haze of warmth I didn't trust. Ashton—he'd told me his name on the second day—kept his distance but never left. He slept on the floor. Brought me food. Spoke in that low, careful voice that made something in my chest ache.

The wolfsbane was leaving my system. I could feel it. The constant burn in my veins was fading, replaced by something else. Something that felt like life.

Then the storm came.

Thunder cracked across the sky, so loud the windows rattled. Rain hammered against the glass. I was back in the Asylum before I could stop it. Back in that cell with water flooding in, silver chains cutting into my wrists, guards laughing as I screamed.

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't see. My body shook so hard my teeth rattled.

"Lorelei."

Ashton's voice cut through the panic. He was there, kneeling in front of me, his hands hovering near mine. Not touching. Never touching without permission.

"You're safe," he said. "You're here. With me. You're safe."

Another crack of thunder. I flinched, curling into myself.

"Can I touch you?" His voice was steady. Calm. "Just your hand. That's all."

I nodded. Couldn't speak.

His fingers wrapped around mine. Warm. Solid. Real.

The panic didn't disappear, but it shifted. His touch anchored me, pulled me back from the edge. Heat spread from his palm into mine, not burning like wolfsbane, but soothing. Like sunlight after years of darkness.

Then I heard it.

A voice. Faint and weak, like an echo from far away.

*Lorelei.*

I gasped. My free hand flew to my chest.

"What is it?" Ashton's grip tightened. "What's wrong?"

"My wolf," I whispered. "I can hear her."

His eyes went wide. Gold flared in their depths. "Say that again."

"Luna." The name came out broken. "Her name is Luna. She's—she's still there."

Ashton pulled me against his chest. I should have fought. Should have pulled away. But I didn't. I let him hold me while the storm raged outside and my wolf whispered my name over and over, like a prayer.

The next morning, Ashton spread files across the desk in his office. Old papers, yellowed with age. I stood beside him, my legs still shaky but stronger than they'd been in years.

"Thorne gave us everything," Ashton said. His jaw was tight. "Letters. Transaction records. Witness statements."

I picked up the first letter. The handwriting was elegant, controlled. Alpha Montgomery—Greyson's father.

*The Moonshadow Luna must be eliminated. The moonstone mines are too valuable to leave in weak hands. Make it look like a rogue attack. I'll pay triple your usual rate.*

The paper crumpled in my fist.

"There's more," Ashton said quietly. He handed me another document. "Greyson found these three years ago. He knew, Lorelei. He knew what his father did, and he buried it."

I read the note in Greyson's handwriting. *Burn these. The pack's wealth depends on the mines. No one can know.*

My mother's face flashed through my mind. Her smile. Her laugh. The way she'd braided my hair and told me stories about the Moon Goddess.

Greyson had known. He'd known his father murdered her, and he'd chosen money over justice. Over me.

Something inside me snapped.

Heat flooded my body. Not the burn of wolfsbane, but something else. Something wild and fierce and alive.

"Lorelei?" Ashton's hand touched my shoulder. "Your eyes—"

I didn't let him finish. I ran.

Out of the office. Down the stairs. Through the pack house and into the forest. My body moved on instinct, faster than it should have been able to. The trees blurred past me.

I heard Ashton behind me, but I didn't stop. Couldn't stop.

The clearing opened up ahead. Moonlight broke through the clouds, silver and bright.

I fell to my knees. My body convulsed. Bones shifted. Skin rippled.

It hurt. Moon Goddess, it hurt. But it was different from the Asylum. This was transformation, not torture.

I threw my head back and let it happen.

Fur erupted across my skin. My spine lengthened. My hands became paws. The world sharpened—colors brighter, scents stronger, sounds clearer.

When it was done, I stood on four legs.

I looked down at myself. My fur wasn't the dull gray of an omega. It was silver-white, gleaming like moonlight on water. Massive. Powerful.

*We are whole,* Luna whispered in my mind. *We are strong.*

I lifted my head and howled.

The sound tore from my throat, raw and primal. A declaration. A promise. A war cry.

The Silver Lake pack answered. Howls rose from every direction, surrounding me, supporting me.

Ashton shifted beside me. His black wolf was huge, but I matched him in size. He dipped his head, a gesture of respect.

Then he howled with me.

The forest echoed with our voices. With our rage. With our promise of justice.

Greyson had taken everything from me. My mother. My mate bond. My dignity. My sight.

But he hadn't broken me.

I was still here. Still standing. Still fighting.

And I was coming for him.