Eloise Hollowmere POV

"Selene is helping me now," I say. "Half of my plan is ready."

"What else did those bad wolves do?" Selene asks over the phone.

"Meredith wants to take all the top singing spots in the Silverhowl Bard Guild," I say. "She is using Rowan to steal everything from me. And that is not all. She carries Rowan's baby right now."

"They are the worst wolves in the woods!" Selene yells.

"I will make them pay," I say. "I will give them back every bad thing they did to me."

I put on my heavy powder and my dark clothes. I fix the wolf mask over my face. I walk right into the Silvermoon Royal Lodge on time.

"Oh, Meredith!" Caedmon Frostfang shouts very loud in the hall. "You look so sick today! Hurry up and get ready for the Moon Trial Elders!"

He talks so loud because he wants everyone to think I am Meredith. He is a very sneaky manager. I do not show my face yet. I want the big show to start first.

"Look at the clock!" Caedmon snaps as soon as the elevator doors close. "You think you are a queen? Why are you so slow?"

He barks at me like I am a dog. He thinks I am just a fat human slave. He forgets I was the biggest star before I stopped singing for Rowan.

"I had to fix my mask," I say in a small whisper. "People here know Meredith. I had to look just like her."

Caedmon looks at my eyes and my white powder. He thinks I am her.

"Rowan fixed everything with the Moon Trial Elders," Caedmon whispers. "When you walk inside, just fall on the floor and fake a faint. They will give Meredith the spot."

"Is it really that easy?" I ask. "The elders are very strict."

"Just do what I say and move your feet!" Caedmon pushes me.

He thinks they already won. This role is for a sad human girl who is forced to marry a mean wolf leader. It is a big deal in the guild.

"Meredith, sit here and rest your paws!" Caedmon yells out loud for the other packs to hear.

I pull my hat down and sit on the bench.

Inside the Alpha Dominion Hall, Lucan Ashcroft looks at his desk.

"Alpha, Eloise is at the lodge right now," Beta Aide Corwin says. "She is wearing a mask to sing for Meredith."

"She is doing a trick?" Lucan asks. His eyes get very bright. "Get the truck ready right now."

"Where are we going, sir?" Corwin asks.

"To the lodge," Lucan smiles. "I want to see my new human wife play her game."

"The Moon Trial Chamber is full of wolves now," Caedmon whispers in my ear. "When you walk up to the pack stage, just pretend to look at the song paper. Then fall down and fake a faint. I will carry you out to the rest room and our trick is done."

"So this is how Meredith gets her wins?" I ask, looking at him through my wolf mask. "She just cheats?"

"Stop talking," Caedmon snaps. "She has Rowan helping her from the top. Just do the faint and do not try to act smart or do anything extra."

"I understand," I say, but inside my head I am laughing.

"Meredith, you are next for the trial!" the pack helper shouts.

"She is coming!" Caedmon yells to the elders. "Meredith has a huge pack fever today because she worked too hard singing for the Moon Bard Guild. She is very sick, but she loves the Moon Goddess songs so much she came anyway!"

"Is she going to be okay?" a Moon Trial Elder asks, looking worried.

"She is very brave," Caedmon says, shaking his head like he wants to cry.

"Watch me now, Caedmon," I whisper under my mask.

"What did you say?" Caedmon asks, but I am already walking away from him.

"I am ready," I say out loud.

I step onto the middle of the pack stage. I take off my big hat and let my long hair fall down. I keep the mask on my face. I walk in three small circles on the floor. I feel the sad spirit of Jane, the human girl who lost everything to the wolves.

"Get ready to catch her," Caedmon whispers to a guard, waiting for me to drop.

"Why did you leave me alone in the dark?" I scream out loud.

I drop to my knees hard. My shoulders shake back and forth. Big tears run out from under my mask and wet my face. I do not faint at all. I let out a loud, sad human cry that echoes in the room.

"Look at her!" a Moon Bard Master whispers. "This is real pain!"

"How can a wolf sing like that?" another elder says.

I sit on the cold floor and pull my knees up to my chest. I say the next line from the ancient story book. My voice is small but strong, like a person who is ready to fight back.

"She is amazing!" the lead Moon Trial Elder shouts, standing up fast.

The whole assembly hall goes wild with loud shouting and clapping. All the wolves are hitting the tables with their paws. They never saw anyone perform like this before.

"We found her!" the head elder cries out. "The part of Jane belongs to Meredith Thornvale!"

"Thank you," I say, standing up slowly.

"You did it!" Caedmon runs over, his eyes big and greedy. "You saved her spot!"

"Do not happy too fast," I whisper so only he can hear. "I am not finished with my show yet."

"What do you mean?" Caedmon asks, his face turning pale.

I look past him to the very back row of the dark room. A huge, scary wolf man is standing there with his hands in his pockets. It is Lucan Ashcroft. His golden Alpha eyes are staring straight at me, and he looks very shocked by what I just did.

Eloise Hollowmere POV

"The part belongs to Meredith Thornvale!" Moon Trial Elder Ronan Stormclaw shouts, standing up from his big chair. "Her singing is so great today. I did not want to invite her because the Silverhowl Bard Guild pushed me too hard, but she proved me wrong."

"Wait a minute!" a loud voice screams from the back. "Meredith Thornvale singing like a beautiful nightingale? That is a huge lie!"

"Isolde Ravencrest!" Caedmon Frostfang yells, stepping in front of me fast. "Keep your mouth shut! Meredith is very sick with a pack virus. Do not make up bad stories!"

"She is a big fake!" Isolde points her finger right at my wolf mask. "I know that is not Meredith under there. She hired a human double to steal the song. Take off that mask right now!"

"If she takes it off, everyone in this performance arena will catch her terrible fever!" Caedmon barks back. "We are not selfish wolves. We must keep the mask on!"

"Do you think we are stupid pups with no brains?" Isolde laughs. "That is the worst excuse I ever heard!"

"You..." Caedmon turns to me, his eyes wide and scared. He gives me a fast look that means Do not touch that mask!

"Elder Ronan, what do we do?" the assistant scribe asks. "The Moon Herald Keepers are pushing inside with their magic recording stones. It is getting too loud!"

"Miss Meredith, why are you hiding your face?" a news bard yells, running onto the stage.

"Is it true you are too scared to show your real skin?" another wolf shouts, crowding around me.

"Are you really Meredith Thornvale?"

I look at Caedmon. He is trapped outside the crowd of jumping wolves. He is shaking. I want Meredith to lose everything. I want her name ruined in every pack territory. I take a deep breath and pull the wolf mask off my face.

"Elder Ronan, I am so sorry," I say, bowing my head down. "I am not Meredith."

"What?" Elder Ronan drops his book. "You are Eloise Hollowmere!"

"The human queen of songs from two years ago!" a bard screams. "The one who stopped singing to work in the back rooms!"

"Why are you wearing Meredith's mask?"

"Are you trying to steal her pack fame today?"

"Did the Silverhowl Bard Guild force you to do this because you are just a fat human with no power?"

"You have no pack backing you anymore!" a mean wolf leader yells from the front row. "No one cares about a human with no Alpha to protect her! Your beautiful voice means nothing without a strong wolf!"

Elder Ronan looks very sad and mad. He thinks I tricked him on purpose. The bards push closer and closer. They block the doors. I have nowhere to run.

"Who do you think you are, human girl?" the big pack sponsor shouts, stepping on the stage. "You think you can play tricks in our sacred arena? You are nothing!"

"How pitiful," a very deep voice booms through the room.

The heavy doors bang against the wall. Lucan Ashcroft walks inside with giant steps. He looks so cold and scary that every single wolf stops talking right away. The bards run to the sides, opening a wide path for him because he is the Alpha Lord of the Moonsong Dominion. He walks straight toward me, and his golden eyes lock onto mine.

"Why is Alpha Lord Lucan here?" a news bard screams. "What is the Moonsong Dominion doing at a small Silverhowl trial?"

"Look at him," another wolf whispers. "He must be so mad at this fat human girl. Eloise is finished in this territory. She just dug her own grave."

"Your singing voice has a lot of power," Lucan says, stopping right beside me. He nods his big head. "It is very good."

"You saw me?" I ask, my eyes getting very wide.

"I saw everything," Lucan says.

"What do you think, Trial Elder Ronan?" Lucan asks, turning his cold golden eyes to the stage.

"Miss Eloise sings like a true queen," Elder Ronan says, looking very worried and sweating. "We all saw it. But she just played a trick with the mask..."

"I do not see a problem with that," Lucan says.

"No way!" the big pack sponsor yells, shaking his fists. "Meredith Thornvale must get this song! We already put all our pack resources into her! We cannot change the plan for a human!"

"Does she have to get it?" Lucan asks. His scary Alpha air fills the whole room and pushes the sponsor back. "Meredith has no soul in her voice. She is not good enough. Eloise is the only one who can sing this part."

"Are you backing this human, Alpha Lord?" the sponsor asks, his voice shaking now.

"Yes," Lucan says.

"This is crazy!" the sponsor mutters. He is too scared to fight Lucan, so he runs out the door to find Rowan Blackthorn.

"We will stop the trial for today," Elder Ronan sighs, looking at Lucan with sad eyes.

"Let us go, Corwin," Lucan says, looking at me one more time before he walks out.

"Eloise, you are a very bad girl!" Caedmon Frostfang yells, running up to the stage after the bards chase Lucan away. "You are toxic! Just you wait, Rowan will make you pay for this!"

"Tell him I am waiting," I say. I throw the wolf mask right into the trash bin. "I am not scared of him anymore."

I walk out the back door fast before the bards come back. Lucan's big black truck is idling in the dark lot. The dark glass slides down, and his handsome face looks out at me.

"Get in," Lucan says.

"Thank you," I say, climbing up into the seat.

"You are my wife now," Lucan says, cutting me off before I can say more. "Do you think I will let other wolves bully my woman?"

"If I bring bad trouble to the Moonsong Dominion..." I start to say, rubbing my hands together because I feel so nervous.

"If I was scared of trouble, I would not have gone to the Bond Hall with you," Lucan says.

"Where are we going now?" I ask, trying to stop my heart from jumping so fast.

"To my home," Lucan says, looking at my dazed face with a small smile. "I do not like to wait. I will make this marriage something you can never forget."

"I am willing," I say.

Eloise Hollowmere POV

"My rule is simple," Lucan says, looking down at my face. "Once a bond starts, it never ends."

"I know how you do things in the Moonsong Dominion, Alpha Lord," I say, keeping my voice strong. "I will be your good wife with all my heart, but I have one rule too."

"Speak," Lucan says.

"I want to finish my fight with Rowan Blackthorn by myself," I say. "I do not want to use the big power of your royal pack."

"Good," Lucan says, nodding his head. "I like that."

He walks with me right into the big Ashcroft Silverclaw Citadel.

"I have pack papers to read in my study," Lucan says, pointing his big hand down the hall. "Go rest first. My bedroom is right over there."

"Alright," I say, and my face feels very hot.

My phone shakes in my pocket. I pick it up fast. It is Selene Moonwhisper.

"Eloise, it is done!" Selene laughs over the phone. "Everyone on the pack web is reading about Meredith Thornvale buying her way into songs. We told them she uses Rowan to steal resources and hurt the young human girls in the guild."

"Thank you so much, Selene," I say.

"Do not thank me," Selene says. "The workers in the guild gave me the proof. They hate Meredith because she bites them. We all want to help you."

"Did you tell them she has a baby coming?" I ask.

"Not yet," Selene says. "Are you really sure about this? Do you still love Rowan?"

"No," I say, looking toward Lucan's dark room. "My path is not with that bad wolf anymore."

"Who is with you?" Selene asks, sounding very sharp. "Is there another wolf?"

"I must go," I say.

"Wait, the Wind Speaker bards are calling me now!" Selene shouts. "I have to get the news out!"

"Goodbye," I say, hanging up.

I feel so different now. You have to walk down a new path to see the bright sun.

"You are very quick to strike," Lucan says from right behind me. His wolf ears must have heard everything.

"You heard that?" I ask, turning around fast. I feel so scared he will think I am a bad person.

"I like a girl who fights," Lucan says. He steps close and touches my chin with his big fingers. His golden eyes are very bright and dangerous.

"I only do what is right," I say, looking right back at him. "Do not think bad things about me."

"I only believe what my own eyes see," Lucan smiles, letting me go to open the cold box for a drink.

My heart feels so warm. This new Alpha husband is almost perfect.

But across the territory, Rowan Blackthorn is screaming. He throws his phone against the stone wall of the Silverhowl Bard Guild.

"Who did this?" Rowan roars at his wolves. "Tell me right now!"

In thirty minutes, all the Moon Herald Keepers called him. The whole pack web is full of stories about Meredith stealing songs and bullying the young pups. The big sponsors are demanding their pack resources back.

"It is Eloise!" Meredith cries from her bed, looking very ugly and mad. "She wants to ruin my life because she hates me!"

"No," Rowan shakes his head. "If Eloise knew about us, she would come crying to me. She is just a fat human. I will find out who is really behind this game."

"Investigate?" Meredith screams, stomping her wolf paws hard on the stone floor. "By the time your trackers find anything, the Moon Bard Guild will throw me out forever!"

"Then what do you want me to do?" Rowan roars back.

"Remember when Eloise stopped singing because she wanted to stay with you?" Meredith asks, rubbing her body against his arm to make him soft. "She gave up everything for your pack. If she did it then, she will do it now. Write a pack scroll from the Silverhowl Bard Guild. Tell everyone she is desperate for a comeback but no pack wants a fat human."

"What else?" Rowan asks.

"Say she is jealous of my big name," Meredith snarls. "Tell them she saw me get hurt, put on my wolf mask, and tried to steal my glory to make herself famous. Tell the territory she paid bad bards to spread lies about me!"

"This is very harsh," Rowan says, biting his lip. "She did a lot for my pack these past two years."

"If you do not crush her, she will rip the Silverhowl Bard Guild to pieces!" Meredith yells.

"Director Parker!" the big pack sponsor shouts, kicking the door open before Rowan can speak. "If this is how you run your territory, our deal is dead!"

"What is wrong now?" Rowan snaps.

"The magic web is full of pictures of you and Meredith kissing in secret!" the sponsor roars. "It hurts our pack resources! We are taking our gold back right now!"

"Who did this?" Meredith screams, her face turning red and ugly.

"I did it," Selene Moonwhisper says, walking straight into the room. She slams a big box of memory stones onto the table. "Here is the proof of Meredith biting the young pups in the academy. The stories online are just the start."

"Are you crazy?" Rowan growls, his wolf eyes flashing. "I will kick you out of the territory!"

"I am leaving anyway, you stupid wolf," Selene laughs, ripping her pack badge off her neck and throwing it at his face. "You make the whole guild smell bad."

Rowan does not even watch her leave. He calls his territory keepers fast.

"Put all the blame on Eloise!" Rowan orders. "Tell the packs she is a lying human!"

He spent too much gold making Meredith a star. He cannot let her name stay dirty. By afternoon, all the wolf bards are shouting that I am a bad, jealous human who stole a mask.

But right before sunset, the Moon Scribe from the Moonsong Dominion sends a giant red eagle to every single pack leader.

"If any wolf bards speak bad words about Eloise Hollowmere, Alpha Lord Lucan will destroy their lands."

"Does the supreme Alpha protect a human?" the pack leaders whisper in fear.

They stop the news right away. All the bad stories turn back onto Meredith.

"You did this, right?" I ask, looking across the table at the huge man cutting his meat.

"It is nothing," Lucan says. He swaps his plate with mine so I can eat the best pieces. "You are a big target for Silverhowl now. Do you want to stop singing?"

"No," I say, chewing my food. "They say I want a comeback. So I will go back to the stage and show them a human can win without them."

"Are you not scared?" Lucan asks, his golden eyes shining dark. "If they lock you out of the guild halls, I cannot jump out to save you every time."

"I am not scared at all," I say, looking right into his scary eyes. "Once I start a fight, I finish it. Nobody stops me."