Chapter 3

Evening settled over our small territory as I pulled out the dusty garment bag from the back of my closet. Inside was a navy blue dress I'd bought three years ago for a pack gathering that Thomas had ultimately canceled. I'd never worn it, saving it for a special occasion that never came. Tonight, it would finally see use.

I slipped it on, the fabric cool against my skin. It wasn't extravagant by any means—just a simple A-line with modest detailing—but compared to my usual worn jeans and flannel, it felt like luxury. The woman in the mirror looked different. Stronger somehow.

*You look like a Luna,* Lyra whispered, her voice growing clearer with each passing day since our discovery.

"We are a Luna," I replied softly, smoothing the fabric over my hips. "No matter what he's done."

The front door banged open without warning—Karen never knocked anymore—and I heard her heavy footsteps in the living room.

"Ellie!" she called out. "Where are you? I need to talk to you about—"

She appeared in the bedroom doorway, stopping mid-sentence when she saw me. Her eyes widened, then narrowed as she took in my appearance.

"What are you wearing?" The question came out like an accusation.

"A dress," I replied simply, turning back to the mirror to pin my hair up.

"I can see that." Karen's voice dripped with disdain. "What I want to know is why you're wasting money on fancy clothes when the pack has real needs."

I met her eyes in the mirror. "This isn't new. I've had it for years."

"Well, it looks expensive." She crossed her arms. "And speaking of expenses, Jason needs a new training collar. The high-tech one with scent tracking and territory mapping."

I turned to face her directly. "Those cost at least five hundred dollars."

"Five hundred and twenty," she corrected, holding out her hand expectantly. "Alpha Thomas would want his Beta's son to have the best training equipment."

Something cold and hard settled in my chest. For ten years, I'd handed over whatever Karen demanded, believing we were all struggling together for the pack's future. Now I knew better.

"No," I said quietly.

Karen blinked, as if she hadn't heard correctly. "Excuse me?"

"I said no." My voice remained calm, but I felt Lyra stirring within me, her presence growing stronger. "Jason doesn't need a five-hundred-dollar collar. The one he has works fine."

Karen's face flushed red. "How dare you! After everything I've done for this pack—"

"What exactly have you done, Karen?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Besides spend the money I give you?"

She stepped back as if I'd slapped her. For a moment, genuine shock registered on her face before it twisted into fury.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, but I won't stand for this disrespect." She pulled herself up to her full height. "I'm mind-linking Thomas right now. We'll see what he has to say about your attitude."

She closed her eyes, her face taking on the distant expression of someone using the pack mind-link. In the past, this threat would have terrified me. I would have apologized immediately, handed over whatever money she wanted, anything to avoid Thomas's disappointment.

But that was before I knew the truth.

Lyra growled low in my mind, a sound I'd never heard from her before. I felt her presence surge through me, lending me a strength I didn't know I possessed.

"Then do it," I said, my voice steady and cold. "I have something to tell him too."

Karen's eyes snapped open, her mind-link forgotten as she stared at me. Something in my expression must have unnerved her because she took another step back.

"What's happened to you?" she whispered, genuine fear flickering across her face.

I smiled, feeling the weight of ten years of lies and manipulation beginning to lift from my shoulders.

"I woke up," I said simply.

And for the first time in a decade, I truly had.