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.

The fire alarm's shrill wail pierced the air, sending panic rippling through the packhouse. I watched from the shadows as wolves scrambled in all directions, their faces twisted in confusion and fear.

"Fire! Everyone out!" Someone shouted from the main hall.

Perfect timing.

I slipped through the chaos, my footsteps silent as I made my way back to Jonas's office. The hallway was empty now, everyone either fleeing or trying to locate the nonexistent fire.

Leilani burst through the door, her face pale with alarm. "Jonas! There's a fire—"

I moved faster than a human should, closing the distance between us before she could react. My hand shot out, fingers wrapping around my mother's pendant.

"Give it back," I growled, yanking hard.

The chain snapped. Leilani stumbled backward, her eyes wide with shock.

"How dare you!" she shrieked, lunging for the pendant.

I danced away, the silver moon cool against my palm. "This never belonged to you."

"Guards!" she screamed. "She's stealing from me!"

I didn't wait for them to arrive. The nearest exit was ten steps away. I took them in three, bursting through the door into the crisp morning air.

"Stop her!" Leilani's voice echoed behind me.

Snow surged within me, lending me strength I'd suppressed for years. *Run. Hide. Survive.*

The forest welcomed me with open arms. I ducked beneath low-hanging branches, leaped over fallen logs, and plunged deeper into the wilderness that surrounded the pack territory.

Only when I was certain no one followed did I slow, gasping for breath as I leaned against a massive oak tree.

"We can't just leave," I whispered to Snow, clutching the pendant tightly. "Not yet."

*Then what?* Snow's voice was stronger than it had been in years.

I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of my decision settle over me. "We expose them. All of them."

---

The forest grew silent around me as I knelt on the damp earth, pressing my palms against my temples.

"I don't know if this will work," I murmured to Snow. "It's been so long..."

*It will work,* she insisted. *Blood calls to blood.*

I took a deep breath and reached for the mental connection I'd severed three years ago. The pain was immediate—a searing agony that tore through my skull as I forced open a link that had been dormant for too long.

"Axel," I projected, my mental voice trembling. "Axel, can you hear me?"

Silence stretched for one heartbreaking moment. Then—

*"CAMILLE!"*

His roar nearly knocked me unconscious. The force of his presence crashed through me like a tidal wave.

*"Where are you? What have you done to yourself? Why haven't you—"*

"Stop," I gasped, tears streaming down my face. "Please, just stop."

His mental voice gentled instantly. *"Little moon, where are you? Tell me how to find you."*

"I was wrong," I whispered, both aloud and through the link. "I was so wrong to leave. I'm ready to come home, Axel. But I need help."

*"Tell me what you need."* His voice was deadly calm now.

"Bring the army," I said simply.

The silence that followed was different—charged with a promise of retribution.

*"Hold on,"* Axel's voice thundered through my mind. *"I am coming."*

---

The morning of the Marking Ceremony dawned bright and clear—a stark contrast to the storm brewing within me.

I stood in the Omega quarters, dressed in the plain gray uniform Jonas had ordered me to wear. Two Delta guards flanked the door, their expressions grim.

"Time to go," one said, grabbing my arm roughly.

They marched me through the packhouse, past wide-eyed Omegas and smirking higher ranks. The great hall had been transformed—silver and blue decorations hung from every surface, a mockery of royal Lycan colors.

Jonas waited at the center of the room, resplendent in ceremonial robes. Beside him stood Leilani, draped in white silk that made her look like a cheap imitation of a Luna.

"Ah, there she is," Jonas's voice rang out as I was dragged forward. "Our former... whatever she was."

Laughter rippled through the assembled pack members.

"Bring her closer," Jonas ordered. "I want her to have a front-row seat."

The guards shoved me forward until I stood directly before the ceremonial podium.

"Kneel," Jonas commanded, his Alpha tone pressing down on me.

I fought against it, letting just enough resistance show in my eyes to make him narrow his gaze.

"Watch and learn," he hissed, leaning close enough that only I could hear. "Watch and learn what a real Luna looks like."

Behind him, Leilani's lips curved in a triumphant smile.

What neither of them noticed was the faint tremor that had begun to shake the ground beneath our feet—the first sign of an approaching army.

"What a real Luna looks like," I repeated softly, my eyes flashing silver for just a moment.

Jonas's smirk faltered as he felt the vibrations beneath his feet.