From the second-floor gallery overlooking the Great Hall, I watched Camilla Bell arrive.

She came early, strutting through the double oak doors like she already owned the territory. She wore an emerald velvet gown with silver embroidery stitched along the neckline—one of her custom Luna dresses. She held her spine straight and her chin tilted at the exact angle an Alpha’s mate was supposed to hold it. She had practiced that walk in mirrors for years. I knew the steps because I had lived them, while she had only ever rehearsed them.

Down on the main floor, the pack house was quickly filling with guests. Warriors and emissaries from Stonehaven, Greymist, and Duskfall mingled around the banquet tables, murmuring among themselves. Camilla slipped into the front row of the assembly, taking a prime seat reserved for high-ranking pack wolves.

Across the room, Reed was speaking with an elder from Duskfall. Without breaking the cadence of his conversation, his eyes flicked toward Camilla. He gave her a small, private nod.

Just a slight dip of his chin. A secret sign of understanding.

Camilla’s cheeks flushed with color. She lifted her head a fraction higher, smoothing the velvet skirt over her knees. She thought that nod was a promise. She truly believed she was sitting there as the patient, chosen mate, enduring an empty public formality before her real reign began.

She didn't know that Reed gave that exact same nod to every wolf he intended to destroy. It was his signature move—controlled, purposeful, and designed to keep a pawn perfectly still until he was ready to discard it.

The heavy ceremonial horns sounded at noon.

The entire hall fell dead silent as the delegations took their places. The three allied pack Alphas sat in carved chairs directly below the dais. Alpha Vance of Stonehaven, broad-shouldered and gray-bearded. Alpha Nicole of Greymist, sharp-eyed and still. Alpha Thorne of Duskfall, watching every movement with quiet calculation.

Then Reed stepped up onto the stone platform.

He looked every inch the noble, progressive Alpha. His dark hair was brushed back, his formal black tunic pressed and sharp. As he took the center of the dais, he pushed his aura outward, thick with the manufactured scent of pine and cedar. It rolled across the crowded room like a warm blanket, masking the rot beneath.

At the base of the platform, two handlers shoved the runt omega pup onto the cold floor.

The pup huddled against the stone, shivering violently. His dull brown coat was patchy, and his ribs poked sharply through his skin. Reed’s handlers had placed him right in the center of the walkway, positioned for maximum sympathy. A helpless little prop to show the visiting Alphas how generous their host was.

Reed raised both hands, offering the crowd a warm, humble smile.

"Brothers and sisters of the allied packs," Reed began, his voice deep and smooth. "We thank you for standing with Ironveil today."

He spoke with practiced warmth. He praised the Moon Goddess, the unbreakable sacredness of the mate bond, and the duty of an Alpha to honor the she-wolf who walked beside him. The allied Alphas nodded in solemn approval. Down in the front row, Camilla watched with a radiant, gracious expression, playing her part to perfection.

Then, the heavy side doors swung open.

I stepped into the hall.

I didn't wear jewels, and I didn't wear a Luna circlet. I wore a simple white linen dress that fell straight to my feet, stark and pale against the dark wood of the floor. My hands were held loosely in front of me, the fresh pink scars and black stitches clearly visible across my knuckles.

A low murmur rippled through the hundreds of gathered wolves.

*The wolfless Luna.*

*The Omega who couldn't even shift.*

I didn't look at the crowd. I didn't look at Camilla, who sat up straighter with a cold smirk on her lips.

I looked straight at Reed.

My boots clicked against the stone as I walked down the long center aisle.

At the base of the dais, the runt pup lifted his small head. His black nose twitched in the air. He caught my scent—the yarrow, the faint trace of crushed herbs, and the cold stillness beneath my skin. The trembling in his thin body stopped completely. As I passed, he crept forward and pressed his snout against the hem of my white skirt, curling his tail tight over his paws.

I climbed the stone steps and stopped two feet from Reed.

Reed’s smile widened, bright and affectionate.

"Every pack weathers storms," he declared, turning toward the crowd with the polished cadence of an orator who had rehearsed every single breath. "And every true Alpha knows that his strength comes from the mate who stood beside him when there was nothing. Kaia gave her heart, her family's gifts, and her youth to this pack. She built Ironveil with me."

The room grew hushed. Alpha Vance looked visibly moved, nodding to his Beta.

Every word out of Reed’s mouth was technically the truth. And every word was a weapon.

"Today," Reed said softly, turning back to me, his eyes gleaming with victory, "we put the shadows behind us. Today, before our allies, we renew what can never be undone."

He stepped into my space.

Before I could move, his right hand shot out and clamped around my jaw like a steel vise.

His fingers dug into the bone under my ears, forcing my chin up. He wrenched my head back, tilting my neck to the ceiling, exposing the pale skin where the jagged, half-healed scar from his partial rejection still burned cold.

The silence in the hall turned suffocating.

His intent was obvious to every single wolf in the room. He wasn't apologizing. He was going to bite directly over the scar, sinking his fangs deep enough to re-mark my throat and seal my bloodline to his pack forever.

An amber fire flared in the centers of his pupils. His wolf was right behind his eyes.

His grip tightened on my jaw until my teeth clicked together.

The trap had sprung. The cage was slamming shut.