Three days passed in a blur of pain and planning. My body still ached from the miscarriage, but my mind was sharper than it had been in months. The extraction plan with Jasper was in motion. Just a few more days of pretending, of playing the broken Luna.

I was scrolling through my hidden phone when a notification popped up from the pack's social media page. Probably another announcement about pack runs or territory patrols.

But the image that loaded made my blood freeze.

Jade's perfectly made-up face filled the screen, her glossy lips curved in a triumphant smile. But it wasn't her face that made my hands tremble.

It was what hung around her neck.

"My mother's moonstone," I whispered, zooming in on the image.

The necklace gleamed against Jade's throat—a crescent moon pendant crafted from ancient silver, inlaid with a stone that seemed to capture actual moonlight. It had been passed down through generations of Lunas in my family. My mother had worn it until her death, when it became mine—the symbol of my authority as Luna.

The caption beneath the photo twisted the knife deeper: "Finally feeling like I belong. #AlphaProtection"

Comments from pack members flooded beneath the post:

"So beautiful on you!"

"Alpha Graham has excellent taste!"

"The moonstone looks like it was made for you!"

Not one person mentioned that it wasn't hers to wear. Not one person remembered it belonged to their Luna—to me.

I threw the phone down as if it had burned me. The moonstone wasn't just jewelry. It contained actual power—protection magic that had been infused by generations of Lunas. My mother had told me once that it would keep me safe when she was gone.

Now Graham had given it to Jade.

---

I didn't remember walking to Graham's office. One moment I was in my room, the next I was pushing open his door without knocking.

Graham looked up from his desk, irritation flashing across his face before settling into cool indifference. "Serena. I'm busy."

Jade lounged on the leather sofa across from his desk, my mother's moonstone glinting at her throat. She had the audacity to smile at me.

"That's my necklace," I said, my voice steadier than I expected.

Graham's eyes narrowed. "It's a pack resource. I decided Jade needed its protection."

"Needed its protection?" I stepped closer, ignoring the way my body protested. "That moonstone has been in my family for generations. It's not just jewelry—it's my birthright as Luna."

Jade's fingers caressed the pendant. "Graham says I'm sensitive to negative energies. The stone helps me feel safe."

"Safe from what?" I demanded. "Your own lies?"

Graham stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "Enough, Serena. Jade needs—"

"What Jade needs," I cut in, "is to stop stealing what belongs to others."

I reached for the necklace, my fingers inches from the moonstone. I could feel its power calling to me.

"SUBMIT, SERENA."

The Alpha command hit me like a physical blow. My knees slammed into the hardwood floor, tearing the stitches Dr. Cross had carefully placed after the miscarriage. Pain exploded through my abdomen.

"Alpha commands are not requests," Graham said coldly, watching me struggle to breathe through the pain.

I looked up at him through tears of agony, seeing nothing of the man I had once loved. "You're using your power to protect her from me?"

"Protect her from your jealousy," he corrected, stepping around the desk.

Blood soaked through my clothes where fresh wounds had opened. I could feel it pooling beneath me on the polished floor.

"Graham," Jade's voice suddenly went breathy and panicked. She clutched at her chest. "I—I can't breathe. Her aura—it's suffocating me!"

She gasped dramatically, her eyes wide with feigned terror.

Graham was at her side instantly, his hands gentle as he cradled her face. "Breathe with me, Jade. In through your nose, out through your mouth."

He guided her through breathing exercises, completely ignoring his bleeding mate still kneeling on the floor.

"Serena," Jade whimpered between breaths, "your jealousy is attacking me. Can't you feel it? The negative energy?"

I stared at them both—Graham's concerned expression, Jade's perfectly crafted panic—and something inside me hardened into resolve.

No one was coming to help me. No one was going to stand up for their Luna.

I had to save myself.

Slowly, painfully, I pushed myself up from the floor, leaving a bloody imprint where I had knelt. Neither of them even looked at me as I crawled toward the door.

"I'll leave you two alone," I managed, my voice hollow.

As I pulled myself into the hallway, I heard Graham murmuring soothing words to Jade, promising her protection from my "toxic energy."

The door closed behind me with a soft click.

In that moment, something broke inside me—but something else took its place. Something stronger.

I pulled out my hidden phone with bloodied fingers and sent a single message to Jasper:

"Extraction needed. Tonight."

I sat at the small desk in my room, my fingers hovering over the keyboard of my laptop. The screen displayed the secure login page for the Silverclaw Pack's offshore banking system. My heart pounded against my ribs, but my hands remained steady.

"Just a few more clicks," I whispered to myself.

The irony wasn't lost on me. For years, Graham had treated me like a decorative accessory—his Luna in name only. Yet he'd never bothered to remove my access to the pack's financial systems. Perhaps he thought I was too broken to notice, too defeated to care.

He was wrong.

I entered the final authentication code and watched as the system granted me access. The screen populated with account balances that made my breath catch. Millions. Tens of millions. All bearing the Blackwood name—my family's legacy that had merged with the Silverclaw fortune when I became Graham's mate.

"Time to take back what's mine," I murmured, navigating to the transfer menu.

Because my name remained on the founding documents as the primary heir of the Blackwood fortune, I still had authority. One by one, I initiated transfers from each account, watching the balances diminish as funds flowed into the blind trust managed by the Parisian Lycan Clan.

Jasper had set it up yesterday, his voice calm and reassuring over our secure connection. "The Lycan Council guarantees anonymity and protection. No one can trace these funds back to you once they're in our system."

I paused, my finger hovering over the final confirmation button. Once I pressed this, there would be no going back. The money would be beyond Graham's reach forever.

"For you," I whispered to my lost pup, pressing the button firmly.

The confirmation appeared: Transfer Complete.

I closed the laptop and slid it beneath a loose floorboard under my bed. The room suddenly felt lighter, as if I'd shed another layer of chains.

---

I needed to check one last place before finalizing my escape plans.

The nursery was at the end of the east wing, a room I'd spent months preparing with love and hope. Pale yellow walls. A handcrafted oak crib. Stuffed animals arranged carefully on shelves. A rocking chair where I'd imagined holding my child.

I approached the door slowly, my hand trembling slightly as I pushed it open.

The sight that greeted me froze my blood.

Jade stood in the center of the room, directing two Omega wolves who were packing away the remaining baby items. The crib was already dismantled, its pieces stacked against the wall. The rocking chair was gone. The walls had been stripped of the forest-themed decals I'd so carefully applied.

"Oh!" Jade turned, her hand flying to her chest in mock surprise. "Serena, I didn't expect you."

"What are you doing?" My voice came out steadier than I felt.

Jade's lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Didn't Graham tell you? We're converting this space." She gestured around the room with manicured hands. "It's going to be my private yoga studio."

"Yoga studio?" The words felt like glass in my throat.

"Yes." She stepped closer, fingering my mother's moonstone at her throat. "Graham thinks it's best. He says looking at empty cribs is too... depressing for him." Her eyes glittered with malice. "For both of us, really."

One of the Omegas glanced up nervously, then quickly looked away, continuing her work with trembling hands.

"I need this space to manage my stress," Jade continued, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "All this baby stuff was just a reminder of... unfortunate events."

I stared at her, at the calculated cruelty in her eyes. She wanted me to break down, to give her another victory.

I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

"Enjoy your yoga," I said quietly, turning to leave.

"Oh, Serena?" Jade called after me. "Graham says you should stay out of the way tonight. The pack is throwing me a little birthday celebration."

I paused at the doorway but didn't turn back. "Happy birthday."

---

A soft knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts. I opened it to find Beta Marcus standing there, his expression uncomfortable.

"Luna," he said, his eyes not quite meeting mine. "I've come to... inform you of tonight's activities."

"Jade's birthday party," I supplied.

He nodded, shifting his weight. "The Alpha wants you to remain in your quarters during the celebration."

"And if I refuse?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

Marcus's jaw tightened. "It would be... easier for everyone if you didn't attend."

Easier for Graham. Easier for Jade. Never easier for me.

"I understand," I said, stepping back into my room. "Please tell Alpha Graham I'll comply with his wishes."

Relief flickered across Marcus's face. "Thank you, Luna."

As he turned to leave, I called after him. "Beta Marcus?"

He paused, looking back at me with cautious eyes.

"Will there be music?" I asked innocently.

"Ah, yes," he nodded. "The Alpha has arranged for a band. It will be... loud."

"Good," I said softly. "I like it loud."

Something in my tone made him study me more closely, but he found nothing suspicious in my expression.

After he left, I locked the door and leaned against it, a slow smile spreading across my face. Loud music meant noise. Noise meant cover. And cover meant opportunity.

Jasper would be waiting at the eastern border at midnight.

The party would provide the perfect distraction for my escape.