When my pack first decided to offer me to Kane, Drake had come to me.

He said if I didn't want to go, he'd take me away, right then and there.

But I was fixated on repaying the "wrong" man for saving my life. I never imagined this would be the outcome of our mating.

And Drake. An Alpha every bit as powerful.

All the years I’d wasted on a lie—watching my back in silence.

Now, I was taking what little I had and getting out.

All I needed first was Kane’s blood.

I was packing my things when I heard his familiar footsteps.

Kane pushed the door open. He frowned, seeing the books and bags scattered on the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"Packing." I didn't look up, just kept putting my ancient texts into a crate.

Mating with Kane, the only thing I hadn't given up was preserving the last remnants of our ancient lore. These books were all I had. They were all I cared about.

As I handled the most damaged book, a piece of parchment fell out.

Scrawled on it in the old wolf tongue were a few lines: “…blood of the moon is not always weak… power of the mind is not for Omegas alone… when the Moon Queen returns…”

I gave a bitter smile, dismissing it as some silly myth, and tucked it back into the book.

"Packing for what? We have a celebration gala tomorrow," he said, his tone impatient. "Stop this tantrum. I know you’re still shaken up about the kidnapping, but I have more important things to deal with. Your duty as my Luna is to ensure stability, not cause more problems for me."

A tantrum? More problems?

He had dismissed my near-death experience as me being childish.

I finally looked up at him.

Ten years, and he’d never once tried to understand me.

"I'm not throwing a tantrum."

"Then what is this? Running away from home?" He scoffed. "Elara, your duty is to be my Luna. I’ll let the thing with Drake slide. We’ll just forget about it. The matter is closed."

Just then, soft footsteps approached.

"Kane?" Fiona appeared at the door, dressed in a white silk nightgown, looking fragile and lovely. "I heard voices... Elara, are you okay?"

Her eyes scanned my room and landed on my Moonpetal charm—a crystal sphere containing the petals of the rare flower.

It was the only thing that helped soothe the volatile power inside me.

The moment Fiona got close to the table, her power brushed against mine, a cold, predatory probe that made the power inside me stir uneasily.

"Oh!"

Fiona suddenly stumbled, her elbow "accidentally" knocking the table. The crystal sphere crashed to the floor.

The Moonpetal petals instantly turned to dust.

"I'm so sorry!" she apologized, but a flash of triumph crossed her eyes.

She leaned in, her voice a rapid whisper only I could hear. "Don't blame me, Elara. It was Kane. He said your things were... upsetting my balance. He told me to… get rid of it."

I stared at the shattered pieces.

That was my last Moonpetal. It was extinct in the wild.

Without it, the power inside me would be even more unstable.

But this time, there was none of the usual pain in my chest.

My eyes locked on a piece of the wreckage. A shard of crystal, razor-sharp at the edge.

Wasn't this the perfect tool to draw his blood?

"It's fine." I knelt, pretending to clean up the shards.

The second Kane turned to check on Fiona’s hand, I snatched the sharpest piece. I clenched it in my fist and slid it into a hidden pocket in my sleeve.

The sharp edge dug into my palm. The sting of it made me feel terrifyingly awake.

With this, I could get his blood.

"Elara, leave it," Kane ordered, turning to Fiona. "Are you hurt?"

"I cut my hand a little," Fiona said pitifully, holding out a finger with a nearly invisible scratch.

Kane immediately took her hand, inspecting it. "I'll take you to get that cleaned."

"It's okay, Kane," Fiona smiled sweetly, then turned to me with perfect apology. "Elara, I'm so, so sorry… I'm just so clumsy."

As she spoke, she swayed slightly, as if dizzy.

I instinctively reached out to steady her.

The second our skin touched, her silk nightgown conveniently slipped, revealing her pale collarbone.

There, on her collarbone, was a dark red crescent mark, glowing faintly.

A mark?

I froze.

My bond with Kane was still intact; I could feel that they hadn't actually mated. But this mark...

"Pretty, isn't it?" Fiona noticed me staring. She stroked the mark, her voice a smug whisper in my head through the mind-link. "Kane... he gave it to me last night."

I smelled a strange, herbal scent.

Phantom-leaf. The sap, applied with an Alpha's calming energy, stains the skin to look like a claiming mark. It's used to soothe hysterical patients.

But to put it there, on her collarbone, shaped so intimately... it was obvious Kane had indulged her.

"You just painted that on with Phantom-leaf," I said, my voice flat, cutting through her act. "Fiona, you'd drain your own energy for a stunt like this, just to show off to me? So much for being 'fragile'."

Fiona stiffened, then leaned close to my ear. Her whisper was pure venom.

"So what if it's fake? The whole pack will see it and think it's real. As long as Kane doesn't correct them, it is real. He said he doesn't mind teaching you a lesson, as long as it keeps me calm."

Then, she turned back to Kane, her expression all innocence. "Oh, by the way, I saw how much sun Elara's sunroom gets. My flowers haven't been doing so well lately... I was wondering if..."

"Of course," Kane agreed without a second thought. "Elara, give the sunroom to Fiona."

The sunroom was my only sanctuary.

It was where I studied my books, grew my herbs, and spent countless lonely afternoons.

"That's my room."

"It's Fiona's now," Kane's tone was final. "Her recovery demands it."

"So does mine," I said, standing up. A shard of glass sliced my palm, and blood dripped, staining the floor. "Those herbs are for stabilizing my own power."

"What power? You have no power." Kane scoffed. "The wolfsbane shattered your healing. Whatever you think you need... it can wait."

I stared at his entitled face, the last bit of warmth in my heart turning to ice. Right. This was him. For ten years, my needs could always "wait."

Fiona chimed in. "Elara, if you don't want to…"

"No." I wiped the blood from my hand. "Take it. I don't need it anymore anyway."

"Oh, and by the way," Kane said suddenly. "You will attend the gala tomorrow night. We just closed a major deal. We need to project an image of pack unity."

"I'm not going."

"You will go." A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. "That's an order, Elara."

I looked at the two of them.

Kane, domineering and cold. Fiona, a master manipulator behind an innocent mask.

This was my life.

A decade of humiliation.

"I understand," I said, turning back to my packing.

Fiona snuggled into Kane's arms, her slender fingers tracing circles on his chest.

She looked at me with triumph, her voice sickly sweet.

"You don't mind, do you, Elara? Kane just wants to keep me happy. After all," she paused, her eyes dripping venom, "I'm the one who matters."

I closed my eyes, ignoring her.

Four more days, and this would all be over.

Then Kane could be with his beloved Fiona. Forever.

"Everyone, tonight I'd like to introduce two very important women."

Kane stood in the center of the gala, his suit perfect, his smile flawless.

All eyes were on him.

I stood in a dark corner, wearing the black evening gown he'd commanded me to wear.

It exposed the dark, web-like veins the wolfsbane had left on my arms—a mark of shame.

"First, this is Fiona," Kane said, pulling her to his side. "The sister I've sworn to protect, my treasure, my—"

"Pride," Fiona finished for him, lowering her head shyly.

Tonight, she was wearing my white gown.

Yes, the one I had planned to wear.

Thunderous applause.

I saw the tenderness in Kane’s eyes, a light I had never seen before.

In ten years, he had never looked at me that way.

"And this," his voice turned cold, formal, "is Elara. My... associate. And our pack's head healer."

The word hung in the air, a public demotion. A slap in the face.

The applause died.

I managed a smile and raised my glass to everyone.

All the while, the shard of crystal in my sleeve pressed cold and hard against my wrist.

I was waiting for my chance. An opening to get close to Kane, to cut him when his guard was down and take the blood I needed.

But Fiona was glued to him like a second skin. And with guests and guards everywhere, I couldn't get near him.

Just then, a wave of agony exploded from my chest. The wolfsbane was acting up again.

But this time, something else came with the pain. A strange, violent power was crashing through me.

I nearly fell. The glass slipped from my hand, spilling red wine across the floor.

"Elara?" someone asked.

"I'm fine," I gritted out, stumbling toward the garden. "I just need some air."

No one followed me. Not even Kane.

I shoved the garden doors open. The cold air hit me, but it was nothing compared to the ice in my heart.

The strange power roiled in my veins, like a thousand knives carving me up from the inside.

I gripped the railing, gasping for breath.

Go. I have to get out of here.

I turned to leave, only to slam into an invisible barrier.

What?

I reached out. The air shimmered with a faint light.

In that instant, the impact of the collision flipped a dusty switch inside me.

I didn't just feel the barrier, I could clearly see it.

In my mind's eye, the barrier was a complex web woven from threads of malicious, shimmering energy.

This was... a mental barrier?

"Surprised?"

Fiona's voice came from behind me.

I turned to see her gliding toward me, the same sweet smile from the gala on her face.

"You?"

"Of course, me." She stopped in front of me, her smile turning cruel. "Did you really think all I could do was play the victim?"

"You..." I stared at her in shock. "You're not a normal Omega."

"Finally figured it out?" Fiona circled me like a predator sizing up its prey. "I'm a psychic-class Omega, one of the rarest breeds. And you?" She raked her eyes over me. "You're just a broken-down healer."

She stopped in front of me, her eyes filled with venom.

"Do you know why Kane chooses me? Because I can give him everything he wants. Power, status, and a mate who can resonate with him on a psychic level. And you? Kane is sick and tired of your gloomy, pathetic act. He said your very existence is a chain on his freedom! He needs a queen who can rule by his side, not a burden he has to look after!"

She looked me up and down, her gaze like a razor across the scars on my arm. "You're a defective prize, damaged goods. What can you even do for him anymore? Have his pups?"

She sneered. "A broken wolf like you could never produce strong pups. You'd only give him defects."

Fiona's taunt was pure venom.

"Kane can't wait for you to disappear. Then I can finally take my place as the true Luna."

The mate bond was tearing me apart, and I still hadn't found a chance to get Kane's blood...

It wasn't going to happen tonight. I had to endure. Wait for another opening.

My silence only made Fiona's smile widen. "Look at you. You've been out here in agony all night, while he's inside, dancing with me."

“Stay here tonight.”

The gala ended. The guests left.

I was still in the garden.

The barrier didn't fall until midnight. By then, the agony had already made me black out.

For some reason, the mate bond was unraveling faster than ever that night, the strain threatening to swallow me whole.

The entire pack was silent. No one had come for me.

The next morning, the patrol team found me.

"Luna? Why did you sleep in the garden all night?" a young guard asked with concern.

I didn't answer. I walked straight to my rooms.

The moment I pushed open the door, I froze.

Fiona was sitting at my vanity, wearing the white dress I was supposed to have worn last night.

The dress was now rumpled and disheveled, clearly having been handled roughly.

She saw me and gave a sultry smile.

"Elara, you're back?" She deliberately adjusted her collar, revealing a fresh red mark on her neck. "Sorry about the mess. Things got a little... intense last night. I ruined your dress."

The air was thick with Kane's scent.

Dominant, hot, possessive.

"You two..."

"In your bed," Fiona purred, standing up and walking toward me. "Kane said since you were being so... difficult... he needed a real Luna to handle his needs."

She leaned close to my ear, her voice a low hiss only I could hear.

"He told me when he's with you, he closes his eyes and pretends it's me. Not you. Never you. He said I was a better fit to be his Luna, a better fit to bear his children."

"He also said," she paused, her eyes malicious, "what right does a half-breed with a shattered bloodline have to be Luna? You can't even give him a healthy heir anymore!"

My hands began to shake.

Not from pain. From rage.

Ten years of humiliation. 77 betrayals. Last night's public shaming.

It all exploded in this one moment.

"Are you done?" I looked up, something burning in my eyes.

Fiona seemed to sense the danger and took a step back. "What... what are you doing?"

"I'm going to teach you your place."

I raised my hand. An invisible force—my rage, my pain, my humiliation given form—slammed into her, throwing her across the room.

I stared at my own hand, shocked by the raw power that had answered my call...

But beneath the shock, I felt an incredible sense of release, as if I’d finally broken free from my chains.

The door was thrown open.

Kane stormed in. When he saw Fiona on the ground and felt the unfamiliar energy radiating from me, his face twisted into a snarl.

"What have you done?" His voice was a low growl, laced with a fear he couldn't hide. It wasn't concern for Fiona. It was the shock of seeing a power in me he couldn't control.

Fiona lay weakly on the floor, a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth.

She looked tragic, if you ignored the flicker of triumph in her eyes.

"Kane..." she whispered, tears instantly welling up. "Elara... she used some strange power on me..."

"I didn't—"

"Shut up!" Kane's roar made the glass in the room vibrate.

He knelt to check on Fiona, his movements as gentle as if she were made of spun glass.

"Where does it hurt?"

"My chest... and my head..." Fiona pointed weakly, her voice a mosquito's buzz. "I just wanted to apologize to Elara, for dancing with you last night... but she suddenly..."

"She's jealous of me," Fiona said, as if it took all her strength. She looked at me, her eyes full of provocation. "She's jealous of us last night... she said she wanted to destroy me..."

"Enough!" Kane stood, his Alpha's dominance flooding the room.

He looked at me, wary of this unknown power. "You think I can't see it? The traces of a mental assault are all over her! Were you trying to kill her?"

Kill her?

I looked at Fiona, the Oscar-worthy actress on the floor, and I wanted to laugh.

Her injuries looked dramatic, but I knew it was just minor backlash from my own power. With the kind of strength she'd used to create that mental barrier last night, this little push wouldn't have hurt her at all.

Her performance was flawless.

"Kane, don't blame Elara..." Fiona "struggled" to sit up, her face pale as paper. "She's probably just... in a lot of pain... the after-effects of the wolfsbane..."

Such a kind sister.

Such a perfect victim.

"No." Kane's eyes burned with a cold fire.

He couldn't tolerate it. His "property" now possessed a power beyond his comprehension and control.

It made him feel threatened.

"This was a deliberate attack. As Alpha, I will not tolerate it."

He turned to me, his voice pure ice.

"I, Alpha Kane, hereby declare Elara's power unstable. She is a danger to this pack. Lock her in the Silent Prison, effective immediately! No one is to go near her until I discover the source of this power!"

The Silent Prison.

The pack's deepest, darkest dungeon, reserved for traitors and mad wolves.

Hearing the sentence, I didn't panic. Not like Kane expected.

Instead, a flicker of relief went through me.

The Silent Prison. It was the most isolated, secure place in the entire territory. No Fiona. No distractions. Just me... and my interrogator.

If Kane came to question me himself, that would be my chance to strike.

Guards swarmed in, clamping silver shackles around my wrists and ankles.

I held out my hands and let them take me.

But the shard of crystal from my sleeve was tucked safely against my skin.

As they dragged me from the room, I heard Fiona's weak voice.

"Kane, the fireworks display tonight... can I still go?"

"Of course," Kane said gently. "To celebrate our success, the fireworks will be especially grand tonight. Anything for you."

A fireworks display?

As I was hauled away, I saw servants setting up massive firework launchers.

The whole pack was busy preparing for a celebration.

While I was being thrown in a dungeon.

"Luna..." a young guard whispered to me. "The Alpha announced tonight's celebration for the new human corporate partnership. Miss Fiona specifically requested the most spectacular fireworks... He's prepared a three-hour show just for her."

Three hours of fireworks.

For her.

On the day I was imprisoned.

The Silent Cells were three levels underground. Damp, cold, and pitch-black.

Ancient runes were carved into the walls, designed to suppress a werewolf's power.

I was thrown into the deepest cell, my shackles chained to the wall.

"You have a visitor," a guard said before leaving.

A stooped figure entered. It was Balthus, the pack's old physician.

"Elara..." Pain flashed in his eyes when he saw me. "Child, how did it come to this?"

"After-effects of the wolfsbane," I said flatly, leaning against the wall. "What are you doing here?"

"Kane sent me to check on you," Balthus said, taking out his medical kit. "He said your power... is unstable."

Unstable power.

That was his diagnosis for me.

Balthus began his examination, but his expression quickly changed.

First confusion, then shock, and finally, terror.

"Impossible..." His hands trembled as he stared at the readings. The diagnostic tool shrieked, the needle flying wildly off the charts.

"What's impossible?"

"Moon Goddess preserve us..." He looked up at me, his eyes wide with a terrifying awe.

"Moon Goddess... Your bloodline... This power... You were never an Omega. You are something else. Something more."

After the examination, Balthus said nothing else.

He snatched the report, his face a grim, almost fanatical mask, and rushed out.

I knew where he was going.

He was going to present his astonishing findings directly to Kane.

And Kane would be coming for me very soon.

I touched the sharp shard I'd hidden in my sleeve. Outside, huge fireworks exploded.

Good, Kane.

This whole sky full of fireworks... I'll just call it an early funeral for our bond.