The old oak tree stood sentinel at the eastern border of our territory, its gnarled branches reaching toward a blood-red sunset. I clutched a small bouquet of wildflowers in my hand—my cover story in case anyone asked where I'd been.
"Beautiful evening for a walk, isn't it?" Elena Cross emerged from the shadows, her weathered face creased with concern. Despite her age, her eyes remained sharp, missing nothing.
"Elena," I greeted softly, glancing over my shoulder. "Thank you for meeting me."
She gestured to the flowers in my hand. "A clever disguise. Most would never suspect the Alpha's mate was gathering more than posies."
I lowered my voice anyway. "Do you have it?"
Elena reached into her worn leather bag, producing two small vials. One contained a pale green liquid that seemed to shimmer in the fading light; the other held a deep purple mixture that appeared almost black.
"Concentrated wolfsbane," she explained, holding up the green vial. "Enough to suppress your wolf for hours. And this—" she lifted the second vial, "—will mask your scent completely."
I reached for my mother's pearl necklace, the only valuable thing I had left. "Will this be enough?"
Elena's eyes softened. "Child, this is worth far more than what I've brought. Are you certain?"
"More than anything," I whispered.
She placed the vials in my palm, closing my fingers around them. "The wolfsbane will burn. It will feel like your insides are being scorched. And if you submerge yourself in water..."
"I'll appear dead to pack senses," I finished for her.
Elena nodded gravely. "Your wolf will fight it. The pain will be excruciating."
"I understand."
"Do you?" Her eyes searched mine. "Once you start this path, there's no turning back."
I thought of Mason's words—*After the ceremony, I will make the rejection official*—and felt something harden inside me.
"I died the day he chose her," I said quietly. "I'm just making it official."
---
The pack gathered at the edge of the forest for the mandatory pre-celebration run. My fingers closed around the small vial of scent-masking elixir in my pocket as I took my place at the edge of the group.
"Everyone in!" Mason's commanding voice cut through the chatter.
I shifted quickly, welcoming the familiar burn as my bones rearranged and fur sprouted across my skin. My wolf—Silver—emerged with a shake of her sleek gray coat. She was beautiful, strong, everything a Luna's wolf should be. And yet...
*He never looks at us anymore*, Silver whined inside my mind.
The pack moved as one into the forest, Mason's massive black wolf leading the way. Ruth ran beside him in her russet form, her tail high as she occasionally brushed against his flank.
I kept pace near the middle of the pack, my mind elsewhere. The vial of wolfsbane felt heavy in my pocket, even in wolf form. Tonight. It would happen tonight.
Lost in thought, I didn't notice Ruth veering from her path until it was too late.
She slammed into my side, sending me tumbling into a fallen log. Pain shot through my front leg as I yelped and struggled to regain my footing.
*MILA!* Mason's voice thundered through the pack mind-link. *SUBMIT!*
The Alpha command hit me like a physical blow. Silver whimpered, instinctively lowering our head and exposing our throat.
*You're disrupting the run!* His anger vibrated through the link. *Control yourself!*
But I hadn't—
Ruth let out a dramatic cry, flopping onto her side and thrashing as if mortally wounded. Mason was at her side instantly, nuzzling her with concern.
I tried to stand, wincing as pain shot through my ankle. In the confusion of the shift back to human form, I'd twisted it badly.
"Mason," I called softly, reaching toward him. "I think I'm hurt."
He transformed back to human form, his eyes flashing gold with irritation. "Of course you would choose now to be clumsy," he snapped, gathering Ruth in his arms. She nestled against his chest, her eyes gleaming with triumph over my shoulder.
"Mason, please," I whispered, my ankle throbbing.
"Get out of my sight before you ruin everything," he growled, turning away. "The pack doesn't need to see this."
I limped backward, watching as he carried Ruth toward the pack hospital. The other wolves averted their eyes—some pitying, others scornful.
No one followed me as I hobbled away from the pack grounds, not toward the hospital, but toward the rushing sound of the river that marked our territory's boundary.
The water looked dark and inviting in the twilight. I sat on the bank, gently prodding my swollen ankle.
"It's now or never," I murmured to myself, pulling out Elena's vial of wolfsbane.
I uncorked it, the acrid scent making my nose burn. One swallow of this, and Silver would retreat deep inside me, silent and still as death.
I dipped my fingers in the rushing water, testing its pull. The current was strong here—strong enough to carry me away.
"Ready?" I whispered to Silver.
My wolf whimpered, sensing what was coming. *Are we really doing this?*
"We have no choice," I answered, raising the vial to my lips. "Mila Spencer dies tonight."
