The silver prison door slammed shut behind me.

I was an ordinary she-wolf. My tolerance for silver was nowhere near a warrior's.

In less than ten minutes, my skin erupted in burning red welts—itching and stinging at once.

The sealed space was saturated with silver toxin. Every breath felt like inhaling fire.

I pounded on the door. I screamed all night.

No one came.

My voice gave out completely.

I curled up on the one small patch of floor in the center of the cell that wasn't lined with silver.

Covered in welts, my consciousness started to slip.

I don't know how much time passed before the door opened.

Cain stood in the doorway.

When he saw the state I was in, his brow furrowed sharply.

He walked in quickly and crouched down in front of me.

I felt his hand touch my forehead. Burning hot.

"Don't do something that cruel again." His voice was soft.

My lips twitched.

A miserable smile.

I was in too much pain to even explain.

He said "cruel."

I'd been locked in a silver prison for god knows how many hours, my skin blistering and infected, nearly dead.

And I was the cruel one.

Cain had just carried me out of the silver prison.

Vivienne happened to be walking down the hallway toward us.

She was carrying a bowl of dark liquid, all smiles.

"I specially prepared a silver-detox herbal remedy for the Luna. To help her recover."

Cain looked pleased. He turned to me and said, "See? Vivienne is so good to you, and you keep misunderstanding her."

He took the bowl and brought it to my lips himself. "Drink."

I looked into Vivienne's eyes. A flash of malice, there and gone.

I tried to refuse.

Cain thought I was being difficult. His tone carried a hint of exasperation. "Stop being stubborn. It's good for you."

He held the bowl steady against my lips, his other hand cradling the back of my head. The liquid poured down my throat.

It wasn't a detox remedy at all.

It was diluted wolfsbane.

My wolf felt like it was being swallowed by fire. My entire body seized violently.

I couldn't breathe. Everything went black.

Cain panicked and grabbed me. "What's happening?! Wren!"

Vivienne covered her mouth, putting on a perfect look of shock.

"Maybe being in the silver prison too long weakened her body, causing a rejection reaction..." Her voice trembled—a convincing performance. "I'll go prepare an antidote right away!"

She turned and ran.

My consciousness shattered into pieces in the agony.

When I woke again, I was lying in a bed at the healing center.

Cain was sitting beside me.

He looked like he'd been sitting there a long time.

In his hand was a brand-new moonstone bracelet, the stones glowing with a faint silver-white light.

"This will help repair the damage the silver toxin did to your wolf." He carefully slipped the bracelet onto my wrist, his movements gentle, avoiding the welts that still hadn't faded. "I had someone buy it overnight from another pack at a premium."

I said nothing.

"I shouldn't have left you in the silver prison that long." There was unmistakable guilt in his voice. "I didn't consider your tolerance for silver."

I still said nothing.

He was quiet for a moment.

Then he changed the subject.

"Because of everything that's happened, Vivienne's reputation in the pack has hit rock bottom." He sighed. "A lot of healers are openly questioning her abilities. Some even filed a joint petition to revoke her healer credentials."

I stared at the ceiling.

"I'd like you to publicly reconcile with Vivienne at the next Pack Assembly."

My fingers slowly clenched the bedsheets.

"Not an apology," he added quickly. "Just a public display of goodwill. A handshake, a few kind words."

He looked at me, his tone suggesting this was a perfectly reasonable request. "If the pack sees that the Luna and Vivienne have no conflict, she can continue her work as a healer in peace."

I slowly turned my head to look at him.

My mother was in a permanent coma because of her.

I'd just been force-fed wolfsbane and nearly died because of her.

And now he wanted me to publicly "reconcile."

"Absolutely not."

Cain's expression darkened.

"You put wolfsbane in her food, and she was still kind enough to bring you a silver-detox remedy." His voice was tight with barely contained anger. "Can't you be even a fraction as generous as she is?"

My lips trembled violently.

I was the one who poisoned her.

I was the one who wasn't generous enough.

Cain paused, then lowered his voice.

"If you agree to reconcile, I'll release your brother from the silver prison in two weeks."

Ethan.

The silver prison, saturated with silver toxin—could Ethan's body hold up?

How long had he been in there?

Was his skin blistering like mine had? Had he screamed himself hoarse with no one coming?

I closed my eyes. "...Fine."

Cain relaxed.

He reached over and pulled the blanket up for me. The gesture was gentle.

I turned my head away. I couldn't look at him.

Pack Assembly day came quickly.

Cain had the Beta escort me to the Assembly hall.

He stood next to Vivienne the entire time.

I walked up to the stage. Hundreds of eyes stared up at me.

I clenched my fist, nails digging into my palm.

"There is no conflict between myself and Healer Vivienne."

The words scraped out of my throat, dry and hollow.

"What happened before was a misunderstanding. I hope every member of this pack will continue to trust and support her."

Two seconds of silence.

Then the crowd erupted.

"You made such a scene for so long that our best healer almost left!" An older woman shot to her feet, pointing straight at me.

"And now you're saying it was a misunderstanding?" Someone else scoffed.

"Is this what a Luna does? Say one thing and do another?"

I stood on that stage and didn't explain.

What was there to explain?

That Vivienne poisoned my mother? That she force-fed me wolfsbane?

It wouldn't matter. And Ethan was still in the silver prison.

I turned and walked off the stage.

I'd barely stepped down when a hand caught my arm.

"Luna!"

Vivienne had followed me, a sweet smile plastered on her face.

"I have some rare healing supplies stored in an old cave near the border. Lately I've been feeling like someone's been stealing from it." She tilted her head. "Could you go check on it for me?"

She paused, her smile widening.

"After all, you're the Luna. It'll carry more weight if you go."

"Send a guard." I refused coldly.

Vivienne tugged on Cain's sleeve like a child.

Cain walked over and frowned at me. "You can't even do her this small favor? You just stood up there and said there was no conflict, and now you won't even cooperate on something this minor."

I let out a bitter laugh. I knew I couldn't refuse.

He'd always been this domineering.

The difference was that before, his dominance was aimed at everyone else, and all his tenderness was saved for me.

Now his tenderness belonged to someone else.

He had a thousand ways to make me say yes.

I walked to the border alone.

The storage cave was deep in a dense stretch of forest. The moment I approached the entrance, three rogues in black cloaks burst from the trees.

The leader grabbed me by the throat and slammed me to the ground.

"Miss Vivienne asked us to teach you a lesson." His voice was ice cold. "Don't think being Luna means you can push people around."

A silver dagger sliced my arm. Once, twice, three times.

Silver toxin seeped through the wounds into my blood. The burning spread through my entire body in an instant.

They smashed my head against the cave wall again and again.

Blood poured down my face.

I fought with everything I had, but I couldn't break free from three rogues.

My consciousness was fading.

They started dragging me deeper into the cave.

Then a howl pierced the distance.

A figure came racing toward us.

I couldn't make out who it was before I blacked out completely.

I woke up in the pack's medical wing.

Cain was sitting by the bed, dark circles under his eyes, clearly up all night.

He'd been holding my hand.

When he saw me open my eyes, his grip tightened.

"We've identified them." His voice was hoarse. "A group of rogues that had been prowling the border tried to raid the supplies in the cave. You just happened to be there."

I stared at him.

"I've already sent warriors to eliminate them." His thumb traced lightly over the back of my hand. "I won't let you go to the border alone again."

He pulled a small bottle from his pocket and held it out to me.

"Vivienne prepared this specially—a concentrated wolf-spirit restoration remedy." He said, "She felt terrible when she heard you were hurt. She blames herself for asking you to go."

I looked at the bottle. I didn't take it.

"The rogue said, word for word, 'Miss Vivienne asked us to teach you a lesson.'" I looked at Cain evenly. "Do you believe me?"

Cain's expression changed instantly.

All the concern and guilt vanished, replaced by irritation.

"Wren, can you stop playing games? How could Vivienne possibly hire rogues to attack you?" His voice was sharp with annoyance. "She's a healer. Where would she even meet rogues?"

I said nothing.

"I feel terrible that you got hurt, but you can't blame Vivienne for everything just because something bad happened to you."

He paused, his tone softening. "Once you've healed, I'll take you to Moonlight Lake. Just the two of us. How does that sound?"

He truly wanted to make it up to me.

But he also truly didn't believe a single word I said about Vivienne.

I closed my eyes and stopped talking.

Cain stayed by my bed all night.

He kept tucking in the blankets, pressing his hand to my forehead to check for fever.

But I pretended to sleep the entire night. I didn't want to respond.

The next day I was still resting in the medical wing.

The door slammed open. Cain walked in, his face like stone.

He strode to my bed and threw something onto me.

A moonstone necklace, smeared with blood.

I recognized it—the one Cain had the Beta deliver to me before.

I'd never worn it. Not even once. I'd thrown it straight in the trash.

How was it here?

"Vivienne disappeared last night." Cain's voice was cold and shaking. "The only thing on her pillow was this necklace of yours."

I froze.

"Yesterday you accused Vivienne of hiring rogues to attack you. Today she's gone." He stepped closer, his eyes boring into mine. "You wanted revenge, didn't you?"

"I had nothing to do with this." I said. "I was in the medical wing all night. I never left."

Cain scoffed.

"Explain the necklace. I gave it to you. It's one of a kind."

I looked at the blood-stained necklace.

Vivienne.

She must have fished the necklace out of the trash.

Smeared blood on it, placed it on her own pillow, and vanished.

A perfect frame job.

But I had no proof.

The necklace was mine. The blood was Vivienne's. Anything I said would sound like excuses.

Cain wouldn't believe me.

Just like every time before.

Cain turned and walked to the door. He gave an order to the guards in the hallway.

"Bring Ethan out of the silver prison. Take him to the basement of the Alpha residence."

My blood went cold.

"Cain!"

He didn't look back.

Half an hour later, I was brought to the basement.

Ethan was bound to a punishment post.

Silver chains locked all four limbs, his hands raised above his head, his toes barely touching the ground.

He'd been in the silver prison too long. His face was ashen gray, his cheekbones jutting out—he was wasted to nothing.

But when he saw me, he still managed a smile. "I'm fine, sis."

Tears flooded my eyes.

Cain stood before me.

"I don't want to do this." His tone was a mix of anger, urgency, and exhaustion. "But Vivienne could be somewhere out there, hurt or dying. I don't have time for a thorough investigation."

He looked at me. "Tell me where she is, and I'll release Ethan right now. He'll never be imprisoned again."

I dropped to my knees.

"I don't know." My voice was trembling. "I swear, Cain. I don't know."

Cain looked at me and hesitated for one instant.

In that instant, I thought he might believe me.

The door burst open.

The Beta rushed in. "Alpha! A note was found under Miss Vivienne's bed!"

He held out a crumpled piece of paper.

Scrawled in shaky handwriting—*Luna... help me...*

Cain read the note and crushed it in his fist.

The last trace of doubt in his eyes vanished completely.

He gave the guards a cold order.

The silver chains began to tighten. Silver toxin started seeping in through Ethan's limbs.

Ethan clenched his jaw and let out a stifled groan. His arms turned silver-gray.

"Stop!" I lunged forward and grabbed Cain's arm. "Cain! Please stop!"

Cain looked down at me, his gaze ice cold.

"Tell me, and I'll stop."

The chains tightened another notch.

Silver toxin seeped into Ethan's hands and ankles.

Ethan let out a strangled snarl, veins bulging across his forehead, his body arched taut as a bowstring.

I knelt on the ground, pounding Cain's legs like a woman possessed. "I don't know! I swear I don't know! Believe me just once! Just this once!"

Cain stood there, motionless.

When he'd torn up the mating contract for me, when they'd locked him in the silver cage, when they'd exiled him to the wilderness—he'd been just as immovable.

But back then, his stubbornness was to protect me.

Now, his stubbornness was crushing me.

The chains tightened a third time.

Blood seeped from the corner of Ethan's mouth. His entire arm had turned silver-gray.

I tore free of Cain and threw myself at the punishment post.

I shielded Ethan with my own body.

The silver chains dug into my waist and arms.

Wolfsbane-coated silver barbs pierced my skin. Both toxins detonated at once.

Blood sprayed from my mouth.

"Stop!" Cain roared.

The guards released the chains immediately.

Cain rushed forward and pulled me off the post.

I was drenched in blood, consciousness slipping fast.

Through the haze I heard frantic footsteps.

The Beta came running in again.

"Alpha! Vivienne's been found!" He was gasping. "In an abandoned cave outside the territory. Slightly shaken, a few scrapes. She won't let anyone near her—keeps calling your name."

Cain held me, motionless.

Vivienne's sobbing came through the phone.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

Then he carefully set me down on the ground.

He took off his coat and draped it over me.

"Get a senior healer to treat the Luna's injuries immediately," he told the Beta. "I'm going to get Vivienne. I'll be back soon."

His hands were shaking when he stood.

He looked back at me one more time. Something flickered in his eyes—hesitation—but it was gone just as quickly.

Then he turned and walked away.