I refused to be humiliated by Colton's blatant disregard for our sacred traditions. With Selene's rage burning through my veins, I marched to the ceremonial keeper's chambers, my Luna authority radiating with each determined step.

"Every sacred artifact Alpha Colton has access to," I commanded, my voice leaving no room for argument. "Bring them to me immediately."

The elderly keeper's hands trembled as she bowed her head. "Luna Rosalie, those artifacts are meant for—"

"I don't care what they're meant for," I cut her off, my tone sharp enough to slice through pack law itself. "If my mate wishes to distribute our sacred treasures to rogues out of 'compassion,' then let him do so openly."

Selene growled her approval within me. *Let him explain this to the entire pack.*

Minutes later, I stood outside Colton's Alpha office, a dozen priceless artifacts clutched in my hands. I could hear his deep voice through the door, speaking with Beta James about border patrols.

Without knocking, I pushed the door open.

Both men turned toward me, startled. Colton's eyes widened at the sight of the sacred items in my hands.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, rising from his chair.

I walked directly to his desk and dumped the artifacts onto the polished surface. Moonstone amulets, silver ceremonial bowls, and ancient wolf carvings clattered against each other, their sacred energy pulsing with offense at such treatment.

"If you're going to give away Luna artifacts," I said, my voice pure ice, "then perhaps you should do so more publicly."

Beta James shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting between us. The tension in the room thickened as Colton's Alpha aura flared in response to my challenge.

"Rosalie," he warned, using that Alpha tone again.

I leaned forward, placing my palms flat on his desk. "These belong to the Luna position, not to you. If you're feeling so generous with our sacred traditions, perhaps you should invite all the rogues at our borders for a proper distribution ceremony."

The words hit their mark. I saw the flicker of shame in his eyes before he masked it with anger.

"You're embarrassing yourself," he said quietly.

"No," I replied, straightening my spine. "You're embarrassing our pack."

---

Days later, the pack gathered for training at the border grounds. I stood tall, performing my Luna duties despite the whispers that followed me like shadows. Selene remained alert within me, sensing every shift in the crowd's attention.

*She's here,* Selene growled suddenly.

I didn't need to turn to know who she meant. Chloe's scent—that twisted version of my own family's markers—drifted across the field.

I watched from the corner of my eye as she approached the training area, her steps deliberately hesitant. She wore simple clothes that hung loosely on her frame, emphasizing her supposed vulnerability.

"Alpha," she whispered to Colton, who stood nearby observing the warriors. Her voice carried just enough for me to hear. "I didn't mean to intrude. I just thought... maybe I could learn to defend myself better."

The pack warriors paused their exercises, drawn to the spectacle of a rogue wolf seeking their Alpha's protection.

Colton's expression softened instantly. "Of course you can stay, Chloe. Everyone deserves to feel safe."

Selene snarled within me. *She's playing him like a puppet.*

I turned away, focusing on the training session instead. "Delta Marcus," I called, my Luna voice carrying authority across the field. "Please demonstrate the proper defensive stance for the newer pack members."

As I moved among the warriors, checking their forms and offering corrections, I felt Chloe's eyes following me. When I reached the refreshment tables, she was there, hovering near the drinks station.

"Can I help you?" she asked sweetly, holding out a cup of water.

Before I could respond, she stumbled forward—a perfectly calculated move. The container of liquid in her hands tipped, spilling directly onto my arm.

Pain seared through my skin immediately. The acrid smell of wolfsbane filled my nostrils as the liquid began to burn.

"Oops!" Chloe gasped, her eyes wide with false concern.

I bit back a cry of pain, refusing to give her the satisfaction. But before I could respond, she dropped to the ground, clutching her chest.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, curling into herself. "I'm so sorry. Please don't hurt me."

The pack warriors turned toward us, confusion evident on their faces.

"Chloe?" Colton appeared instantly at her side, kneeling to support her trembling form. "What's wrong?"

"I just... I got so nervous," she sobbed into his shoulder. "The crowd, and everyone staring..."

Colton's arms encircled her protectively as he glared up at me. "Rosalie, what did you do?"

The accusation in his voice cut deeper than any wolfsbane burn ever could.

The wolfsbane burned through my skin like liquid fire, but I refused to cry out. My eyes remained locked on Colton as he knelt beside Chloe, his hands gentle on her trembling shoulders. The contrast between his tenderness toward her and his indifference to my pain was a knife twisting in my chest.

"Colton," I said through gritted teeth, my arm throbbing with each heartbeat. "I need medical attention."

He didn't even look up. "Beta James will see to it."

Selene growled within me. *Our mate is choosing her over us.*

"Chloe," Colton murmured, his voice soft in a way it hadn't been with me for weeks. "You're safe now. No one will hurt you here."

The pack warriors shifted uncomfortably, their eyes darting between us. Some looked confused, others embarrassed. None dared speak.

"I want her removed from the grounds," I demanded, my Luna authority cutting through the murmurs. "Now."

Colton's head snapped up, his eyes flashing with irritation. "Enough, Rosalie!"

"Enough?" I repeated, disbelief coloring my voice. "She deliberately spilled wolfsbane on me!"

"It was an accident," Chloe whimpered, burying her face in Colton's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I'm just so scared around crowds."

Colton's arm tightened around her as he stood, lifting her effortlessly. The protective gesture made my stomach turn.

"Your lack of compassion for a traumatized wolf makes you unworthy of Luna status," he declared, his Alpha tone pressing against my consciousness.

The words hit like physical blows. Selene whimpered, instinctively submitting to the Alpha command before I could stop her.

I stared at him, at the man who had once worshipped my strength now using his power to humiliate me. "Colton—"

"That's Alpha Colton to you," he corrected coldly.

Before I could respond, a commanding presence cut through the tension. Former Luna Wright—Colton's mother—strode onto the training field, her silver-streaked hair gleaming in the sunlight. The elder wolves behind her formed a solemn backdrop to her approach.

"Mother," Colton acknowledged, his tone instantly deferential.

Former Luna Wright's eyes swept over the scene—my burning arm, Chloe nestled against her son, the shocked expressions of the pack warriors. Her lips thinned into a tight line.

"Release the rogue," she commanded, her voice carrying the rare power of elder wolf authority.

Colton hesitated. "Mother, she's—"

"I said release her." Former Luna Wright's aura flared, actually pushing back against her son's Alpha presence.

To my astonishment, Colton found himself stepping away from Chloe, who stumbled slightly before catching herself.

"Look at what you've become," Former Luna Wright said, her voice carrying across the now-silent training ground. "Ignoring your injured mate for a rogue wolf. Dishonoring our bloodline and pack traditions."

Colton's face paled. "Mother, you don't understand—"

"I understand perfectly." She stepped closer, forcing him to lower his gaze. "I've been watching from the elder pavilion. We all have."

The pack elders nodded solemnly from their positions at the edge of the field.

"You've brought shame to your father's memory," she continued, her voice like ice. "To think our Alpha bloodline has fallen to such weakness."

Selene stirred within me, her pride momentarily soothed by Former Luna Wright's defense.

---

After Pack Healer Elena treated my burn, wrapping my arm in cooling bandages scented with healing herbs, I retreated to our private Alpha-Luna quarters. The pain had subsided to a dull throb, but the emotional wound remained raw.

"Just rest," Elena had advised gently. "The wolfsbane was diluted, but it will still take time to heal completely."

I nodded my thanks and dismissed her, needing solitude to process everything that had happened.

Our private quarters had always been my sanctuary—the one place where pack politics couldn't touch us. As I pushed open the familiar door, Selene suddenly stiffened within me.

*Something's wrong,* she warned.

I paused in the doorway, my Luna senses immediately picking up what had disturbed her. A foreign scent lingered in the air—musky and sharp, with undertones of forest and something artificially sweet.

Chloe's scent.

I moved through the room slowly, following the trail. It led to the walk-in closet where Colton kept his ceremonial robes and formal clothes. There, deliberately rubbed onto his Alpha cloak, were Chloe's scent markers.

"Selene," I whispered, my voice shaking with rage and violation.

But the worst discovery was yet to come. As I turned toward our bed—our sacred mating den—the scent grew stronger. Deliberate streaks of Chloe's markers stained the sheets where Colton and I had shared our most intimate moments.

She had been here. In our most private space.

The invasion was so calculated, so brazen, that for a moment I could barely breathe.

Selene's growl reverberated through my chest. *This is war.*

I paced our quarters, my wounded arm throbbing beneath its bandages. The scent of Chloe's markers permeated our sacred space like a disease I couldn't eradicate. Each breath felt like inhaling poison.

Selene's rage burned through my veins. *She violated our den. Our sanctuary.*

"Rosalie?" Colton's voice came from the doorway. He stood there, his broad shoulders blocking the light from the hallway.

I whirled to face him, my control snapping. "How dare you bring her here?"

His expression darkened. "What are you talking about?"

"Her scent!" I gestured wildly toward our bed. "Chloe's markers are all over our sheets. Our mating den!"

Colton's nostrils flared as he stepped inside, his Alpha senses confirming what I'd discovered. But instead of outrage, his face settled into a mask of irritation.

"She had a severe panic attack after the training incident," he said dismissively. "She needed somewhere safe to rest."

"Safe?" I repeated, incredulous. "There are guest quarters. The infirmary. Anywhere but our bed!"

"You're being paranoid," he snapped, his eyes flashing with annoyance rather than guilt. "She was traumatized by my mother's treatment of her."

"Your mother defended our sacred traditions!" I stepped closer, my voice trembling with fury. "This is our mating den, Colton. The most sacred space for an Alpha and Luna."

"And you're using that sacred space to torment a vulnerable wolf?" His voice dropped into that Alpha tone again, pressing against my consciousness like a physical weight.

Selene whimpered instinctively before I could shield her. "Torment? She deliberately marked our bed!"

"Enough!" Colton roared, his Alpha aura flaring violently. "I can't stand your jealousy anymore."

"Jealousy?" The word felt like a slap. "This isn't jealousy. This is about respect for our bond."

"Our bond?" He laughed bitterly. "What bond? You've been nothing but cold since this whole situation began."

The accusation stunned me into silence. Selene howled in anguish within me.

---

"I need space," Colton announced the next morning, throwing clothes into a duffel bag. "My wolf needs time to process all this... tension."

I stood in the doorway of our closet, watching him pack. "Where will you go?"

"Somewhere I can think clearly." He wouldn't meet my eyes. "The cabin by the eastern border."

The eastern border. Near rogue territory.

"Colton—"

"Don't." He zipped the bag closed with finality. "Every time I try to do what's right for the pack, you make it impossible."

I crossed my arms, fighting back tears of frustration. "What's right for the pack is protecting your Luna. Honoring our mate bond."

He paused at the door, his hand on the knob. For a moment, I thought he might relent. Instead, he sighed heavily.

"I'll be back when you're ready to discuss this rationally."

The door closed behind him with a soft click that echoed like a gunshot in the empty room.

Selene whimpered. *He's gone to her.*

---

Three days passed with no word from Colton. The pack house felt cavernous without him, conversations hushed whenever I entered a room. Former Luna Wright maintained her dignity publicly but squeezed my hand in private, her eyes filled with concern.

On the fourth day, my phone chimed with a pack network notification. I opened it reluctantly, expecting official business.

Instead, I found Chloe's smiling face filling my screen.

"Feeling much better today!" read the caption beneath her photo. She sat propped against pillows in what looked like a cabin interior. "Thank you all for your concerns. Special thanks to my protector for taking such good care of me."

My stomach twisted as I scrolled through the comments. Pack members offered well-wishes, completely unaware of the implications.

But what made my blood run cold was what sat casually draped over the chair behind her—Colton's Alpha jacket, the one he'd worn to our mating ceremony. And on the nightstand beside her, gleaming in the afternoon light, was his Alpha ring.

Another photo showed her wearing his shirt, the collar so large it swallowed her shoulders. Yet another captured her hand resting on what was unmistakably his forearm, his distinctive cedar-and-rain scent markers clearly visible in the background.

Selene snarled within me. *She's flaunting him.*

I scrolled through comment after comment, watching as pack members unknowingly responded to her calculated performance. Each image was perfectly framed to showcase her vulnerability while deliberately including evidence of Colton's presence.

The final post was the most brazen—a selfie taken in what appeared to be a bedroom, with Colton's distinctive scent markers streaked across the pillow beside her head.

"Sleeping better knowing I'm protected," the caption read.

My hands shook so badly I nearly dropped the phone. The psychological warfare had begun, and Chloe was waging it through the very networks that bound our pack together.

Selene's voice echoed through my mind, no longer wounded but resolute. *This ends now.*