Elena POV:

I didn't die on the side of the road. A passing truck driver took pity on me and gave me a lift back to the city limits.

By the time I walked through the heavy oak doors of the Pack House, it was past midnight.

My phone buzzed. A Mind-Link text message.

Alpha Dante: Staying at the infirmary. Sofia is shaken. Don't wait up.

No apology. No "Are you safe?".

I pulled out my phone. I deleted the nickname "My Alpha" and typed in Dante Moretti.

Then, I went to the security panel.

Accessing User: Elena Moretti.

Delete User?

"Confirm," I said aloud.

User Deleted.

I walked into the kitchen and made instant noodles. While the water boiled, I scrolled through social media.

Sofia had posted a photo ten minutes ago. She wasn't in the infirmary. She was on a yacht. The caption read: Moonlight and healing with my protector. Alpha Blessed.

In the background, I saw Dante's hand holding a glass of wine. The scar on his thumb was visible-the one I stitched. He wasn't fighting. He was being managed.

I looked at the clock. October 14th. Our tenth anniversary. My birthday.

"Happy birthday, Elena," I whispered.

The front door opened.

Dante walked in. He smelled of sea salt, wine, and her. His eyes were clearer now, the hex-perfume fading in the fresh air, leaving him looking confused and guilty.

He was holding a cheap plastic cake box.

"I remembered," he said, placing the box on the counter. "Happy birthday."

He didn't mention the anniversary.

"Thank you," I said, my voice flat.

He frowned at my noodles. "That's your dinner? You have servants."

"The servants work during the day."

His eyes narrowed. "Don't start. I had to manage a PR crisis. Sofia's attack-"

"-was on a yacht?" I interrupted.

Dante's aura flared. "Are you spying on me? You sound like a jealous Omega."

"I sound like a wife who was left on a highway," I said.

He grabbed my arm. The sparks fizzled against my skin-weak, dying static.

"I'm here now," he said, his voice dropping. He pulled me closer.

I didn't push him away. I just went limp.

"Sofia called," I said calmly. "While you were parking. She said her security system is glitching."

Dante froze. The lust vanished, replaced by programmed duty. It was like flipping a switch. The conditioning she had on him ran deep.

"Her security is vital," he muttered, already reaching for his keys.

"Go," I said.

"I'll make this up to you," he promised, backing away. "Tomorrow."

He walked out.

I opened the smashed cake box. I struck a match.

"Goddess," I prayed softly. "If you have any mercy left... cut this bond."

I blew out the flame.

Elena POV:

The annual Founders' Gala. Crystal chandeliers, velvet, and lies.

I stood by the buffet, wearing a silver gown I bought myself. Dante was across the room, surrounded by Elders, looking like a king.

Next to him was Sofia. She wasn't his Mate, but she stood in my spot.

"Attention!" Gamma Marco shouted. "The time capsule from five years ago!"

He pulled out a pink envelope. "Sofia! 'I wish to be the most famous she-wolf in Vogue!'"

The crowd chuckled. Then, Marco's face softened. "A letter from our Luna. Elena."

My blood ran cold.

Marco read it. "To my Alpha... I don't need to be your Queen. I just need to be your home."

Silence descended.

Across the room, Dante went rigid. The fog in his eyes seemed to lift for a second. He looked at me, really looked at me, as if seeing the woman beneath the title.

He took a step toward me. Elena...

SCREAM.

Sofia dropped her wine glass. "Hunters! Outside! I saw a silver gun barrel!"

It was a lie. I could smell the lack of fear on her. Her pulse remained steady.

But Dante didn't check. His conditioning kicked in.

"Warriors! Perimeter!" he roared.

He sprinted toward Sofia, shielding her. "Get her to the safe room! I'll lead the hunting party!"

He vanished into the night.

I stood alone. No hunters came.

I walked over to the fireplace and picked up my letter.

"Stay here, Luna. It's safe," a guard said.

"I know," I said.

I tossed the letter into the fire. The words 'I will be your anchor' turned to ash.

"Goodbye, my Alpha," I whispered.

3:00 AM. My suitcase was packed and hidden.

The bedroom door kicked open. Dante stumbled in, smelling of copper blood and sulfur.

He collapsed. "Trap... Hunters... ambushed us."

I moved automatically. "Where is she?"

"Sofia... scratched. Fine. Taken to... guest house," he gasped. "My back... silver dagger."

I ripped his shirt open. The wound was black and sizzling.

"This will hurt," I said.

I placed my lips over the wound.

I pulled.

Agony exploded in my mouth, but something was different. Usually, drawing silver poison left me bedridden for days. Tonight, as the black blood hit my tongue, a cool, white energy surged from my core, neutralizing the acid before it could damage me. My wolf purred, strong and unbothered.

I spat the blood into a basin. Dante's breathing leveled out.

"Elena," he murmured.

I stitched the wound. His phone buzzed.

Airline Confirmation: One-way ticket to San Francisco. Passenger: Elena Moretti.

Dante blinked at the screen. "You're leaving?"

"My mother," I lied. "She wants me to buy art for the gallery."

Dante stared at me. He was high on pain relief and blood loss. His brain accepted the lie because the alternative-that I was actually leaving him-was impossible to his arrogance.

"Art," he chuckled. "Go then."

He grabbed my waist, pulling me down. "You healed me. The bond... it's strong tonight."

He kissed my jaw. And I smelled her sweat on him.

Nausea rolled over me. I pushed him away. "No."

"I am your Alpha. I need this."

"I am your doctor," I said, my voice shaking. "Not your whore."

Dante flinched. "You're being difficult. Is this about the party?"

"Go to sleep, Dante."

I locked myself in the bathroom. I looked in the mirror. My eyes were glowing that strange silver again. The poison hadn't blistered my lips. I was changing.

Elena POV:

The next morning, Sofia moved into the Pack House with a bouquet of red roses.

"For the brave Alpha!" she chirped.

I stood on the staircase. "I am allergic to red roses, Sofia. You know that."

She gasped. "Oh, Elena! I forgot!"

"It's fine," Dante said, limping in. "Put them in the east wing. Elena, don't go in the east wing."

He was banning me from half my home for flowers.

"We are going to the Catskills," Dante announced. "The winter cabin. Sofia needs protection."

"And me?"

"You come to cook. The staff is on leave."

The cabin was a prison of timber and glass.

Dinner was a disaster. Sofia sat in my seat. Dante mixed drinks.

He placed a whiskey in front of me. And a gin and tonic for Sofia.

I stared at the whiskey. "I hate whiskey, Dante. I've hated it for ten years."

"Don't be rude," he warned.

"Enjoy your whiskey," I said.

I walked out into the snow. I pulled out my burner phone.

To Isabella: Tonight. The storm is hitting.

From Isabella: Team is at the base. Signal when clear.

I looked back through the window. Dante was wiping a crumb from Sofia's lip.

My heart didn't break. It just stopped beating for him.

Deep inside, the White Wolf stirred. Let us run, she commanded.

I dozed off in the solarium. I woke up being lifted.

Dante.

"I've got you," he murmured.

Crash!

We were in the living room. Sofia stood there, a shattered Ming vase at her feet.

"You promised!" she shrieked. "You said you were checking the perimeter! Why are you holding her?"

Dante flinched. Panic flooded his scent. He looked at Sofia like a junkie afraid of losing his fix.

"Sofia, she was asleep-"

"Put her down! You're cheating on me!"

Dante looked at her tear-streaked face, then at me.

He chose.

He didn't set me down. He dropped me.

I fell three feet, landing hard on my hip and elbow. Crack.

"Sofia, wait!" Dante stepped over me and ran after her into the blizzard.

I lay on the floor. The pain was sharp, but my body was already knitting itself together with unnatural speed.

"Okay," I whispered. "Okay."

Ten minutes later, Beta Luca burst in. "Luna! Where is Alpha?"

"Chasing his tail," I gritted out.

"Sofia crashed the snowmobile. We need to go to the hospital."

The hospital waiting room.

I sat holding an ice pack. Two Warriors whispered nearby.

"Did you see the Alpha? Crying over Sofia."

"And the Luna? Sitting there like furniture. No pride."

No pride.

The ER doctor came out. "She's fine. Three stitches."

Dante rushed past me. He didn't even see me.

I stood up. The ice pack fell.

My extraction team was waiting. But first, I had to burn the bridge.

I headed toward Sofia's room.