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.

Ethan and I were rushed to the pack's medical wing.

My injuries were critical—double infiltration of silver toxin and wolfsbane. My wolf could collapse at any moment.

The senior healer's expression was grave. "We need to use the pack's last vial of moonlight essence immediately, or the Luna won't survive the night."

The healer turned to retrieve the medicine.

The door slammed open.

Cain burst in carrying Vivienne.

Vivienne had a few scrapes on her right hand. She was trembling and crying against his chest.

"There's rogue venom in my wounds!" She held up her injured hand, sobbing. "If we don't use the moonlight essence to purify it right now, the toxin will spread into the deeper tissue and I'll never be able to work as a healer again!"

She clutched Cain's collar. "Cain, if my hand is ruined, who's going to research how to save Iris? This is the only hope!"

Cain looked at me on the treatment table.

Then at Vivienne in his arms.

He called the Beta over. "Ask the healer if the moonlight essence can be split in half."

The healer shook his head. "Split, there won't be enough for either of them."

Cain closed his eyes.

"Give the moonlight essence to Vivienne." His voice was low. "Her hand can't be lost."

He paused. "Use standard silver-toxin purification on Wren for now. I'll send someone to buy moonlight essence from another pack immediately."

I lay on the treatment table and heard every word.

I didn't have the strength to speak.

Or to laugh.

Minutes crawled by.

Several times I felt my wolf on the verge of disappearing entirely.

But I couldn't die.

I held on, breath by agonizing breath.

After what felt like an eternity, the emergency supply of moonlight essence from a neighboring pack finally arrived.

The healer spent six hours pulling me back from the edge of death.

* * *

The moment I regained consciousness, I slid my hand under the pillow and found the phone I'd hidden there.

I sent Alaric a message: "I need to leave immediately after it's done."

Confirming the staged-death plan and the extraction route.

I was still typing when the door opened.

I shoved the phone back under the pillow.

Cain walked in. Seeing me awake, he let out a breath of relief.

He sat beside the bed and placed a rare piece of moonlight amber in my palm.

"Making you wait those extra hours was my fault." His tone was laced with guilt.

Then he said, "Vivienne's hand has been treated. The toxin was fully removed. Thank god we used the moonlight essence in time, or her hand really would have been destroyed."

I listened quietly.

"How much toxin did they end up clearing from her hand?"

Cain blinked.

"The healer said it was... minor infiltration."

Minor infiltration.

I nearly died.

And what it bought was a case of "minor infiltration."

I placed the moonlight amber back in Cain's hand.

"Cain, let's sever the Mate Bond."

Cain went completely rigid.