"You missed a spot."

Seraphina's voice floated down from the vanity stool, dripping with bored arrogance.

I kept my head down. The coarse bristles of the wooden brush dug into the plush white carpet of the master bedroom.

"Right there, by my heel," she added.

"I see it," I replied, scrubbing the crimson wine stain.

"Then clean it faster," Kael ordered.

"Did you really have to spill the entire glass?" I asked, sitting back on my heels to stretch my aching knees.

"My hand slipped," Seraphina said.

"Your hand doesn't slip, Luna. You're the strongest fighter in the north."

"Maybe I just wanted to see you on your knees again."

"You saw that at the altar," I reminded her.

"I enjoy reruns." She picked up a silver hairbrush and ran it through her hair.

"Leave the Omega alone, Sera," Kael said, stepping out of the walk-in closet. "Let her work."

"She talks too much," Seraphina complained.

"Then I'll cut out her tongue next time," Kael offered casually.

"No," Seraphina countered. "I like hearing her whine."

I pressed the bristles harder into the wool, forcing the soapy water deep into the fibers. The red stain stubbornly clung to the white threads.

Kael walked across the room and stopped behind Seraphina's chair. He wrapped his large arms around her waist, staring at their shared reflection in the mirror.

"The border patrols reported rogue activity," Kael said.

"They always report activity in winter," she replied, setting the brush down.

"This was different. A coordinated pack."

"Are you worried, Alpha?"

"I don't worry. I prepare." Kael dragged his nose along her jawline.

"Good. Because my father's soldiers arrive tomorrow. They expect a show of strength."

"They will get one."

"They better," Seraphina warned. "He didn't send his best fighters just to watch us trade rings."

"He sent them because you belong to me now," Kael stated.

"I belong to no one."

"The mark says otherwise." Kael's thumb traced the bruised skin on her neck.

"The mark is a formality."

"Is it?" Kael asked.

"Don't test me tonight, Kael."

"I test whatever I want in my own territory."

He opened his mouth. His fangs descended, catching the warm light of the chandelier.

"Keep your eyes on the floor, Omega," Kael snapped at me.

"I'm looking at the stain," I said.

"Then scrub."

I lowered my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kael sink his canines lightly into the fresh mating mark on Seraphina's neck.

Seraphina screamed.

She slammed her elbows backward into Kael's ribs. The violent impact sent him stumbling into the heavy oak bedpost.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Kael shouted, gripping his side.

Seraphina didn't answer. She clamped both hands over her mouth. Her eyes bulged wildly.

She sprinted for the master bathroom. Her hip clipped the nightstand, sending an empty wine glass shattering across the hardwood floor.

She disappeared into the dark tiled room, leaving the door cracked open.

"Clean that up," Kael barked at me.

"I'm on it," I said.

I crawled across the carpet, moving toward the bathroom door. My fingers pinched the jagged stems of the broken glass. I shifted my weight, inching closer to the two-inch gap in the doorway.

A wet, gagging sound echoed from the bathroom.

"Seraphina?" Kael called out. "Are you sick?"

"Stay out!" she choked out.

I picked up another shard of glass, using the movement to peek through the opening.

Seraphina hunched over the marble sink. Her spine curved sharply, the bones pressing hard against her silk robe. She didn't look like the untouchable Luna anymore. She looked fragile.

My stomach cramped violently. I thought I would feel a rush of victory. I thought seeing the mighty she-wolf brought low would taste sweet.

It didn't.

My shoulders locked. My jaw clamped shut. A cold sweat broke out along my hairline.

She gripped the porcelain edges with white knuckles. Dark fluid seeped from her mouth, pooling in her palms. It slipped through the gaps of her fingers, thick and viscous.

It hit the sink with heavy, wet smacks.

Black blood.

"What is happening to you?" Kael asked, walking up behind me.

"Nothing!" Seraphina yelled, her voice bubbling with the dark fluid. "Just a bad reaction to the wine."

"You drank two sips."

"I said stay back!"

I held my breath, waiting for Kael to kick the door open. I expected him to rush in and save his chosen mate.

He didn't touch the doorknob. He stood completely still, his boots planted inches from my hands.

"Sera?" he whispered.

"Don't look at me!" she cried.

Kael didn't look concerned. A strange, twisted smile crept onto his face.

He tilted his chin toward the ceiling. He closed his eyes and flared his nostrils.

He drew in a massive gulp of air.

A deep, dragging sound filled his throat. His ribcage stretched outward. The seams of his custom shirt groaned under the sudden pressure. His chest inflated to an unnatural size, the muscles bulging and shifting beneath the fabric.

A satisfied hum vibrated in his chest. He was feeding on the scent of her sickness.

A scraping sound came from the tiles inside the bathroom.

Something slid across the floorboards.

A pale blue silk scarf slipped through the narrow crack beneath the bathroom door. It pushed forward, stopping right against my knee.

The fabric was completely soaked in thick, black sludge.

The bathroom door clicked shut from the inside. The brass lock snapped into place.

"Get up, Omega," Kael ordered.

He stepped over the sludge-soaked scarf without a second glance.

I pushed myself off the carpet. My knees throbbed from scrubbing the floorboards. The coarse fabric of the maid's uniform scratched against my skin, a constant reminder of my new status.

"Is she dying?" I asked.

"She has a stomach bug," he replied. He adjusted his silver cufflinks, perfectly calm.

"Stomach bugs don't bleed black."

"You see what I tell you to see." Kael stepped into my space. He towered over me, forcing me to tilt my head back. "Clean the vanity. Make the bed. Have this room spotless before I return from the border patrol."

"You're leaving her like this?"

"A Luna does not show weakness," he stated, his voice flat and devoid of warmth. "She needs rest. And you need to scrub."

"What about the blood on the scarf?"

"Wine, Aria. It was wine." Kael shot me a warning glare. "Speak of this to anyone, and I will throw you to the rogues tonight. Do you understand?"

"I understand you're lying to yourself."

His hand snapped out. His fingers wrapped around my throat, squeezing just enough to cut off my air. I gripped his wrist, my nails digging into his skin, but he didn't budge.

"You are a maid," he whispered, leaning in close. "Your opinions died at the altar. Do your job."

He released me. I coughed, rubbing my neck.

"Yes, Alpha," I rasped.

He turned on his heel. The heavy oak bedroom door slammed shut behind him. The sound echoed through the massive suite.

The room fell completely silent. Only the muffled sound of running water came from behind the bathroom door.

I grabbed the brass trash bin and walked over to the vanity table. Shattered glass littered the floor. I knelt and picked up the jagged pieces one by one, dropping them into the metal bin with sharp clinks.

The bathroom lock clicked again. The door creaked open.

I kept my head down, focusing on the glass. Bare feet padded across the hardwood. They dragged slightly. They lacked the confident, commanding stride from the plaza.

Seraphina collapsed onto the velvet mattress. The bedsprings whined under her weight.

"Water," she croaked.

"Get it yourself," I said. I tossed a large shard into the bin.

"I am your Luna."

"You're Kael's Luna. I'm just the maid he threw away."

"Do not test my patience, Omega."

"You don't have the strength to punish me right now," I pointed out. "I can hear your heart racing from here."

She didn't argue. That silence alone proved my point.

I stood up and faced the vanity mirror. Makeup powder coated the marble surface. A knocked-over perfume bottle leaked a sickly sweet floral scent into the air. A crumpled tissue covered in dark smears sat next to a jewelry box.

Right in the center of the mess lay a pure silver hairbrush.

I reached out and grabbed the handle. The metal felt ice-cold against my palm.

I flipped the brush over to inspect the bristles.

My lungs stopped pulling in air.

Thick clumps of hair tangled through the nylon pins. But it wasn't golden. It wasn't the shining blonde that Seraphina flaunted in front of the entire pack.

It was gray.

Dry, ashen, and brittle. The strands looked like dead wood, frayed and rotting. I ran a thumb over the edge of the bristles. The hair crumbled into dust instantly, coating my skin in a chalky residue.

"Put that down," Seraphina demanded from the bed.

I didn't move. The silver handle suddenly felt incredibly heavy. It felt like a brick in my grip. Its sharp edges bit into my flesh.

I looked at her through the mirror's reflection.

She lay flat on her back. Her chest heaved rapidly. The silk robe clung to her frame, but she looked completely wrong. Just hours ago, she commanded the entire pack. She stood tall, strong, untouchable.

Now, she looked like a deflated balloon. Her skin possessed a sickly, yellow undertone. Sweat plastered her remaining blonde hair to her forehead.

I turned around. I held the brush up so she could see it clearly in the low light.

"What is this?" I asked.

"None of your business," she rasped.

"This isn't your hair," I said. "Or is it?"

"I told you to drop it, Aria."

"You're shedding like a sick dog, Seraphina."

"Watch your mouth."

"Why? What are you going to do?" I took a half-step backward, keeping my guard up. My muscles coiled tight, ready to run. "You can barely speak. You threw up black sludge. Kael practically fed on the scent of it."

She flinched. Her eyes darted toward the locked bedroom door, then back to me.

"He didn't notice," she whispered.

"He stood right outside the door," I corrected her. "He smiled, Seraphina. He liked it."

"Shut up."

"He knows something is wrong with you."

"I said shut up!" She tried to sit up, pushing off the mattress. Her right elbow gave out immediately. She crashed back into the pillows, gasping for air.

I tightened my grip on the silver brush. The power dynamic in the room shifted, tipping entirely in my direction. I could walk out right now. I could show this brush to the pack elders. I could tell them the invincible Luna was rotting from the inside out.

"You built your entire reputation on being the strongest she-wolf in the north," I said.

"I am the strongest."

"You can't even sit up."

"It will pass."

"Will it?" I asked. I raised the brush again, shaking the dead strands. "Because this looks pretty permanent."

"Give me the brush."

"No."

"I will have Kael rip your throat out."

"Kael doesn't care about you," I said. "He proved that at the altar. He cares about power. If he finds out you're broken, he'll discard you just like he discarded me."

Her jaw clamped shut. A muscle feathered in her cheek. She knew I was right.

"You're hiding something," I said. "Something huge."

"We all hide things," she countered, her voice dropping to a desperate hiss.

"Not this," I said, taking a cautious step closer to the bed. "This is dark magic. Or poison. Did Kael do this to you?"

"Kael is a fool," she spat.

"Then what is it? Why did your hair turn to ash?"

Seraphina stared at me. The arrogant fire in her eyes vanished entirely. It was replaced by sheer, unadulterated panic. The kind of panic that belonged to hunted prey.

She reached down with her right hand and grabbed the edge of the heavy velvet blanket.

"You want to know why I need you?" she asked.

"I don't care what you need."

"You will."

"I clean your floors. I don't keep your secrets."

"You will keep this one," she promised.

She ripped the blanket back.

I stumbled backward. My heel hit the edge of the vanity stool hard. It screeched against the floorboards.

Her left arm lay exposed against the white sheets. The sleeve of her silk robe was pushed all the way up to her shoulder.

There was no muscle left. No healthy flesh.

The arm was entirely shriveled. The skin stretched tight over the bones, blackened and cracked like charred leather. Dark, purple veins pulsed weakly beneath the withered surface. It looked like the limb of a centuries-old corpse attached to a living woman.

My stomach lurched. Bile rose in my throat.

She lifted her head off the pillow. Her eyes locked onto mine, wide and bloodshot.

"Lock the door," she commanded, her voice scraping out of her throat.

I turned my back on the withered arm and pressed the brass button on the knob. The lock snapped into place with a sharp click.

"Happy?" I asked.

Seraphina didn't answer. The mattress springs groaned. She shoved herself upright, using her one healthy arm to drag her body forward. She swayed, her bare feet scraping across the floorboards. She nearly pitched forward into the vanity table.

"Stay there," I warned, raising my hands.

"Look at me," she demanded, her voice a wet rasp.

"I'm looking at a dead woman walking," I said. "I should scream for the guards. Let the whole pack see their invincible Luna now."

"They won't care," she spat. "They only care about his power."

"They care about the Frost Ridge alliance. They respect your strength."

"There is no alliance, Aria. It's a slaughter."

She seized the lapels of her silk robe. With a violent jerk, she yanked them apart. The fabric tore at the seam, exposing her collarbone.

"Look at what your Alpha did," she ordered.

I stepped closer, keeping my guard up. My eyes fell to the mating mark. It sat exactly where Kael had bitten her at the altar. But it wasn't a standard crescent scar.

The flesh lay split wide open. Black, necrotic tissue formed jagged lines, cutting a specific geometric pattern into her skin.

It formed a rune.

A horrific stench hit my nose. Rotting meat mixed with stagnant swamp water.

"That isn't a mating bond," I said, covering my nose with my free hand.

"No," she agreed. "It's a tether."

"What kind of tether?"

"The kind that doesn't release until the vessel is empty."

Seraphina lunged forward. Her right hand clamped around my wrist. Her grip possessed a frantic, desperate strength.

"Get off me!" I shouted, yanking my arm backward.

"Feel it!" she yelled.

She pulled me forward and slammed my palm flat against her chest. My fingertips brushed the raised, crusty edge of the black rune.

Ice immediately spiked through my veins. The freezing sensation shot up my forearm, locking my elbow and numbing my shoulder joint. My vision blurred for a fraction of a second.

A rhythmic pulsing beat against my palm. It didn't match her heartbeat. It moved faster. A violent, greedy suction.

"Stop!" I gasped, twisting my wrist.

She dug her nails into my skin, holding me against the rot. "Do you feel him?"

I closed my eyes. The sensation overwhelmed my senses. I felt Kael. His oppressive, heavy aura coated the black lines of the wound. It pulled relentlessly. It acted like a siphon, dragging a steady stream of warmth and vitality out of Seraphina's body and funneling it straight into the invisible link.

"He's draining you," I whispered, my voice trembling.

"He feeds on raw strength," she replied, her eyes wide and bloodshot. "He needed the strongest she-wolf in the north. Not to rule beside him. To fuel him."

My stomach violently turned. I gagged, stumbling back a step. The anger I held for the woman who stole my mate vanished. I stared at her sunken cheeks and trembling lips.

Kael hadn't chosen her for a political alliance. He chose her as livestock.

"You're just food to him," I said.

"He rejected you at the altar," Seraphina said, the pieces finally clicking together. "Not because you were an Omega."

"Because I had no power to steal," I confirmed. "I was useless to a parasite."

"He broke your sacred bond just to chain himself to a fresh vessel."

"And you volunteered for the slaughter." A bitter laugh scraped up her throat. "I walked right up to the altar and handed him the knife."

I stared at the black lines eating away at her flesh. "How long does it take?"

"Days. Maybe a week," she choked out. "Until the host is empty. Until my bones turn to dust."

"Your father's soldiers are arriving tomorrow," I reminded her. "They will see this. They will kill him."

"They won't see anything." She dropped my wrist. Her arm fell limply to her side. "He will hide me. Or he will finish me tonight and tell them the rogues attacked the border."

I rubbed my frozen fingers, trying to restore the circulation. The coldness of Kael's greed still clung to my skin.

"Why tell me?" I asked. "Why show the maid?"

"Because you know the secret passages out of this territory," she said. "You used to sneak out when we were kids."

"You want me to help you escape?"

"I want you to get a message to my father."

"I'm not a messenger, Luna. I'm a servant."

"You are the only person in this pack who hates him as much as I do right now."

She took a staggering step toward me. Her ruined left arm knocked a perfume bottle off the vanity. It shattered against the floorboards, sending glass flying across the white rug.

"If he consumes my power, no one in the north will be able to stop him," Seraphina warned. "He will slaughter every pack from here to the coast."

"He's already the strongest Alpha."

"He's a monster who wants to be a god."

I looked at the door, then back to her withered arm. "If I run, he will hunt me down."

"If you stay, he will kill you anyway," she countered. "You know too much. You saw the blood. You saw the brush."

"I can just keep my mouth shut."

"Do you honestly believe he leaves loose ends?"

I didn't answer. Kael's face flashed in my mind. The arrogant smirk. The cold dismissal. The way he inhaled the scent of her sickness with a satisfied hum. She was right. He would snap my neck the second I outlived my usefulness.

"What is the message?" I asked.

"Tell my father the bond is a curse," she said, her voice dropping to a frantic whisper. "Tell him to burn the Blood Moon territory to the ground."

"He won't believe an Omega."

"He will believe this."

She clawed at her neck. Her fingers dug into the silver clasp of the Alpha female's necklace. She ripped it off, breaking the chain. The heavy wolf head pendant hit her palm.

She shoved the metal into my hand.

"Take it," she ordered.

"If they catch me with this, they'll execute me for theft."

"Then run fast, Aria."

A heavy thud echoed from the hallway.

The unmistakable sound of military footwear striking the hardwood floor. The steps moved closer, heavy and purposeful.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

"He's back," I whispered.

Seraphina's eyes widened in sheer terror. She scrambled backward, her legs tangling in her torn silk robe. She hit the edge of the mattress and crawled up onto the sheets, pulling the velvet blanket over her ruined arm.

"Hide the necklace," she hissed.

I buried the silver pendant deep into the pocket of my scratchy gray uniform. The metal felt like a block of ice against my thigh.

The footsteps stopped right outside the master bedroom.

A heavy fist pounded against the wood.

"Open the door, Omega," Kael's voice boomed through the panels.

I froze. My feet refused to move.

The brass doorknob violently twisted downward.