Lysandra POV:

Kieran stood up slowly, his Alpha aura rolling out like a physical force. It pressed down on everyone in the room, making the weaker wolves whimper.

It slid right off me because I was a True Alpha, but I pretended to feel it. Pretended to struggle under the weight.

"You will show respect," Kieran said, his voice deadly quiet. "I am your Crown Prince."

"You're a child playing dress-up," I said, and I knew I was going too far but I couldn't stop. "You rejected a divine prophecy because of your ego. You're condemning yourself to death because you can't stand the idea of being tied to someone you think is beneath you. That's not strength. That's cowardice."

His eyes flashed gold. For a second, I thought he might actually shift and attack me right there in the dining hall.

But he didn't.

Instead, he smiled. Cold and cruel.

"You know what?" he said. "You're right. I am a coward. Because I'd rather die than spend one more minute bound to something as pathetic as you."

He walked out, the other four Alphas following him.

The nobles and council members stared at me like I'd just committed treason.

"Well," I said to the room at large. "That was fun. Anyone else want to tell me how worthless I am? There's still time before I die."

Nobody said anything.

I picked up my plate and walked out, leaving the food behind because I'd suddenly lost my appetite.

***

That afternoon, I was in the palace library trying to research Void beasts and maybe find some way to break the death curse without accepting the bonds.

I was reading an ancient text about prophecy magic when someone cleared their throat behind me.

I turned to find Cassian standing there, his silver eyes gleaming with something that might have been amusement.

"Still alive?" he asked.

"Barely."

"Pity." He walked over to the shelves, running his fingers along the spines of books. "I thought Kieran might actually kill you at breakfast. He was close."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Oh, I'm not disappointed." He pulled out a book, examining it. "Your death is inevitable anyway. Why rush it?"

"How kind of you."

"I'm not kind." He looked at me, and his eyes were cold. "I'm curious. You're researching ways to break the curse."

It wasn't a question.

"How did you know?"

"I'm the Grand Alpha Sorcerer. I know everything that happens in my library." He gestured at the books around me. "You won't find an answer here."

"You've looked?"

"Of course I've looked. I don't want to die any more than you do. But the only solution is accepting the bonds." He smiled without humor. "Which we've all agreed we'd rather die than do."

"So we're all just giving up?"

"Not giving up. Choosing dignity over desperation." He set his book down. "I've spent centuries building my magical power. I've studied under the greatest sorcerers in history. I've mastered spells that would make gods weep. And you... you have nothing. No magic. No power. No potential."

"Thanks for the reminder."

"Binding myself to you would actively diminish my abilities," he continued like I hadn't spoken. "It would be like pouring pure water into mud. The water doesn't lift the mud. The mud just makes everything murky."

"That's a lovely metaphor," I said. "Really makes me feel special."

"You're not special. That's the point." He leaned closer, and I could feel the magic radiating off him like heat. "The Moon Goddess made a mistake. We're all paying for it. But at least we'll die knowing we didn't compromise who we are."

Lysandra POV:

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"I don't care how you feel," he said simply. "I just wanted you to understand. This isn't personal. You're just... insufficient. And no amount of hoping or wishing or trying will change that."

He walked away, leaving me alone with the books and the crushing weight of his words.

***

That evening, there was another formal dinner. I really, really didn't want to go, but apparently it was mandatory. Something about unity and showing the kingdom that everything was fine.

Which was hilarious considering we were all dying.

I wore a green dress this time, let Mira do something simple with my hair, and walked into that dining room like I was going to my execution.

Which, technically, I was. Just a slow one.

The five Alphas were already there, along with various nobles and council members. The moment I walked in, Darius looked up from his wine glass and said, loud enough for everyone to hear:

"Oh look. The walking corpse has arrived."

Laughter rippled through the room.

I kept my face blank and walked to my assigned seat at the far end of the table.

"I give her three months," Theron said to Kieran. "She's weak. She'll die faster than the rest of us."

"I give her two," Kieran replied. "She'll give up before the curse even finishes her."

"I'm taking bets," Darius announced. "Who wants to wager on when the orphan drops dead?"

Several nobles actually pulled out money.

I sat down and stared at my empty plate, trying to tune them out.

"No takers?" Darius continued. "Come on, this is easy money. She's obviously not going to last."

"Maybe she'll do us all a favor and die faster," Zane said from his corner. "Then we won't have to smell weak blood anymore."

"Agreed," Cassian said. "Her presence is... contaminating."

The dinner continued like that, with the five Alphas taking turns mocking me, insulting me, and generally treating me like garbage while everyone else laughed.

I ate my food mechanically, not tasting anything, just trying to get through the meal without crying or screaming or doing something stupid.

When it finally ended, I practically ran back to my rooms.

Mira was waiting, and she looked horrified. "I heard what they said. How they treated you. Miss Vane, this is..."

"Par for the course?" I finished. "Yeah. I'm getting used to it."

"You shouldn't have to get used to it! This is abuse!"

"It's reality," I said tiredly. "They hate me. I'm dying. Nothing's going to change that."

"But..."

"Mira, please. I'm exhausted. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

She looked like she wanted to argue but finally nodded and left me alone.

I collapsed onto my bed and stared at the ceiling.

This was my life now. Being mocked and degraded by five Alphas who would rather die than accept me. Being laughed at by nobles who saw me as entertainment. Being treated like garbage by everyone in the palace.

And the worst part? I could stop it. I could reveal who I really was. Show them my power. Prove that I was stronger than all of them combined.

But I couldn't.

Not yet.

Not until I figured out who killed my pack. Not until I understood why the Moonblood line had been targeted. Not until I could trust someone.

And right now, I couldn't trust anyone.

Especially not five Alphas who'd made it crystal clear they wanted me dead.

So I'd keep pretending. Keep being the weak wolfless orphan. Keep letting them think they'd broken me.

And when the time came, when I'd figured out all my answers, I'd show them exactly what they'd rejected.

But until then, I just had to survive.

One insult at a time.

One day at a time.

One breath at a time.

Even if every breath hurt.

Even if every moment felt like dying slowly.

Even if I wasn't sure I'd make it to the end.

My wolf stirred inside me, angry and restless.

"Soon," I promised her. "Soon we'll show them."

But soon felt very far away.

And death felt very, very close.