Elena POV:

My hands were on fire. The Wolfsbane was working its way into my bloodstream, sending spikes of agony up my arms.

Jackson was cradling Joey, checking for injuries that didn't exist. "Jackson, please," I whispered.

He stood up, towering over me. The air in the room grew heavy, dense with his power.

"Silence!" he bellowed. "Submit!"

The command slammed into me like a physical blow. My knees hit the floor hard. My inner wolf whimpered and forced my head down, exposing my neck. I had no control.

"You will apologize to him," Jackson commanded. His voice was robotic, as if the words were being fed to him.

"I... didn't..." I tried to fight the command. Sweat broke out on my forehead.

"Apologize!"

The word vibrated through my bones.

"I'm sorry," I choked out.

"She tried to hurt the future Alpha," Candida said smoothly. "Maybe she has gone Rogue in her mind."

Jackson looked at her, and his expression softened instantly. It was terrifying-one moment a beast, the next a puppet.

"You are right," he muttered. He looked back at me with pure disdain. "Clean this mess up. Then stay in your room."

"But Jackson, the boy is scared," Candida said. "We cannot stay in the guest wing. It is too far from you."

"Take the guest room next to mine," Jackson said. "I will protect you."

He scooped Joey up and left. He didn't look back at his mate, kneeling on the floor with chemically burned hands.

I dragged myself to the bathroom. I had to bite a towel to keep from screaming as I washed the Wolfsbane off. The water felt like acid. I wrapped the raw meat in gauze, shaking uncontrollably.

I curled up on the tiles. I tried to reach for the bond. It was black. Withered.

Then, the sounds started.

The guest room shared a wall with my bedroom.

I heard the bed creak. I heard Candida giggle. "Oh, Alpha... you are so strong."

I heard Jackson groan.

My mate was mating with another woman twenty feet away.

"Candida..." he moaned. "My Luna."

The name tore through me sharper than the silver dagger.

My inner wolf stopped whimpering. She went completely silent. It was the silence of a heart stopping.

Jackson, I thought, but the Mind-Link was blocked by a wall.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling. The bond didn't just break. It dissolved.

I felt lighter, in a terrible, empty way. The love I had held for five years drained out, leaving nothing but cold resolve.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow I would execute the plan.

Elena POV:

The morning sun felt like a mockery. I moved like a ghost, bandaged hands hidden in my hoodie.

"We are going out," Jackson announced. "A family outing. To the mall."

"And you are coming," he added. "We need to show the pack we are united."

United. The word tasted like ash.

We drove to the city. I sat in the back. Candida sat in the front passenger seat-the Luna's seat.

At the mall, we went into a high-end jewelry store.

"Something for the lady?" the clerk asked.

"Yes," Jackson said. "Something blue. To match her eyes."

He picked out a sapphire necklace. I could sense the hum of magic coming from it. A Protection Spell. Why would an Alpha buy a spell-bound necklace? Unless he wasn't the one choosing it.

"And for... her?" the clerk pointed at me.

Jackson glanced at me dismissively. "Just give her that diamond stud. The small one."

Jackson fastened the sapphire around Candida's neck. "Perfect," he whispered.

"I will wait outside," I said, suffocating.

I walked onto the sidewalk. Jackson and Candida came out a moment later.

"Elena, wait!" Jackson called out, annoyed.

I turned.

Suddenly, tires screeched. A delivery truck had lost control, careening sideways, heading straight for us.

"Jackson!" I screamed.

He looked up. He had super-speed. He could save someone.

He lunged.

But not for me.

He threw his body over Candida, pushing her clear.

The bumper hit me.

The impact was like a wrecking ball. I heard the snap of my ribs. I was thrown backward, slamming into the brick wall.

I slid down. My vision swam. My chest was caved in.

Through the haze, I saw Jackson. He had taken a glancing blow to his leg. He was crawling. Dragging his broken leg.

Toward Candida.

She was standing there, completely unharmed, clutching her sapphire necklace.

"Candida! Are you hurt?" Jackson screamed, panic in his voice. He didn't even look at me.

He wrapped his arms around her legs, sobbing. "Thank the Goddess."

I lay against the cold brick. A piece of metal was embedded in my thigh.

He chose her. In the face of death, instinct doesn't lie.

Something inside me clicked. The final thread snapped.

I didn't call for help. I used the wall to push myself up. Every movement was agony. My ribs ground together like gravel.

I turned my back on them.

I limped away into the crowd, leaving a trail of blood. He wouldn't follow. He wouldn't even notice I was gone until he needed a scapegoat.

Elena POV:

I collapsed in an alleyway. My phone buzzed.

Where are you? Come back immediately. Candida needs you.

He didn't ask if I was alive. I laughed, a wet, gurgling sound.

Minutes later, the pack SUV skidded to a halt. Jackson hadn't come. He sent his Beta, Marcus.

"Get in," Marcus said, grim. "Alpha's orders."

"I... need... a hospital," I gasped.

"We are going to the Infirmary. Candida fainted. She needs blood."

I froze. "What?"

"She lost blood from a scratch. Her blood type is rare. Rh-Null. You are the only match. Get in."

They dragged me into the car.

At the infirmary, Jackson was pacing. His leg was already healing.

"Where have you been?" he shouted. "Candida is weak!"

"Jackson," I whispered, pointing to my chest. "My ribs..."

"Stop making excuses!" he roared. He grabbed my arm, right over a bruise. "She is the future of this pack! Do your duty!"

They strapped me to a chair. They stuck a thick needle into my vein.

I watched my red blood flow out, into the bag for the woman who stole my life.

After the bag was full, they unstrapped me. I was dizzy, vision tunneling.

"Go sit with her," Jackson ordered. "I have to deal with the police report."

I stumbled into Candida's private room. She was sitting up, looking rosy. The "scratch" was gone.

"You look terrible," she smirked.

"Why?" I asked hoarsely.

She leaned forward. Her eyes flashed green.

"Because I am hungry," she whispered. "And your Alpha is a feast of energy. I will suck him dry, and then I will destroy this pack."

"Witch."

"Shh."

Joey walked in, holding a silver fruit knife. He looked at me, then at the knife.

"Joey, no."

He lunged.

I was weak, drained, and broken. But I dodged. Joey threw himself against the wall and dropped the knife, screaming.

"She tried to stab me! Daddy!"

Jackson burst in. He didn't ask questions. His aura exploded.

It hit me like a hammer. I flew backward, slamming into the cabinets. Glass shattered. I coughed up blood.

"Take her," Jackson said to Marcus. "Lock her in her room. Pack Discipline."

Marcus grabbed me. But as they dragged me down the hallway, I saw men in black masks near the exit. Rogues.

Marcus shoved me out the back door. "Sorry, Luna."

Before we reached the house, the Rogues jumped Marcus. They grabbed me.

"Is this the one?"

"Yes. The client said to make it hurt. Use the silver chains."

They slapped a collar around my neck. Pure silver. It sizzled, cutting off my connection to my wolf completely.

"Who sent you?" I gasped.

"The new Luna. She wants you gone before the Alpha changes his mind."

I closed my eyes and reached out with my mind, past the pain.

Hamilton, I projected with my last ounce of strength. It is time.

I am coming, his voice roared back. Hold on, Elena.