Chapter 3

They dragged me to the center of the hall and tore away the last signs of my rank.

The Luna necklace was yanked from my neck so violently the chain cut my skin before it snapped. Blood slid warm beneath my collarbone. I remembered Victor fastening that same necklace years ago, his fingers clumsy with excitement as he whispered that it belonged to me until his last breath.

His last breath had not come.

Only his loyalty had died.

The guards forced rough servant rags over my body. The fabric scratched my skin and smelled of dust, sweat, and old kitchens. Wolves who had once bowed when I entered now laughed behind their hands. Some looked away, not out of pity, but out of fear they might be forced to choose a side before the Wolf King arrived.

Cowards were always quiet at the beginning.

Lisa stepped closer, wearing my gown and my necklace like trophies. "Look at you now. This is what you should have worn from the start."

I lifted my eyes to her. "Stolen silk does not make you Luna."

Her smile vanished. She slapped me hard enough to reopen the cut on my lip.

Victor did not stop her.

Of course he did not.

"Enough of your arrogance," he said. "You and that brother of yours have fed on my mercy for years. I should have thrown him out when the healers first told me he was too weak to serve."

A low growl rose in my throat.

Luca had been ten when I carried him out of the burning royal wing. Poison had turned his skin gray, and the seal on his Alpha power had nearly killed him. For months, he had woken screaming, clawing at his own chest because the power inside him wanted to break free. I had held him through every nightmare. I had lied, smiled, bowed, and swallowed insults so no one would look closely enough to recognize the lost royal heir.

And Victor dared to call him weak.

"My brother," I said slowly, "has more strength in one breath than every wolf in this hall."

The crowd jeered.

Victor grabbed my chin, forcing my face up. His grip was bruising. "Still lying. Still pretending. Tell me, Ailin, what is he supposed to be? A prince? The Wolf King himself?"

I looked straight into his eyes.

"Yes."

For one perfect second, nobody spoke.

Then laughter exploded.

Victor's face twisted with rage. "You pathetic, delusional woman."

He struck me again.

My cheek burned. My ears rang. But under my hand, hidden near my knee, the royal crest on the stone was complete. My blood filled its thin lines. It glowed once, very faintly, then sank into the floor.

A message sent through blood.

[Hurry.]

Lisa did not notice. She was too busy enjoying herself.

"She needs to be taught properly before His Majesty arrives," Lisa said. "If the king sees her acting like this, he might think our pack cannot control its filth."

Victor nodded as if she had spoken wisdom instead of poison. "You're right."

He turned to the guards. "Keep her on her knees. If she speaks again, gag her. If she still tries to talk when the king arrives, cut out her tongue."

My stomach clenched, but I refused to lower my head.

A guard shoved me down harder. My knees struck stone. Pain shot through my legs. Around me, the hall blurred into cruel faces and glittering decorations. Everything had been prepared to honor Luca, yet these people stood beneath royal banners while insulting his blood.

A scout hurried through the side entrance and bowed to Victor. "Alpha, the search team returned. No sign of the Omega boy. We checked the border paths and old storage houses. He's gone."

Lisa clapped a hand over her mouth, pretending shock before turning it into laughter. "See? He ran. The moment real power approached, Luca abandoned his sister. What a brave little worm."

The words hit exactly where she wanted them to.

I lunged upward before I could stop myself.

The guards caught me by both arms, but I fought like a wild thing. "Don't you dare say his name!"

Victor's expression went icy. "Gag her."

A dirty cloth was forced between my teeth. The taste made me gag, but the guards tied it tight behind my head. My protest became a muffled sound trapped in my throat.

Lisa leaned down until her perfume stung my nose. Beneath it, again, that strange male scent lingered. Stronger now. Familiar from the eastern border.

"Poor Ailin," she whispered so only I could hear. "Still waiting for a brother who won't come."

Her eyes flicked toward the doors, not with confidence, but with fear.

So she knew something.

Not everything. But enough to be afraid.

Victor raised his voice to the hall. "When His Majesty arrives, he will see that Black River Pack does not tolerate weakness. We remove cowards, discipline useless wolves, and honor strength."

The crowd shouted approval.

I knelt gagged in servant rags, blood drying on my neck, my wolf silent inside me.

But beneath the stone, my blood had already called the crown.

And far beyond the hall, I felt something answer.

My brother.