Aliana POV:

The next morning, I told Ivan I was going to the spa.

"Good," he said, not looking up from his tablet. "Fix yourself up. You look... pale."

I drove straight to the warehouse district. Debi met me at the back door of the Reese Gallery.

*Debi wasn't a miracle worker, but she was resourceful.*

*"I got the maintenance uniforms," she said, tossing me a bundle of gray fabric. "And I bribed the regular cleaning crew to take a long lunch. We have twenty minutes."*

*"What about the scent?" I asked.*

*"Old fashioned way," she said, handing me a jar of industrial grease and ammonia. "Smear this on your neck and wrists. It'll burn, but it'll cover the lily scent."*

I applied the foul mixture. It stung my eyes, but I smelled like a garage floor. Perfect.

I pulled on the gray jumpsuit and tucked my hair under a cap.

I slipped inside through the service entrance.

The gallery was preparing for a private viewing. Kiera's office door was ajar.

I pushed my mop bucket inside. The room was opulent. And familiar.

The rug was Persian-my mother's. The vase was Ming-my father's.

They were stripping my inheritance to furnish his mistress's life.

*I pulled a tiny listening device from my pocket-something Debi had procured from a PI contact. I stuck it under the heavy oak desk.*

"The cleaner is here, Miss Reese," a voice said.

I froze.

Kiera walked in, followed closely by Ivan.

I turned my back, scrubbing a spot on the wall furiously.

"It smells disgusting in here," Kiera wrinkled her nose. "Like cheap chemicals."

"It's just the cleaning supplies, babe," Ivan said. His voice was thick with lust.

I glanced at the reflection in a painting. Ivan had Kiera pressed against the desk.

"I hate waiting," Kiera moaned. "When will she be gone? Truly gone?"

"Soon," Ivan growled. "*I upped the dose in her morning tea. Her heart will give out during the Gathering. It will look like a tragedy. The weak Luna, overwhelmed by the excitement.*"

My heart hammered. *They were executing me today.*

"And then?"

"Then I reject her corpse to break the bond formally. And I mark you. Leo becomes the heir."

"I love it when you talk power," Kiera giggled.

Ivan paused. He lifted his head, sniffing the air.

"Wait."

I stopped scrubbing.

"What is it?"

"That smell..." Ivan stepped away from the desk. "Under the bleach. It smells... familiar."

He took a step toward me.

The Alpha Command radiated off him.

"You," he barked at my back. "Turn around."

I couldn't move. If I turned, he would see my eyes.

"I said, turn around!"

His voice was a physical weight. *My wolf snarled, wanting to rip his throat out.*

*Do not bow.*

Just as Ivan reached for my shoulder, *a loud crash echoed from the hallway. Debi. She must have knocked something over to create a distraction.*

Ivan spun around. "What the hell?"

"My sculpture!" Kiera shrieked, running out.

In the chaos, I grabbed my bucket and slipped out the side door.

I ran to the car, stripping off the jumpsuit.

Debi was waiting, engine running.

*"I tipped over a display stand," she grinned nervously. "Did you get it?"*

*I tapped the receiver in my ear. "Every word. They're planning to kill me tonight."*

I looked at my hands. They were steady.

"Drive, Debi," I said. "We have a show to prepare for."

Aliana POV:

Debi's apartment smelled of sage and old takeout.

"Sit," she commanded.

She took the USB drive and plugged it into her laptop. *"I have a friend in forensics who owes me a favor. I'm sending him the chemical data from the shipping manifests. He can confirm the toxicity levels."*

*She then grabbed a syringe.*

*"I need to run a blood panel, Ali. Basic alchemy. If there's Wolfsbane in your system, the reagent will turn black."*

I extended my arm.

Debi placed the blood sample into a glass vial with a clear liquid. She swirled it.

It turned pitch black immediately.

"That's lethal," Debi whispered. "You should be dead."

*But then, the black liquid began to bubble. It hissed, turning a violent, glowing white.*

Debi gasped. "Ali... look."

*"It's metabolizing it," she said, her voice shaking. "Your blood is eating the poison. That's not normal Alpha blood. That's..."*

"The White Wolf," I whispered.

"It's real," Debi said. "*Your parents knew. That's why they had to suppress it. A White Wolf isn't just a Luna. You're a Supreme. You outrank everyone.*"

The realization hit me. *I wasn't broken. I was a nuclear weapon they were trying to keep offline.*

"They fear you," Debi said. "And tonight, they're going to finish the job."

"Let them try," I said. I reached for a stack of papers on Debi's desk.

A Severance of Ties document.

"I'm signing it," I said.

"If you sign that, you become a Rogue in the eyes of the law."

"I don't want their names," I said.

I signed my name. Not *Aliana Hughes*. Not *Aliana Donovan*.

Just *Hope*.

*"I've got a private charter lined up," Debi said. "My cousin runs cargo to the North. He can take you. Wheels up at 9 PM."*

"Plenty of time to burn their world down," I said.

I drove back to the mansion one last time.

I went to the master bedroom. I packed a single bag. Just jeans, boots, and my grandmother's locket.

I walked into the bathroom. On the counter sat a silver goblet.

A note was propped against it. *Drink this before you come, darling. - Mom*

I lifted the goblet. It smelled of mint tea, masking the bitter almond scent.

My phone buzzed. *I opened the security app on my phone. I'd installed a backdoor into the camera system weeks ago when Ivan was bragging about the new 4K upgrades.*

Ivan, Kiera, Leo, and my parents were in the VIP suite. Laughing.

"She'll be dead by the fireworks," I heard my father say.

I stared at the screen.

I lifted the goblet to my lips. I took a tiny sip. Just enough to coat my tongue.

Then I poured the rest down the sink.

I went to the toilet and purged. *I needed the symptoms-the pallor, the sweat-but not the death.*

*Debi had given me a stimulant shot to counteract the residual effects.* I jammed it into my thigh.

Fire raced through my veins.

My bones creaked. *Pop.*

*It's time,* my wolf roared.

"Not yet," I gritted out. "Hold it."

I stood up. I looked like death warmed over. Perfect.

I grabbed the present I had prepared. A box wrapped in black paper.

Inside was a digital audio player and the photos.

I called a courier service. *"Priority delivery. VIP Suite at Silver Moon Park. Don't stop for anyone."*

I walked out of the house.

I was done being Aliana the Victim.

Tonight, I was the Executioner.

Aliana POV:

The Silver Moon Park was a cacophony of lights and noise.

I stood on Lover's Point, overlooking the park. *It was the perfect vantage point.*

I pulled out my binoculars.

Inside the VIP suite, the party was in full swing. Ivan was playing the doting father. Kiera was preening.

I checked my watch. 7:15 PM.

My phone vibrated. It was Debi.

*"I'm in the server room," she whispered. "I bribed the night tech. He's got the feed queued up. Just say the word."*

"Wait for the box," I said.

Through the binoculars, I saw a beta guard enter the suite holding the package.

Ivan frowned. He took it.

He tore off the paper. He opened the lid.

I saw him freeze.

Inside, the audio player was rigged to start automatically.

*She smells of death already... Put the mule down, Ivan...*

I saw Kiera's face go white. My father stepped forward, shouting.

"Now, Debi," I said.

The giant screens in the park suddenly flickered. Static hissed, silencing the crowd.

Then, my face appeared. *Pre-recorded an hour ago.*

"My name is Aliana Hughes," the video-me said. My voice boomed across the park. "And today is my thirtieth birthday."

In the VIP suite, Ivan was frantically trying to find the remote. *But Debi had locked the system out.*

"For five years," the video continued, "I have been sick. My husband told you I was broken."

The crowd gasped.

"But I wasn't sick," I said, holding up the medical report. "I was poisoned."

"Lies!" I could almost hear my father screaming.

"Wolfsbane," I said. "Administered by my parents... and my mate."

A low murmur of growls started to ripple through the crowd.

"They did this to hide a secret. And a secret about him."

On the screen, the photo of the fake DNA test appeared, followed by the real one.

"Leo Reese is not the Alpha's son," I declared. "He is the son of a Rogue."

In the suite, Ivan shoved Kiera away.

"I am leaving," the video-me said.

I took a deep breath on the screen.

"I, Aliana of the White Wolf bloodline..."

The crowd screamed.

"...reject you, Alpha Ivan Hughes, as my mate."

The words hit the air like a shockwave.

Up on the hill, I felt it. The bond snapped.

Pain ripped through my chest. *It felt like open heart surgery without anesthesia.* I fell to my knees.

But in the VIP suite, it was worse.

Ivan collapsed. He clutched his chest, screaming.

"I reject my parents," I continued. "And I sever my ties to the Silver Moon Pack."

The video cut to black.

Silence.

Then, chaos.

I stood up. The pain was fading, replaced by a strange lightness.

I turned away from the park.

*My body began to shift. It wasn't painful anymore. It was a release.*

My vision sharpened. The night air smelled richer.

I didn't need a mirror. I knew my eyes were glowing.

*And somewhere deep inside, the White Wolf threw back her head and howled.*