The hospital's fluorescent lights flickered as I waited, pressed into the shadows of the supply closet. The stolen master keycard felt like a brand against my palm, warm with the possibility of answers. It was 3:17 AM. The night shift nurses had completed their rounds, and the corridors were silent except for the distant hum of medical equipment.

I'd chosen the records room deliberately. If Jayden was being kept somewhere in the hospital's restricted pediatric wing, there would be paperwork. There would be a trail. And I would find it.

The door clicked open.

'Is it secure?' Davis's voice, low and controlled, made my blood freeze. I pressed myself deeper into the closet, Sera's fury a living thing behind my ribs.

'Completely secure,' came another voice—Owen Hale, the pack healer. His tone carried the practiced calm of a man who had made peace with his own corruption. 'The sedation protocol is working perfectly. He's stable, but...'

'But what?' A woman's voice now, sharp with maternal fear. Camilla. My fingers dug into my own arms, hard enough to bruise.

'His wolf is fighting the sedatives. It's only a matter of time before he wakes up fully.'

'How much time?' Davis demanded.

'A day. Maybe two.'

'Not enough,' Camilla whispered. 'August needs that heart tomorrow night.'

The words hit me like a physical blow. I bit down on my own hand, hard, to keep from making a sound. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as Davis's voice continued, clinical and cold.

'The procedure is scheduled for midnight. Owen will harvest the heart while the pup is still under sedation. It's the cleanest way.'

'And afterward?' Camilla's voice was softer now, almost tender. 'After we save our son?'

'Afterward, we move on,' Davis said. 'Katelyn is gone. The pack believes the pup is dead. No one will question it.'

'And if they do?'

'They won't.' The absolute certainty in his voice made my skin crawl. 'I'm the Alpha. My word is law.'

I heard footsteps moving toward the door. 'I need to check on him,' Camilla said. 'I need to know he's still...'

'Still alive?' Davis finished for her. 'Go. I have calls to make.'

The door closed. I stayed frozen in the closet, my hand still clamped over my mouth, tasting my own blood.

They were going to kill my son. Tomorrow night. To save another child—August. Their child.

The full horror of it crashed over me in waves. Davis hadn't just betrayed me. He had orchestrated our son's 'death' from the beginning. He had used me as a vessel, a means to an end, to create a healthy pup whose heart could save his secret son.

Sera howled inside me, a sound of pure, primal rage.

Not yet, I told her again. But soon.

I slipped out of the closet when I was certain they were gone. The records room was dark, but I didn't need light. I knew exactly what I was looking for now.

The pediatric wing's security logs confirmed it. Jayden was here, registered under a false name, heavily sedated, with surgery scheduled for tomorrow night.

I memorized the room number, the guard rotation, the camera blind spots.

Then I ran.

The hospital corridors blurred around me as I made for the exit, my heart hammering against my ribs. I couldn't fight them all. Not yet. Not alone.

But I knew where to go.

The forest between Black Moon and Moonveil territories was dark and treacherous, filled with territorial traps and border patrols. But Sera was awake now, and her senses were sharper than any human's. I moved through the trees like a ghost, using the moonlight to guide me, listening for the sound of pursuit.

Behind me, I heard a howl—a search party. Davis had discovered my absence.

I pushed harder, faster, the border just ahead. If I could reach Moonveil territory, if I could find Alpha Vivienne...

The trees thinned. The scent of unfamiliar wolves filled the air.

And somewhere in the darkness, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

I ran until my lungs burned and my legs threatened to give out beneath me. Behind me, the howls of Davis's search party grew closer. They were tracking me, hunting me down like an escaped criminal. The irony wasn't lost on me—I was the victim here, not the perpetrator, but in Davis's twisted version of reality, I was the one who had committed the unforgivable sin of trying to save my own son.

The border between Black Moon and Moonveil territories loomed ahead, marked by ancient oak trees and a subtle shift in the quality of the air. I didn't hesitate. I didn't look back. I crossed the line and kept running, Sera's presence a constant pressure behind my ribs, urging me forward.

I hadn't gone more than a hundred yards when they found me.

"Stop right there!" The command came from three massive warriors who materialized from the shadows, their Moonveil pack markings gleaming in the moonlight. They surrounded me, snarling, their wolves close to the surface.

I did the one thing no one would expect from a supposedly broken, wolfless Omega.

I stood my ground.

"I surrender," I said, my voice steady despite the exhaustion threatening to drown me. "I demand an immediate audience with Alpha Vivienne Payne. It's urgent."

The warriors exchanged glances. They clearly weren't used to prisoners who asked for their Alpha by name, let alone with such confidence.

"You're from Black Moon," one of them growled, circling me. "Davis Wallace's territory. Why should we bring you to our Alpha instead of throwing you back across the border?"

I met his gaze directly. "Because I have information she needs to hear. Information about Davis that could change everything."

They didn't believe me. I could see it in their eyes. They saw what I had once been—a nobody, a wolfless Luna who couldn't even protect her own pup. But they couldn't ignore protocol, not when I'd crossed their border and surrendered so openly.

"Chain her," the lead warrior ordered, and I didn't resist as the cold metal closed around my wrists. "If you're lying, you'll regret it."

They dragged me through Moonveil territory, past curious eyes and whispered conversations. I kept my head high, even as the chains bit into my skin. I had made my choice. Now I just had to survive long enough to make it matter.

The Moonveil packhouse was imposing—modern and sleek where Black Moon's was traditional and ornate. They took me to a room that was clearly designed for interrogations, all hard surfaces and unforgiving light.

Alpha Vivienne Payne sat at the far end of the table, her sharp eyes assessing me with the precision of a predator sizing up potential prey. Beside her, an older woman with knowing eyes watched me with an intensity that made my skin prickle. Rachel Moreno, Vivienne's mentor. I'd heard stories about her—how she'd survived her own mate's betrayal to become a force of nature in the pack world.

"Katelyn Wallace," Vivienne said, her voice cool and measured. "Former Luna of Black Moon Pack. Recently rejected and cast out. What could you possibly have to offer me that would be worth the risk of harboring Davis Wallace's leftovers?"

The contempt in her voice was unmistakable. She saw me the same way everyone else did—as a broken shell, a discarded mate, a wolfless nobody who couldn't even protect her own child.

"Remove the chains," I said quietly.

Vivienne's eyebrow arched. "Excuse me?"

"Remove the chains," I repeated, my voice stronger now. "Or you'll never know what I'm really offering."

For a long moment, she studied me. Then she nodded to one of the guards, who hesitated before unlocking the chains from my wrists.

The moment the metal fell away, I felt Sera surge forward. I didn't fight her this time. I surrendered to the shift, letting the power I'd kept leashed for so long explode outward.

My bones cracked. My skin rippled. And where a moment before there had been a broken Omega, now there stood a massive wolf—charcoal fur with silver undertones that caught the light like polished metal. I was bigger than I had any right to be, my Luna aura filling the room with a power that made even Vivienne's eyes widen in shock.

I shifted back just as smoothly, standing before them in human form but with the undeniable presence of a wolf who had finally found her voice.

"I'm not what they told you I was," I said, meeting Vivienne's stunned gaze. "And neither is Davis Wallace what he pretends to be."