Karyme POV:

I spent the morning building a brick wall around the mate bond in my mind. It felt like a migraine, but it blocked his guilt.

I walked toward the clinic.

"Luna," a warrior nodded, pity in his eyes.

I stopped. Archie and Faustina were outside the exam room.

"Confirmed, Alpha," the doctor said. "High testosterone. Strong heartbeat. Alpha male."

Archie let out a shaky breath. "An heir."

"Our heir," Faustina corrected.

Archie stared at her stomach with a reverence he never gave me. Faustina released a scent-something brewed by a witch doctor, smelling like a potent, high-ranking pup.

Archie's pupils dilated. Instinct overrode logic. He pulled her flush against him, burying his nose in her neck.

"Archie," she gasped. "The Luna."

"She is a gentle Omega," Archie growled, voice distorted. "She understands duty."

Gentle Omega.

I pulled out my phone. Hidden folder.

Jalen. Four years old. Dark eyes, Archie's crooked smile. Holding a stick like a sword. "Mama, when can I meet Papa? I can growl!"

If I showed Archie... if he saw Jalen-sickly, small-he would see a broken thing. A mistake.

No. Archie didn't deserve Jalen.

I turned and walked away. I packed a duffel bag. Cash. ID. Silver dagger.

I was leaving tonight.

Karyme POV:

Dinner was a battlefield.

I picked at my steak. Then, my throat began to burn.

"Wolfsbane," I rasped, airway closing.

Archie roared for the doctor, terror in his eyes. "Get the antidote!"

Faustina watched her plate, a small smile playing on her lips.

The shot stabilized me.

"It was an accident!" Faustina wailed. "I saw a new cook using strange herbs! Oh god, the stress... the baby..." She doubled over.

Archie froze. He looked at me, alive, then at her.

"I have to check on the heir," he said, and left me.

I locked myself in my room. Two hours later, a crash echoed from the hall.

I stumbled out. The massive crystal chandelier lay shattered on the marble. Faustina lay amidst the glass, screaming, a small cut on her head.

"She pushed me!" Faustina shrieked, pointing at me. "Karyme tried to kill the baby!"

I stood on the landing, twenty feet away.

Archie looked up, eyes glowing red.

"Go to your room, Karyme," he commanded. The Alpha voice slammed into me. "You are confined."

"Archie, look at where I am standing-"

"GO!"

Later, I watched from the window. Archie sat on a garden bench, Faustina on his lap. He kissed her. Deep. Passionate.

The curse didn't kill us. He did.

My phone buzzed. Wolfsbane cleared.

I am coming, Jalen.

I opened the window, looked at the three-story drop, and shifted. I suppressed the white glow, remaining a shadow.

I landed and ran for the trees.

Karyme POV:

I didn't make it.

The Alpha Command-You are confined-was a magical chain. My wolf seized mid-stride, muscles locking up, collapsing into the dirt.

Warriors dragged me back, throwing me onto the bedroom floor.

"Lock the windows," Archie ordered from the doorway, silhouette dark. "If she runs, break her legs."

The lock clicked.

For two days, I paced. Signal jammed.

Then, Faustina's voice slithered into my mind.

"Do you like the cage, Luna? I win. The chandelier was just the start. I'm leaving now. I'm going to disappear. And guess who Archie will blame?"

An hour later, chaos.

Archie stormed in, eyes bleeding crimson. He slammed me against the wall, hand crushing my throat.

"Where is she?" he roared. "Faustina is gone! Her room is empty! Signs of struggle! You hired someone!"

"No..." I choked.

"Find her," he commanded his warriors. "Tear the territory apart. Bring me anything that smells like a rogue."

He threw me onto the bed. "If she is hurt, Karyme, you will pray for death."