The first night I stopped eating Travis's poison, I dreamed of blood.
Not the clean, clinical kind from healer supplies. Raw blood. Hot and copper-thick, sliding down my throat while something massive and silver-white ran through moonlit forest. The wolf in my dream was enormous—twice the size of any pack wolf I'd ever seen. Its howl shook the earth. Pine and silver clung to the air like a living scent.
I woke gasping, my sheets soaked with sweat. The phantom taste of meat lingered on my tongue.
It was three in the morning. Travis's side of the bed was empty and cold.
I pressed two fingers against my fading mark and felt nothing through the bond. He was with her.
Good. I needed him distracted.
I slipped out of bed and padded barefoot to the Luna's study. The locked chest I'd hidden behind the bookshelf held my secret meals—raw venison I'd taken from the pack freezer, wild herbs I'd foraged during my "evening walks," food I'd prepared myself with hands that didn't shake anymore.
I ate in the dark. Tore into the cold meat with my teeth. It should have disgusted me. Instead, my body sang.
Something deep in my chest stirred. Not my wolf—she'd never awakened, never would, Travis had made sure of that. But something else. A pressure. A heat. An ancient, furious presence that had been buried so deep I'd forgotten it existed.
I finished eating and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. My reflection in the window glass looked the same. Same tired face. Same dark circles.
But when I exhaled, the glass fogged silver.
The next morning, I told Travis I wasn't feeling well.
He barely looked up from his coffee. "You should rest, then."
"I've been eating lightly," I added, setting down my untouched oatmeal. "My appetite's been off."
Dani glanced at the bowl, then at Travis. He shrugged.
"Suit yourself." He stood, kissed the top of my head—a gesture so automatic it meant nothing—and left for his office.
Dani lingered. Her fingers drifted to her bare neck again. "Are you sure you're alright, Luna? You look... different."
I smiled at her. "Just tired. Would you mind handling the morning inventory? I think I'll lie down."
She practically glowed with the authority. "Of course, Luna. I'll take care of everything."
I watched her leave, her hips swaying with confidence she hadn't earned.
Then I locked the dining room door and ate the raw steak I'd hidden in my pocket.
The changes came fast after that.
On the third day, I heard Margaret criticizing me from two floors away. Her voice carried through walls and closed doors, every cruel word crystal-clear. "Wolfless embarrassment... should have rejected her years ago... that sweet Dani girl would make a proper Luna..."
I stood in the hallway, frozen. I shouldn't be able to hear this. No human—and I was human, wolfless, weak—should have this kind of hearing.
But I did.
On the fifth day, I walked past the warrior training grounds and smelled their emotional states. Fear from the younger recruits. Confidence from the veterans. Lust from two warriors sneaking glances at each other between drills.
I could smell feelings.
That night, I woke from another dream of the silver-white wolf. This time, when it howled, I felt the vibration in my bones. When it ran, I felt the earth shake under its paws. When it turned its massive head and looked at me with eyes like molten gold, I felt recognition slam into my chest so hard I couldn't breathe.
I sat up in bed, gasping. My skin burned. My bones ached. The presence in my chest pressed against my ribs like it was trying to crack them open from the inside.
Something was waking up.
And it was enormous.
The Silverfang Pack's alliance gathering was scheduled for Saturday.
I brought Dani.
"It's a wonderful opportunity for you to meet other packs," I told her, all warmth and generosity. "You'll represent Ironvale beautifully."
She preened. "Thank you, Luna. I won't let you down."
Travis approved without question. He thought I was being kind to his mistress. He thought I was oblivious.
The gathering was held on neutral territory—a wide field between Ironvale and Silverfang lands, dotted with refreshment tents and alliance banners. Alphas mingled. Lunas exchanged polite conversation. Warriors sized each other up.
I positioned myself near the center, greeting visiting Lunas with practiced grace. And I watched.
Fenris arrived an hour into the gathering.
I'd researched him carefully. Rogue King. Exiled Alpha. Built an army in the borderlands by promising desperate wolves territory and power. He was covered in scars, dressed in dark leather, and he flipped a silver coin constantly—a physical tic that marked him as a predator who viewed everything as transactional.
He set up near the perimeter, holding court with a cluster of rogues and discontented pack wolves.
Perfect.
"Dani," I said, touching her arm lightly. "Would you mind fetching drinks? The refreshment tent near the edge has the best selection."
She glanced at the tent. It was positioned exactly where I'd suggested the Silverfang Luna place it during our planning correspondence—close enough to Fenris's position that any she-wolf walking past would catch his attention.
"Of course, Luna." Dani smoothed her dress and headed toward the tent, her steps confident.
I turned back to my conversation with the Silverfang Luna. Kept my expression pleasant. But I watched from the corner of my eye.
Dani walked past Fenris's group. He looked up. His predatory gaze locked onto her immediately, reading her hunger and vanity in seconds. I saw the exact moment he decided she was useful.
He stood. Approached her. Leaned in with a smile that promised everything.
Dani's eyes went wide. Then they lit up with pure, naked greed.
I turned away and did not look back.
The seed was planted. Fenris would cultivate it. Dani's ambition would do the rest.
I sipped my drink and felt the presence in my chest purr with satisfaction.
That evening, I returned to the Luna's study and pulled out formal pack stationery.
I'd learned through alliance correspondence that Lycan Prince Rhett Ashford had been dispatched by the Council to investigate territorial irregularities along Ironvale's borders. Rogue activity. Resource discrepancies. Exactly the kind of investigation that would care about treasury theft and forged Luna seals.
I wrote carefully:
*Prince Ashford,*
*I am Luna Kallie of Ironvale Pack. I possess sealed documentary evidence relevant to your border investigation. I request a private meeting outside pack territory to present this evidence.*
*I am not a distressed Luna seeking rescue. I am a source with legally unassailable documentation.*
*If you are interested, meet me at the Moonstone Café in the border town, three days from now, 2 PM.*
I signed it with my Luna mark—the same mark Travis had been forging, the same authority he thought was just decorative.
I sealed the letter and handed it to a neutral courier the next morning.
Then I went back to playing the perfect, oblivious Luna.
But at night, I dreamed of the silver-white wolf. And every morning, I woke with pine and silver clinging to my skin.
