Echo POV:

"Echo, wait, let me explain!" Sam took a step forward, hands raised. He let out a low growl, a subtle use of his Alpha tone intended to make pack members submit. "Calm down."

Usually, the Alpha's voice would make my knees weak. But today, the anger in my blood acted as a shield.

"Don't," I warned him. "Don't you dare use your Voice on me."

I looked at the child, Kitty. She was hiding behind Lily's legs. I inhaled deeply, letting the air flow over my olfactory glands.

Sam smelled of fear and musk. Lily smelled of vanilla and milk. And the child...

I frowned. The child smelled of Sam. It was a thick layer of scent, *like she'd been doused in his cologne or held for hours.* But underneath that... there was no genetic link.

Wolves can smell blood ties. It's biological. A father and daughter share a specific underlying resonance. Kitty didn't have it. *Whatever scent masking Lily was using on the girl was strong, but not perfect.*

"She calls you Daddy," I said quietly. "But she doesn't smell like your blood, Sam."

Sam froze. His eyes darted to Lily.

Lily immediately burst into tears. *It was a practiced, elegant performance.* "How can you say that?" she sobbed, pulling Kitty closer. "Just because you can't have children, Luna Echo, doesn't mean you should deny ours! Are you that jealous?"

"It's true, Echo," Sam said quickly, latching onto the lie. "Kitty is mine. I... I made a mistake five years ago. Before we were 'Chosen'. I didn't want to hurt you."

He was lying. I could smell the acrid tang of deceit rolling off him. He wasn't scared that I would leave him for cheating; he was scared I would leave and take my family's influence with me. My father was a Head Alpha. Sam used that connection for loans and respect.

"You are lying," I said. "And you are pathetic."

"Mommy, I'm scared," Kitty whined.

"It's okay, baby," Lily cooed, glaring at me through her tears. "The bad lady is just upset because she's empty inside."

Something inside me snapped.

"I want you to process the adoption papers," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. "If she is your daughter, make it legal. Stop hiding her like a dirty secret."

"I... yes, of course," Sam stammered, clearly confused by my sudden pivot. "I will."

"I'm going to the car," I said. "Don't follow me."

I turned around. As I walked away, the wind carried the whispers of two low-ranking wolves cleaning the orphanage yard.

*"Did you hear? The Alpha and Lily are registered in the Red Creek Pack. Real mates. They say he's just waiting for the Luna to die or leave."*

My hands gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. The Red Creek Pack. He had a real certificate there.

I sat in the driver's seat, the silence of the car deafening. I reached into my glove box and pulled out a burner phone I had kept for emergencies. I dialed a number I hadn't called in five years.

The screen flickered, and a video call connected.

A face appeared. Stern, scarred, with eyes as grey as a winter storm.

"Echo?" The voice was deep, rumbling like thunder.

"Alpha Father," I whispered. My throat tightened. "I... I want to come home."

My father, the Alpha of the Royal Northern Pack, leaned closer to the camera. He saw my red eyes, the shaking of my shoulders. A low growl started in his chest.

"Who did this?" he demanded. "Is it that mutt you married?"

"I made a mistake, Papa," I sobbed, the first tear finally falling. "I'm not barren. He... he lied. Everything is a lie."

"Pack your things," my father commanded. "I am sending the Elite Guard. They will be there in two days. Do not let him touch you."

"I won't," I promised.

"And Echo?"

"Yes?"

"Let your wolf wake up. You are a White Wolf. *We don't bow to trash.*"

The call ended. I looked in the rearview mirror. My eyes, usually a soft blue, were flashing with a momentary streak of silver.

I drove back to the Pack house. I expected Sam to stay away.

But the next morning, I walked downstairs to find them there. Sam, Lily, and Kitty. Sitting at my dining table. Eating pancakes.

"Good morning, Echo," Sam said, his voice straining for normalcy. "I brought them here. I thought... since you know, we could try to be a family. For the Pack's sake."

*He brought his mistress and his fake child into my home. The audacity was breathtaking.*

*

Echo POV:

The smell of bacon and syrup filled the kitchen, usually a comforting scent, but today it made my stomach churn.

"Sit down, Echo," Sam said, pulling out a chair. He was acting the benevolent Alpha, forcing harmony where there was only betrayal. "Lily made breakfast."

Lily looked up from her plate, eyes wide and innocent. She was wearing one of my old silk robes. "I hope you don't mind, Luna. I didn't have anything comfortable to wear."

I stared at the robe. It was a gift from my mother.

"Take it off," I said.

"Echo!" Sam slammed his hand on the table. "Be reasonable. It's just fabric."

"I want Mommy and Daddy to sleep with me tonight!" Kitty announced loudly, banging her spoon.

Lily hushed her, but shot a smirk in my direction. "Shh, Kitty. The Luna is sensitive."

I ignored them and sat down, mostly because my legs felt weak. My wolf was pacing inside my mind, scratching at the walls of my consciousness, demanding blood. Not yet.

"Here," Lily said, sliding a basket of bread toward me. "I baked this special bread. It has Sweetgrass in it. My grandmother used to say it helps with... fertility issues."

The insult was wrapped in a smile.

I looked at the bread. It looked golden and soft. Sweetgrass was a common herb, harmless.

"I'm not hungry," I said.

"Please, Echo," Sam sighed, looking exhausted. "Lily is trying to make peace. Eat the bread. Show me you can be a Luna who accepts her Pack."

Accepts her Pack. He meant accepts his infidelity.

I reached out. My fingertips brushed the crust of the bread.

Instantly, a sharp, stinging sensation shot up my arm. It felt like I had touched a live wire. My skin burned.

I jerked my hand back.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

I stared at the bread. My wolf snarled. *Poison.*

"That's not Sweetgrass," I whispered, looking at Lily. Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second.

"Of course it is," Lily said, her voice trembling. "I picked it myself."

"It's Wolfsbane," I said, my voice rising.

Wolfsbane. Deadly to our kind. In small doses, it causes sickness and miscarriage. In large doses, it closes the throat and stops the heart.

"You are crazy!" Sam stood up. "Wolfsbane? In the kitchen? Echo, your jealousy has made you insane."

"Touch it, Sam," I challenged him. "If it's Sweetgrass, eat it."

Sam hesitated. He looked at the bread, then at Lily. Lily's eyes were filled with tears again. "She's accusing me of trying to kill her! Sam, I can't stay here! She's dangerous!"

"She is dangerous," Sam agreed, looking at me with disgust. "Echo, you are losing your mind."

"I can smell it!" I screamed. *"The chemical bitterness underneath the sugar! She is poisoning me!"*

"Enough!" Sam roared. He used the Alpha Command. The air in the room grew heavy, pressing down on my shoulders like lead weights. "Silence!"

My mouth snapped shut against my will. The power of the Alpha over a pack member was absolute, unless the member was stronger. And right now, in my weakened state, he was stronger.

"I am taking Kitty upstairs to play," Sam said, his voice cold. "You and Lily will sort this out. Apologize to her, Echo. Or so help me Moon Goddess, I will lock you in your room."

He grabbed Kitty's hand and marched out.

I sat there, fighting the Command, my jaw aching.

As soon as Sam was gone, the tears vanished from Lily's face. She picked up the piece of bread I had touched.

"You have a good nose," she whispered, leaning across the table. "For a barren bitch."

"Why?" I managed to grit out, the Command fading slightly with Sam's distance.

"Because this is my Pack now," Lily hissed. Her eyes flashed yellow-the color of a common wolf. "Sam needs an heir. I gave him a fake one to get in the door. But once you're dead... I'll give him a real one. Or maybe I'll just take his money. Who cares?"

"He will find out," I said.

"He sees what he wants to see," Lily smiled. She stood up and walked around the table to me. "And right now, he sees a crazy, jealous ex-wife."

She grabbed my jaw with surprising strength. "Eat it."

*

Echo POV:

"Get off me!" I tried to shove her away, but the lingering effects of Sam's Alpha Command made my limbs feel like they were moving through molasses.

Lily was an Omega-physically weak-but she was desperate, and I was suppressed. She jammed the bread against my lips.

"Eat it, you useless cow!" she shrieked.

I clamped my mouth shut, turning my head. Crumbs fell onto my lap. My skin blistered where the bread touched my cheek. *It was a high concentration. Pure extract.*

"Stop!" I gasped, finally shoving her back. She stumbled, hitting her hip against the granite island.

She looked at me, then at the knife block on the counter. A wicked idea formed in her eyes.

"You want to play the victim?" she sneered. "Let's give Sam a show."

She grabbed a serrated steak knife. Before I could move, she slashed the blade across her own chest.

Blood-bright red and smelling of copper-sprayed onto her white dress.

"AHHHHH! SAM! HELP ME!" Lily screamed, dropping the knife and collapsing onto the floor, writhing in fake agony.

"What have you done?" I whispered, horrified.

Thundering footsteps on the stairs. Sam burst into the kitchen.

He saw Lily on the floor, covered in blood. He saw me standing over her, crumbs of the poisoned bread on my lap.

"Echo!" Sam didn't ask questions. He didn't sniff the air to realize the blood was from a superficial cut. He just reacted.

He lunged at me. His hand wrapped around my throat, lifting me off my feet. He slammed me against the wall.

"You monster!" he spat, his saliva hitting my face. "You tried to kill her!"

"No... Sam... the bread..." I clawed at his hands, but my airway was closing. Not from his grip, but from the Wolfsbane dust I had inhaled. My throat was swelling shut.

"Save... me... Sam..." Lily moaned from the floor. "She... she tried to force feed me..."

"I've got you, baby," Sam dropped me like a sack of garbage. I hit the floor hard, gasping for air that wouldn't come.

He scooped Lily up. He looked down at me, his eyes full of hatred.

"If she dies," Sam growled, "you die."

He turned and ran out of the house, heading for the pack hospital.

I was alone.

My lungs were burning. My vision blurred. *Wolfsbane.*

I crawled. I dragged my body across the kitchen floor, my fingernails scratching against the tiles. I had to get to my room.

My father. He had given me a vial years ago. *Universal Antidote.* A rare elixir from the Royal alchemists.

I pulled myself up the stairs, step by agonizing step. My wolf was fading.

I reached my room. I knocked the jewelry box over. The small crystal vial rolled out.

I uncorked it with my teeth and drank.

It tasted like liquid fire.

I convulsed, coughing violently. Black bile spewed from my lips as the antidote purged the toxin. *I lay there for an hour, shivering, my body weak and trembling. The antidote worked, but it didn't erase the damage. I felt like I'd been beaten with iron rods.*

I sat up, wiping my mouth.

The love I had for Sam didn't die slowly. It was murdered on the kitchen floor.

I forced myself to stand, using the dresser for support.

I walked to the closet. I took the wedding photo of us-Sam and me, smiling under a flower arch. I smashed it on the floor.

I stumbled to the backyard. The rose garden. Sam had planted these roses for me. Every rose was a day he would love me.

I grabbed a canister of gasoline from the shed. My hands shook so hard I spilled half of it on my boots.

I doused the roses. The fumes burned my nose.

I lit a match.

*Whoosh.*

The flames roared to life, consuming the flowers, the trellis, the lies.

I stood in front of the fire, swaying, the heat drying the cold sweat on my skin.

A convoy of black SUVs pulled into the driveway. The doors opened, and six warriors in full tactical gear stepped out. They wore the crest of the Royal Northern Pack.

*One of the warriors rushed to catch me as my legs finally gave out.*

"Princess Echo," he said, supporting my weight. "We are here."

I turned to the house. I pulled a piece of paper from my pocket-a standard Rejection Letter I had printed out.

I signed it with a shaking hand. *The warrior took it and pinned it to the front door with a dagger.*

"Let's go," I rasped.

I didn't look back.

*