Clara POV

The next morning, I walked down to the kitchen and found the head maid. "Ma'am," I said politely, keeping my eyes on the wooden floor. "I wish to request a carriage to visit the Moon Goddess Cemetery. I want to pay respects to my mother."

The head maid stopped wiping the counter and eyed me suspiciously. She sniffed the air, checking my scent for any lies or anxiety. I kept my breathing perfectly even, thinking of the icy stillness I had cultivated since the day my mother died. It was not deception, exactly—I did truly wish to visit her grave. I simply had an additional purpose.

"Fine," the head maid grunted. "You have been quiet enough. Take the small black carriage from the side gate. Annie goes with you."

"Thank you," I said softly.

An hour later, Annie and I were sitting inside a cramped, unadorned carriage. The wheels bumped roughly over the cobblestones as we left the manor grounds. The Moon Goddess Cemetery was located on a bleak, windswept hill. Seraphina had been kind enough to bury my mother in a proper grave at the back of the hill. I stood before the simple stone marker, the cold wind whipping my hair across my face. I placed a small bundle of dried winter herbs on the dirt.

"I am surviving, Mother," I whispered into the wind. "Just as I promised. And I am learning. The locket you gave me—I have been studying it every night. I do not yet understand everything, but I will. "

After a few minutes, I turned back to Annie. "It is freezing," I said, handing her three silver coins. "When we get back to the city, give these to the driver. Tell him to get a hot drink at the tavern. We will wait in the carriage." Annie's eyes lit up at the sight of the silver coins—more than she earned in a week.

"Yes, miss!" she agreed eagerly.

When the carriage stopped near the bustling noble district, the driver happily took the coins and jogged into a noisy tavern. "Come with me," I told Annie, opening the carriage door.

"Where are we going?" she asked, looking panicked.

"Just a short walk," I said, pulling my hood up. "I need to verify something. And I need a witness." I led her swiftly through the foggy streets until we reached a row of grand townhouses. I stopped in the shadows of an alleyway, my eyes fixed on the house with a brass wolf-head knocker. It was Julian's residence.

"Miss Clara, we shouldn't be here," Annie whispered, trembling.

"Quiet," I murmured. "I have reason to believe Lord Julian is not what he appears. Before I bring anything to the Luna, I need to see for myself." It was a calculated risk. Annie was timid, but she was also loyal to anyone who treated her kindly. She would keep my secret—or at least, she would be too frightened to reveal it.

Before I could explain further, a massive hand clamped down on my shoulder. Fingers like iron dug into my coat, and I was violently spun around. A sharp pain shot up my arm as the attacker twisted it behind my back.

"Spying on the noble district, Omega?" Kaelen's dark voice hissed in my ear. He pushed me against the cold brick wall of the alley. Annie squeaked in terror and pressed her hands over her mouth.

"Let me go," I gritted out, struggling against his grip. But the physical difference between an unshifted Alpha and an Omega was like a mountain against a pebble. He didn't even flinch.

"I saw you sneaking around," Kaelen snarled, his golden eyes burning with anger. "Are you jealous of Elara? Do you think you can use your cheap Omega tricks to seduce Julian and ruin her marriage?"

The sheer, unthinking arrogance of his accusation sent a hot, metallic spike of fury through my veins. He was so blinded by his contempt for my rank that he could not see what was right in front of him. "You are a fool," I spat, turning my head to glare at him. "A fool who charges in with accusations while the real snake coils around your cousin's throat."

Kaelen's jaw clenched. He grabbed my other arm, pinning both my wrists against the brick wall above my head. His chest pressed against mine, trapping me completely. The scent of pine and iron was suffocating. "Watch your mouth, bastard," he warned, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper.

"Or what?" I challenged, my chest heaving as I struggled for breath. "You will punish me for trying to stop your cousin from marrying a filthy cheater? Julian reeks of another woman's heat—a Rogue's heat. It is all over him, so thick it makes me sick. If you stopped letting your Alpha pride do your thinking, you might have noticed it yourself. "

Kaelen froze, his eyes widening slightly. "Explain yourself," he demanded, but his voice had lost some of its iron certainty.

Before I could answer, a sleek horse trotted into the alley behind us. I watched Kaelen's nostrils flare as the wind shifted, and I saw the moment the scent hit him—the sour, rotting-leaf odor of the Rogue's heat, still clinging to the man dismounting just down the street.

Julian had arrived.

Kaelen's grip loosened. He stared at Julian, who was checking over his shoulder before slipping through a side door of the townhouse, clearly trying to avoid being seen. I watched the understanding dawn on Kaelen's face—the way his jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed, the predator in him recognizing that a threat had indeed been circling his family. Just not the one he had assumed.

I used his moment of distraction. I crushed the leftover bundle of dried winter herbs in my pocket and threw the pungent dust directly into his face.