Chapter 1

At two in the morning, when the pack elders' urgent summons came, I had just crawled out from beneath my childhood sweetheart, the Alpha heir Slade.

My body was still aching from his rough possession.

As the only human healer in the entire Blackwood Pack, I was ordered to prepare herbs as a gift for Slade's marriage alliance with the Thorne Pack.

I gently lifted Slade's arm from where it was wrapped around me. After a night of passion, his powerful Alpha body was still radiating a feverish heat.

I assumed this was just another wolf princess he needed to turn away, so I poked his chest playfully and asked with a smile,

"Slade, what excuse are you going to use the 99th time? That you've suddenly developed an allergy to the princess?"

He rolled over and kissed my forehead, his eyes heavy with sleep.

"My sweet girl, this time the herbs must be prepared by you, and you alone. The success of this alliance rests on your shoulders."

I froze.

For the past ten years, I had been his secret solace, the one who soothed his violent rages every night.

I thought I would earn a formal bonding ceremony, sooner or later.

But in that moment, I understood. I was just a convenience, a body for him to use.

If that was all I was to him, then I would burn everything we had to the ground.

I made a call to my old mentor at the National Institute of Medicine, Professor Sterling.

"Professor, that research position regarding gene... is it still open? I'm ready to return to the human world."

But when that arrogant Alpha, who claimed we were 'just friends' and 'strictly professional,' discovered he could no longer catch even a faint scent of me in the air, he completely lost his mind.

Chapter 1

At two in the morning, when the pack elders' urgent summons came, I had just crawled out from beneath my childhood sweetheart, the Alpha heir Slade.

My body was still aching from his rough possession.

As the only human healer in the entire Blackwood Pack, I was ordered to prepare herbs as a gift for Slade's marriage alliance with the Thorne Pack.

I gently lifted Slade's arm from where it was wrapped around me. After a night of passion, his powerful Alpha body was still radiating a feverish heat.

I assumed this was just another wolf princess he needed to turn away, so I poked his chest playfully and asked with a smile,

"Slade, what excuse are you going to use the 99th time? That you've suddenly developed an allergy to the princess?"

He rolled over and kissed my forehead, his eyes heavy with sleep.

"My sweet girl, this time the herbs must be prepared by you, and you alone. The success of this alliance rests on your shoulders."

I froze.

For the past ten years, I had been his secret solace, the one who soothed his violent rages every night.

I thought I would earn a formal bonding ceremony, sooner or later.

But in that moment, I understood. I was just a convenience, a body for him to use.

If that was all I was to him, then I would burn everything we had to the ground.

I made a call to my old mentor at the National Institute of Medicine, Professor Sterling.

"Professor, that research position regarding gene... is it still open? I'm ready to return to the human world."

But when that arrogant Alpha, who claimed we were 'just friends' and 'strictly professional,' discovered he could no longer catch even a faint scent of me in the air, he completely lost his mind.

...

Just two hours earlier, for the thirtieth consecutive day, he had taken me with a wildness that felt like he would tear me apart.

"Look at me, Eloise."

I was completely lost beneath him, my nails digging bloody lines into his broad back.

"Slade... please..."

I moaned, feeling his terrifying size stretch me open, a brutal possession that staked its claim deep inside me.

After he finished, I curled up in his arms, my fingers tracing the scar on his chest that I had stitched myself.

His fingers idly played with my hair, twisting the strands.

"By the way, darling," his tone was casual, "Wear something pretty tomorrow night. You're attending the Moon Goddess's Blessing Ceremony."

My head snapped up, my heart pounding in my chest.

I had slept with him for years, but he had never allowed me to attend any official pack ceremonies.

"Slade," I pushed my aching body up, my voice filled with disbelief. "Is it because... you're going to announce it? We can finally go public?"

"Go public?" He let out a low, amused laugh, reaching out to pinch my cheek affectionately. "Oh, Eloise, you have such a vivid imagination."

"The ceremony is to welcome my fated mate, Rosalind Thorne. You know, the actual future Luna?"

His voice was gentle and coaxing, like explaining a simple concept to a child, yet every word was a precise needle stabbing into my heart.

My mind went blank. "If she's your Luna, then what have we been all these years? What was all of this?"

The smile on Slade's face didn't falter. He leaned in, nuzzling the crook of my neck, his breath hot against my skin.

"Don't be silly, sweetheart," he purred. "Don't tell me you actually thought a human could be the Luna of Blackwood?"

"You're my favorite little human, isn't that enough?"

I stared at him, tears welling in my eyes, but I stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"When... when did this happen?"

"Six months ago." He slid out of bed, unbothered by his nakedness.

"For the expansion of the pack, for the continuation of the pureblood line. Don't pout, you really should meet her. She satisfies everyone's imagination of what a perfect Luna should be."

I suddenly remembered that for the past six months, he had been frequently leaving for "territory patrols."

Each time he returned, I was waiting in bed for him, soothing his exhaustion with my body.

It turned out that all along, he was busy arranging a marriage with another she-wolf.

I followed him into the bathroom.

The mirror reflected my pale face, my neck and chest covered in his bites and fingerprints.

An hour ago, I had thought of them as medals of love. Now, they were brands of shame.

"If it's an alliance, do you love her?"

"Love?" He turned on the shower, grinning at me through the steam. "Maybe later, who knows?"

He stepped out of the shower, water tracing the powerful lines of his musculature.

This was the body that had once driven me to madness, the body I had given myself to.

And now, I wished I could erase every memory of it.

"Rosalind is young, of pure blood, and powerful. She brings the land rights of the Thorne Pack with her."

He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, his thumb casually tracing the line of my spine, sending a shiver down my back.

"And you... my sweet Eloise, you have your own special place."

Yes. I was an obedient body. A pleasant, convenient tool with no strings attached, for his pleasure.

I just stood there, feeling the evidence of his climax trickling down my inner thigh. The sticky sensation had never felt so filthy.

By the time I had dressed and forced myself to walk out with some semblance of calm, Slade was already fully dressed and on the phone.

"About that research on the 'Wolf Venom Neutralizer.' I need the original manuscript. I'm giving it to the Thorne Pack as a betrothal gift."

"Also, prepare the finest red velvet gift box. That garish shade of red. It suits a Luna's station."

Hearing those words, my nails dug so deeply into my palms that they drew blood.

That research was my life's work. To prevent Slade from being injured by wolf venom in battle again, I had pulled countless all-nighters, even using my own blood for experiments to achieve that breakthrough.

Now, he was taking my life's work and giving it away as a gift to please another woman.

I couldn't help but look at him. He had a satisfied smile on his face, one I had never seen before.

But I knew it wasn't for me.

A wave of heartache washed over me, and the water glass in my hand slipped, landing with a soft thud on the expensive carpet.

Slade turned, his eyes still smiling. "You heard everything? Good. Save me the trouble of explaining. Be a dear and have that report on my desk by morning, hmm?"

He grabbed his jacket and started to leave but paused at the door.

"Eloise," he winked, looking me up and down

"Wipe that tragic look off your face. It doesn't suit you. You know I treat you better than anyone."

"Just be my good healer, and nothing has to change between us in the bedroom. Okay?"

His voice faded with the click of his leather shoes on the floor.

Thump. The door closed.

I sat on the floor, laughing until the laughter turned to tears.

I don't know how long I sat there.

It was deep into the night, the moonlight casting cold patterns on the floor, when I finally stood up and walked back to my private healing lab.

I opened the safe. Inside lay the core manuscript of the research, along with all the herbs and rare specimens he had given me over the years.

I took out a lighter. The flame licked at the paper, crackling as it turned my work into a pile of worthless black ash.

"Miss Eloise..." my assistant breathed, stepping into the room. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at the flames.

I nodded, my face devoid of expression. "None of it matters anymore."

Not just these things. This relationship, this Alpha... I was done with all of it.

I took out my phone and dialed an encrypted number.

"Professor Sterling? It's me. I've made my decision."

"Eloise? That's wonderful news. The Institute has been waiting for a mind like yours. If Blackwood won't appreciate the genius in their midst, there are mountains of gold waiting for you out there."

"Seven days," I took a deep breath. "In seven days, the name Eloise Vance will disappear completely from the Blackwood Pack's territory."

Chapter 2

After that, I cut off all contact with the outside world.

Seventeen missed calls from Slade. I ignored every single one.

At three in the afternoon, the door to my healing lab was violently thrown open.

Standing in the doorway was Lucas, Slade's most loyal Beta. Behind him were two stone-faced pack warriors.

"Miss Eloise," Lucas's tone was respectful, but his muscles were tense, ready for action. "The Alpha wants to see you."

I didn't look up, continuing to grind herbs with the pestle in my hand. "Tell your Alpha I'm not seeing patients."

"I'm afraid this isn't a request," he said. "It's an order."

I set down the pestle, wiped my hands, and stood up straight. "So, you plan to drag me back by force, like capturing prey?"

Lucas's gaze shifted, but he didn't deny it. "You know the Alpha doesn't like to wait."

"He said not to make him carry you. It would be undignified."

I was forced into an SUV that came to a stop before the gates of the Alpha's manor.

This place was once the home I dreamed of. Now, I only wanted to escape.

I was "escorted" to my herb garden behind the main house. But the moment I pushed open the gate, I froze.

The garden I had spent ten years cultivating, which held some of the rarest medicinal herbs in all of North America, was now a scene of utter destruction.

Life-saving Silverleaf plants had been ripped out by the roots, their damp stems tossed carelessly into the mud.

In their place, hundreds of garish red roses were being hastily planted by workers.

"Stop!" I screamed, rushing forward and cradling a trampled Moonlight Orchid. "What are you doing? These are for saving lives!"

"Rosalind found these weeds an eyesore," a familiar, lazy voice said from behind me. "So we're doing a little redecorating."

I turned to see Slade approaching, with Rosalind Thorne on his arm.

He wore a dark, tailored shirt, the sleeves rolled up to reveal his strong forearms.

Rosalind, dressed in an expensive silk gown, snuggled against Slade's powerful arm.

"Slade, darling," she cooed, "I don't like the smell. As your future Luna, I think this place should be a proper garden, not some common vegetable patch."

I looked at Slade, my nails digging into the dead orchid, mud and water seeping through my fingers.

"Slade, this orchid can neutralize wolf venom. I watched over it for three whole nights just to get one," my voice trembled. "You promised me this garden would always be under my care."

Slade didn't even glance at the flower. His gaze was fixed on Rosalind's satisfied smile.

He simply shrugged, indifferent. "Oh, stop being so dramatic, Eloise. It's just a few plants. I can buy you a whole greenhouse full of them later if you behave."

"Rosalind is the lady of the house now. We should let her have her fun, don't you think?"

"But..."

"Shh," Slade placed a finger on my lips, "Don't spoil the mood with that frown."

As if just remembering to introduce me, he turned his head. "Rosalind, this is Eloise. She's the Blackwood Pack's... most useful medical asset. As long as they have a pulse, she can pull them back from the brink."

He had called me... an asset.

Rosalind raised an eyebrow, her eyes sweeping over my mud-stained dress.

"I've heard so much about you. He says he'd be lost without you to handle all the common injuries. It must be so trying, being a little human. You look so out of place here, like a pet that wandered too far from home."

She deliberately stressed the word "human," a hint of pity on her face.

"It is my duty to serve the Blackwood Pack," I forced myself to remain calm.

Slade nodded, satisfied. He turned to Rosalind with a gentle expression. "Let's go, my love. The Elders are waiting for us."

He wrapped his arm around her waist, and I followed behind them like a servant.

The Elders were already waiting in the main hall.

One of them, Elder Marcus, stood up when he saw me.

"Last month, my son was attacked by rogues, his guts were nearly spilling out. It was Eloise who snatched him from death's door. She is so important to this pack, we all thought you would..."

Slade set his glass down, the sharp clink echoing through the hall. He laughed softly, shaking his head as if Marcus had told a funny joke.

"Elder Marcus." His tone was light, but dismissive. "You're getting sentimental in your old age."

"Eloise is a fantastic healer, truly a treasure," Slade smiled at me across the room, raising his glass in a mock toast. "But let's not get carried away. She's human, after all."

"The Luna needs to be a warrior, someone with... pedigree. You understand, don't you, Eloise?"

I lowered my eyes, forcing a flawless smile.

"Elder Marcus, you misunderstand. The Alpha and I have always maintained a strictly professional relationship."

Slade hadn't expected my easy compliance. He raised an eyebrow, looking pleasantly surprised.

The tension in the hall dissipated. Rosalind shot me a triumphant smirk.

Slade passed by me. He raised his hand, as if out of habit, to stroke the back of my neck.

But he stopped mid-air, turning instead to smooth a stray hair from Rosalind's head.

He leaned down, his warm breath ghosting over my ear as he whispered in a voice only I could hear,

"My healer, I knew you'd be sensible. I'll reward you later."

During the dinner, I sat alone at the far end of the long table, watching Slade and Rosalind in the seats of honor, accepting the pack's congratulations.

From time to time, Slade would turn his head and wink at me, his eyes holding the look one might give a well-behaved dog.

But I never once met his gaze.

Enjoy your victory, Slade.

Your most precious treasure has already planned her escape.

Chapter 3

Two days later was the pack's traditional Hunt Under the Moon.

It was the pack's most important annual festival, and by tradition, the Alpha was required to participate personally.

I had no desire to attend, but Slade commanded my presence as the on-site healer.

"Eloise, keep up," he called from ahead, his voice cheerful and unbothered.

I hoisted my heavy emergency kit and stumbled along at the back of the party. At the very front, Slade and Rosalind stood side-by-side.

Rosalind had changed into a tight-fitting leather hunting suit that perfectly outlined her curves.

She would occasionally lean in to whisper in Slade's ear, and he would listen with a look of deep, tender focus.

The hunting party moved deeper into the dense forest.

The sacrificial stag, normally raised in captivity, was released.

But something was wrong with this stag.

Its eyes were blood-red, foam dripped from its mouth, and the muscles under its skin twitched uncontrollably.

Someone had tampered with it. It had been injected with a stimulant, or something worse.

"The stag has been drugged!" I yelled. "Stay back! It's rabid!"

But no one paid any mind to the warning of a breathless human.

The next second, the stag let out a roar unlike any herbivore and charged madly toward the most crowded area.

Right where Slade and Rosalind were standing.

It all happened too fast.

The stag's speed was terrifying. Rosalind stood frozen, paralyzed by the sudden, mad onslaught.

I was standing less than ten feet behind her. "Watch out!" I yelled instinctively, starting to lunge forward to pull her away.

A black shadow moved faster than I could. Alpha speed.

Slade threw himself in front of Rosalind. To guarantee her absolute safety, to create more distance, he shoved sideways with all his strength.

He didn't hit the stag. He hit me.

Before I could react, the impact sent me flying. My body slammed hard against the trunk of an ancient oak tree.

A burst of excruciating pain exploded through me. I heard the crack of my own left arm dislocating, and my medical kit crashed against my leg, shattering the glass vials inside.

I collapsed into the mud, a cold sweat instantly drenching my back.

But I ignored the pain, my eyes fixed on the scene before me.

Slade had already snapped the crazed stag's neck with one hand. It fell to the ground, limp.

He held Rosalind tightly in his embrace, his large hand cradling the back of her head, pressing her face into his chest to shield her from the bloody sight.

"It's okay," his voice was a low rumble. "I'm here."

"Slade, I was so scared," Rosalind's voice was choked with sobs, her hands clutching his shirt.

"As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you."

He gently inspected her arms, even though they weren't touched by a single speck of dust.

And me, I was just fifteen feet away, clutching my dislocated arm, my lips white with pain.

Slade turned, his gaze sweeping over the scene, confirming the threat was eliminated.

His eyes fell on me, lingering for a few seconds. He didn't look worried.

"You're tough, Eloise," he offered a lopsided grin, devoid of real concern. "Walk it off, yeah?"

When I managed a nod, he looked away.

"Burn the stag's carcass. We're returning to the manor." He lifted Rosalind into his arms and strode away.

I returned alone to the empty medical center.

The fluorescent lights of the lab were stark and blindingly white.

I sat on the edge of the operating table and used scissors to cut away the sleeve, now stuck to my skin with dried blood.

My left arm had already swollen to twice its normal size.

Without anesthetic, my hands trembled too much to hold a syringe steady.

"You can do this, Eloise," I told my reflection. "Compared to the hole in your heart, this pain is nothing."

I bit down on a towel, gripped my dislocated arm with my right hand, and took a deep breath. Then I shoved it back into place.

The agony of the bone resetting made my vision flash black. I bit down so hard I tasted the metallic tang of blood.

I leaned against the wall, panting and drenched in sweat, when my phone pinged. Lucas had forwarded the Alpha's "Pack-Wide Announcement" audio file.

Slade's voice rang out. "For the glory and future of the pack, and in light of the peace and prosperity brought by Rosalind Thorne..."

His voice paused.

"I will officially hold my bonding ceremony with Rosalind Thorne on the next full moon. She will be my Luna."

My hand, which was wrapping a bandage, froze mid-air. The bone I had just set screamed as if it had shattered all over again.

I looked at myself in the mirror. My face was pale, my lip was bleeding, and my left arm was in a sling.

But I couldn't feel the pain anymore.

I took out my phone and looked at the countdown app on the screen.

Five days left.

Chapter 4

After that pack-wide announcement, I locked myself in the medical center for three whole days.

Aside from changing my own dressings, I spent my time organizing the documents I needed to take with me.

My left arm still ached, but I had learned to pack with one hand.

Bang.

The door was thrown open. A cloying scent of roses flooded the room, followed by the distinct, cold aura of an Alpha.

Slade walked in, with Rosalind clinging tightly to his arm.

She wore a pure white, high-end cashmere coat, and the black diamond ring on her finger glittered with a greedy light that nearly blinded me.

"Eloise," Slade frowned, his eyes landing on my sling with a hint of annoyance. "What happened to you? Did you fall down the stairs or something? You really are clumsy, always getting yourself hurt."

"Thanks to your Alpha," I said, my voice hoarse as I leaned against the bed. "The pack won't have to pay for my funeral expenses just yet."

Slade's brow furrowed, he clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Don't be morbid, it spoils your pretty face."

Rosalind let go of Slade and walked to my bedside.

"Oh, don't say that," she feigned concern, but her eyes were cold. "Humans are just so fragile. They break at the slightest touch. It really is a burden to have such weak creatures in a pack of warriors."

She always found a way to emphasize my human status, and always with such perfect, cutting timing.

"However," her gaze suddenly locked onto my collarbone, where a small moonstone charm glowed with a soft blue light.

He had given it to me ten years ago, not long after I first came to the pack. I was having nightmares every night after losing my mother and being thrown into a completely new world.

To soothe my nightmares, he had fastened it around my neck himself. "Wear this, Eloise," he'd said. "It carries my scent. No nightmare will dare come near you."

It was the first gift he ever gave me. A secret vow between us.

In ten years, I had never taken it off.

"Slade, this is so... cheap. This is the future Alpha's domain. Why is there a chipped stone reeking of low-level witchcraft here? Its energy feels like it will interfere with mine as the Luna."

Slade's body tensed for a moment, but he said nothing.

I instinctively raised a hand, my fingers closing around the warm stone. "This is my personal property."

"Eloise," Slade sighed, stepping forward, "Why are you so attached to that junk? I can buy you diamonds, pearls, whatever you want."

"Come on, let me see it," he murmured, reaching out.

That large, warm hand, which had caressed my cheek countless times, was now reaching for my neck.

He grabbed the moonstone and yanked.

A sharp pain shot through my neck as the leather cord bit into my flesh, leaving an instant red line.

The necklace broke.

"Slade!" I cried out, ignoring the pain, reaching for it.

But he stepped back, holding the stone up to the light and chuckling.

"It really is just a pebble. You're so sentimental, sweetheart."

Rosalind wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Destroy it, darling. It has a scent on it I don't like."

Slade looked at the stone in his hand. Then, right in front of me, his fingers closed.

I thought I heard the stone shatter.

An Alpha's strength could pulverize it in an instant.

When he opened his hand again, all that was left was a pile of shimmering white powder.

He let the white powder sift through his fingers, scattering onto the floor to mix with the dust.

"There," he smiled, dusting off his hands as if he had just done me a favor. "Now I can buy you something much nicer. A fair trade, don't you think?"

Just like our past, it could never be put back together.

Rosalind smiled with satisfaction. She walked over and stood on her toes to kiss his jaw.

"That's more like it. That's my Alpha."

Slade emotionlessly dusted the powder from his hands, his brow furrowed as he glanced at my empty, blood-streaked neck.

But he turned his head to speak to Rosalind. "Are you happy now, Rosalind?"

"Now, everything at my side belongs to you."

Watching them leave, I knelt and stared at the dust on the floor.

Two days left.

"Since you want such a clean break," I murmured, drawing a cross through the number, "then I'll grant your wish."

Chapter 5

The next morning, I was awakened by a message from Lucas.

"Go to the greenhouse," he commanded, his tone brusque. "Bring the 'Moonlight Flower.' The Alpha is waiting for you."

I stared at the screen, my fingertips ice-cold.

The Moonlight Flower. It blooms once every ten years, for a single night.

Its nectar makes the marking process feel like a dream, completely painless.

This one, I had been nurturing since I was eighteen, even using my own blood to feed it.

I had fantasized countless times about the day I would finally become Slade's mate. I would pick it myself, and he would mark me gently.

Now, the flower was in bloom. But I would never have a use for it.

When I pushed open the glass door of the greenhouse, Slade was standing in the center of the flowerbeds. Rosalind sat in a nearby wicker chair, toying with a common rose.

"Did you bring it?" Slade turned. His gaze passed over me, landing on the potted plant I held in my arms.

"This is an asset of the medical center," I said, clutching the pot tighter. "It hasn't fully bloomed yet."

"Tsk, tsk. Lying isn't a good look on you, Eloise," Slade walked over, looking down at me with amused eyes. "Tonight is the full moon. I can smell its sweetness from here."

He stopped in front of me, looking down at the flower.

"Rosalind is... delicate. She is afraid of pain."

"I want you to offer this flower. We will use it during our marking."

I looked up at him in disbelief.

He knew. He knew exactly what this flower meant to me.

During those stolen nights in this very greenhouse, he had kissed my fingers and whispered, "When this blooms, you will be my mate."

And now he was giving it away so easily.

It was like he was asking me to carve out my own heart and serve it on a platter.

"Slade?" Rosalind walked over, glancing at the stunning flower. "Is this that magical herb? It looks a bit... plain."

Rosalind reached out, her finger flicking disdainfully at a silver petal.

"Darling, I know it's for the pain. But I think it's too monotonous on its own. Why don't we crush it together with the 'Blood Thistle' we're using?"

My pupils contracted violently.

"Blood Thistle is a highly toxic catalyst," I cut her off. "Mixing them would completely neutralize the Moonlight Flower's properties. It would be worthless."

"But it's the symbol of the Thorne Pack," Rosalind blinked innocently.

"Mixing the two flowers symbolizes the merging of our two pack bloodlines. That's what's most important, isn't it? As for the pain... you're the best healer. You can always find another way, right?"

Her intention was obvious. She wanted to destroy it.

Slade was silent for two seconds, then he looked at me. "Do as she says. Come on, Eloise, don't be stingy."

"Are you insane? I've nurtured this flower for ten years..."

"Honey," Slade interrupted, "Why are you throwing a tantrum over a plant? I am the Alpha. Everything here is mine to use, including you, and including your little flower. Now be a good girl and put it down."

In that moment, I heard the last string inside me snap.

I once believed I would be his. Now, I knew he was dreaming if he thought I still would be.

"Since you want to see the two packs merge so badly..." I forced a smile, but I didn't hand the flower to Rosalind.

Instead, I walked to the large copper brazier in the center of the room, the one used for burning dead branches, its coals glowing red hot.

"No!" Slade seemed to realize what I was about to do and lunged forward.

But he was too slow.

I grabbed the Moonlight Flower by its stem and ripped it out, roots and all.

Without a shred of hesitation, I threw the blooming flower directly into the roaring fire.

The delicate petals were instantly consumed by the flames.

"What are you doing?!" Rosalind shrieked.

Slade whipped his head around to glare at me, his face twisted into a look of disbelief, as if his favorite toy had just bitten him.

"You dare to defy me? Eloise, are you trying to punish me? That's cute, but foolish."

I dusted the remaining dirt from my hands and glanced at the empty pot.

My heart was completely empty, too.

"If you were going to treat it like trash, I'd rather do it myself. At least it died a clean death."

I turned and walked away, the sound of the pot smashing to pieces behind me followed by Slade's annoyed sigh.

Back in my room, the gilded invitation for the ceremony sat on the table.

A cordial invitation to the Marking Ceremony of Alpha Slade and Luna Rosalind.

I took out my lighter and lit a corner of the invitation.

I watched it curl and blacken, until their names had vanished completely into ash.

The countdown on my phone screen hit zero.

I dialed the encrypted number.

"Professor, it's me."

I looked out at the dark night, the last speck of ash falling from my fingertips.

"It's time. We move tonight."

Chapter 6

I had just latched the clasps on my old suitcase when the clinic's decaying wooden door was blasted from its hinges.

Slade stood in the shadows. He leaned against the doorframe, looking effortlessly handsome and completely unthreatened. "I knew I'd find you."

He stepped inside, his expensive leather shoes groaning on the rotten floorboards.

I instinctively backed away, my hand reaching for the silver scalpel on the table.

But he was too fast. In the blink of an eye, he had crossed the room.

My back slammed against a medicine cabinet, sending glass vials clattering. His large hands pinned me there.

"Where did you think you could run?" he demanded, is voice low and seductive, nuzzling my ear.

I tried to struggle, but there was no room.

Suddenly, the feral look in his eyes receded for a moment, replaced by a flicker of panic.

"For three hours, I couldn't feel you," he pressed his forehead against mine, his voice hoarse. "I thought something had happened to you..."

The heart I thought could no longer be moved gave a painful twinge.

But I quickly snapped back to reality. This was an Alpha's possessiveness, not love.

"Let go of me, Slade."

"Not until you tell me where you're going with that suitcase."

"That has nothing to do with you."

"Nothing to do with me?" he scoffed, his hand clamping around my jaw, tilting my head up so he could smile down at me.

"Every breath you take belongs to the Blackwood Pack. You're mine, Eloise. You don't get to leave until I say so."

"I've repaid my debt to this pack. With my dignity, and with the flower I burned." I looked him straight in the eye. "I am free."

"What did you say? Free?" He released me and pulled a yellowed parchment from his coat.

Slap.

He slammed it down on the dusty clinic table.

"Look at this."

The moment my eyes fell on it, the long list of arguments I had prepared died on my lips.

The parchment was titled in large letters: Guardianship Pact. At the bottom was my mother's elegant signature, next to the embossed crest of the Blackwood Pack.

My mother had told me about her connection to the Blackwood pack.

Twenty years ago, during the pack wars, the then-Luna of Blackwood, Slade's mother, Slone, had fled to the human world and been saved by my mother.

As a doctor, my mother had saved Slone's life.

As fate would have it, their personalities clicked, and they became the best of friends.

Later, when my mother fell gravely ill, she brought a young, orphaned me to the Blackwood Pack, entrusting Slone to raise me.

To give me a legitimate reason to stay in a werewolf pack, Slone saw that I had inherited my mother's gift and wanted to train me as a healer for the werewolf world.

"Don't forget, Eloise. Your mother signed this pact. As long as the Blackwood pack stands, you belong to it as its healer."

A chill ran through me.

I understood that my mother and Slone had devised this as a compromise to ensure I could survive.

But now, it had become the very chain that bound me.

Slade closed the distance again, his fingers tracing my cheek in a deceptively gentle gesture. "Tomorrow night is the bonding ceremony. You must be there."

"Since you were naughty and destroyed the Moonlight Flower, you have to make it up to me," he whispered against my lips. "Prepare a vial of pure restorative essence. Present it to Rosalind. On your knees. Show everyone how much you love your new Luna."

"If you refuse," he released me and adjusted his collar, smirking. "I will burn this clinic to the ground. I know how much you love your mother's trash. Just like you burned that flower."

This clinic held all of my mother's manuscripts, the only things I had left of her in this world.

I looked at him, the man who had been my lover for ten years, now a complete stranger.

"Fine," I heard myself say, my voice unnaturally calm. "I'll be there. I'll give you the 'loyalty' you want."

Slade smiled, satisfied.

"See you tomorrow, Eloise. Wear something nice for me."

His figure disappeared into the night.

I picked up the vial of energy essence from the table, my fingers stroking the cool glass.

"A pact," I whispered, "must eventually be settled."

Chapter 7

The Blackwood Pack's sacred altar square had never looked so solemn.

The grounds of the grand bonding ceremony were covered in flowers, but all I could smell was their sickeningly sweet stench.

I stood alone in the shadows below the altar, holding the vial of "doctored" energy essence.

The star of the evening, Rosalind, approached me, wearing a gown that seemed woven from moonlight. She carried herself with the full grace of a future Luna.

She stopped in front of me and held up her left hand, deliberately flashing it before my eyes.

On her finger was a massive ring.

It was set with a flawless moonstone.

Ten times larger, ten times purer than the one Slade had destroyed.

"See," Rosalind's voice was soft, for my ears only. "This is the difference, Eloise. Some stones are meant to be crushed. Others are meant for a crown."

I stared at the stone and replied numbly, "Congratulations. It suits you."

Slade walked over, dressed in a sharp ceremonial uniform, a golden wolf head embroidered on his chest.

His gaze passed over me and landed on Rosalind.

"What are you talking to my healer about?"

"It's time. Let's go."

He offered his arm, and Rosalind took it.

They walked toward the altar, looking like the perfect couple.

Just as the High Priest raised the sacred staff, as the union of purebloods was about to be sealed, a deafening explosion tore through the night sky. A floodlight tower at the edge of the square exploded without warning.

"Attack! It's Rogues!"

Someone screamed. Immediately, black-clad rogues swarmed in from all directions, armed with modified firearms and silver knives.

Chaos erupted. The attackers were clearly well-prepared.

A dark metal sphere, its fuse hissing, was thrown with precision toward the high platform.

It exploded in mid-air, releasing a cloud of purple smoke.

It was a bomb filled with wolf venom dust.

The bomb's trajectory was wickedly precise, aimed at the central point between Slade, Rosalind, and me.

Upon impact, the high concentration of wolf venom dust would be enough to instantly corrode our respiratory systems.

There was only a second to react, but that second stretched into an eternity.

Slade moved.

I watched him charge forward, instinctively reaching out my hand, thinking he would grab me first, just as he had in every moment of danger for the past ten years.

This time, he glanced at me, but his hand went past me.

He seized Rosalind by the waist, pulling her into a protective embrace.

To get a faster burst of speed, to push Rosalind further away, to absolute safety...

He used me as a springboard, kicking off my body to propel himself and her to safety while sending me flying into the center of the blast.

The shockwave, thick with purple dust, exploded.

I was thrown backward, my back hitting the cold stone steps of the altar with brutal force.

The purple smoke instantly filled my lungs.

For werewolves, wolf venom is a weakening agent. But for a human, a high concentration of it is a corrosive poison that eats away at the lungs.

Every breath felt like swallowing hot coals. The wolf venom dust invaded my lungs, viciously corroding my insides.

My vision began to blur. Blood poured from my mouth and nose.

In the moments before my vision faded to black, I forced my eyes open one last time, looking toward the high platform.

Through the spreading smoke, I saw Slade carrying an unharmed Rosalind toward the cover behind the altar.

He was anxiously asking if she was frightened.

In a daze, I thought I saw him glance back at me.

But what did it matter? He had sacrificed his "asset," the one he himself had kicked into a cloud of poison.

"Blackwood warriors, take care of these rogues!" Slade roared, unleashing his Alpha command.

The battle raged on, while I lay in a pool of my own blood.

As darkness finally fell, I wondered if Slade, even for a second, felt a flicker of remorse for the woman who had soothed him night after night.

But then again, his actions had already shown his choice.

And for me, this was a kind of release.

Chapter 8

The smoke cleared. The red glow of the emergency lights painted the ruins in shades of blood.

Slade stood in the center of the altar, facing a formidable Alpha of equal stature.

Killian Thorne, Rosalind's father, the Alpha of the Thorne Pack.

"I need an explanation," Killian's accusatory voice rang out. "My daughter nearly died on your territory."

"The attackers will pay the price. Every last rogue will be hunted down," Slade replied.

"Not enough."

Killian's gaze swept across the chaos, finally settling on me where I was propped up against a stone pillar.

"That human," he pointed a finger at me from across the square. "She is your weakness. She distracted you at a critical moment."

However absurd, the powerful always need a scapegoat.

Killian took a step forward, the clash of their Alpha auras sparking in the air.

"Our alliance is built on strength. An Alpha who allows a human to interfere with his judgment is not trustworthy. Unless..."

He delivered his ultimatum.

"Eliminate this liability before the official marking ceremony. Otherwise, the Thorne Pack withdraws its support, and our alliance is void."

Slade was silent.

The moment seemed to stretch on forever.

Finally, he slowly turned. The last flicker of conflict in his eyes died out, replaced by the cold logic of a ruler.

He called for Lucas, his voice low, yet it hit me harder than the wolf venom. "Begin the operation. The target is Eloise Vance."

Tears I didn't know I had left to cry streamed down my face, mixing with the taste of blood in my mouth.

The ultimate tragedy was this: I wasn't defeated by another woman, but by his own ambition and his so-called greater good.

My broken body was all but dragged to the herb garden I once treasured.

It had been my sanctuary. I never imagined it would become my grave.

Rosalind was already waiting for me.

She stood before the ruined Moonlight Flower bed, holding an exquisite silver dagger.

Behind her stood two burly werewolf enforcers.

"Slade told me to purify this place. Since you have to die, you might as well die in the place you loved most."

"And don't blame him," she said. "For the future of the pack, a stain like you must be cleansed."

She waved a hand. "Do it. Make it look like an accident."

The two werewolves closed in on me.

In their eyes, I was just a lamb to the slaughter.

But I wasn't.

I am a healer. I know how to save lives, which means I know even better how to take them.

From a hidden pocket in my dress, I pulled out two pre-filled syringes.

They contained a specially prepared, high-concentration dose of a powerful anesthetic.

As the first enforcer lunged, I endured the searing pain of my broken ribs and twisted, plunging the needle precisely into his carotid artery.

He collapsed without a sound, a boneless heap on the ground.

The second enforcer froze for a split second. I used the opening to jab the other syringe deep into his thigh muscle.

Rosalind screamed and stumbled backward, her delicate face twisted in fear.

"You... you used poison! You're insane!"

"You killed them!"

She brandished the dagger wildly, accidentally nicking her own arm.

Blood welled up.

I picked up the daggers the two enforcers had dropped and stood up straight, covered in blood. "It's an anesthetic. I haven't killed them."

"Help! Slade! Help me!"

Rosalind suddenly began to wail, clutching her arm. "Eloise has gone mad! She's trying to kill me!"

I scoffed. What a masterful actress.

Pack enforcers in their wolf forms rushed in, their growls vibrating through the ground as they circled me.

Slade strode over. He saw the two unconscious pack members on the ground and the trembling, bleeding Rosalind.

Finally, he saw me, holding a dagger.

This time, his eyes were utterly frozen.

Rosalind threw herself into his arms, sobbing hysterically. "She tried to kill me! She said she was going to poison everyone who ever took you from her! Slade, I'm so scared..."

Slade held her, his gaze falling on the "weapon" in my hand.

"Eloise!"

"You dare to harm the future Luna?"

He condemned me without giving me a chance to speak.

"Lucas," he summoned his Beta.

"Yes, Alpha."

"She has offended the future Luna, poisoned members of the pack, and attempted murder within our territory."

"By the Old Laws, prepare the Ritual of Shame."

Lucas's face went white. "Alpha... are you sure?"

"The Mark of the Hunted will erase her pack scent, making her the primary target for every rogue and predator for miles around."

"Throwing an unprotected human into the wilderness with that mark... that's a death sentence."

I lay in the dirt, looking up at the Alpha who had once promised to protect me for life.

Our gazes met for a fleeting second before he spoke the words that condemned me.

"She is a healer. She has ways to survive. She won't die."

"But she needs to learn her lesson. She needs to know her place."

"Prepare the ritual. Immediately."

Chapter 9

Rosalind's crying stopped. A triumphant sneer curled her lips.

Ten minutes later, the pack square was full. I was forced onto the stone platform in the center.

My ribs screamed in protest. Every movement was agony.

Below me was a sea of faces, many of whom I had once saved.

But now, their eyes held nothing but a feverish desire for a spectacle.

Lucas ascended the platform carrying a heavy stone basin, his hands trembling slightly.

It was filled with a thick, black liquid that reeked of rot and sulfur.

The Water of Shame.

Once it touched me, it would leave the indelible Mark of the Hunted, turning me into a living target.

For miles around, rogues and wild beasts would be drawn to my scent, hunting me relentlessly until I was dead.

Rosalind stood in the front row, her face flushed with excitement. "Slade, hurry up. I want to see her crawl away like a stray dog."

Slade walked to the stone basin. He reached out his hand, his fingertips hovering over the black liquid.

One touch to smear it on my forehead, and it would all be over.

Everyone in the square waited for this final moment.

"Eloise Vance," his voice, amplified, echoed across the square. "You have betrayed the pack and attempted murder. Do you confess?"

I lay on the ground, struggling to lift my head, but I managed a scornful smile.

A muscle twitched in Slade's jaw. I saw his fingers tremble, fighting against an order he was forcing himself to give.

One second. Two.

Rosalind urged from below, "Slade? What are you waiting for?"

Slade's eyes snapped shut.

The next second, his hand suddenly changed direction.

He bypassed the stone basin entirely, reaching instead for a nearly forgotten wooden bowl filled with clear water.

It was water from the Moonlight Well, used only for the simple revoking of pack protection.

"Alpha?" Lucas stared at him in shock. "That's the water for revoking pack protection, not for the Mark of the Hunted..."

Slade ignored everyone.

He dipped his fingers in the clear water and strode over to me.

His cold fingers drew a cross on my feverish forehead.

"Consider this my last act of mercy, Eloise," he whispered, his expression unreadable.

"From this moment on, Eloise Vance is no longer under the protection of the Blackwood pack! She is stripped of all status and exiled from these lands!"

"Neither pack nor prey. Now, get out."

Fine. He hadn't sentenced me to death. He had just thrown me away.

Rosalind, furious, tried to rush the stage but was held back by Lucas.

Two strong guards hauled me up and dragged me through the crowd.

As I was thrown hard onto the rough asphalt road, I heard the thunderous boom of the main gates closing behind me.

I lay on the asphalt, coughing up a mouthful of blood, just as a black Maybach glided silently to a stop in front of me.

The window rolled down, revealing a man with sharp eyes. It was Professor Sterling's personal assistant.

"Get in, Doctor Vance. Your lab coat has arrived."

I used my last ounce of strength to climb into the car. On the seat was a new identity package.

A top-tier security clearance badge, a passport, and a contract for the National Institute's most classified project.

The name on the ID read: Dr. Eloise Vance, Lead Geneticist. Project: Lycan Genome.

"And this," the assistant handed me a new encrypted phone. "The Director is waiting for you. The research you're about to lead will change the future of all werewolf kind. Including... them."

"Ironic, isn't it? Your Alpha has been sending us applications every month, begging for a slot in this very research program to cure their bloodline defects."

I took the phone. Then I pulled out the old one I had always carried with me.

The pinned contact was still labeled "My Alpha."

The photo was of him, asleep in the moonlight.

I stared at the name, then deleted the contact. I pulled out the SIM card, snapped it in two, and threw the pieces out the window with all my strength.

Goodbye, Slade. You just exiled the only person who holds the key to your pack's evolution.