The Pack Council chamber doors loomed before me, their polished oak surface gleaming under the harsh fluorescent lights. I could hear the murmur of voices inside—the monthly territory dispute meeting was already underway. My heart hammered against my ribs as I straightened my shoulders and reached for the handle.

*You can do this,* my wolf urged. *We deserve to be heard.*

I pushed the door open with more force than necessary, the sudden silence falling like a physical weight as every head turned toward me.

"Charlotte?" Oliver's voice carried a note of surprise that didn't reach his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

The council members—twelve of the pack's highest-ranking wolves—stared at me with expressions ranging from curiosity to outright disapproval. I recognized Marcus, my uncle and the eldest council member, sitting to Oliver's right. His face remained carefully neutral.

"I need to speak," I said, my voice stronger than I expected. "About the security breaches."

Oliver's smile didn't waver, but something cold flickered in his eyes. "This is a closed meeting, Luna. We're discussing sensitive territory matters."

"I found evidence," I continued, ignoring his dismissal. My fingers trembled slightly as I pulled the crumpled receipt from my pocket. "There's a rogue scent on your clothes, Oliver. And this—a bracelet you never gave me."

A ripple of whispers spread through the room. Oliver's expression shifted to one of pity so convincing that for a moment, I almost believed it myself.

"My poor Luna," he said softly, looking around at the council members. "She's been under so much stress lately. Her wolf has always been... unstable."

"I am not unstable," I snapped, my cheeks burning with humiliation. "I know what I smelled."

Oliver's eyes hardened. He nodded once to Jones, who had been standing by the wall behind me.

Before I could react, Jones' hand clamped down on my shoulder, his fingers digging painfully into my flesh. "That's enough, Luna," he hissed in my ear.

Oliver stood, his voice dropping into that artificial resonance that made my knees weak. "As your Alpha, I command you to be silent."

The stolen Alpha Command hit me like a physical blow. My throat closed, the words dying on my lips.

"Take her outside," Oliver ordered Jones. "The council has work to do."

Jones' grip tightened as he dragged me toward the door. I struggled against him, but his Beta strength was too much for me. As we reached the threshold, I caught a glimpse of Marcus's face—a flicker of concern quickly masked by diplomatic neutrality.

The door burst open as Jones shoved me through it. We emerged onto the steps of the Pack House, where dozens of pack members had gathered for the monthly meeting announcements.

"Look at your precious Luna," Jones announced, his voice carrying across the crowd. He released me suddenly, and I stumbled forward, falling to my knees in the dirt.

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the onlookers. I looked up to see Oliver watching from the window above, his expression cold and satisfied.

"She's been spreading lies about your Alpha," Jones continued, circling me like a predator. "Questioning his leadership. Threatening pack stability."

"No," I managed to whisper, though the Alpha Command still restricted my voice. "That's not true."

Jones grabbed my hair, yanking my head back so I was forced to look up at the window where Oliver stood. "Your Luna needs to learn her place."

With a final shove, he left me kneeling in the dirt as the crowd dispersed, their whispers following them like smoke.

I don't know how long I knelt there before finding the strength to stand. My legs shook as I made my way across the compound toward the Pack Hospital—a small, modern building where my father had lain unconscious for ten years.

The antiseptic smell hit me as I pushed open the door, but before I could take three steps, two massive wolves blocked my path. I recognized them immediately—Oliver's personal enforcers, Garrett and Liam.

"Luna Charlotte," Garrett said, not bothering to hide his contempt. "You're not allowed here."

"Not allowed?" I echoed incredulously. "That's my father."

"Acting Alpha Oliver has issued a new decree," Liam stated flatly. "You're considered a stressor to Alpha Robert's condition. No visitation permitted."

The floor seemed to tilt beneath me. "He can't do that."

"He's the Acting Alpha," Garrett replied with a shrug. "And he says your presence agitates Alpha Robert's wolf, hindering his recovery."

I stared at them in disbelief, then looked past them toward the hallway that led to my father's room. For ten years, I'd visited him daily. Now, like everything else in my life, that right had been stripped away.

"You're a prisoner in your own pack," Liam said quietly, almost as if he felt sorry for me.

As the hospital door closed in my face, I realized with startling clarity that he was right.

The sound of tires on gravel jerked me from my thoughts as I sat on the bench outside the Pack Hospital, still reeling from being barred from my father's room. A sleek black SUV with tinted windows pulled up to the entrance, and my wolf stirred with sudden alertness.

*Someone powerful is here.*

The driver's door opened first, and a tall figure stepped out. Even after all these years, I recognized him instantly. Seth Duncan. His broad shoulders and chiseled jawline were exactly as I remembered from our academy days, though now there was an unmistakable aura of authority surrounding him—the mark of a true Alpha.

My heart stuttered painfully in my chest. What was he doing here?

Before I could process his arrival, one of Oliver's enforcers—Garrett—appeared beside me, his hand gripping my arm roughly.

"Back inside, Luna," he growled. "You shouldn't be here."

I winced as his fingers dug into my flesh, but before I could respond, a low rumble cut through the air—a sound so primal and powerful that Garrett immediately froze.

"That's not how you treat a Luna," Seth's voice carried across the courtyard, his Alpha tone making the air vibrate around us.

Garrett's eyes widened as he slowly turned to face Seth. I watched as the color drained from his face.

"A-Alpha Duncan," he stammered, his grip on my arm loosening. "I was just following orders."

Seth's eyes flashed gold as he stalked forward, his aura expanding until even I could feel its pressure. "Your Alpha isn't here to give orders. And even if he were, you'd do well to remember that a Luna commands respect."

With a final growl that sent Garrett stumbling backward, Seth turned to me. For a moment, we simply stared at each other—ten years of separation collapsing into nothing.

"Charlotte," he said softly, my name on his lips sending an unwelcome shiver down my spine.

"Seth," I replied, hating how my voice trembled. "What are you doing here?"

"Border treaty negotiations," he said smoothly, though his eyes never left mine. "But it seems I arrived at an interesting moment."

---

The guest house on the edge of our territory was small but elegant—a neutral space where visiting Alphas could stay without formally entering another pack's domain. Seth had insisted on bringing me here after witnessing my humiliation.

"You need sanctuary," he said as we sat across from each other at the small dining table. "At least until we sort this out."

"I don't need charity," I snapped, then immediately regretted my tone. "I'm sorry. I just... I've been alone with this for so long."

Seth's expression softened. "You're not alone anymore, Charlotte."

The way he said my name—like it was something precious—made my wolf stir restlessly.

"I've heard rumors," he continued, leaning forward. "About Oliver. About your father. I came to investigate, but seeing you there..."

"You believe me?" I asked, hardly daring to hope.

"Yes." His simple answer felt like a lifeline. "And I can help you. Legal counsel. Protection. Whatever you need."

For the first time in years, a male was validating my instincts instead of suppressing them. Tears pricked at my eyes before I could stop them.

"We need to gather evidence," I said quickly, changing the subject before I embarrassed myself further. "If Oliver is working with rogues—"

"Then we'll find proof," Seth finished. "Together."

His hand covered mine on the table, and the contact sent electricity racing up my arm. I pulled away, unsettled by my reaction.

"This is just strategic," I said firmly, more to myself than to him.

Seth's mouth quirked in a half-smile that reminded me painfully of our academy days. "Of course."

---

With Seth's delegation creating a diplomatic distraction for Oliver and Jones, I slipped through the service entrance of the Pack Hospital. The corridors were quiet, most of the staff attending to patients in the main wing.

I found Elena in her office, hunched over a microscope. She looked up as I entered, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Luna Charlotte," she whispered, glancing nervously at the door. "You shouldn't be here."

"I need answers, Elena," I said, closing the door behind me. "About my father."

Something shifted in her expression—fear giving way to resolve. She moved to a locked cabinet and produced a key from around her neck.

"I've been waiting for you to ask," she said quietly, unlocking the cabinet to reveal several vials of blood. "For ten years, I've been testing your father's samples."

She handed me a file filled with medical charts and chemical analyses. "It's Wolfsbane. Diluted, masked by alcohol—specifically in that imported whiskey Oliver brings him every night."

My hands trembled as I flipped through the pages. "You knew?"

"I suspected," Elena admitted, her voice breaking. "But Oliver controlled everything—the tests, the treatments. He said I was imagining things, that my healing abilities were failing me."

"Not anymore," I said, a new determination hardening within me. "We have proof now."

As Elena nodded, a shadow passed across her face. "Be careful, Charlotte. If Oliver discovers we know..."

"He won't," I promised, though we both knew it was a lie. The game had changed, and Oliver would do anything to protect his secrets.

Including eliminating anyone who stood in his way.