The grandfather clock in the hallway struck midnight as I slipped through the darkened corridors of the packhouse. My footsteps were silent—three years of moving like a human hadn't erased my Lycan grace. The Alpha's office door loomed ahead, cracked open just enough for a sliver of light to escape.

I hesitated, my hand hovering over the polished wood. Snow stirred restlessly within me.

*Go on. You deserve answers.*

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open.

Jonas sat behind his desk, papers spread before him. He didn't look up when I entered.

"I can smell her on you," I said quietly.

His head snapped up, eyes narrowing. "What are you doing here?"

"I said I can smell her on you." I stepped closer, inhaling deeply. "That perfume... it's not natural, Jonas."

"What are you talking about?" He stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor.

"Leilani's scent." I moved around the desk, my nose twitching as I detected something beneath the cloying sweetness. "There's a chemical undertone. It's not a real wolf scent."

Jonas's face darkened. "You're just jealous because she's everything you're not."

"Everything I'm not?" The words stung more than they should have.

"A powerful she-wolf. A worthy Luna." He stepped closer, his breath hot against my face. "Not a wolfless nobody who can't even shift."

I flinched as if he'd slapped me. "Jonas, please. Just listen—"

"No, you listen." His voice dropped to a dangerous growl. "Hand over the keys to the master bedroom. Leilani's moving in tomorrow."

The request hit me like a physical blow. "You can't be serious."

"Deadly serious." He held out his hand. "You've had three years to prove yourself useful. Now it's her turn."

I backed away, my fingers curling into fists. "This isn't you."

"This is exactly who I am." His eyes gleamed with a cruelty I'd never seen before. "Now get out."

---

The basement vault was cool and dimly lit, the air heavy with the scent of old paper and metal. I'd come here dozens of times over the years, always careful to cover my tracks. Tonight was different—tonight I was searching for betrayal.

The financial records were kept in a locked cabinet behind the emergency supplies. My fingers trembled as I dialed the combination—Jonas's birthdate, ironically enough.

"No trade deals," I whispered as I flipped through the ledger. "None at all."

The pages showed a very different story than the one Jonas had told the pack. No new alliances. No Southern Pack agreements. Just withdrawals—large, frequent withdrawals from the emergency fund.

My emergency fund.

I traced the numbers with my fingertip, each one representing a piece of my dowry that I'd secretly funneled into saving this pack. Fifty thousand here. Twenty thousand there. All gone.

"The Black Diamond necklace—fifty thousand dollars." My voice cracked as I read the entry. "The ruby earrings—another thirty thousand."

Bonding gifts. For Leilani.

Snow howled in rage within me. *They're stealing from us! From YOU!*

I slammed the ledger shut, my hands shaking with fury and betrayal. Three years of sacrifice reduced to nothing more than a shopping spree for his new mistress.

---

"Scrub harder, human."

Leilani's voice cut through the steam rising from the kitchen floor. I kept my head down, focusing on the stubborn stain I'd been attacking for the past hour.

"I said scrub harder!" She kicked the bucket beside me, sending dirty water splashing across my jeans.

I looked up slowly, meeting her gaze. "I am."

"Pathetic." She leaned against the counter, arms crossed over her chest. "Do you know how amusing it is to watch you? Playing house with a man who could never truly want you."

My scrub brush stilled. "What?"

"Jonas." Her lips curled into a cruel smile. "He's so easy to manipulate. So desperate for validation that he'd believe anything I tell him."

"Like what?"

"Like I secured trade deals." She laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "Like I'm worthy of being Luna while you're just... this." She gestured dismissively at my soaked clothes and red hands.

"You find him pathetic?" I stood slowly, the brush dripping water onto the floor.

"Useful." She stepped closer, her eyes glittering with malice. "But pathetic nonetheless."

Something snapped inside me then—a leash breaking, a cage door swinging open. Snow surged forward, and I felt my eyes burn silver.

"Is that so?" My voice was deeper than usual, laced with a growl that made Leilani step back.

For a split second, fear flashed across her face as she stared into my eyes.

"What are you?" she whispered.

I said nothing, letting the silver glow fade slowly as I resumed my scrubbing.

Leilani retreated, her confidence shaken. "This isn't over," she hissed before fleeing the kitchen.

I watched her go, Snow's satisfaction rumbling through my chest.

*Soon,* I promised her. *Soon we won't have to pretend anymore.*

The morning sun filtered through the windows of the packhouse as I hurried down the corridor with a stack of freshly laundered linens. Three days had passed since the feast, and each one had brought new humiliations. Today was the monthly pack inspection—a chance for Jonas to show off the improvements to visiting dignitaries.

"Camille!" Elena's voice called from behind. "Can you help me with these?"

I turned to see her struggling with an armful of cleaning supplies.

"Of course," I replied, shifting my load to one arm.

As I reached for her supplies, a figure appeared at the top of the grand staircase—Leilani, resplendent in a crimson dress that hugged every curve.

"Perfect timing," she purred, her eyes locking with mine.

Something in her gaze made my skin crawl. Snow stirred restlessly within me.

*Watch her,* Snow warned. *She's planning something.*

I straightened, clutching the linens tighter. "What do you want, Leilani?"

"Me?" She descended one step at a time, like a predator stalking prey. "I just wanted to check on our little... housekeeper."

The sweetness in her voice was venomous. Behind her, I could see Jonas approaching from the main hall, flanked by two visiting Alphas from neighboring packs.

"Ah, there he is," Leilani whispered, her eyes darting to Jonas.

In that moment, I saw it—the calculation, the trap about to spring.

"Camille," she said loudly, "you really should be more careful with those stairs. They can be so... slippery."

Before I could respond, Leilani's foot caught on nothing—a perfectly executed stumble. Her body pitched forward, arms flailing dramatically as she tumbled down the stairs with a shriek that could wake the dead.

"Camille pushed me!" she wailed as she landed in a crumpled heap at the bottom. "She tried to kill me!"

Jonas rushed forward, his face contorted with rage. "What happened?"

"I didn't—" I began, but Leilani's sobs drowned me out.

"She pushed me!" Leilani clutched her ankle, tears streaming down her face. "I felt her hands on my back!"

"I was nowhere near her," I protested, looking to Jonas for reason.

His eyes had turned to ice. "You jealous little—"

"Jonas, please," I whispered. "Think about this."

"KNEEL!"

The Alpha command hit me like a physical blow. The air around me thickened, pressing down on my shoulders with invisible weight.

Every wolf in the vicinity dropped to their knees instantly. Every wolf except me.

For one heartbeat, I remained standing.

Jonas's eyes widened in shock. "What the—"

I felt Snow rising within me, fighting against the command. My Lycan blood rebelled against submitting to an inferior Alpha.

*No,* I told her. *Not yet.*

With tremendous effort, I forced myself to one knee, head bowed in false submission. The pressure eased slightly.

"Better," Jonas growled, unaware of the battle raging inside me.

Leilani's eyes narrowed at my delayed response, suspicion flickering across her face.

"Jonas," she whimpered, "my ankle... I think it's broken."

"Let me see," he murmured, kneeling beside her.

I remained on one knee, my body trembling with the effort of containing Snow's fury.

---

The training grounds buzzed with activity as pack members gathered in a circle. At the center stood Jonas, his arm around Leilani's waist as she leaned on him dramatically.

"Bring her here," Jonas ordered.

Two Deltas seized my arms, dragging me forward until I stood before him.

"Camille Moore," Jonas announced to the assembled pack, "you have shown yourself to be a danger to this pack and its members."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some faces showed sympathy, others disgust.

"From this moment forward," he continued, "you are stripped of all remaining privileges."

Leilani's lips curved in a triumphant smile.

"You will no longer be permitted to enter the main house without escort," Jonas declared. "You will sleep in the Omega quarters and perform only the most menial tasks."

Each word was a lash against my pride. I kept my eyes downcast, hiding the silver glow I knew was building.

"And to ensure your compliance," Jonas's voice dropped to a dangerous growl, "you will serve as a personal attendant at my Marking Ceremony with Leilani in three days' time."

Gasps echoed around the circle. The Marking Ceremony was sacred—for me to serve at Jonas's ceremony with another woman was the ultimate humiliation.

"Do you understand?" Jonas demanded.

I raised my eyes to meet his, forcing Snow's power to remain hidden. "Yes, Alpha."

"Good." He turned to address the pack. "Let this be a lesson. No one is above pack law—not even those who once held positions of... convenience."

As the crowd dispersed, whispering among themselves, I caught Elena's eye. She gave me a small nod of encouragement before being ushered away.

Leilani hobbled toward me on Jonas's arm, her "injured" ankle somehow supporting her weight when no one else was watching.

"Three days," she whispered. "Three days until you watch me take everything that should have been yours."

I said nothing, but inside, Snow was no longer howling for release.

She was planning.

The Omega quarters were located in the farthest corner of the packhouse—a damp, moldy basement space that smelled of mildew and despair. Two Delta warriors shoved me through the doorway, their hands rough against my shoulders.

"Home sweet home," one sneered before slamming the door behind me.

I stumbled forward, catching myself against a rickety table. The single bulb hanging from the ceiling flickered, casting eerie shadows across rows of narrow cots. Most were empty—it was midday, and the Omegas were working.

"Camille?"

I turned to find Elena approaching, her kind face creased with concern. She carried a small first aid kit.

"They actually did it," she muttered, guiding me to sit on the edge of a cot. "I never thought Jonas would go this far."

"I didn't either," I admitted as she gently dabbed antiseptic on the bruise forming on my cheek.

Elena's hands were warm and steady. "This isn't right," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Everyone knows it's not right."

"What do you mean?"

She glanced toward the door before leaning closer. "Many of us know, Camille. We know who truly cares for this pack. Who works tirelessly without recognition."

My breath caught. "You know?"

"That you're more than what you pretend to be?" Elena's eyes held mine. "That you've been the one holding this pack together while Jonas takes the credit?"

I looked away, unsure how to respond.

"It's in the small things," she continued, applying a bandage to my knuckles. "The way you remember everyone's birthdays. How you stayed up three nights straight when Delta Ryan's pup was sick. The extra food that appears in the Omegas' pantry when winter gets tough."

Tears pricked my eyes. "It doesn't matter now."

"It matters to us." Elena squeezed my hand. "But we're too afraid to speak up. Jonas has become... unpredictable."

---

That night, I lay awake on the thin mattress, listening to the snores of the other Omegas. The damp chill seeped through the walls, making me pull the threadbare blanket tighter around my shoulders.

*Enough.*

Snow's voice echoed through my mind, stronger than it had been in years.

"We can't," I whispered back. "Not yet."

*We've given enough!* Snow thrashed against the mental barriers I'd constructed. *He's broken every promise. He's disgraced our bond.*

I pressed my palms against my temples, trying to calm her. "Just a little longer."

*No more!* The force of her rage shook me to my core. *He has broken the bond. We owe him nothing.*

For the first time in three years, I didn't try to silence her. Instead, I let her words wash over me, each one striking a chord of truth.

"He never deserved us," I whispered into the darkness.

*Never,* Snow agreed, her presence warming me from within. *We've sacrificed everything for a man who sees us as nothing.*

I sat up slowly, a strange calm settling over me. The silver glow of my eyes reflected in the small window across the room.

"You're right," I said softly. "It's time to go."

---

The main house was quiet as I slipped through the shadows the next morning. I needed just one thing—my mother's moon pendant, the only heirloom I'd brought from the Royal Territory.

I knew exactly where I'd hidden it—beneath the loose floorboard under my old bed in what had once been our shared bedroom.

The hallway stretched before me, empty and silent. Most of the pack was at morning training. I pressed myself against the wall, moving silently toward the Alpha's wing.

The door to Jonas's office was ajar. I paused, listening for any movement inside.

"—can't believe how much this cost." Leilani's voice drifted through the gap. "Fifty thousand just for a necklace?"

"Only the best for my Luna," Jonas replied, his tone smug.

I peered through the crack and froze.

Leilani stood before the mirror, my mother's silver moon pendant gleaming against her throat.

"That's not yours," I said, stepping into the room without thinking.

They both turned, startled by my intrusion.

"Camille!" Jonas recovered quickly, his expression hardening. "You're not allowed in this wing."

I ignored him, my eyes fixed on the pendant—the crescent moon with the tiny diamond stars that had been passed down through generations of Lycan royalty.

"Take it off," I said quietly.

Leilani's hand rose to touch the pendant, her lips curving into a cruel smile. "This? You mean this trinket Jonas gave me?"

"That's not a trinket. It's my mother's pendant. My heritage." My voice trembled with barely controlled rage.

"Finders keepers, you useless pet." Leilani turned back to the mirror, admiring her reflection. "Though I can't imagine why you'd want it back. It's not like you have any real power to pass down."

Jonas stepped between us, his eyes cold. "Get out, Camille. Before I make your punishment worse."

I stood my ground, something fierce and primal rising within me as I stared at the woman wearing my birthright around her neck.