Jillian POV:

Two weeks later, the silence in the house was deafening. Alex barely spoke to me, treating me more like a roommate he was evicting soon.

"Get dressed," he commanded one evening, throwing a garment bag onto the bed. "The Obsidian Pack Charity Gala. You're coming."

I unzipped the bag. The dress was sheer. Too sheer. It was a statement piece, designed to show off the body beneath, leaving nothing to the imagination.

"Alex, this is... revealing," I whispered.

"It's expensive," he said, adjusting his cufflinks. "Wear it. Look pretty. Don't speak unless spoken to."

The Gala was dripping with crystal chandeliers and the scent of old money. As we entered, the whispers started. They weren't hiding it anymore. They knew the bet was almost over.

And then I saw Charlotte. She stood on the dais, wearing the Moonstone Necklace. It glowed against her skin, a beacon of my humiliation.

Alex guided me to the front row, his grip bruising.

"And now, for the main event!" the auctioneer announced. "Item number one. A rare, blue diamond collar. Encrusted with sapphires. Perfect for... displaying ownership."

The crowd chuckled.

"One million," Alex shouted.

The room gasped.

"Five million!" another Alpha shouted.

"Twenty million," Alex said calmly.

Silence.

"Sold! To Alpha Alex Bradley!"

Alex stood up. He didn't send me to pay. He walked onto the stage, took the collar, and walked back to me.

The room went deadly quiet.

"Stand up," he ordered.

I stood, my legs shaking.

He unclasped the heavy, jeweled collar. "Turn around."

"Alex, please," I begged softly. "Everyone is watching."

"Exactly," he hissed in my ear. "You wanted to be my mate? Then wear my mark."

He snapped the collar around my neck. The lock clicked. It was heavy, cold, and tight. A symbol of slavery, not love.

"Beautiful," he said loud enough for the room to hear. He patted my cheek.

Laughter rippled through the crowd. Phones were out, recording. #TheAlphasPet.

Alex turned and walked toward the side exit where Charlotte was waiting. He didn't look back.

I stood there, the diamonds heavy on my throat, burning with shame. I touched the cold metal.

Enjoy your laugh, Obsidian Pack, I thought, my inner wolf snarling. This collar isn't a mark of ownership. It's a declaration of war.

Jillian POV:

The humiliation didn't stop at the Gala. It was Elder Eleanor's eightieth birthday. The matriarch despised me.

"You will present a gift," Alex had ordered. "Something handmade. Show some effort."

I had spent nights painting the Silver Lake forest. It was the only piece of home I had left.

The banquet hall smelled of roasted meat and judgment. Elder Eleanor sat on her throne, eyes sharp as a hawk's.

"The Omega has a gift," Alex announced, bored.

I stepped forward, holding the covered canvas. "Happy Birthday, Elder Eleanor."

I pulled the cloth away.

Gasps rang out.

My blood ran cold.

It wasn't my landscape. The canvas was a crude, grotesque painting of Eleanor's face on a pig's body, roasting on a spit.

"Abomination!" Eleanor shrieked. "Insolent cur!"

"No!" I cried. "This isn't mine! I painted the forest! Someone switched it!"

I looked at Charlotte. She was covering a smirk behind a champagne flute.

"Alex, please," I begged. "You saw me painting the trees!"

Alex looked at the painting, then at me. He knew. He had to know. But he sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Grandmother, she has no taste," Alex said dismissively. "I'll have her removed."

"Removed?" Eleanor roared. "She insulted the Matriarch! She needs discipline!"

"She's just an Omega, Grandmother," Alex said, trying to de-escalate, but not defending me. "It's not worth the effort."

"It is to me! Guards! The cane!"

Two warriors grabbed my arms. Alex stepped back. He didn't stop them. He just poured himself a drink, looking away.

"Ten strikes," Eleanor commanded.

The cane came down. It wasn't the Silver Whip—that would kill me—but the heavy wood cracked against my back with bone-breaking force.

CRACK.

I bit my tongue to keep from screaming.

CRACK.

I locked eyes with Alex. He was checking his phone.

That was the moment. Not the pain of the wood, but the indifference in his eyes. He wasn't a monster who enjoyed my pain; he was a coward who wouldn't lift a finger to stop it.

By the tenth strike, I was slumped on the floor.

"Get her out of my sight," Eleanor spat.

As the guards dragged me away, I saw Charlotte whisper in Alex's ear. He finally smiled.

I didn't pass out. I memorized that smile. It was the fuel I needed.

Jillian POV:

I woke up in my bed. My back throbbed.

"Pack your bags," Alex said from the doorway. "Grandmother wants you gone. We're going to the Winter Cabin until the heat dies down."

Exile. He was hiding me away so he could parade Charlotte around without his 'embarrassment' present.

"Okay," I croaked.

While packing, I heard him on the phone in the hall.

"Yeah, Charlotte. We're leaving... No, I'm not bringing her back. She stays at the cabin... Indefinitely. I'm tired of the drama. Once she's up there, the snow will keep her trapped. We can finally move on."

He wasn't planning to kill me. He was planning to bury me alive in isolation.

Perfect.

I texted the Delphi contact: Moving to Plan B. Location: Blackwater Cliff. Tonight.

The drive was silent. The blizzard was already howling when we arrived.

"I'm going to check the generator," Alex said. "Don't unpack. You're staying in the guest quarters."

He walked out into the storm.

I moved fast. I grabbed a kitchen knife and slashed my arm—superficial, but bloody. I dripped it on the porch snow. I overturned the furniture. I made it look like a Rogue raid.

I ran to the cliff edge. The Blackwater River raged below.

I didn't need the poison pill. The drop alone would convince them.

I stood on the precipice.

"Goodbye, Alex," I whispered into the wind. "I reject you."

I jumped.

The icy air rushed past me. I hit the water hard, the cold shock instant and paralyzing. I let the current take me, dragging me under, away from the life of Jillian Andrews.

Above me, through the roaring wind, I heard a howl. Not of grief, but of confusion.