I woke to the sound of unfamiliar footsteps in the hallway outside our bedroom. Our bedroom—though it hadn't felt like mine for weeks now. Silver remained silent within me, a hollowness where her presence should have been.
The door swung open without a knock. Kiara stood in the doorway, her auburn hair cascading over her shoulders, wearing one of Marshall's shirts that hung loosely over her slender frame.
"Good morning, Elyse," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "I hope you don't mind that I had my things moved in yesterday."
I sat up slowly, my body still weak from the wolfsbane. "This is my room."
"For now." Kiara smiled, running her fingers along the dresser that held my few remaining possessions. "Marshall thought it would be best if I stayed closer to him. For the baby's sake."
The baby. The heir she carried while I had been poisoned to prevent the same.
"I need you to clear out the east wing guest room," she continued, tossing a set of sheets at me. "Marshall's mother is arriving tomorrow, and she'll need proper accommodations."
I stared at the sheets in my lap. "I'm still Luna."
Kiara laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "Are you? Marshall says otherwise."
She left me sitting there, clutching the linens like a servant. When I finally made my way to the east wing, I found Beta Roberto directing pack members to move Kiara's belongings into the Luna suite—my suite.
"Roberto," I said quietly. "What's happening?"
He wouldn't meet my eyes. "Alpha's orders, Luna."
"Stop calling me that," I whispered.
Later that day, I found Dr. Marcus Reed waiting for me in the small garden behind the pack house. His face was grim, his healer's bag clutched tightly in his hands.
"Luna Elyse," he said, glancing around to ensure we were alone. "I need to examine you."
"Why?" I asked, though I already knew.
"The supplements," he said, his voice barely audible. "I've been analyzing them."
He led me to his private office, locked the door, and motioned for me to sit on the examination table.
"The wolfsbane concentration is increasing," he said after checking my pulse and blood pressure. "Your wolf—"
"Is dying," I finished for him.
Dr. Reed nodded grimly. "If you continue taking these supplements, your connection to Silver will be permanently severed. And..." he hesitated, "the poison could eventually kill you."
I stared at my hands. They looked normal, but inside me was a wasteland where Silver should be singing.
"There must be something we can do," Dr. Reed said, his healer's instincts kicking in. "I need to tell Alpha Marshall—"
"No," I said quickly. "He knows."
Dr. Reed's expression shifted from confusion to horror. "He knows?"
I nodded.
"I need to report this to the Council," he insisted, reaching for his phone.
The door burst open. Marshall stood there, his amber eyes cold.
"Dr. Reed," he said, his voice deceptively calm. "I believe your services are needed elsewhere."
"But Alpha, Luna Elyse is being poisoned—"
"Enough." Marshall's Alpha tone filled the room. "You're dismissed. And if you speak of this again, I'll have you banished."
Dr. Reed looked at me, desperation in his eyes. I turned away.
That evening, Marshall called a pack meeting. I stood beside him, the perfect picture of a Luna, though we both knew the truth.
Kiara stepped forward, her hand resting protectively over her stomach.
"I have wonderful news," she announced, her eyes finding mine in the crowd. "I'm carrying Alpha Marshall's heir."
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the assembled pack members. I felt their eyes on me, some pitying, others gleeful at my humiliation.
Marshall placed his arm around Kiara's shoulders. "Once our mate bond is properly dissolved," he said, looking directly at me, "Kiara will take her rightful place as Luna."
Inside me, Silver retreated further into silence. I could feel her fading, a star dying in the darkness.
As the pack erupted in applause, I stood frozen, watching as my world collapsed around me. Marshall didn't even look at me as he guided Kiara through the crowd, accepting congratulations.
Beta Roberto approached me, his face a mask of formal courtesy.
"Luna Elyse," he said, loud enough for nearby pack members to hear. "Alpha Marshall requests that you begin preparing for the dissolution ceremony."
The pack members around us fell silent, their expressions a mixture of pity and disdain.
"Yes," I whispered, though no one was listening anymore. "Of course."
Silver didn't respond. She was too far gone now, retreating to a place where even I couldn't reach her. And without her, I wasn't sure how much longer I could survive in this pack—or anywhere else.
