Wynne POV:

I sat on the edge of the velvet bed, letting the Royal Healer carefully cut away the burnt fabric from my back.

I looked at Xander standing in the doorway. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. He smelled of sweat and misplaced anger.

"Hide them from you?" I let out a dry, breathy laugh. "You knew she was taking my gold, Xander. You just didn't care as long as it kept your pack afloat and your pride intact. If I had shown them to you, you would have burned them to protect your mother."

Xander flinched, stepping further into the room. "She is my mother, Wynne! You humiliated our pack in front of the entire kingdom. You made us look like monsters."

"You sit at this velvet-draped table, sipping the tea my gold paid for," I said flatly, "and then watch, without a flicker of concern, as poison is poured down my throat."

Xander ran a hand through his dark hair, looking frustrated. "I knew she gave you tonics—I told myself they were for your health, for the pack's stability. I saw the ledgers once and chose not to read them. I told myself I would confront her later, that you were exaggerating. There was always later." His voice faltered, as if the words sounded hollow even to his own ears. "Serena's dresses were gifts from my mother, and I saw no harm in letting her have them—she had so little growing up. You are overreacting. You know how fragile Serena is. And as for you leaving... you know the laws. An Omega who leaves her pack without a new Alpha becomes a Rogue. You will be hunted."

He thought I was just a weak Omega. He had no idea the White Wolf blood was running through my veins, growing stronger with every passing second—now that the poison's effects were finally receding.

That cold presence inside me stirred again, sending a ripple of frost through my blood. I felt it—an instinct, a whisper—telling me that Xander's threats were hollow. The White Wolf would not bow to any Alpha's law. Not anymore.

"I would rather sleep in the muddy ditches with Rogues than spend another night in your filthy manor," I spat.

Xander's face hardened. The muscle in his jaw ticked. "Fine. Freeze out here. When you discover that without my protection, you cannot survive even in the mud-caked alleys beyond this city's walls, you will beg to come back."

He turned on his heel and stormed out. I knew exactly where he was going. He was going to Serena's room to seek comfort in her fake tears.

The Healer applied a cooling herbal paste to my silver wound. I hissed in pain, but the burning slowly began to fade.

As the pain receded, so did the White Wolf's presence, retreating back into the depths of my soul. But I knew now—it was waiting. Biding its time.

The next morning, the heavy curtains of the chamber were pulled back. The gray morning light spilled across the stone floor.

Fiona walked in, her boots clicking sharply. She carried a silver tray with a cup of hot tea and a stack of parchment.

"Your Alpha has been busy," Fiona said, her tone laced with disgust. "He submitted a formal letter to the court this morning. He claims you are suffering from severe jealousy and hysteria. And that female, Serena, sent a letter begging for your forgiveness."

I picked up my teacup. "Let me guess, she played the ultimate victim."

Fiona let out a rare, low chuckle. "She practically painted herself as a saint."

I set the tea down and pulled a fresh sheet of parchment toward me. I picked up a quill, dipped it in dark ink, and began to write.

I wrote the ancient, standard words of the Rejection. Every stroke of the pen felt like a chain breaking off my soul.

Just as I finished signing my name, loud voices echoed in the stone hallway outside.

"I am the Elder of the Obsidian Pack! Move aside, guard!" Xenia's shrill voice rang out.

I stood up, pulling my heavy cloak over my bandaged back. I walked to the door and pulled it open.

Elder Xenia and Serena stood in the hallway. Fiona's royal guards had their spears crossed, blocking their path.

When Xenia saw me, her face twisted into an ugly sneer. "You ungrateful little rat. If you do not withdraw this Rejection nonsense today, I will have the Obsidian Pack cut off all trade routes for your family's merchant caravans in the capital. Your family will rot in poverty."

"You are threatening my family?" I stepped forward, the coldness in my voice making Xenia take a step back.

Serena peeked out from behind Xenia. "Wynne, please don't be so angry. We just want to bring you home."

"What is going on here?" Xander's voice echoed down the hall. He walked briskly toward us, glaring at me. "Wynne, stop causing a scene. You are embarrassing yourself."

He reached into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of parchment.

"I was trying to protect your dignity, but you leave me no choice," Xander said, his voice dropping low. "I found this letter in your desk. A secret correspondence between you and a male named Lucian."

He waved the letter in the air. "Withdraw your Rejection request, Wynne. Or I will present this to the Supreme Luna and prove that you have been unfaithful to our Mate bond."

I stared at the letter in his hand. I didn't panic. I didn't beg.

"Do what you want, Xander," I said quietly. Then I slammed the heavy door, the sound of the bolt shooting home echoing the finality in my heart.

I walked back to the bed and closed my eyes. I reached deep into my mind, pushing past the pain, until I found the familiar, glowing thread of my family's pack connection.

I opened the Mind-Link.

Lucian, I called out in my mind.

A moment later, a deep, steady voice answered in my head. I am here, My Lady. We have arrived.

Good, I replied, a cold smile forming on my lips. Prepare the ledgers. The trap is set.

*But as I severed the link, the White Wolf whispered through my thoughts, soft as falling snow: They think they are hunting you. But you are the hunter now. *