The bones in my arms popped. A searing heat flooded my veins, blinding me. I stumbled, slamming my shoulder against a rough pine trunk.

"Help," I gasped, clutching my chest.

The heat vanished, leaving me hollow and freezing. The mysterious shift stopped before it even began.

A twig snapped to my left.

I spun around. "Who's there?"

A low, guttural growl answered. A massive rogue wolf crept from the bushes. Its fur was matted with dried blood, its eyes wild and starved.

"Stay back," I warned, backing away.

The rogue didn't hesitate. It launched itself at me.

I raised my arms. Jaws clamped down on my forearm.

I screamed, kicking wildly. My thin shoes struck the beast's ribs, but it didn't budge. It shook its head, tearing my flesh.

"Get off!" I yelled, punching its snout with my free hand.

The wolf released my arm and tackled me to the dirt. The impact knocked the wind out of me. Saliva dripped from its jaws onto my face.

It snapped at my neck. I shoved my bleeding arm into its mouth to block the fatal bite. Agony radiated up to my shoulder.

I was going to die here. Damon had won.

Suddenly, a massive black shape slammed into the rogue.

The weight vanished from my chest. I rolled over, coughing.

Through my blurred vision, I saw a giant black wolf tear the rogue's throat out. The black wolf turned its head toward me.

Then, the pain dragged me into darkness.

***

A bucket of freezing water hit my face.

I gasped, choking on the liquid. My eyes flew open.

"Look who decided to join us," a gruff voice mocked.

I blinked, trying to focus. Coarse ropes dug into my wrists, tying my arms to a heavy wooden chair. My ankles were secured to the chair legs.

I tugged at the bindings. The friction burned my skin.

"Where am I?" I croaked.

A burly guard leaned against a concrete wall. He tossed an empty metal bucket aside. "You're in a cell, Omega."

"I can see that," I snapped. "Whose cell?"

The heavy steel door creaked open. A tall man stepped inside.

"Mine," he said.

He wore a dark leather jacket. A jagged scar sliced through his left eyebrow, drawing attention to his icy blue eyes.

"Leave us, Thorne," the man ordered.

"Yes, Alpha Elias," the guard grunted, stepping out and shutting the door.

Elias. The Alpha of the Night Howler Pack. Silver Thorn's oldest and deadliest enemy.

Elias dragged a metal stool across the floor and sat down facing me.

"You're a long way from home, Selina," Elias noted.

"I don't have a home," I replied, keeping my voice steady.

"My scouts watched the little show Damon put on tonight," Elias said, leaning forward. "Quite the rejection."

"So you know I'm useless to him," I said. "Let me go."

Elias chuckled. It sounded like grinding stones. "Let you go? I just found Damon's fated mate wandering my borders."

"I was in the neutral zone," I argued.

"You were bleeding out in the dirt," Elias corrected. "Thorne's patrol found you unconscious next to a dead rogue."

"Then you know I'm not a threat."

"You are a hostage," Elias stated plainly.

I stared at him, dumbfounded. "Are you deaf? Damon rejected me. He banished me. He doesn't care what happens to me."

"He paraded you around as his future Luna for two years," Elias said. "The neighboring packs know your face."

"He announced Mia as his Luna tonight," I shot back.

"A political move," Elias waved a hand. "But the Moon Goddess chose you for him. Holding you makes Damon look weak."

"Holding me makes you look desperate," I retorted.

Elias's eyes flashed dangerous gold. He stood up, towering over me. "Watch your tone, Omega."

"Or what?" I challenged, lifting my chin. "You'll kill me? Damon already ordered my death if I return. You're just doing his dirty work."

Elias paced around my chair. "I am going to send a message to Silver Thorn. I will demand a ransom. Land, weapons, perhaps a formal surrender of the eastern river."

I let out a dry, bitter laugh. "You're delusional."

"We will see," Elias said, stopping beside me.

"You think you understand pack politics," I said, my voice echoing in the small room. "But you don't understand Damon."

"Enlighten me," Elias mocked, crossing his arms.

"He values strength above all else," I explained. "He rejected me because I haven't shifted. He chose Mia because she is a fighter. By taking me, you aren't threatening his pride. You're taking out his trash."

Elias's jaw tightened. "A fated bond isn't broken so easily. The Goddess binds the souls."

"He severed it," I argued, the phantom pain flaring in my chest at the memory. "He felt nothing."

"He will feel the humiliation of his enemy holding what belongs to him," Elias insisted.

"I belong to no one!" I shouted, yanking the ropes. The chair rattled against the concrete floor.

Elias stepped closer, leaning down until his face was inches from mine. "You belong to me now. You are my prisoner. My leverage."

"You're a fool," I spat.

Elias struck me across the face.

My head snapped to the side. A sharp sting erupted on my cheek. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

I slowly turned my head back, meeting his gaze. I didn't cry. I just smiled.

"Hit me all you want," I whispered. "It won't make Damon care."

Elias stared at me, a flicker of surprise crossing his features. He wiped his knuckles on his jacket.

"You have a lot of fight for a shiftless Omega," he noted.

"I had to learn how to survive," I replied.

"Time will tell if you learned enough," Elias said, walking toward the door. "Thorne!"

The door opened instantly.

"Send the messenger to the Silver Thorn border," Elias ordered. "Tell Damon we have his Omega."

"Yes, Alpha," Thorne nodded.

"Elias, wait," I said, straining against the bindings.

He glanced over his shoulder. "What?"

"When your men found me," I started, choosing my words carefully. "Did they see another wolf? A black one?"

Elias raised an eyebrow. "Thorne?"

"Just the girl and the dead rogue, Alpha," Thorne answered.

"Why?" Elias asked me.

"Nothing," I muttered, looking away.

"Bring her some food," Elias told the guard. "I need her alive for the exchange."

"I won't eat," I warned.

Elias stepped back into the room, grabbing my chin. His grip was like a vice. "You will eat, or Thorne will force it down your throat. Do not test my patience, Selina."

I glared into his icy eyes. "When Damon ignores your message, what will you do with me?"

Elias smiled. It lacked any warmth. "Then I will send you back to him. One piece at a time."

He released my chin and walked out. The heavy door slammed shut, the lock sliding into place with a loud clank.

I sat alone in the damp cell. My arm throbbed where the rogue had bitten me. The crude bandages were already seeping red.

Damon wouldn't negotiate. He would probably celebrate.

I had to escape before Elias realized how truly worthless I was to the Silver Thorn Pack.

A faint scratching sound came from above.

I tilted my head back. A small, barred window sat near the top of the concrete wall.

Two glowing yellow eyes stared down at me from the darkness.

The yellow eyes blinked once and vanished from the small grated window. Heavy footsteps echoed down the concrete corridor outside my cell. The steel door groaned open.

Elias marched inside. A gray-haired woman followed him, carrying a wooden medical box.

"Check her," Elias ordered.

The woman grabbed my injured arm. She unwrapped the bloody cloth. Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Well?" Elias asked, crossing his arms.

"She isn't healing, Alpha," the woman said, her voice tight. "The wound is festering. A normal wolf would have closed this bite in an hour. Her blood... it's stagnant. She has no wolf."

Elias stepped closer. He grabbed my wrist, twisting my arm into the harsh light of the single bulb overhead. I winced at the sharp pain.

"You really are a weakling," he muttered. "A rogue pup nearly tore you apart."

"I tried to tell you," I said. "I can't shift."

Elias dropped my arm. "No wolf. No strength. You don't even possess basic accelerated healing." He turned toward the open doorway. "Thorne!"

The burly guard stepped into the frame. "Yes, Alpha?"

"Did the messenger leave?" Elias asked.

"Yes, Alpha. Ten minutes ago."

"Call him back," Elias snapped. "Damon won't pay a single dime for this trash."

Thorne nodded and rushed down the hall.

Elias paced the small cell. His heavy boots pounded against the floor. I watched his jaw clench and unclench. Rumors about the Night Howler Alpha painted him as a volatile, bloodthirsty tyrant. He didn't take failure well.

"You ruined my leverage," Elias accused, pointing a finger at my face.

"I didn't ask you to kidnap me," I shot back.

"You are useless. A shiftless Omega." He scoffed. "Damon threw you out because you are a liability. He probably laughed when my scouts picked you up."

"He didn't know," I said, keeping my chin high. "But if you kill me, he will laugh. You'll be doing his dirty work."

Elias stopped pacing. He leaned down, his face inches from mine. "Are you trying to manipulate me, little Omega?"

"I'm giving you the truth," I replied. "Damon banished me. He ordered his patrols to kill me on sight if I ever crossed back into Silver Thorn territory. I am nothing to him."

"Then you are nothing to me." Elias straightened up. He pulled a silver hunting knife from his belt. The blade caught the dim light.

My heart slammed against my ribs. "What are you doing?"

"I don't feed useless mouths," Elias stated. "Maeve, step outside."

The healer grabbed her box and hurried out of the cell.

Elias tested the edge of the blade with his thumb. "If I can't use you against Damon, I have no reason to keep you alive."

"Wait," I choked out, pulling at the coarse ropes binding my wrists. "You don't have to do this."

"Give me one good reason to spare you," he challenged.

"I can work," I offered rapidly. "I'll clean the floors. I'll cook. I'll scrub the kennels. I can do anything."

Elias laughed. It was a harsh, scraping sound. "I have plenty of Omegas to scrub my floors. I need assets."

"I am an asset!" I shouted.

He raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"I lived in the Alpha's house for two years," I explained, the words tumbling out in a rush. "I know Damon's patrol schedules. I know the blind spots on his eastern border. I memorized the trade routes and the security codes for his armory."

Elias paused. He lowered the knife slightly. "You would sell out your own pack?"

"They aren't my pack anymore," I said. "They threw me away. They cheered while Damon banished me to die in the woods."

Elias stared at me. His icy blue eyes searched my face for a lie.

"Let me stay here," I begged. "I will do whatever you ask. Just don't send me back to them. Don't kill me for a man who doesn't care."

The Alpha tapped the flat side of the blade against his thigh. The silence in the cell stretched, thick and suffocating.

"You hate him," Elias noted softly.

"He took my home," I answered. "He humiliated me in front of everyone I knew."

Elias stepped behind my chair. I stiffened, expecting the cold steel to slice across my throat. Instead, the blade sawed through the thick ropes around my wrists.

My arms fell to my sides. I rubbed my raw skin, staring up at him in shock.

"You have a deal, Selina," Elias said.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He walked around to face me again. "Don't thank me yet. You said you would do anything."

"I meant it."

"Good." Elias crouched down, meeting my eyes levelly. "Because sweeping floors won't earn your keep. If you want my protection, you are going to help me destroy Damon."

I swallowed hard. "How?"

Elias smiled. A cruel, predatory grin stretched across his scarred face. "You are going to pretend to be my mate."

My stomach dropped. "What?"

"Damon rejected you because you lacked power," Elias explained, his voice dropping to a low rumble. "Imagine his fury when the Alpha of his greatest rival claims you as his Luna. It will shatter his pride. His pack will question his judgment."

"But I'm not a wolf," I argued. "Your pack won't accept me either."

"My pack follows my orders," Elias snapped. "They don't question me. You will wear my mark. You will stand by my side. You will smile for my people."

"A fake bond," I murmured.

"A public spectacle," he corrected. "You will show Damon exactly what he threw away. And in return, you get to live."

He stood up and sheathed his knife. "Do we have an understanding?"

I looked at the heavy steel door, then back at the ruthless Alpha standing before me. I had no other choice.

"Yes," I said.

"Get up," Elias commanded.

I pushed myself out of the chair. My legs wobbled, but I forced my knees to lock.

Elias reached out and grabbed my uninjured arm. His grip was firm but not painful.

"Thorne!" Elias barked.

The guard reappeared in the doorway. "Alpha?"

"Take her to the guest quarters," Elias ordered. "Have Maeve stitch that bite. I want her presentable by morning."

"Guest quarters?" Thorne repeated, his eyes widening.

"Did I stutter?" Elias asked.

"No, Alpha. Right away." Thorne gestured for me to follow.

I took a step toward the door, but Elias pulled me back. He leaned in close. His scent—pine needles and cold rain—surrounded me.

"One more thing, Selina," he whispered, his tone dangerously soft.

"What?" I asked, my pulse quickening.

"If you ever try to run, or if I find out you lied about Damon's secrets..." Elias traced a finger along my jawline. "I won't just kill you. I will make you beg for death."

I held his gaze. "I won't run."

Elias released me. "Go."

I followed Thorne down the dark hallway. We climbed a narrow stone staircase, leaving the damp dungeon behind. The air grew warmer. The scent of roasted meat drifted from a nearby kitchen.

Thorne stopped in front of a heavy oak door. He pushed it open.

"In here," he grunted.

I stepped inside. A massive four-poster bed dominated the room. A fire crackled in the hearth. It was the most luxurious room I had ever seen.

Thorne shut the door behind me. The lock clicked.

I stood alone in the center of the plush rug. I had survived the night. I had secured a place in the Night Howler Pack.

But as I walked toward the attached bathroom to wash the dirt from my face, I caught my reflection in the tall mirror.

My eyes weren't their usual dull brown.

They were glowing a bright, piercing yellow.