The invitation to the annual Moonlight Gala arrived on my desk, embossed with the Silverfang Pack's emblem—a wolf's head with a silver crown. I traced the raised design with my fingertip, remembering how excited I'd been about our first gala ten years ago. Back then, Cade had spent hours practicing his dance steps, determined not to embarrass me in front of the high-ranking wolves.

"How formal do I need to be?" I'd asked him, twirling in my homemade dress.

He'd pulled me close, his eyes bright with mischief. "Wear whatever makes you feel like a queen, Sofie. You're mine, and that's all that matters."

Now, as I held the invitation, those memories felt like they belonged to someone else's life.

"The car will be ready at seven," Cade announced from the doorway of my office. He didn't bother to enter, just stood there checking his phone. "Wear something... modest."

I looked up, catching his reflection in the window behind him. "Modest?"

"The special guests need to be the center of attention tonight." His eyes flicked to mine briefly. "Not you."

Special guests. I didn't need to ask who he meant.

"I understand," I said quietly, though I didn't. Not really.

After he left, I opened my desk drawer and pulled out a folded piece of paper I'd hidden there months ago. The rejection letter I'd started but couldn't finish. My fingers trembled as I read the words I'd written:

"I, Sofia Reed, reject you, Cade Foster..."

I folded it again and slipped it into my pocket. Not as a threat, but as a reminder—a talisman of courage I might need tonight.

---

The ballroom glittered with crystal chandeliers and the jewelry of high-ranking wolves. I stood near the wall, nursing a glass of champagne I hadn't touched, watching Cade work the room. He was magnificent in his tailored suit, his Alpha aura commanding attention wherever he went.

"Sofia." Estella's voice cut through my thoughts. She approached with two goblets of deep red wine, her silver gown matching Cade's tie perfectly. "I brought you something."

She held out one of the goblets. "A peace offering. The elders are watching."

I smelled it before I saw it—the metallic tang of wolfsbane floating on the surface of the wine. My wolf stirred uneasily inside me.

"What is this really?" I asked quietly.

"Just wine." Estella's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Unless you're afraid?"

Before I could respond, Cade appeared at my side, his hand heavy on my shoulder. "Drink with Estella," he growled low in my ear. "Do not embarrass me in front of her father."

I looked up at him, searching for any sign of concern. There was none.

"It's just wine," he added, his Alpha command pressing against me like a physical weight.

My fingers tightened around the goblet. The rejection letter in my pocket seemed to burn against my thigh.

"To peace," Estella said sweetly, raising her glass.

I raised mine and drank.

The effect was immediate. Fire spread through my veins, my wolf howling in agony as the wolfsbane attacked her. I dropped the goblet, glass shattering across the marble floor as I clutched my throat.

"Sofia!" Someone gasped.

The room spun around me. Through blurred vision, I saw Estella's satisfied smile, the elders' shocked faces, and Cade's expression of irritation rather than concern.

"She can't hold her wine," he announced to the crowd, scooping me up into his arms. Not gently—I felt his fingers dig into my skin. "My Luna needs to learn her limits."

As he carried me out, I heard whispers behind us. "Poor thing... can't even handle one glass..."

"She's always been weak..."

The last thing I saw before the doors closed was Estella raising her untouched goblet in a silent toast.

---

"She'll be fine," the pack doctor said, checking my vitals after administering the antidote. "Her wolf is strong, but wolfsbane is no joke."

Cade paced the clinic room, checking his watch every few minutes. "How long until she's stable?"

"Already stabilizing," the doctor replied. "But she should rest here overnight."

"I can't stay," Cade said immediately. "The Gala is falling apart without me there to manage the fallout from this... incident."

I wanted to call out, to ask him if he even cared that I'd been poisoned. But my throat was raw, my voice a broken whisper.

"I need to return," he continued, straightening his tie. "You'll be safe here."

As he turned to leave, I saw him—the phantom Cade—slipping into the room. Eighteen-year-old Cade moved to my bedside, his translucent form curling up on the floor like a guard dog protecting me.

"I'll stay with her," my phantom whispered, though I was the only one who could hear him.

The real Cade left without a backward glance, the door closing with a soft click that sounded like goodbye.

The wolfsbane still coursed through my system, making my limbs heavy as I dragged myself from the clinic bed. The doctor had said I should rest, but the walls were closing in on me. I needed air—needed to escape the sterile smell of antiseptic and the memory of Cade's indifference.

"Sofia," the night nurse called as I slipped past her station. "You shouldn't be up yet."

I nodded weakly but kept moving. "Just... need some fresh air."

The Pack House was eerily quiet at midnight. Most wolves would be at the after-gala celebrations, leaving the corridors empty and silent. I followed the moonlight streaming through the windows, my bare feet silent against the cold marble floors.

The gardens beckoned beyond the glass doors—a sanctuary of shadows and silver light. I pushed outside, breathing deeply of the night air. The wolfsbane made my senses dull, but I could still smell the night-blooming flowers and the pine trees that bordered our territory.

Then another scent caught my attention—Cade's distinctive Alpha musk, mixed with Estella's cloying perfume.

I moved instinctively toward the stone benches nestled among the hedge maze. Voices drifted through the foliage, hushed but clear in the still night.

"She looked like she was dying," Estella's voice trembled with false concern. "It scared me, Cade."

"You're safe now," Cade murmured, his voice gentle in a way it hadn't been with me in years. "I've got you."

I peered through the hedge. Cade sat on the stone bench, his arm around Estella's shoulders as she leaned against him. Her face was buried in his chest, shoulders shaking with what appeared to be sobs.

"But what if she tries to hurt me again?" Estella asked, looking up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. "What if she hurts our pup?"

My breath caught in my throat. Our pup?

Cade stiffened slightly, but he didn't pull away. Instead, his hand moved to rest protectively over Estella's stomach.

"The heir?" he asked quietly.

"The stress isn't good for the baby," Estella whispered, her hand covering his. "I need you to protect us."

Beside me, the phantom Cade materialized, his translucent form trembling with rage and grief. He clapped his hands over his ears but couldn't block out the words. A silent scream contorted his features as he fell to his knees beside me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to him, though I wasn't sure why I was apologizing. For what Cade had become? For what I was about to lose?

---

Morning light streamed through the office windows as I stood before Cade's desk. He didn't look up from his paperwork, though I knew he'd scented me the moment I entered.

"You should be resting," he said flatly.

"We need to talk about Estella."

His pen paused mid-signature. "What about her?"

"I want you to fire her from her consultant position."

That got his attention. He looked up, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Fire her? Why?"

"Because she's undermining me. Undermining us." I stepped closer, placing my hands on his desk. "This is still our pack, Cade. Ours."

He leaned back in his chair, studying me with cold eyes. "You think this is about jealousy?"

"I think this is about respect," I countered. "For our marriage. For our bond."

Cade laughed—a short, dismissive sound that cut through me like a knife. "She brings value to this pack, Sofia. Connections. Resources." His eyes narrowed slightly. "You bring... nostalgia."

The rejection letter in my pocket felt heavier than ever.

---

"I thought we could visit Thomas this weekend," I said carefully, watching Cade's reaction. Thomas—my brother who had stayed behind when we left the Black Moon Pack. The brother who had warned me about what power would do to Cade.

Cade's jaw tightened. "Why would we do that?"

"To reconnect. To remember where we came from." I hesitated before adding, "To remember who we were."

"You mean who I was," he corrected, his voice hardening. "That boy doesn't exist anymore, Sofia."

"He does," I whispered. "Somewhere inside you."

"I don't look back," Cade said firmly, turning away from me to stare out the window. "Neither should you."

Behind him, the phantom Cade appeared, his young face etched with sorrow as he watched his future self reject everything they had once stood for.

"Border dispute meeting," Cade continued, dismissing me with a wave. "Marcus is organizing it. I need to be there."

Of course he did. Estella's father—always pulling the strings.

As I turned to leave, I caught a glimpse of something in Cade's eyes—not regret, but calculation. And in that moment, I knew there would be a third test. One he would fail just as spectacularly as the first two.

I stood in Cade's office, my heart pounding against my ribs. This was it—my final test of loyalty. If he failed this one, I would know there was no hope left for us.

"My wolf is dying," I said quietly, watching his reaction.

Cade looked up from his desk, his expression more annoyed than concerned. "What are you talking about?"

"The emotional severing... it's killing her." I swallowed hard, forcing tears into my eyes. "I need you to complete a bonding run with me tonight. Just the two of us. In wolf form."

Something flickered across his face—surprise, perhaps even a hint of the old Cade. "A bonding run?"

"It's the only way to strengthen our connection." I stepped closer, my voice breaking. "Please, Cade. If you ever loved me..."

He sighed, setting down his pen. "Fine. The clearing by the eastern border. Midnight."

Relief flooded through me. He'd agreed. Maybe there was still hope.

"I'll be waiting," I whispered.

---

The moon hung full and bright above the forest as I paced the clearing. My wolf paced restlessly inside me, sensing my anxiety. Every few minutes, I checked my phone. 12:15. 12:30. 12:45.

By 1:00 AM, the cold had seeped through my clothes, numbing my fingertips. I'd shifted back to human form, unable to maintain my wolf in the freezing night air.

"Maybe he got held up," I told myself, though I knew better.

At 2:00 AM, I finally admitted defeat. My legs cramped from standing in the same spot for so long as I made my way back to the Pack House.

The lights were still on in Cade's study. I approached quietly, my heart sinking with each step.

Through the partially open door, I could see him—relaxed in his leather chair, a glass of scotch in hand. Across from him sat Marcus Rivera, Estella's father, his own drink barely touched.

"The border dispute will be settled by the full moon," Marcus was saying. "My sources say the Northern Pack is backing down."

Cade nodded, swirling his amber liquid. "Good. We don't need another war right now."

I stood frozen in the hallway, watching as he laughed at something Marcus said. He'd forgotten. Completely forgotten about me waiting in the cold forest for hours.

The phantom Cade appeared beside me, his translucent form trembling with rage and grief. But for the first time, he didn't plead with me. He simply looked at me with resigned eyes, his form fading slightly as if accepting what was coming.

---

"I'm done," I whispered to the empty room as I pulled my suitcase from the closet.

The phantom Cade sat on the edge of our bed, watching as I carefully folded clothes into the bag. He no longer tried to stop me, his presence a silent acknowledgment of what needed to be done.

I moved to the desk and pulled out a piece of paper, coding a message using an old system from my days as a communications officer. The recipient: Scott Hayes, the rogue doctor I'd heard rumors about.

"I need help," I wrote in carefully disguised language. "Blood Moon Run. Eastern border. Midnight."

I sent the message through an old secure channel, praying it would reach him.

"He'll help you," the phantom Cade whispered, though I was the only one who could hear him. "He's a good man."

I looked at him, surprised by the endorsement. "You know him?"

"We met once, long ago." The phantom's eyes grew distant. "Before everything changed."

---

The cabin at the edge of neutral territory looked abandoned from the outside—weathered wood and broken shutters. But when I knocked, the door opened immediately.

"You must be Sofia," said a deep voice.

Scott Hayes was taller than I'd expected, with careful eyes that assessed me without judgment. He stepped aside to let me enter.

"I got your message," he said simply.

"I need to escape during the Blood Moon Run," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "I need your help."

He studied me for a long moment. "You're the Luna of Silverfang."

"Was," I corrected. "I will be soon."

Something shifted in his expression—a softening around the edges. "The corruption there... it's worse than I thought if it's driven you to this."

"You know about it?"

"I was Gamma there once," he said quietly. "Before they exiled me for questioning their methods."

His calm, respectful demeanor was so different from Cade's aggressive dominance that it took me a moment to adjust.

"Can you help me?" I asked finally.

He nodded once, decisively. "Yes."

---

Over the next week, I met Scott three more times, always careful to use different routes and meeting places. Each time, we refined our plan.

"The Blood Moon Run creates chaos," Scott explained during our third meeting. "The pack runs wild, scents get mixed and confused. It's our best chance."

He handed me a small vial filled with dark green paste. "This will mask your scent entirely."

"What is it?" I asked, uncorking it.

"A mixture of herbs and wolf's bane," he said grimly. "It needs to be applied directly to your skin. It's... painful."

I looked at the paste, then back at him. "Will it work?"

"Yes." His eyes met mine steadily. "But Sofia... once you cross that border, there's no going back."

I thought of Cade's betrayal, of Estella's smug face, of the phantom Cade growing fainter each day.

"I know," I said firmly. "I'm ready."