SOMA

Everyone turns. I do the same, and my throat works in a swallow.

It's a woman. A she-wolf with sparkling blue eyes. She stands at the edge of the backyard, tall and powerful, commanding respect without a word. Her robe looks like it cost a fortune, and her blond hair sits in a twist that elongates the elegant curve of her neck.

She's easily the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Even in her silence, she exudes so much aura that it's nearly impossible to look away. Her gaze cuts through the entire backyard, staying too long on me and Mason.

When Brynne's vicious smirk fades, I immediately know who she is. Lilith, the high priestess.

The Alpha princes are powerful, but everyone, including them, has to respect the high priestess. Without Lilith, the Luna selection ceremony can't be held. And an Alpha isn't complete without his Luna.

Lilith steps forward, and the crowd parts. I've seen her face on my cousins' TVs so many times, but she's more beautiful in person. Not only is she the high priestess, but she's also the Alpha King's most trusted advisor. According to rumors, she wields so much power that nothing ever goes past her knowledge in Shadowspire.

If you have Lilith on your side, you can be sure to win the King's favor. But I don't hold any hope of her saving me from these three tyrants. After all, she's a form of royalty. They are all the same: proud, power-hungry, and greedy.

"Has the Moon Goddess seized your ability to hear?" Lilith demands. "What is going on here?"

"Priestess," Brynne says, with a polite smile.

"My prince."

Until today, I never thought I would meet members of the royal family, but here we all are, with me as the center of this epic joke.

Brynne's eyes light up, and his confidence creeps back in. "Pardon us, but I'm in the middle of disciplining a couple of cheeky servants. They spoke out of turn and need to be punished. You're welcome to join in if you like."

His tone is light. This is nothing more than a joke to him. Some twisted sense of fun. Mason's life hangs in the balance while I kneel naked in front of everyone. But it's nothing to him. I want to scream. I want to grab Mason and take him somewhere far away, but all I can do is lower my head, mumbling prayers beneath my breath.

"Discipline is important, but this petty, unnecessary task should be assigned to other people, don't you think?"

"Yes, Priestess, but..." He trails off when Lilith lifts a brow, her expression blank as she observes the crown prince like he's nothing more than a silly child. "You are right. I'll have someone else handle this matter."

"Since it has come to this," Lilith begins. Her eyes slide to me, and I raise a hand to shield my face. But her sharp gaze still cuts right through me, like she sees straight into my soul. I suck in a sharp breath, trying to shake off the weirdness I feel. "Let us leave them be."

"But, Priestess," Kade says with a pout. "He was rude."

"And now he's hanging on for dear life. Isn't that enough?"

Kade sighs dramatically. "Fine. You have a point."

Lilith's response doesn't dampen his mood. He scoots to her, stopping behind her to massage her shoulders. I blink in shock, as I'm sure everyone else does.

What the hell?

Her stern expression slightly cracks, but she doesn't push him away. I think I know her favorite among the brothers. If I hadn't been at the brunt of their wickedness, Kade might also be my favorite.

"Why are you here, anyway?" Kade whispers. But there's no point since we all hear him.

"There are important matters to discuss," she announces in a clipped tone that leaves no room for disobedience. Her gaze darts between the other two princes. Tristan is already on his feet, but I don't go to Mason yet. "I was asked to get you three. Before you object, the summons came directly from your father. He's waiting."

At the mention of the king, Brynne straightens his spine, and Kade stops the massage. Only Tristan remains passive.

Lilith gives them a fleeting look and turns her back to them. "Child, put on your dress now." My mouth opens in quiet surprise. Since I'm the only naked one here, I know she's talking to me. To the others watching us, she says, "The show is over. Does anyone want to take her place?"

They all vanish, except for those who'd been decorating the backyard with us. I shrug on my dress but remain on my knees. Lilith starts for the palace, and Kade falls into step beside her. Tristan follows behind, but Brynne turns to me.

"What is your name?" he asks. I consider ignoring him, but he puts one foot forward, and the answer rips out of my lips.

"Soma," I reply. "Somadina Bello."

"Brynne," Lilith snaps. "Meeting room. Now."

He gives me one last look, his smirk growing. "We will continue this later."

A shiver of dread runs down my spine. This isn't over? He observes me for a second longer, shakes his head and walks away like I'm dismissed and of no use to him. For my sake, I hope so. I never want to see him again.

SOMA

When Lilith and the Rybak brothers disappear into the house, my shoulders collapse in relief. There's no time for rejoicing as I rush to Mason, pulling his head onto my lap. He twitches and trembles, and I wipe his face with the hem of my dress.

Someone drops a towel and a bowl of water at my feet. I look up to see it's one of the decorators, but she walks away before I can offer her my gratitude.

"That was so stupid of you, Mason," I mutter. Nausea rises in my throat, and I push it down. "You shouldn't have done that. Everyone knows better than to argue with the princes."

Tears well up in my eyes, falling onto his cheeks. The others resume the work, cleaning up the mess the princes made. I dip the towel in the water, wring it, and wipe the blood on Mason's face. His eyes are nearly swollen shut, and claw marks stretch across his cheeks.

But they look to be slowly healing. Thankfully, he's not an omega like me.

Mason groans, his lips move, but I hear nothing until I bring my ear closer to his mouth. He heaves between each word. "Of what use am I if I can't protect my Pup-Pup?"

"I don't need your protection," I protest. Cleaning up more blood, I point at his face. "Look what it got you."

The brothers ended up victorious, leaving me with a best friend, who I don't know how long it will take for him to heal. Their warning was clear. No one talks back to them. If Lilith hadn't shown up, it might have escalated.

How can Maeve and Sheila gush over those nasty, proud, condescending assholes? What am I saying? The princes will never treat my cousins this way because they don't consider them vermin.

"Can you get up?" I ask.

Mason winces, and I take that as a no.

"Excuse me," Edna says. Anger shadows her face as she walks up to us. The moment her mouth opens, I know it's bad news. "You need to leave. Both of you. Your services are no longer required here."

"And his payment?" I ask, gesturing to Mason, who's still struggling to breathe. "We'll leave, but you have to pay him for the work he's done up till this moment."

Edna scoffs, staring at us with a look of disbelief. "You're kidding me, right? You think I'll pay you after picking a fight with the Alpha Prince? My goodness, you're more delusional than I thought. You're the reason he was beaten, and now you're looking for another fight?"

"Yes," I growl. The word surprises even me, but I don't relent. I've been humiliated already. What's the worst that can happen? We need that money. Mason needs it. I lower Mason's head to the grass and rise. "His pay."

"Excuse me?"

"Give me his pay now or I'll report you to the high priestess," I yell. My voice breaks. Tears gather in my eyes, and my hand shakes as I stretch it out to her. "We worked all afternoon before the princes came. You owe us."

Her mouth opens and closes. When she realizes I won't back down, she reaches into her waist purse and flings some cash at me. After picking it up, I don't bother counting it. At least we got something.

"Now, leave. Both of you."

"Mason," I whisper. "We have to go."

He sighs, clearly still in pain. Since I've collected money from her, we can't delay, or she'll report us. I help him to his feet, my arm curling around his waist.

"Can't your wolf heal you faster?" I ask.

Mason laughs, but it ends up in a coughing fit. I stare longingly at the cars we walk past on our way out. If I had a car, this would have been easier.

Some guards stare at us, but others barely glance at us as we walk out the palace gates. Walking with someone as heavy as Mason makes the journey down harder.

I apologize each time he groans, and when he almost stumbles, I whisper, "Sorry." He dismisses it, trying to stand on his own without my help. "It's my fault. If I weren't so weak and clumsy, I never would've fallen."

"Stop," Mason hisses out. He coughs, but raises a hand to stop me from helping him. I force myself to stay put, keeping my fists clenched at my sides. Right now, arguing with him about this is pointless. "You don't get to say that. You don't get to blame yourself for something out of your control. They were rude. They were wrong. They hurt you."

"What do you want me to say then?"

"Say you'll run away with me," he whispers.

As he straightens up, his chest heaves from the effort. I can tell he's in pain, but he takes my face between his palms, and I forget how to breathe.

All I see is Mason. The sadness in his eyes. The determined curve of his lips.

"Run away with me, Pup-Pup. Let's leave Shadowspire."

SOMA

Mason's words hang in the air until they finally sink in.

"What?" I spit out, unsure I had heard him right the first time. His gaze remains determined, and I step out of his grip. That's equivalent to treason. We'll die. "Mason."

"You heard me." Before I can put more distance between us, he grabs my hands and gives them a tight squeeze. "Think about it for a second, Soma. Why should we stay?"

"Shadowspire is all I know," I whisper-yell. "All we know."

"It doesn't matter," he counters.

Oh yes, it does.

"Once Sheila and Maeve find their mates, things will get better," I say. He lets go of my wrists to wipe the tear tracks on my cheeks. The humiliation of today affected him-us differently, but even at that, we're better off here. I have a roof over my head. Food, too. "I know today was tough, but running? That's a lot. We won't survive, Mason, I guarantee you."

Mason's lips part in an argument, and I think of ways to persuade him. Sheila recently got into Shadowspire Royal Academy, a school for royal kids and children of important members of the pack.

Aunt Helen has been trying to get Sheila into the academy since she turned eighteen last year, but she only succeeded this summer. If Maeve ends up being chosen as Prince Brynne's mate, she'll automatically be joining her elder sister there.

Shadowspire Royal Academy is a boarding academy for higher education. That means I'll be free from them until they return home during their breaks. What's a few more days of endurance until they both resume at the academy in one week? Aunt Helen might be mean, but she has a job that keeps her away most of the time. Maybe she'll finally reconsider letting me go to a university since I've gotten my high school diploma.

Our lives can truly get better here.

"What if we survive? Jimmy doesn't care whether I live or die. And we both know your cousins don't either," he spat out. I wince, trying not to let the negatives cloud my judgment. "Even if your cousins get mated, you'll still be stuck here playing maid to your aunt. But with me, if you choose to run away with me, you won't have to be a maid anymore. We'll be equal. We'll live life on our own terms. We can do anything. Be anything."

"Mason." My gaze darts left and right, double-checking to ensure we are still the only ones out on the road. "This is all so sudden. I really don't know what to say."

"None of this is sudden for me," he says. This is the most serious I've ever seen him, and I realize he decided a while ago. Today only solidified his decision. "I've actually been thinking about this for a long time. Running away and starting afresh. Apart from you, I can't think of a single wolf who will miss my absence in this rotting pack."

Me too. If Aunt Helen or my cousins will miss me, it's only because they won't have their unpaid maid to clean up after them. But leaving means death. If we leave without the king's permission, we will be labeled rogues and shot on sight the next time we try to enter the pack. I've never been outside Shadowspire.

Do I have what it takes to live on my own? That too, as a rogue?

"Soma, you're stalling." Mason squeezes my hands tighter. "What say you?"

"But I don't have any money. How will we survive?"

He offers me a broken smile. "I have some money saved up. Once we cross the border into the human world, we can get jobs. With our combined earnings, we should be able to stay afloat and build something for ourselves."

"Mason." My voice comes out as a whimper. "Humans."

There are no humans in Shadowspire. How will we survive them in a place we've never been to? What happens when he needs to shift? It sounds like such a good plan in theory, but our reality might not be the same. We have also never been lucky. What are the odds that we can make a clean exit without any trouble or the wrong attention on us?

"Listen, Soma, you don't have to give me an answer right now," he says. His voice cuts through my thoughts and doubts. My eyes find his, and he gives my hand a last squeeze, letting go with a small, reassuring smile. "Just think about it, okay? Maybe when we meet up tomorrow, you'll have an answer for me?"

"Okay."

"It's a date then," he says with a wink.

Despite the horrors of the last few minutes, his comment elicits a smile from me. But almost immediately, the smile vanishes when he winces. I pat his forearm, hugging him for the last time before he starts toward his trailer. When his figure fades into the distance, I take off in the opposite direction.