His laugh stayed in my head even as I ran, I still couldn't comprehend what that was all about. He was like a mad man, maybe that's why he was locked up. 

   I forced myself to keep moving, my legs felt and I didn't know where I was going anymore. Branches slapped my face and rocks cut my feet and night blurred into an endless cat and mouse game. 

  It all came to an end Ehem I hit something warm and solid, a body .  stumbled back, gasping, and the figure in front of me stepped into the moonlight like he had been waiting, my eyes widened as I swallow the gasp that threatened to escape.

  " Se-Sean," I stumbled backwards trembling. 

   His eyes were cold, and his mouth was set like he'd already decided what I deserved. "found you little omega," he said, voice low. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out, my words were stuck in my throat. He moved swinging his arm landing one blow to my head. Pain exploded across my face and skull as  the world tilted sideways. I hit the ground, tasting dirt and blood, my ears ringing so loud I couldn't hear my own sob. 

   Everything started to turn hazy, I tried to crawl away but my arms wouldn't work right. The pain, I couldn't carry any of it anymore and my body failed me. Darkness started to roll in and in that moment all I wished for was to die that very moment.

   *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

   When I woke up, the first thing I felt was coldness 

   Not the cold of night air, but  of metal close to skin, and a sharp sizzling sting. My eyes fluttered open and the light above was dim and yellow, like old torches.  I tried to sit up but jolt of pain ran through my head, and I hissed under my breath.That's when I saw them, bars, silver bars all around me, I was  in a cage. 

   My breath caught and panic rose fast, choking me harder than Sean's hand had. I scrambled back until my spine hit the cage wall and it stung. The silver was thick, built to burn and weaken wolves.

   Outside the cage, two guards stood with spears, their eyes hard, their bodies relaxed like they weren't guarding a person, just waiting for an animal to stop moving. 

   I was no stranger to this place, I was in the dungeon multiple times. The air smelled damp and stale, like stone that never saw sun. I swallowed, my throat still very dry. "Why am I here," I croaked. 

  One of the guards laughed. "She's finally awake. We thought you'd be dead by now after last night."

   Last night ? Did that mean I had been out for hours and why didn't I die, I would have been better off dead than have to face Sean. Voices echoed from farther down the hall, and I leaned a little closer to the bars, listening because it was all I could do and maybe I'd know what was going to happen to me. 

   "...Alpha Draven is back." 

   The words cut through me, another voice replied, tense. "He almost killed his brother. Slit Lucian's throat like it was nothing." A third voice, quieter, afraid. "He reclaimed Duskwood. And now he'll be going pack to pack, dealing with anyone involved in his disappearance." My hands tightened around the bars without thinking, and the silver bars burnt into my palms. 

   Draven? why was he the talk at the moment. 

   His name meant something even in Silver Fang. A story parents used when pups acted brave, the dark Alpha who betrayed his people, the Alpha who vanished years ago like the forest swallowed him. I blinked hard, trying to clear the haze in my head. 

   Then it came back to me, the cave and the chained man. I felt my blood drain from my face,no  it couldn't be, it couldn't be him I tried to talk myself out of my thoughts. Footsteps came toward my cell, lighter than guards, confident, like someone enjoying the sound they made. 

   Then the dungeon door opened and Laura stepped in. Even here she looked perfect. Her hair neat, dress clean, cheeks warm with blush .She looked at me through the silver bars and smiled like she was admiring a dress in a shop. 

   "Did you like my little gift," she said softly. I furrowed my brows "what do you mean? ," I whispered.  She tilted her head. "You're welcome," she continued, like we were having a normal conversation. "I didn't think you had a percentage of instinct in you. You almost got away and everything I did to get you here would have gone to waste." 

   My hands started shaking. "You...you did this?" I said, now everything made sense, she must have disguised her as me and..... "You... it was you , you attacked the Alpha." Laura's smile sharpened. "Of course I did. Took you that long to figure out."

  Her  words landed like a slap. 

   She stepped closer, her eyes bright. "I mean, it's already a privilege for you to look exactly like me," she said. "That doesn't mean you get to have something I can't." My stomach dropped as bile slid into place, ugly and clear, this was all about Sean and the Moon Match.The rage in her face when she got a regular mate. 

  " You can have him if you want him, please just get me out of here." 

  She laughed like I had just cracked some joke, she leaned closer to the bars and lowered her voice. "It's sad," she murmured, "this is the last time I get to play dress up as you." I stared at her, as a lump formed in my throat. "Why," I choked out. "I'm your sister." Laura laughed quietly. "No," she said. "You're a mistake that looks like me, enjoy that while you can." With that she turned on her heel and walked out like she hadn't just confessed to ruining my life. 

   The dungeon door shut, I sat there, numb, trying to breathe around the fear, trying to think of a way out, but my mind kept sliding off the walls like there was nothing to grab. And a while later keys rattled and guards came to my cage. 

   "Get up," one of them barked. I backed away. "No," I whispered. "Please." But they had no mercy , the cage door opened with a screech as silver burned the air. 

   Hands grabbed my arms and yanked me out. I stumbled, weak, my head still pounding. They dragged me down the corridor, up stairs, through halls until I heard voices and the light. We were at the execution grounds. They dragged and shoved me onto the platform. 

   Wolves filled the area, regulars and warriors, elders standing in a row like judges, and at the front sat the Alpha and Luna of Silver Fang, faces set hard for the pack to see, sean stood beside them, with his beta and My father stood to the side. Laura stood near him looking calm, almost pleased, like this was an event she'd planned and couldn't wait to finish. 

   Rope was tied around my wrists, I swallowed hard, looking out over the crowd, searching for one face that might soften, one person who might believe me. 

   "Please," I said, voice shaking. "I didn't do it." 

   A pack elder stepped forward. "Kyra Hale," he announced, loud enough for everyone to hear. "You have been found guilty of attempting to murder your Alpha." Murmurs rippled through the crowd. "To set an example," the elder continued, "you will be executed." 

   My knees went weak, I turned my head toward my father. "Father ," I whispered. "Please. Look at me. You know I wouldn't." He just turned away and didn't even look at me. Not  even for a second, it felt worse than the rope on my wrists. 

   I turned toward the Luna, desperate. "You said the Moon chooses for reasons," I pleaded. "Please. I was with Sage. I never left the omega quarter." The Luna's face tightened, but she stayed silent. Sean's eyes stayed cold, Laura's lips curved in a small smile. The guards moved behind me, getting ready.

   I shut my eyes because I couldn't hold the stares anymore, and I tried to speak to the only thing left that might hear me. 

   "Moon Goddess, please if I die let me reunite with my mother, "l said a little prayer. a guard walked towards me with a sword in his hand. I bowed my head and finished my last prayer as tears rolled down my face. Before he could swing it, a sound cut through the lair. It was a growl

   I kept my head low but from the side of my eyes I could see a man walking forward.My breath caught, because even from here I knew that shape, that presence, that feeling crawling up my spine. 

  Gasps spread through the pack like fire. I heard the name whispered, then said louder. 

   "Alpha Draven?"

  I walked into Silver Fang like I owned the place, I mean I could if I wanted to. 

  The pack grounds stretched wide under torchlight, familiar in a way that made my mouth curl, because five years ago they would have bowed when I stepped onto soil like this, and tonight they were staring like they'd seen a dead man climb out of his grave. I smiled anyway.

  Three men stood behind me, big enough to make even warriors shift uneasily. One of them my trusty Beta , who was locked up by Lucian for not obeying him. Now that I am back he is by my side and you didn't have to be told who he was.

  He didn't smile, he didn't need to. The way he stood said enough, calm and ready, like the ground would crack before he did.

  The execution platform was ahead, crowded with elders and guards and leaders, and in the center of it all was a girl on her knees, wrists bound, hair falling forward, face hidden like she had already been buried.

  "Our mate," Ruin growled inside me.

  The bond tugged at me like a hook, steady and sure, and it made Ruin roll under my skin, restless, angry at the sight of her like this.

  I kept my composure and continued walking.

  The Alpha of Silver Fang rose from his seat so fast his chair scraped and of course Morgan, the Beta, and idiot of a son tensed beside him.

  Their scents spiked with fear, sharp and sour, and it made my smile widen because fear was honest, fear didn't pretend.

  "D-Draven," they said together, like saying my name might summon a curse.

  I stopped a few steps from the platform and spread my hands a little, like I was greeting old friends.

  "Ah," I said, voice carrying through the silent crowd. "So you still remember me."

  No one moved, the torches crackled, wolves held their breath.

  I let my gaze drift over them, slow, taking in every face that had been part of the lie, every leader who had benefited from my absence.

  "I was worried," I added, mockingly. "I thought you might have forgotten the man you helped bury alive."

  A few murmurs rippled through the crowd, quickly smothered by fear.

  I laughed, quiet and sharp. "Don't look so tense. I'm not here for speeches." I tilted my head. "I'm here to unleash havoc."

  The Alpha's jaw worked like he was chewing on words he didn't want to say. "This is Silver Fang land," he snapped. "You have no right to-"

  I lifted a brow. "No right," I repeated, tasting it. "Interesting."

  Dexter shifted behind me, just one step, and the sound of his boots on dirt made the nearest guards flinch.

  I leaned forward slightly. "My men are already on your grounds," I said, calm as if I was discussing weather. "By the next hour, your population will drop by seventy five percent."

  The silence broke into panic, gasps, a few cries, someone in the crowd started praying under their breath.

  The Alpha's face drained and the Luna gripped the arm of her chair so hard her knuckles went white.

  Morgan stepped forward, trying to look brave, trying to look like the Beta he had become. "You can't do that," he said. "You're not in a place to."

  I turned my head toward him slowly.

  Morgan.

  The name sat bitter on my tongue. Not because he mattered, but because he had chosen a side five years ago, and choices had prices.

  I smiled at him. "I'm exactly in the place to," I said. "I took my place back."

  I lifted my chin toward the crowd, toward the trembling elders and warriors.

  "I am Alpha again,still the most powerful and dangerous." I continued, my voice steady. "Which means I can do what I want. I can claim blood. I can claim land. I can claim lives."

  The Alpha took a step down from the platform, palms slightly raised. "Draven," he said, forcing calm. "We can talk. Whatever you think happened, we can settle it."

  I laughed, louder this time, because the idea was almost funny.

  "Settle it," I echoed. "Like it was a misunderstanding?"

  The Luna's voice cut in, shaky. "Please. There are pups here."

  I looked at her, expression cold. "Then you should have thought about pups before you betrayed your people."

  The Alpha's throat worked. "We didn't," he started.

  "Lie to yourself if you want," I said. "Don't lie to me."

  I turned my gaze toward the execution platform again, toward my mate. 

  The pull in my chest sharpened, I wanted to make whoever did this to her, but it wasn't the right time yet. 

  Then a voice rose from the back , light and pleased, like she was offering a gift. 

  "Maybe we can make a peace trade," she said. 

  " Peace trade ?" I repeated. 

  " We can give you one of our people to prove our loyalty.....and if you need a person," the voice said, "a trade for a treaty... take her."

  I shifted my eyes.

  A young woman stepped forward, hands folded, face innocent, but her scent was sharp with satisfaction. She pointed toward my mate like  she was pointing at a broken tool.

  My gaze dropped back to the kneeling figure.

  Even with her head down, even with dirt on her skin and rope on her wrists, the bond hit me hard enough to make my breath slow.

  Her scent slid into my lungs, cherry blossoms and honey. Soft, warm, dangerously sweet against the night air and smoke.

  It was her, my mate.

  I took a step closer, eyes narrowing as I looked at the line of her shoulders, the curve of her neck, the tremble in her bound hands.

  Then my gaze shifted, trying to make out what was happening. 

  Because beside the leaders, near Morgan, stood another girl and she had the exact same face.

  I wasn't hallucinating, they had the same eyes, same mouth, same exact look, like the Moon had copied one and made two.

  Which mena , they were twins. 

  My gaze flicked back and forth between them so fast it almost felt like my vision glitched.

  But one thing was clear , there was no mate bond between her and I. 

  Ruin growled inside me, confused as I was. 

  One was my mate, the other wasn't . 

  Thoughts slammed into me, fast and sharp. For years I had imagined justice as a straight line, a clear target, a clean revenge, and now the Moon dropped something twisted into my hands like a cruel joke.

  I forced my breathing steady and lifted my chin, letting the confusion settle behind my eyes instead of on my face.

  Then I cleared my throat, slow, deliberate, and let a smile spread again, because if they wanted a monster, I could be one.

  "Double," I said, voice smooth, "is better."

  Heads snapped up towards me, a few elders stiffened like they hadn't heard right.

  I looked at my mate then at the standing twin, and my smile widened.

  "I'll take both of the twins," I said. "As payment."

  The crowd erupted.

  "What?"

  "No."

  "That's impossible."

  Morgan's face went tight with shock. The Alpha stepped forward, furious and the Luna's mouth fell open.

  My mate, lifted her head slightly as if she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.

  I held the moment in my hand like a weapon, then I spoke again, colder.

  "Agree," I said, "or bury your pack."

Chapter 7 

  Did he just say he would take both of us as payment? The words hit me and stayed there, stuck in my head, why ? Was it because I refused to free him and this was his way of punishing me. 

  I forced myself to straighten even though my body ached and my wrists burned from the rope, and when I lifted my head I finally caught his face properly, it was definitely him. 

  Except he seemed to have had a glow up, his beard was trimmed and so was his hair. He looked even more terrifying, but handsome than before, he looked nothing like a helpless prisoner. His eyes found mine and something cold slid through my stomach, what had I done.

  If I had known the man chained in that cave was Alpha Draven, I would have run. I would have crawled through thorns, I would have let them catch me, anything would have been better than this. I didn't just set a stranger free, I set the most dangerous and feared alpha free and now he stood here smiling 

  while  my pack was shaking. I had brought doom on myself.

  I swallowed hard and turned my head slightly, searching faces, trying to understand if anyone else was as horrified as I was. Laura still stood near my father and she looked so calm almost bored, no sign of fear at all. 

  She didn't look like a girl who had just been claimed by a man who threatened to wipe out her entire pack and that was the most unsettling part. My father stepped forward, voice too quick, too eager. "Sure you can have both my daughters," he  said with ease like we meant nothing.

  "What," I whispered, and then louder, broken, "No."

  The crowd murmured again, but no one stepped in. The Alpha and Luna watched like they were trapped in their own fear. Sean's face was hard, like he didn't care what happened to me as long as it was far away from him.

  My father hated me, I knew that, but this felt different, this felt like I wasn't even human.

  I was a thing he could trade to save himself.

  On my part I understood I was worth nothing to him, but Laura... I couldn't understand why he agreed so easily.

  "No," I said again, shaking my head. "No, you can't." Laura still didn't react, not even a flicker of resistance as if she had expected this.

  My throat tightened. "Laura," I whispered, but she didn't look at me. turned back to my father. "Father , please," I said, the word dad tasting like ash. "You can't do this to me, to us." But his face twisted, not with sadness, but with resentment , like I was making a scene.

  He strode toward me and before I could even step back, his hand swung. The  slap cracked across my cheek and my head snapped to the side. Pain flared hot and my ears rang, the crowd just stared, it was a sight they were used to.

  I blinked but I wasn't surprised , tasting blood where my teeth cut the inside of my mouth. Maybe being traded wasn't a bad idea, no amount of chores hurt more than knowing your own father.... flesh and blood never loved you.

  Then a growl tore through the air, deep enough to shake my ribs, Draven as fast as a shadow.

  One second he was a few steps away, the next his hand was around my father's throat, lifting him partly off the ground like he weighed nothing.

  " Father," I managed to let out. 

  He choked, his feet scraping as his hands grabbed at Draven's wrist. Draven's face was calm, but his eyes were darker now, and his scent hit the air like thunder. 

  I stared, confused, because I didn't understand why he would stop my father from hurting me when he was the one claiming me like property. Draven's voice was low. "Touch her again," he said, "and you lose the hand."

  My father wheezed his face rapidly started to turn red and everyone just watched. Draven tightened his grip and spoke again, colder

  . "If you don't agree," he said to the leaders without looking away, "your precious Beta dies first."

  My heart hammered against my ribs and another feeling I couldn't describe. Maybe it was relief that my father was finally afraid or because I felt bad he was in this situation. 

  he was still my father and I loved him. 

  If he died Laura and I would now become orphans, my mother had died a few years ago he never bothered to know anything about her burial if why she died. 

  I lifted my chin my eyes burning, and said the truth that spilled out before I could stop it.

  "Do what you want," I said hoarsely. "I care less." Draven's head turned slightly, like he hadn't expected that. his eyes locked onto mine again, sharp with confusion for the first time.

  Maybe it's not what he expected or he expected me to roll on the ground and kiss his feet begging him to let go of my dad. 

  "You were going to kill me anyway," I added, voice shaking but steady enough. "So it doesn't matter who takes me."

  The Alpha stood abruptly up, he looked so furious m."Enough," he barked. "Girl, it's either you agree or you die."

  I looked at him, at the crowd and , at the execution block behind me, and something inside me went quiet.

  I felt so helpless, I nodded once, slow. "Do what you want," I said again. "You were already going to."

  For a second no one spoke and my response made Draven's face darkened. His grip on my father tightened, he gasped making strangled sound and his face begun to change color.

  The air around Draven felt like it dropped colder. He stepped closer, still holding my father like a warning, and his voice rang out, cutting through the murmurs.

  "I'm not asking," he said.

  He released my father with a shove that sent him stumbling back, coughing, clutching his throat, he humiliated him. Then Draven pointed at me, and my skin prickled like I could feel the shape of his words.

  "You're coming with me," he said.

  His gaze slid to Laura who was , still calm and  watching like this was going exactly how she wanted."Both of you," Draven finished.

  My stomach turned, he wasn't speaking like a man making a deal he was speaking like an Alpha giving an order.And everyone, even my father, even Sean, even the Alpha of Silver Fang, looked like they knew they couldn't stop him.