The invitation arrived on thick cream paper, embossed with gold lettering that caught the afternoon light. I held it between two fingers and read it twice.
*The Annual Autumn Moon Banquet. Hosted by the Regional Pack Council. Estate grounds at Silvercrest Manor. Formal attire required.*
Lila stirred inside me. *We are not going.*
*We are,* I told her. *Stefan will be there. Eva will be there. Every Alpha in the region will be there. If I don't show, it looks like I'm hiding.*
She growled but did not argue.
I set the invitation on my desk and pulled out my phone. Texted Connor. *Need background on Silvercrest Manor. Who owns it. Who runs security. Everything.*
His reply came back in under a minute. *On it.*
Two hours later, my phone buzzed. I opened the message.
*Silvercrest Manor. Built 1847. Renovated 2003. Owned by Lycan Holdings LLC. Security handled by private Lycan contract firm. Estate sits on Lycan-protected land. Neutral ground by treaty.*
I read it twice. Lycan-owned. That explained why the Regional Pack Council could host there without any single Alpha claiming territorial advantage. Lycan land was untouchable. Sacred. No Alpha would risk offending the Lycan throne by starting trouble on their property.
I texted back. *Good work.*
*You going?*
*Yes.*
*Want me there?*
I hesitated. Then typed, *Valet capacity only. Stay invisible.*
*Understood.*
I set the phone down and stared at the invitation again. Stefan would use this. I knew he would. The banquet was the perfect stage—every regional Alpha watching, every Luna whispering, every alliance on display. He would position Eva at his side, show the world his chosen mate, and make sure I looked like exactly what he wanted me to look like: a rejected she-wolf with no standing and no future.
Let him try.
I opened my laptop and pulled up the guest list Connor had sent me last week. Alphas Crane and Halford would both be there. The same two Alphas Stefan had been meeting with in secret, the ones funding his coastal territory bid. If I could get close enough to hear what they were planning, I might be able to find leverage.
I made a list. Who to approach. Who to avoid. Which tables to pass. Which hallways to use.
Lila paced inside me. *This feels wrong.*
*Everything feels wrong lately,* I told her.
She did not argue.
Stefan stood in his office with the door locked.
Marcus was there. Eva was there. And a third man I did not recognize—thin, nervous, wearing a server's uniform under a dark jacket.
I knew because Connor had sent me a photo twenty minutes ago. He had been parked outside the packhouse, waiting to drive an visiting elder back to his hotel, when he saw the three of them slip in through the side entrance. He took the shot through a gap in the blinds.
I zoomed in on the image now, studying the server's face. Young. Maybe mid-twenties. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, and his shoulders were hunched like he was trying to make himself smaller.
*Who is he?* I texted Connor.
*Banquet staff. Name's Eric Lowe. Works part-time for the catering company. No pack affiliation. Clean record.*
*Why is he meeting with Stefan?*
*That's the question.*
I stared at the photo. Stefan's expression was calm, controlled. Eva stood beside him with her arms crossed, watching the server like she was evaluating a purchase. Marcus had his arms folded too, but his posture was different—tense, coiled, like he was ready to move.
Whatever they were planning, it involved that server. And it involved the banquet.
I saved the photo and opened a new folder on my laptop. Labeled it *Banquet—Evidence.* Dropped the image inside.
Lila whined. *We should not go.*
*We are going,* I told her again. *And we are going to be ready.*
The next night, Connor texted me at eleven.
*Need to talk. In person.*
I frowned at the screen. He had never asked for an in-person meeting this late before. Everything we discussed, we discussed over text or in my car between jobs.
*Where?* I typed.
*The Ember. Back lot. Twenty minutes.*
I grabbed my jacket and keys. Lila was on edge the entire drive, pacing and growling low in my chest. By the time I pulled into the back lot behind The Ember, my hands were tight on the wheel.
Connor was already there, leaning against the side of the building with his hands in his jacket pockets. He straightened when he saw me.
I got out. "What is it?"
He glanced around the empty lot, then stepped closer. His voice dropped. "Stefan's planning something for the banquet. Something bad."
"I know he's planning something. He's always planning something."
"Not like this." Connor's jaw tightened. "I heard things tonight. From a contact who works estate security. Stefan bribed a server. Guy named Eric Lowe. He's going to spike your drink."
The air went cold.
"Spike it with what?" I asked quietly.
"Wolfsbane compound. Sedative blend. Enough to knock you out for an hour, maybe two. And while you're out, they're going to stage something."
"Stage what?"
Connor's eyes met mine. "A hired rogue. Positioned near you in one of the private alcoves. Stefan's allies will 'find' you together. At the biggest pack event of the year. In front of every Alpha in the region."
Lila snarled so loud I felt it in my teeth.
I breathed through my nose. Once. Twice. "You're sure."
"I'm sure."
"Who's your contact?"
"Someone I trust."
"That's not an answer."
Connor stepped closer. His voice was low and steady. "Gabrielle. I'm telling you this because you need to know. You don't have to trust my source. But you need to trust me."
I stared at him. His eyes were calm. Serious. No trace of the easy charm he usually wore like a jacket.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked.
"Don't go."
"No."
"Gabrielle—"
"No." I stepped back. "If I don't go, Stefan wins. He gets to tell every Alpha in the region that I was too afraid to show my face. That I'm broken. That I'm nothing."
"If you go, he drugs you and destroys you."
"Not if I'm ready." I pulled my keys from my pocket. "I'll watch my drink. I won't let it out of my sight. I'll stay in public spaces. I'll leave early if I have to."
Connor's jaw worked. "That's not enough."
"It's going to have to be."
I turned toward my car. His hand caught my wrist. Not hard. Just enough to stop me.
"Gabrielle," he said quietly. "Let me help."
I looked down at his hand. Then up at his face. "You are helping. You told me. That's enough."
"It's not."
I pulled my wrist free. "I'll see you at the banquet. Valet capacity. Like we agreed."
I got in my car and drove away. In the rearview mirror, I saw him standing in the empty lot, hands in his pockets, watching me go.
Lila whimpered. *He is trying to protect us.*
*I know,* I told her.
*Then why did you leave?*
Because I could not let him fight this for me. Because if I let someone else step in every time Stefan made a move, I would never be strong enough to stand on my own.
Because I was terrified that if I let Connor too close, I would start to need him.
And I could not afford to need anyone ever again.
