Alina POV:

The Alpha Villa sat on a private cliff overlooking the Hudson. It was supposed to be our home.

I keyed in the passcode at the gate. It still worked.

I needed my music sheets. The "Hymn to the Moon" I'd been composing for three years. It was the only thing of value I had left.

Inside, I gagged. My scent-wild jasmine and vanilla-was gone. Replaced by Krystal's synthetic roses. She had marked her territory.

My territory.

I ran to the music room. The grand piano was covered in fashion magazines and wine glasses. On the wall, where my framed composition used to hang, was a crude, abstract painting of a wolf signed K. Gomez.

"No," I whispered.

I dug through the trash bin in the corner. There it was. My life's work. Torn into shreds, stained with red wine.

I clutched the ruined paper to my chest, a sob ripping through my throat. She didn't just take my mate. She erased me.

The roar of an engine snapped me back.

I ran out the back door, sprinting down the driveway toward the main road. A sleek red Porsche came around the bend. Fast.

Krystal was behind the wheel. Our eyes locked.

A normal driver would have braked.

Krystal smiled. And accelerated.

She was a high-ranking wolf. Her reflexes were supernatural. This wasn't an accident.

I tried to jump, but my body was weak from years of suppressants.

Thud.

Metal slammed into my hip. I hit the asphalt hard, rolling over jagged gravel. Pain exploded in my side.

The car screeched to a halt. Krystal stepped out, checking her bumper.

"You dented my Porsche," she pouted.

Sirens wailed. Pack security.

The hospital room was white and sterile. My leg was in a cast, ribs taped.

The door burst open. Jaxon strode in, his Alpha aura filling the room like a thunderhead.

"Jaxon," I croaked. "She... she hit me on purpose."

Krystal followed, dabbing at dry eyes with silk. "I was so scared, Jaxon! She jumped right in front of me! Like she wanted to die! The Wolf Sickness has affected her mind."

"Liar!" I screamed, sitting up. "You smiled! You sped up!"

"Enough," Jaxon said. His voice vibrated with power. "Krystal is the future Luna. She does not drive recklessly. You were trespassing."

"Trespassing? This is my home! You are my mate!"

"We are not mated," Jaxon corrected sharply. "And Krystal is shaken."

"She tried to run me over!"

"I said enough!"

The pressure in the room multiplied. Alpha Command.

"Be silent, Alina."

My jaw snapped shut. Vocal cords paralyzed. I tried to protest, but my body betrayed me.

Tears streamed down my face.

Jaxon turned to Krystal, softening instantly. "Are you alright, my love?"

"I'm just so traumatized," Krystal sniffled, eyes gleaming with malice over his shoulder. "Maybe she needs to go back to the asylum."

"We will discuss it," Jaxon said. He looked back at me-seeing a nuisance, not a mate.

"Rest," he ordered. "Sleep."

The command hit my brain like a sledgehammer. Darkness dragged me down.

Alina POV:

I woke to the smell of antiseptic. The Alpha Command left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Two days later, Jaxon discharged me.

"Get dressed," he said, tossing a garment bag. "We have an appearance to make."

"I can barely walk."

"It's the Pack Anniversary. Rumors are spreading that I'm mistreating my father's savior's daughter. You will come, smile, and show everyone you are fine."

The bag contained a grey dress. Dull. Invisible. An Omega's dress.

The ballroom glittered with crystal and gold. I stood in the corner, leaning on a cane, a ghost at my own funeral.

Jaxon stood center stage with Krystal. She wore a scarlet gown that hugged every curve.

"Tonight, I celebrate the future," Jaxon announced.

The screen behind them flickered. A montage played: Jaxon and Krystal in Paris, on a yacht, hiking trails my father showed me. Places he promised to take me.

The Mate Bond bled. A physical tearing sensation.

I limped to the garden for air. My mother's Irises were gone. Replaced by rows of white roses.

"Do you like the renovation?"

Krystal stood there, holding champagne. Flanking her were two massive dogs-Rogue-blood hounds from the Nexus labs. Glowing green eyes, rippling muscles.

"You destroyed my mother's garden," I whispered.

"I improved it." She snapped her fingers. "Attack."

The hounds lunged.

I screamed, raising my cane. Useless. The first beast slammed me into the rose bushes. Thorns tore my skin. Jaws clamped on my injured leg.

"Jaxon! Help!"

The patio doors flew open. Jaxon rushed out.

"Krystal!" he shouted.

He saw us. Me, bleeding on the ground. Krystal standing feet away, feigning terror.

"Jaxon, help me!" Krystal screamed, dropping her glass. "The dogs went crazy! She provoked them!"

Jaxon didn't hesitate. He ran to her.

He shielded Krystal, turning his back on me.

"Get them off!" I sobbed. The hound's teeth sank deeper. Burning spread through my veins. Wolfsbane-laced saliva.

Security finally tranquilized the beasts.

I lay in the dirt, blood staining the white roses red. Jaxon was checking Krystal for scratches she didn't have.

"Jaxon..."

He looked at me with annoyance. "Get her to the infirmary. And clean up this mess. It's ruining the party."

He kissed Krystal's forehead.

The Jaxon I loved died three years ago. This man was a monster.

Alina POV:

Dr. Darwin, the hired Rogue specialist, stitched my arm. He smelled of clean, sharp mint.

"The wolfsbane concentration was high," he murmured. "It will scar. Your healing factor is zero right now."

"Does it matter?"

Jaxon walked in, checking his watch. "Krystal is upset. Those were her prize hounds. You should have been more careful."

I laughed, a dry, cracking sound. "She ordered them to attack me."

"Don't start with your delusions. Tomorrow is your birthday. I booked a table at Le Lune. Just us. To clear the air."

A stupid spark of hope ignited. The Mate Bond was a curse.

"Okay," I whispered.

The restaurant was romantic. For a moment, it felt like the old days.

"I have a gift," Jaxon said, opening a velvet box. A jade bracelet with protection runes.

"It's beautiful."

As I lifted it, I smelled it. Synthetic roses. Sweat. Skin.

Krystal had worn this. I'd seen it in a magazine.

"You're giving me her leftovers?"

Jaxon frowned. "It's a powerful artifact. Krystal didn't need it anymore-"

"You thought the Omega would be happy with scraps?" I slammed the box shut.

The doors banged open. Krystal marched in, wearing black, carrying a limp terrier.

"Murderer!" she shrieked.

"What is going on?" Jaxon stood up.

Krystal threw an orange bottle onto our table. "I found this in her room! And then I found Coco... stiff as a board! She poisoned him!"

It was my "vitamins."

"That's not poison," I said. "Those are the pills you make me take."

"Liar! The lab found Silver Nitrate in the dog's food! Everyone knows you keep silver to threaten me!"

"I'm a wolf. Why would I carry silver?"

Jaxon picked up the bottle. "The Gomez Pack is furious. If they think my pack member killed their Alpha's daughter's pet with silver... it's war."

"I didn't do it! Jaxon, look at me!"

"You are a liability!" Jaxon slammed his hand on the table. He grabbed my injured arm. "Apologize."

"What?"

"Kneel," Jaxon commanded. "Kneel and apologize to the future Luna."

My knees buckled. I hit the floor. The humiliation burned hotter than the wolfsbane.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, spirit breaking.

Krystal smirked. "Make sure she pays, Jaxon. A life for a life."