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."

Alina POV:

Back at the villa, the night air was freezing.

Krystal dumped the dead terrier on the patio table. "Get rid of it," she told a servant.

Something glinted on the dog's collar. A silver medallion shaped like a shield.

"That's my father's!" I lunged forward. "The Medal of Valor! It went missing the day I was sent to the Alps!"

"You put a hero's medal on a dog?" I screamed at Jaxon.

Jaxon looked surprised. "I... I didn't know. Krystal said she bought a vintage charm."

"It's trash," Krystal spat, snatching the collar. "Cursed. Just like her."

She walked to the edge of the patio, overlooking the churning Hudson River.

"Give it back!" I begged.

Krystal smiled. "Fetch."

She threw the medal into the black water.

I didn't think. I jumped.

"Alina!" Jaxon shouted.

I hit the water hard. The cold was absolute, a thousand knives. The current grabbed me. I clawed at the muddy bottom, fingers brushing metal. I grabbed it.

Lungs burning, I kicked upward, dragging myself onto the rocky bank, shivering violently.

I looked up at the balcony.

Jaxon was there. But he wasn't looking for me.

Bright streaks illuminated the sky. A meteor shower.

"Oh, Jaxon! You made the artificial meteor shower happen! Just for me!" Krystal squealed.

"Anything for you, my love," he said, arm around her.

He had forgotten I was in the river.

I clutched the cold medal. The final thread of the Mate Bond snapped.

I didn't feel pain anymore. Just clarity.

"You promised to protect me," I whispered. "But I am less than a dog to you."

I walked toward the city. Tomorrow was my father's death anniversary. And tomorrow, Alina Phillips would die so the White Wolf could be born.