Chapter 2

Three days passed with no word about Lucas. I paced the confines of the north cabin like a caged animal, my throat raw from howling my grief into the night. My son was somewhere in the pack house, possibly dying, and I couldn't reach him.

Through the cabin's single window, I watched pack members hurry past, their faces turned away from my prison. Occasionally, I caught snippets of their whispers.

"Poor Alpha Ryan, first a traitor for a Luna, now his son..."

"They say the boy hasn't woken since that night at the moon pool..."

"She must have werewolf madness to try drowning her own child..."

Each word was a knife twisting deeper. I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, my breath fogging the pane. "Please," I whispered to no one. "Please let him be okay."

The cabin door opened without warning. I spun around, hope flaring briefly that it might be Ryan with news of Lucas. Instead, Beta Marcus stood in the doorway, his expression carefully neutral.

"The Alpha has called a pack meeting," he said, not quite meeting my eyes. "You're to attend."

"Lucas?" I asked, my voice breaking. "Is he—"

"The boy remains unconscious," Marcus replied, his professional tone cracking slightly. I'd known Marcus since before my mating with Ryan. Once, we'd been friends. "The healers are doing what they can."

Two guards flanked me as we walked to the main hall. I felt the stares, heard the whispers, but kept my eyes forward. My wolf, once proud and strong, cowered inside me. *Stay strong*, I told her. *For Lucas*.

The great hall had been transformed. Long tables laden with food stretched across the floor, pack members already seated and eating. At the head table sat Ryan, his face haggard with exhaustion and worry. Beside him, in my rightful place, was Melissa.

She wore a dress of pale blue silk, her hair arranged in an elegant updo. She leaned close to Ryan, her hand resting on his arm as she whispered something in his ear. The sight of her touching my mate sent a surge of rage through me so powerful my vision blurred red at the edges.

"Control yourself," Marcus muttered beside me. "That's exactly what she wants."

I was directed to a small table near the back, isolated from the rest. As I passed through the crowd, conversations halted, only to resume in urgent whispers once I'd moved on. I caught fragments—accusations, condemnations, pity for Ryan having been saddled with such a Luna.

Ryan stood, and the hall fell silent. "Thank you all for coming," he said, his voice carrying the weight of command even as it betrayed his exhaustion. "In these difficult times, it's important we stand together as a pack."

His eyes swept the room but skipped over me entirely. "My son remains in the healers' care. I ask for your continued prayers to the Moon Goddess for his recovery."

Murmurs of sympathy rippled through the crowd. Melissa stood beside him, her face a perfect mask of concern as she addressed the pack.

"I've arranged this feast to thank you all for your loyalty," she said, her voice sweet as poison. "The strength of the Silvermoon Pack has never been more evident than in this crisis."

She played her part flawlessly—the devoted friend, the supportive shoulder for our grieving Alpha. I watched pack members nod approvingly at her words, completely taken in by her performance.

I couldn't stomach the food placed before me. Instead, I scribbled a note on a napkin—a desperate plea to Marcus to investigate what really happened that night—and passed it to a young serving girl to deliver.

I never saw the note reach him. Melissa's sharp eyes missed nothing. As the feast wound down, I glimpsed her intercepting the girl, taking my note with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Later, through the window of my cabin, I watched her burn it in a small fire behind the kitchen.

A week later, I was summoned to the pack council chamber. I stood before them all—Ryan, the Betas, the Deltas, and the pack elders. Melissa sat among them as if she belonged there.

"We've gathered to discuss Katherine Morrison's status within the pack," Ryan announced, using my full name as if I were a stranger.

Melissa rose gracefully, her expression solemn. "In light of recent events, I believe we must consider the safety of the pack—especially our vulnerable Alpha heir." Her eyes flickered to me, triumph barely concealed. "I propose that Katherine be formally demoted to Omega status. It would be... merciful, considering the alternative."

The room filled with murmurs of agreement. I stood frozen, watching as my life, my identity, my very place in the world was being stripped away. And Ryan, my mate, the man who once vowed to protect me until his dying breath, simply sat there in silence, neither defending nor condemning me.

In that moment, I knew I had lost everything.