The body bag felt heavier than it should have as Ty and I lifted it onto the dock. Water dripped from our gear, forming puddles on the wooden planks as we secured the remains. My hands trembled slightly as I unzipped the bag, the fabric clinging to my gloves.

"Let's document everything before we move the remains," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

Ty nodded, his expression grim as he pulled out his camera. "I'll start with the external examination."

I gently brushed away debris from what remained of the victim's clothing. The fabric was partially decomposed, but certain features stood out clearly—the distinctive embroidery along the collar, the unique stitching pattern I'd seen countless times before.

"No," I whispered, my breath catching in my throat. "It can't be."

Ty looked up from his camera. "What's wrong?"

I traced the embroidery with my fingertip, the pattern so familiar it made my stomach twist. "This dress... my mother showed me the design when she visited last month. She'd made it as a gift."

"For who?" Ty asked, though I could see in his eyes he already suspected the answer.

"For Daniel's mother," I said, my voice barely audible over the gentle lapping of waves against the dock. "She said it was a special design—one of a kind."

The implications hit me like a physical blow. The victim wasn't just anyone—it was the former Luna of our pack, Daniel's own mother.

"Oh god," I murmured, gathering the fabric carefully. "We need to notify Daniel immediately."

As if summoned by my words, headlights swept across the parking lot above the dock. Daniel's SUV screeched to a halt, and he stormed down the ramp, Adrianna trailing behind him.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded, his Alpha tone making the air vibrate. "You were supposed to find Adrianna's locket, not waste time with some anonymous corpse!"

I stood slowly, clutching the fabric sample in my hand. "Daniel, I think you need to see this."

"Not until you explain why you defied my direct order!" His eyes flashed dangerously in the darkness.

"Daniel," I said again, my voice softer but firm. "I believe we've found your mother."

The words hung in the air between us. For a moment, everything went still—even the waves seemed to stop their gentle rhythm against the dock.

"That's impossible," he said finally, his voice hollow. "My mother is visiting her sister in Vancouver."

I held out the fabric sample. "This is the dress my mother designed for her. The one she was wearing when she left three weeks ago."

Daniel stared at the fabric, his face draining of color. "No," he whispered. "No, it can't be."

Adrianna stepped forward, her eyes wide with mock sympathy. "Oh my god, Daniel. How terrible!"

But I caught the flicker of something else in her expression—calculation, not compassion.

Daniel's denial lasted only moments before reality seemed to crash down on him. His knees buckled slightly, and he gripped the railing for support.

"This is your fault," he hissed suddenly, his head snapping up to glare at me. "If you had listened to me—if you had found Adrianna's locket first like I ordered—we might have reached her in time!"

The accusation hit me like a physical blow. "Daniel, we were delayed by almost an hour searching for the locket. By the time we reached the coordinates—"

"Excuses!" he roared, his Alpha voice making several pack members who had gathered at the scene flinch. "You're the professional diver, the Beta! You should have found a way!"

I stood my ground, even as his words cut deep. "The water conditions were treacherous. We did everything we could once we reached the coordinates."

"Liar!" Daniel's face contorted with rage and something else—fear. "If you had been competent, my mother would still be alive!"

The pack members exchanged glances, some looking uncertain, others openly suspicious. I could see the seeds of doubt taking root in their expressions.

"Daniel," I said quietly, "we need to focus on recovering all the remains and notifying the authorities."

"No," he snarled, pointing at me with a trembling finger. "You need to admit your failure. Your incompetence cost my mother her life!"

Adrianna stepped closer to Daniel, her hand sliding possessively around his arm. "Maybe if Olivia had been more efficient," she suggested softly, "this tragedy could have been avoided."

I watched as the pack's eyes turned toward me, some filled with questions, others with outright accusation. The weight of their collective judgment pressed down on me like a physical force.

"Daniel," Ty spoke up, his young voice steady despite the tension. "Beta Olivia did everything by the book. The delay wasn't her fault."

"Be quiet!" Daniel snapped. "You're just her apprentice. You don't know anything!"

The whispers began then—low murmurs that rippled through the gathered pack members. I stood straight-backed and proud, but inside, something cold and heavy settled in my chest.

The discord had begun.

The pack's whispers followed me as I walked away from the dock, their accusations and doubts clinging to me like a second skin. I'd barely made it back to the recovery station when I noticed something was wrong.

"Ty," I called, my voice low and urgent. "Did you secure the remains?"

He nodded, confusion crossing his features. "Of course. I locked them in the preservation unit myself."

I moved quickly to the storage area, my instincts screaming that something wasn't right. The lock on the preservation unit was intact, but when I opened it, my blood ran cold.

"Ty," I whispered, "count the fragments."

He stepped forward, his face paling as he examined the contents. "Three... four... no, this isn't right. There should be at least twelve pieces."

I reached in with gloved hands, carefully examining what remained. "Someone took the larger fragments—the ones with the most distinctive markings."

"Who would do this?" Ty's voice cracked with outrage. "These remains deserve respect."

I didn't answer, already knowing exactly who was responsible. I'd seen the calculating look in Adrianna's eyes at the dock, the way she'd hovered near our equipment while Daniel was distracted.

"Check the security footage," I said, my voice tight with controlled anger.

---

Two hours later, I sat in front of my computer, watching Adrianna's livestream with growing horror. She'd set up an elaborate display—black velvet draped behind her, candles casting eerie shadows across her face.

"Welcome to my special Halloween edition," she announced to her thousands of followers, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Today, I'm debuting my new gothic jewelry line inspired by... death itself."

She reached off-camera and returned with something clutched in her hand. When she opened her fingers, I felt sick.

"These beautiful pendants are crafted from authentic bone fragments," she said, holding up what could only be described as a necklace with a small, polished section of human bone. "Each one is unique—just like you."

The camera zoomed in as she displayed more pieces, each one more grotesque than the last. Some were carved into skull shapes, others polished to a gleaming shine.

"These aren't just any bones," she continued, her eyes glittering with malice. "They come from a very special source—a family tragedy that will never be forgotten."

My hands trembled as I reached for my phone. This was beyond disrespect—this was desecration.

"Look at this one," Adrianna said, lifting a pendant that made my heart stop. It was a small section of what looked like a finger bone, carved with the same distinctive pattern I'd seen on Daniel's mother's dress.

"This particular piece has an amazing story behind it," she said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Some say it belonged to someone who drowned... someone whose son couldn't save her because he was too busy with other things."

The comments section exploded with excitement. Adrianna's followers ate it up, begging for prices and ordering information.

"Each piece is one-of-a-kind and priced accordingly," she said. "But for my special fans, I'm offering a limited-time discount."

I scrolled through the comments, my nausea building as I saw Daniel's name appear.

"Amazing work, babe!" he'd commented, his profile picture showing his Alpha status prominently displayed. "So proud of your creativity and success!"

He'd followed it with several heart emojis and a comment: "Can't wait to see the whole collection in person tonight!"

The pack's honor for the dead was sacred—a cornerstone of our beliefs. Yet here was our Alpha, publicly praising the desecration of his own mother's remains.

My phone rang, startling me from my horrified trance. Unknown number.

"Hello?" I answered cautiously.

"Olivia?" My mother's voice came through clearly, her French accent unmistakable. "I've been trying to reach you for hours!"

"Mom?" Relief flooded through me so intensely my knees nearly buckled. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay," she said, confusion evident in her tone. "I'm in Paris, at the café by Notre Dame like I told you I would be. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

I sank into a chair, my entire body shaking with emotion. "Someone suggested... I thought maybe..."

"Oh, Olivia," her voice softened with understanding. "What's happening there? Are you safe?"

I closed my eyes, the image of Adrianna's grotesque display still burned into my retinas. "No, Mom. I'm not safe. But knowing you're okay... that helps."

We talked for nearly an hour, her voice a lifeline in the chaos that had become my life. When we finally hung up, I sat motionless, staring at the wall.

The call had confirmed what I'd suspected but dreaded—the remains we'd recovered were definitely Daniel's mother. And somewhere in the pack, Adrianna still had the stolen fragments, likely planning more horrific displays.

My phone buzzed with a text from Ty: "Emergency meeting called by Daniel. All pack members required to attend. Now."

I stood slowly, a cold resolve settling over me like armor. Whatever Adrianna and Daniel had planned next, I would face it head-on. For the sake of the dead—and the living.

I couldn't sleep after my mother's call. The relief of knowing she was safe in Paris was overshadowed by the horror of what I'd seen on Adrianna's livestream. The images of bone fragments—of Daniel's mother's remains—crafted into jewelry haunted me. I paced my apartment, Ty's text about the emergency meeting burning in my mind.

A soft knock at my door startled me from my thoughts.

"Olivia?" Ty's voice was low, urgent. "Can I come in?"

I opened the door to find him pale, his eyes wide with shock. "You need to see this," he said, holding out his phone.

"What is it?" I asked, though part of me already knew.

He pulled up a video and handed me the device. "I was checking social media to see if anyone was talking about last night's recovery when I found this."

The screen showed Adrianna's face, illuminated by candles, her expression eerie in the flickering light. Behind her, black velvet draped dramatically over what appeared to be an altar of some kind.

"Welcome to my special Halloween edition," her voice purred, sending chills down my spine. "Today, I'm debuting my new gothic jewelry line inspired by... death itself."

I watched in growing horror as she displayed piece after piece, each one more grotesque than the last. My stomach lurched when she held up a pendant with a small bone fragment carved into a skull shape.

"These aren't just any bones," she continued, her eyes glittering with malice. "They come from a very special source—a family tragedy that will never be forgotten."

"Turn it off," I whispered, unable to watch anymore.

Ty stopped the video, his expression grim. "There's more. She's been posting for hours. The pack is starting to notice."

I sank onto my couch, my hands trembling. "This isn't just disrespect—this is desecration. She's using the former Luna's remains as props for her sick entertainment."

"And Daniel is supporting her," Ty added quietly. "He's commented on every post, praising her creativity."

The betrayal cut deeper than I'd imagined possible. Not only had Daniel abandoned his duties as Alpha to chase after Adrianna, but he was now complicit in the desecration of his own mother's remains.

"We need to expose them," I said, my voice stronger than I felt. "For the sake of the pack—for the honor of the former Luna."

Ty nodded, determination hardening his features. "Where do we start?"

"With the truth," I said, standing up. "We need to find out exactly what happened to Daniel's mother. The official report said drowning, but there must be more to the story."

---

The local marina was quiet in the early morning light. Ty and I moved carefully between the boats, our footsteps silent on the wooden docks.

"The Luna was last seen here three weeks ago," Ty whispered as we approached the main office. "According to pack records, she came here to swim every Thursday morning."

I nodded, scanning the area. "And that's the last day anyone saw her alive."

The marina office was a small, weathered building with peeling paint and salt-worn windows. A man in his fifties looked up as we entered, his expression wary.

"Can I help you?" he asked, his voice gruff but not unfriendly.

"I'm Olivia Spencer," I said, showing him my identification as a body recovery specialist. "This is my assistant, Ty. We're investigating the drowning that occurred here three weeks ago."

His eyes widened slightly. "You're from the pack?"

"Yes," I confirmed. "We need to understand what happened to the victim."

He introduced himself as Marcus Rivera, the security supervisor for the marina. "I've already spoken to the police about what I saw that day," he said, his expression darkening. "But maybe you should see for yourself."

He led us to a small room filled with monitors displaying various angles of the marina. "We keep footage for thirty days," he explained, pulling up archived video. "This is from the day the Luna disappeared."

The grainy footage showed a figure swimming near the far dock—a woman in a distinctive blue swimsuit with white trimming.

"That's her," I confirmed, my heart aching at the sight of Daniel's mother alive and happy just moments before her death.

Marcus fast-forwarded the tape, his expression grim. "Watch this part."

The footage jumped to show a high-powered jet ski racing across the water, moving far too fast for the crowded marina. The driver was a young woman with long blonde hair—Adrianna.

"She rented that jet ski that morning," Marcus said quietly. "Said she wanted to film some content for her social media."

My blood ran cold as I watched Adrianna accelerate toward the swimming area where Daniel's mother was taking her final laps.

"Did she—" Ty began, his voice barely audible.

Marcus nodded grimly. "I tried to warn her about the no-wake zone, but she took off before I could stop her. By the time I got to my boat..."

He trailed off, but the implication was clear. Adrianna's reckless driving had caused the accident that killed Daniel's mother.

"I have the full footage," Marcus said, ejecting a USB drive from the computer. "Including the... aftermath. It's not pretty."

I took the drive with trembling hands, knowing it contained the evidence we needed to expose Adrianna and Daniel's true nature to the pack.

"Thank you," I said, my voice tight with controlled anger. "This could change everything."