Ava POV:

The next morning, Donovan was gone. The maids whispered that he had stayed on the yacht with Chloe.

I was summoned to the Council Hall.

The Elders of the Blackwood Pack were old, traditional men who cared only about lineage and power. I walked into the circular room, my head held high despite the fear churning in my gut.

"Where is Alpha Donovan?" Elder Thomas asked, his voice like grinding stones.

"He is... handling border disputes," I lied smoothly.

"Liar!"

The cane struck the table with a crack that made me flinch. It was Donovan's grandfather, the former Alpha, Silas Blackwood. He was a cruel man, the one who had taught Donovan that love was a weakness.

He threw a stack of photos onto the table. They were the pictures from the news-Donovan and Chloe on the yacht.

"The whole world is laughing at us!" Silas roared. "An Alpha who parades his mistress while his Luna sits at home like a useless ornament! You have failed to capture his heart, Isabella. You have failed to give us an heir. You are weak."

"I cannot force him to love me," I said quietly.

"Love?" Silas spat. "I'm talking about duty! If you cannot seduce your husband, you are useless to this pack."

He signaled to the guards. Two large warriors grabbed my arms.

"No!" I struggled, but I was powerless against them. They dragged me toward the back of the hall, toward the 'Correction Room.'

"A lesson," Silas said, following us. "To remind you of your place."

They threw me onto the cold concrete floor. Silas raised his cane. It was made of polished hickory, but I knew the tip was dipped in liquid wolfsbane.

Whack.

The cane struck my back. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. I would not scream. I would not give them the satisfaction.

Whack.

The wolfsbane burned through my shirt, sizzling against my skin. My nerves felt like they were on fire. Seraphina howled in agony, but she was too weak to heal me.

Whack. Whack. Whack.

I lost count. Darkness crept into the edges of my vision.

I woke up in my bed at the estate. My back was on fire. Every breath was a struggle.

I turned my head and saw a figure sitting in the armchair. Donovan.

He looked... tired. He was staring at me with a strange expression. Not love, but perhaps curiosity.

"Grandfather told me what happened," he said, his voice low. "He said you didn't scream. Not once."

I tried to sit up, but the pain forced me back down. "I didn't want to give him the pleasure."

Donovan stood up and walked to the bed. He reached out, his hand hovering over my face. "Why do you stay? Why do you endure this? Is it... loyalty?"

For a second, his fingers brushed my cheek. A spark-tiny, weak, but there-jumped between us. His eyes widened. He leaned in closer, inhaling sharply. The scent blocker was wearing off slightly due to the trauma.

"Isabella?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "You smell like..."

Link: Donovan! Help me! My stomach! It hurts!

Chloe's voice screamed through the mind-link, loud enough that even I could sense the distress radiating from him.

Donovan pulled back as if burned. The softness in his eyes vanished, replaced by panic.

"Chloe needs me," he said abruptly. He turned his back on me. "Rest. We have the charity gala tonight. You must attend."

"Donovan," I rasped. "I can't move."

"You will be there," he commanded, walking out the door. "Image is everything."

Three hours later, I was in a car, heavily medicated with painkillers, driven by a driver to a boutique in town. Donovan had ordered a new dress to cover the bandages.

I stepped out of the car, my legs shaking. People on the street stared. I looked like a ghost.

Donovan met me there. He looked guilty, which annoyed me more than his anger. He bought the most expensive silk gown in the shop-a blood-red dress with long sleeves and a high back.

"This will hide the marks," he said, handing the box to the assistant.

We walked out of the shop. Across the street, near a construction site, Chloe was waiting. She saw us, saw the shopping bag, and her face twisted in jealousy.

"Donovan!" she called out, running toward us. She ignored the 'Do Not Enter' signs of the construction zone. "You promised to have lunch with me!"

"Chloe, wait, it's not safe!" Donovan shouted.

She ran into the scaffolding area, playing the damsel. "I'm so dizzy, Donovan!"

Suddenly, a loud crack echoed. A metal clamp high above gave way. A pile of steel pipes and heavy wooden planks began to slide.

Directly above Chloe.

"No!" Donovan roared. He shifted-partially-his claws extending, and he sprinted toward her with supernatural speed.

He tackled her, covering her body with his own just as the debris crashed down.

Dust billowed into the air.

"Donovan!" I screamed, running forward despite my injuries.

The dust settled. Donovan was groaning, a heavy pipe across his legs. But Chloe... Chloe was screaming. A piece of rebar had pierced her side. Blood-bright red and copious-was pooling around her.

"My baby!" she shrieked, though she wasn't pregnant. "I'm dying! Donovan!"

Donovan shoved the pipes off himself, ignoring his own broken leg which was already snapping back into place. He gathered Chloe in his arms.

He looked at me, his eyes wild with panic.

"Call the hospital!" he roared at me. "If she dies, Isabella, I will destroy this entire town!"

Donovan POV:

The hospital waiting room smelled of antiseptic and fear. My wolf, Titan, was pacing in my mind, agitated. But strangely, Titan wasn't howling for Chloe. He was growling at me.

Something is wrong, Titan rumbled. We are missing something.

"Shut up," I muttered, running a hand through my hair.

The doctor, a gray-haired Beta named Dr. Evans, burst through the double doors. He looked pale.

"Alpha," he said urgently. "Miss Sanders has internal bleeding. Her liver is lacerated. She needs a transfusion immediately, or she won't last the hour."

"Take my blood," I said, rolling up my sleeve. "Take it all."

"We can't," Dr. Evans shook his head. "Her body is rejecting standard donors. It's a reaction to the dark magic residue in her system from... whatever supplements she's been taking. We need a donor with a bloodline strong enough to override the rejection. Ancient blood."

My heart stopped. "Find a donor. Fly them in. I don't care what it costs."

"There is no time, Alpha. She has minutes."

"I can do it."

The voice was quiet. I turned. Isabella stood by the vending machine, still wearing the dusty clothes from the accident scene. She looked frail, like a strong wind could blow her away.

"You?" I stared at her. "You're a Miller. Your bloodline is diluted. It won't work."

"Check me," she said, extending her arm. The arm that I knew was covered in burns beneath her sleeve.

Dr. Evans didn't hesitate. He dragged her into the trauma room.

Ten minutes later, he came out. He looked shaken. "It's a match. It's... incredible, Alpha. Her blood markers aren't just compatible; they're pure. Like the White Wolf legends. It's neutralizing the toxins instantly."

I watched through the glass window as they hooked Isabella up. She lay on the bed, her face waxy pale. The bag filled with dark, rich crimson. She was giving life to the woman who tried to destroy her marriage.

My nostrils flared. The scent of the blood in that bag didn't smell like iron and rust. It smelled like ozone and electricity. It made Titan howl with recognition.

Why? I wondered. Why would she save her rival?

Because she is good, Titan whispered. Better than us.

An hour later, Chloe was stable. I sat by her bedside, holding her hand. Isabella was in the next room, recovering, but I hadn't gone to see her yet. Guilt was a heavy stone in my gut.

Chloe's eyes fluttered open. "Donny?"

"I'm here, baby," I soothed.

"Is she... is she here?" Chloe's voice was weak, fearful.

"Isabella? She saved your life, Chloe. She gave you blood."

Chloe's eyes widened in terror. She gripped my hand with surprising strength. "No! No, Donovan! It's a curse! She put a curse in the blood! I can feel it! It's burning me!"

"What? Chloe, that's crazy."

"She's a witch!" Chloe sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "She wants to kill me from the inside! You have to break the bond! You have to prove you don't belong to her!"

"Shh, calm down."

"The Moon Lake!" Chloe shrieked. "Throw her in the Moon Lake! The cold water purifies dark magic. If she survives, she's innocent. If she drowns... she was a witch! Please, Donovan! I can feel her magic eating my heart!"

I looked at Chloe's terrified face. The scent of her fear was overwhelming. It triggered my protective instinct, burying my logic. And deep down, I wanted to test Isabella. That scent... that powerful blood... it didn't match the weak Omega I knew. I needed to see if she would break.

"Okay," I said, my voice hollow. "Okay. I'll do it."

I marched into Isabella's room. She was sitting up, drinking juice. She looked up at me, expecting a 'thank you'.

"Get up," I said.

"Donovan? Is she okay?"

"We are going to the lake."

I dragged her out of the hospital. I ignored her questions. I ignored the way she stumbled. I drove to the Moon Lake, a glacial body of water on the pack border. It was freezing, even for wolves.

We stood on the pier. The water was black and ominous.

"Chloe thinks you cursed her blood," I said, staring at the horizon. I couldn't look at her.

"I saved her life!" Isabella cried, her voice cracking. "I gave her my blood!"

"If you are innocent, the water won't hurt you. It's an old tradition."

"Donovan, please. I'm weak. The silver burns... I can't swim in this."

"Jump."

I used the Alpha Command.

I saw her body stiffen. I saw the betrayal in her eyes-a look so profound it felt like a physical blow. She stepped to the edge.

And she fell.

Splash.

The water swallowed her. I waited. One minute. Two minutes.

She didn't surface.

Panic, cold and sharp, pierced through the haze of Chloe's potion. What have I done?

"Isabella!" I dove in.

The water was like knives. I swam down, my wolf eyes adjusting to the gloom. I saw her sinking, her red hair floating like a halo. She wasn't fighting. She was letting go.

I grabbed her waist and kicked for the surface. I dragged her onto the wooden planks. She wasn't breathing.

"Breathe, damn you!" I pumped her chest. "Breathe!"

Water expelled from her lungs. She coughed, a ragged, terrible sound. She curled into a ball, shivering violently.

"Free..." she mumbled, her eyes glazed, looking right through me. "Just... a few more hours... free..."

I froze. "Free from what? From the water?"

She didn't answer. She passed out.

I picked her up, holding her close to my chest. She felt so small. My heart was pounding a rhythm that felt dangerously like regret.

She wants to be free of us, Titan growled. And after today, I don't blame her.

Ava POV:

The next few hours were a blur of cold and noise. I woke up in the back of the limousine, wrapped in blankets, but the chill of the Moon Lake had settled deep in my marrow.

I checked my internal clock. Four hours.

Four hours until the contract expired.

We were arriving at the marina. The Charity Gala. Of course. Donovan wouldn't miss it. He needed to show the world his pack was stable.

"You're awake," Donovan said. He was watching me from the opposite seat. He looked haunted. Good. "We are here. Can you walk?"

"I'm fine," I lied. My voice was raspy.

We boarded the mega-yacht. The deck was crowded with wealthy Alphas and business tycoons. Music played, champagne flowed. I stood by the railing, staring at the dark ocean.

I was invisible. No one spoke to me. They all knew I was the unwanted wife.

Donovan was circulating, but I noticed he kept glancing at me. He wasn't with Chloe. Chloe was supposedly recovering in the VIP cabin below deck.

"Enjoying the view?"

I turned. Chloe was standing there. She looked miraculously healed. The 'internal bleeding' must have been another lie, or my blood was just that powerful. She held a glass of wine, her eyes glittering with malice.

"You're supposed to be in bed," I said.

"And miss the party?" She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You're tough, I'll give you that. Wolfsbane, silver, drowning... you just won't die."

"Why do you hate me, Chloe? I've never done anything to you."

"You exist," she hissed. "You have the title that belongs to me. And Donovan... he's starting to look at you. I see it. He's wondering."

She glanced around. The deck was empty in this corner.

"He can't wonder," she whispered. "He has to be sure."

She threw her wine glass over the railing. Then, she screamed.

"Help! She's pushing me!"

Before I could react, she lunged at me. She didn't try to fake a fall-she grabbed my dress and threw her weight over the rail, dragging me with her.

We tumbled into the dark void.

The water hit me like concrete. Again. The salt stung my eyes.

We surfaced, gasping. The yacht was moving away, but the alarm was sounding. Searchlights swept the water.

"Help!" Chloe screamed, thrashing theatrically. "Donovan! Save me!"

A lifeboat was lowered. Donovan was at the bow, looking down. The spotlight hit us.

"Grab the rope!" a sailor yelled, throwing a life ring.

It landed between us.

There was only one ring.

I looked up at Donovan. Our eyes locked across the distance. This was it. The final choice.

"Save Chloe!" Donovan's voice roared over the waves, amplified by his Alpha power. "That is an order!"

The sailors obeyed the Alpha Command. They steered the hook toward Chloe. She grabbed it, smirking at me as she was hoisted up.

The yacht kept moving. The wake pushed me back.

"Donovan!" I didn't scream it. I whispered it.

He stayed at the railing, watching me drift away into the darkness. He didn't jump this time. He had made his choice.

I stopped treading water. I was tired. So tired.

Let go, Ava, I told myself. The contract is void if you're dead.

But then, a low rumble vibrated through the water. A sleek, black speed boat emerged from the fog. It wasn't a rescue boat. It had no lights.

Rough hands grabbed me by the hair. I was hauled out of the water and thrown onto a metal deck.

"Well, well," a voice rasped. I looked up to see a man with a scarred face and yellow eyes. A Rogue. "Look what the Alpha threw away."

He leaned in, sniffing me. "Smells like money. And..." He paused, sniffing deeper. "Smells like something else. Something ancient."

I blacked out as the clock in my head ticked down.

Midnight.

The contract was over. I was divorced. I was rich.

And I was the prisoner of a Rogue pack.

But as the darkness took me, I felt a strange warmth in my chest. The potion was gone. Washed away by the lake and the sea.

Deep inside, a white fur began to glow.

I am coming, Seraphina whispered. And I am hungry.