The guards at the border mind-link me before I see her.

'Luna, there's a situation at the eastern gate. Your sister is requesting entry.'

My sister.

I haven't heard those words in three years. Three years of building something here, of earning respect one small act at a time, of pretending I belong. And now Lainey's back.

My hands freeze over the supply ledgers I've been reviewing. The pen slips from my fingers, leaving an ink blot across the page like a wound.

'Let her in,' I reply, keeping my mental voice steady. 'Escort her to the main hall.'

I should tell Sebastian. But he's in a council meeting with the Betas from the northern territories, and I can handle my own sister. I've been handling her my whole life.

Except I haven't, have I? She's the one who's always handled me.

I smooth down my silk dress—deep blue, expensive, nothing like the rags I wore at the Wood Pack—and make my way to the main hall. My reflection catches in the hallway mirror. I look like a Luna now. Hair pinned up, posture straight, the mark on my neck visible and healed.

I look like everything Lainey was supposed to be.

She's waiting in the center of the hall when I arrive, and the sight of her steals my breath. She's thinner than I remember, her dress worn at the edges, her hair less glossy. But she's still beautiful. Still Lainey.

Derek Henry stands behind her, and he won't meet my eyes.

'Avery.' Lainey's voice drips honey, but her eyes are cold. 'Look at you. Playing dress-up in my life.'

I don't flinch. I've learned not to. 'This is my life, Lainey. You gave it to me, remember?'

'Gave?' She laughs, sharp and bitter. 'You stole it. You knocked me out and took my place at that altar. You stole my mate, my pack, my destiny.'

The lie is so smooth, so practiced, that for a second I almost believe it myself. Almost forget that she's the one who forced me into this, who threatened to let Mom die if I didn't go through with it.

'That's not what happened.'

'Isn't it?' She steps closer, and I smell desperation under her perfume. 'Look at you, Avery. Silk and jewels and a mark on your neck. Meanwhile, I've been struggling to survive with a mate who can't even keep his pack fed.'

Derek flinches behind her, but says nothing.

'I want to see Sebastian,' Lainey continues. 'I want to explain what you did. I want my life back.'

'Sebastian knows exactly what happened.' The words come out stronger than I feel. 'And he's busy.'

'Too busy for his true mate?' Her smile is poison. 'I don't think so.'

Before I can respond, she sweeps past me toward Sebastian's office. I follow, my heart hammering, but she doesn't go to his office. She turns toward the archives instead.

'Lainey, you can't—'

'I'm family, aren't I?' She throws the words over her shoulder. 'Surely I'm allowed to visit the archives. To see the Former Luna. Unless you're afraid of what I might find?'

I am afraid. But I can't show it.

The Former Luna's quarters are in the east wing, and Lainey navigates there like she's been planning this route for months. Maybe she has. When we arrive, Sebastian's mother is taking tea in her sitting room, and her face lights up when she sees Lainey.

'Lainey Wood. What a lovely surprise.'

I stand in the doorway, invisible again. Just like always.

Lainey sinks into a curtsy, all grace and charm. 'Former Luna Pierce. I've been hoping to speak with you. About family matters. About the truth.'

The Former Luna's eyes flick to me, then back to Lainey. 'The truth?'

'About the night Sebastian nearly died.' Lainey's voice drops, intimate and confiding. 'The rogue attack, five years ago. I was there. I'm the one who saved him.'

My blood turns to ice.

'I donated my blood,' Lainey continues, pulling papers from her bag. 'Rare healer blood. The only reason he survived. I have the infirmary records right here.'

She spreads documents across the Former Luna's table. They look official. They look real.

They're lies.

I'm the one who donated blood that night. I'm the one who nearly died giving Sebastian what he needed to survive. But I did it anonymously, through Elena Cross, because I was nobody. Just the Alpha's bastard daughter, worthless and wolfless.

And now Lainey's stealing even that.

'This is remarkable,' the Former Luna breathes, studying the papers. 'You saved my son's life.'

'I did.' Lainey's voice breaks perfectly, tears shimmering in her eyes. 'And then Avery stole my reward. She took my place at the altar. She took everything that should have been mine.'

The Former Luna's gaze shifts to me, and I see it happening. See her belief crystallizing into something hard and cold.

'Is this true, Avery?'

My throat closes. I want to scream that it's all lies, that I'm the one who saved Sebastian, that I've given everything to this pack. But the words won't come.

Because I don't have proof. I never kept proof.

And Lainey does.

'I think,' the Former Luna says slowly, 'we need to have a very serious conversation about who truly belongs at my son's side.'

The pawn broker's shop smells like dust and regret. I stand at the counter, Mom's locket heavy in my palm. It's the only thing I have left of her—silver, tarnished, with a tiny photo of us inside from when I was five. Before everything went wrong.

'How much?' I ask.

The broker examines it through his jeweler's loupe. 'Two thousand. Maybe twenty-five hundred if you're lucky.'

It's not enough. The gala needs at least ten thousand to make the right impression on the rival Alphas. But it's a start, and I've already liquidated everything else I own that has any value.

'I'll take it.'

He counts out the bills, and I watch Mom's face disappear into his drawer. I'm sorry, I think. But you'd understand. You always understood about sacrifices.

I sell three more pieces over the next week—a bracelet, earrings, a ring. Things I've collected over three years as Luna, gifts from pack members who thought I mattered. By the time the gala arrives, I've scraped together enough to cover the catering, the decorations, the musicians. Everything Sebastian needs to broker peace without depleting our war funds.

I don't tell him. He'd refuse the money, and we can't afford his pride right now.

---

The gala is beautiful. Crystal chandeliers cast rainbow light across the ballroom. Wolves from five different packs mingle, their territorial instincts held in check by the promise of alliance. I watch from the sidelines as Sebastian works the room, his presence commanding even among other Alphas.

He's magnificent. And I'm the shadow in the corner, making sure the servers don't run out of wine.

'Ladies and gentlemen,' the Master of Ceremonies announces. 'We have a special acknowledgment to make.'

My stomach drops.

Lainey glides onto the stage, her dress shimmering like moonlight. She's been here all week, playing the gracious guest, and I've felt her watching me. Waiting.

'I want to thank you all for coming,' she says, her voice carrying across the room. 'This treaty represents hope for all our packs. And I'm honored to have contributed to making tonight possible.'

No.

'I donated my personal jewelry collection to fund this event,' she continues, pressing a hand to her heart. 'Family heirlooms, passed down through generations. But peace is worth any price.'

The room erupts in applause. Wolves nod approvingly. Even the rival Alphas look impressed by her 'sacrifice.'

My hands clench at my sides. I want to scream that she's lying, that those were my things, that Mom's locket is probably already melted down for scrap. But Sebastian catches my eye across the room, and something in his expression stops me.

Don't, his look says. Not now.

So I stand there and smile while Lainey accepts praise for my sacrifice. While she basks in gratitude that should be mine. While she takes and takes and takes, just like always.

The treaty gets signed an hour later. Five packs, united against the rogue threat. It's everything we needed.

And it cost me the last piece of my mother.

---

Sebastian's study is dark when he summons me after the gala. He's standing by the window, his back to me, tension radiating from every line of his body.

'You paid for tonight,' he says. Not a question.

I don't answer. There's no point.

He turns, and his eyes are blazing. 'You sold your mother's locket.'

'The treaty—'

'Don't.' His voice cracks like a whip. 'Don't tell me about the treaty. Tell me why you let her take credit. Why you stood there and smiled while she stole from you. Again.'

'Because the treaty mattered more than my pride.'

'Your pride?' He crosses the room in three strides, backing me against the desk. 'This isn't about pride, Avery. This is about survival. Weakness gets wolves killed. Do you understand that?'

I flinch. 'I'm not weak.'

'Then stop acting like it.' His hand slams down on the desk beside me. 'Stop letting people walk over you. Stop sacrificing yourself for wolves who don't deserve it. You think that makes you noble? It makes you a target.'

The words hit like claws. 'So I should be more like Lainey? Take credit for things I didn't do? Lie and manipulate?'

'You should be more like a Luna.' His face is inches from mine now, his breath hot against my skin. 'You should command respect, not beg for it.'

'I never begged—'

'You beg every time you stay silent.' His hand moves to my throat, not squeezing, just resting there over my mark. 'Every time you let her win.'

My heart hammers against my ribs. His thumb traces the mark he gave me three years ago, and heat floods through me. For a moment, I think he's going to kiss me. His eyes drop to my lips, his body pressing closer.

Then he pulls away like I burned him.

'Get stronger, Avery,' he says, his voice rough. 'Or you won't survive what's coming.'

He leaves me there, shaking and confused, wondering if he was trying to protect me or telling me I'm not enough.

Wondering if there's even a difference anymore.

The invitation arrives on cream-colored paper, the Former Luna's seal pressed into crimson wax. Tea. Tomorrow afternoon. Just the two of us.

I stare at it until the words blur. This isn't a social call. It's an interrogation.

---

The Former Luna's sitting room smells like jasmine and judgment. She pours tea with practiced grace, her movements precise as a blade. I sit across from her, my hands folded in my lap to hide their shaking.

'Sugar?' she asks.

'No, thank you.'

She adds three cubes to her own cup, stirring slowly. The spoon clinks against porcelain, each sound deliberate. 'Lainey takes her tea the same way. Sweet. Refined.'

I don't respond. There's nothing to say to that.

'She's quite remarkable, isn't she?' The Former Luna continues, her eyes never leaving my face. 'So generous. Saving my son's life, funding the treaty gala. The kind of Luna this pack deserves.'

My throat tightens. 'I've tried to serve the pack well.'

'Have you?' She sets down her cup. 'Tell me, Avery. Where were you the night of the rogue attack? Five years ago, when Sebastian nearly died?'

The question lands like a punch. 'I... I was at the Wood Pack.'

'Doing what?'

'Taking care of my mother. She was sick.'

'And yet Lainey was here. Donating her blood. Saving Sebastian.' Her voice sharpens. 'Strange, isn't it? That you would end up as his mate when she's the one who gave him life?'

I want to tell her the truth. That I'm the one who donated blood, who begged Elena Cross to keep it anonymous because I was nobody. But Sebastian's words echo in my head. Get stronger. Stop being weak.

If I admit it now, I'll sound desperate. Like I'm making excuses.

'I don't know what Lainey told you,' I say carefully, 'but—'

'She showed me proof. Medical records. Signed documents.' The Former Luna leans forward. 'What do you have, Avery? Besides my son's mark on your neck?'

Nothing. I have nothing.

The silence stretches between us like a chasm. She reads my face, and I watch her decision crystallize. Her expression hardens into something cold and final.

'I think,' she says, 'it's time we corrected a mistake.'

---

The storm hits at midnight. Rain hammers against the windows, and thunder shakes the pack house foundations. Sebastian left hours ago to patrol the eastern border—reports of rogue activity, Marcus said. He'll be gone all night.

I'm reviewing supply reports when the mind-link comes through.

'Luna.' Derek's voice, hesitant. 'I need to speak with you. It's about Lainey. It's urgent.'

I should ignore it. Every instinct screams danger. But if Derek has information about whatever Lainey's planning next, I need to know.

'Where?'

'The library. Please. Come alone.'

The library is dark when I arrive, lit only by a single lamp. Derek stands by the window, his back to me. Rain streams down the glass behind him.

'What is it?' I ask.

He turns, and something's wrong with his eyes. They're too bright, too desperate. 'I'm sorry,' he says.

'Sorry for what?'

He gestures to the table. There's a glass of water there, condensation beading on the sides. 'You should sit. This is... it's complicated.'

I don't sit. 'Just tell me.'

'Please.' His voice cracks. 'Just... have some water. And sit.'

The wrongness intensifies, but I'm tired. Tired of fighting, tired of being afraid. I pick up the glass and take a sip.

The taste hits wrong immediately. Bitter. Metallic.

Wolfsbane.

I drop the glass. It shatters, water spreading across the floor like blood. 'What did you—'

My legs give out. Derek catches me, and I try to fight, but my body won't respond. The wolfsbane works fast, turning my muscles to water.

'I'm sorry,' he says again, and he sounds like he means it. 'I'm so sorry.'

He lowers me to the floor. My vision blurs. I watch through a haze as he pulls off his shirt, as he tears my dress at the shoulder. The fabric rips loud in the quiet.

No. No, no, no.

I try to scream, but nothing comes out. The wolfsbane has stolen my voice, my strength, everything.

Derek positions himself beside me, his face twisted with guilt. 'She said it was the only way,' he whispers. 'She said you'd understand eventually.'

Footsteps echo in the hallway. Multiple sets. Coming closer.

The library doors slam open.

Lainey stands in the doorway, the Former Luna and three pack elders behind her. Her eyes go wide, her hand flying to her mouth in perfect shock.

'Oh my God,' she breathes. 'Avery, what have you done?'

More footsteps. Heavier. I know that tread.

Sebastian appears behind the elders, rain-soaked and furious. His eyes find me on the floor, my dress torn, Derek shirtless beside me.

Everything stops.

'She seduced me,' Derek says, his voice hollow. 'She said she needed to feel wanted. That being wolfless made her desperate for any wolf's touch.'

The lie hangs in the air like poison.

Sebastian's face goes blank. Completely, utterly blank. It's worse than rage. Worse than anything.

'Sebastian,' I try to say, but the wolfsbane steals the words. All that comes out is a broken sound.

Lainey steps forward, tears streaming down her face. 'She's broken the sacred mate bond. She's betrayed you. Betrayed the pack.'

The Former Luna's voice cuts through the chaos. 'The law is clear. A Luna who breaks the mate bond must be rejected and exiled.'

Sebastian's eyes meet mine. For one second, I see something flicker there. Recognition. Understanding.

Then it's gone.

'Everyone out,' he says, his voice dead. 'Now.'