The Grand Cascade Hotel ballroom glittered like something out of a dream. Crystal chandeliers cast rainbow prisms across marble floors, and the air smelled of expensive cologne and power. The annual Alpha Summit always drew the most influential packs from across the country, and this year was no different.
I smoothed down the front of my navy blazer, feeling the quality fabric beneath my fingers. Andie had insisted we go shopping before the summit, dragging me to boutiques I'd never dared enter during my time at Blood Moon. The tailored pantsuit made me feel like someone I barely recognized—confident, professional, alive.
"You look amazing," Andie whispered beside me, adjusting her own emerald dress. She'd chosen something bold, something that hugged her curves and made her look like the powerful she-wolf she was becoming.
I caught our reflection in one of the massive mirrors lining the wall. Two weeks of proper meals and Elena's care had brought color back to our cheeks. We didn't look like the hollow ghosts who'd fled Blood Moon territory anymore.
Then I saw them.
Elliot and Shawn entered through the main doors, and my breath caught. But it wasn't them that made my stomach drop—it was Zora, draped between them like a prize. She wore white again, always white, a flowing gown that made her look ethereal and fragile. The brothers each had a hand on her, guiding her through the crowd like she was made of glass.
Like she was their Luna.
Elliot's eyes swept the room and landed on me. He froze mid-step.
I watched the shock ripple across his face, followed by something darker. His jaw clenched. Shawn noticed his brother's reaction and followed his gaze, his expression shifting from confusion to anger in seconds.
They hadn't expected us here. They'd probably assumed we were still hiding in Moonstone, licking our wounds.
"Let them stare," Andie murmured, linking her arm through mine.
We moved through the crowd, greeting other Alphas and their representatives. I felt Elliot's eyes burning into my back the entire time, but I didn't turn around. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
The cocktail reception started an hour later. I was discussing territory agreements with Alpha Marcus from the Northern Ridge Pack when I noticed Andie had drifted toward the buffet table. I excused myself and started in her direction.
That's when Shawn made his move.
He cornered her near the shrimp display, his body blocking her escape route. Even from across the room, I could see the tension in Andie's shoulders.
I quickened my pace.
"Look at you," Shawn's voice carried just loud enough for nearby wolves to hear. His tone dripped with contempt. "Dressed up like a harlot, trying to attract other males. Is that what this is about? You want attention?"
Andie's face went pale, then red. "Move, Shawn."
"I don't think so." He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper that I could still hear as I approached. "This little charade ends now. You're coming back to Blood Moon where you belong. Back to your duties. Back to—"
"I'm not your Beta Female anymore," Andie cut him off, her voice steady despite the tremor I could see in her hands.
Shawn laughed. The sound was cruel, mocking, loud enough that conversations around us stuttered to a halt. "You are nothing without my rank, Andie. Nothing. You're just a servant girl playing dress-up."
Time seemed to slow. I saw Andie's hand move, saw the champagne glass tilt, saw the golden liquid arc through the air.
It hit Shawn square in the face.
The ballroom went silent.
Champagne dripped from Shawn's nose, his chin, soaking into his expensive suit. His mouth hung open in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Andie set the empty glass on the buffet table with a soft click. "I'm done being nothing," she said quietly, then turned and walked away, her head high.
The whispers started immediately, rippling through the crowd like wildfire. I caught Andie's arm as she passed me, and we walked out together, leaving Shawn standing there dripping and humiliated.
Behind us, I heard Elliot's voice, sharp with barely controlled rage. But we didn't stop. We didn't look back.
We'd already given them too many years of looking back.
The drive home blurred past in silence. Andie stared out the window, her jaw tight, her hands clenched in her lap. I wanted to tell her she'd been magnificent, that she'd done exactly what needed to be done.
But the words wouldn't come. Because as we crossed back into Moonstone territory, something inside me started to burn.
At first, I thought it was just adrenaline from the confrontation. Then the heat intensified, spreading from my chest outward until my skin felt like it was on fire.
"Maddie?" Andie's voice sounded distant. "Maddie, you're burning up."
I tried to answer, but my vision swam. The mate bond—the one I'd tried so hard to sever—suddenly flared to life, yanking at my chest like a chain.
No. No, this couldn't be happening.
My mental barriers, weakened by stress and exhaustion, crumbled. The mind-link I'd kept firmly closed burst open, and before I could stop myself, a single word escaped.
"It hurts."
I felt Elliot on the other end of the link, felt his presence like a ghost in my mind. For one brief moment, I sensed his attention shift toward me.
Then Zora's voice, petulant and whining, cut through the connection. "Elliot, the lighting is all wrong. We need to reshoot this entire sequence."
"Ignore it," Elliot said, and I felt the link slam shut like a door in my face. "It's just a ploy for attention. She's faking it."
The rejection hit harder than any physical blow.
I was dying—I could feel it, the fever consuming me from the inside out—and he thought I was faking.
The last thing I remembered before darkness took me was Andie's scream and the car swerving to a stop.
