“Hold still, or I’ll tie you down.”

The servant’s threat was delivered with casual indifference as she yanked a silver comb through my tangled hair. Each stroke felt like she was trying to scalp me.

“Maybe if you weren’t ripping my hair out—”

“Maybe if you’d acted like a proper Luna instead of a feral cat, we wouldn’t have this problem.” She grabbed a fistful of my hair and twisted it into an elaborate knot, securing it with pins that bit into my scalp. “There. You almost look civilized.”

I stared at my reflection in the polished mirror. The woman looking back was a stranger—clean, dressed in flowing silver silk that hugged my curves and left my shoulders bare. The dress was beautiful. I hated it.

“The Alpha wants to see you before the ceremony,” the servant continued, stepping back to admire her work. “Don’t embarrass him more than you already have.”

The packhouse corridors were lined with pack members who’d come to witness their new Luna’s marking. Their whispers followed me like poison.

“Ashborne blood…”

“Traitor’s sister…”

“Poor Alpha, cursed with such a mate…”

Two guards flanked me, their hands resting on their sword hilts. Not to protect me—to ensure I didn’t run.

Reid’s study was a monument to power. Dark wood, leather-bound books, and weapons displayed like trophies. He stood behind his desk, reviewing documents with the same cold focus he’d probably used to plan my brother’s execution.

“Leave us,” he commanded without looking up.

The guards hesitated. “Alpha, if she tries—”

“I said leave.”

The door closed with a soft click, leaving us alone. Reid finally lifted his gaze, and I felt the mate bond flare to life between us—a constant, unwanted reminder of what we were to each other.

“You clean up well,” he said, setting down his papers. “Almost like you weren’t raised in a hovel.”

“My home wasn’t a hovel.”

“Your home harbored a traitor.” He moved around the desk with predatory grace. “Tonight, you get a new one.”

The silver dress suddenly felt too tight, too revealing. I crossed my arms over my chest, hating how his eyes tracked the movement.

“I won’t pretend to be happy about this,” I said.

“I’m not asking you to pretend.” Reid stopped just out of arm’s reach, close enough that I could smell his scent. “Just survive it.”

“How generous.”

“More generous than you deserve.” His voice dropped to that dangerous whisper. “Your brother killed my pregnant mate. The pack wants your head on a spike beside his. I’m giving you a life instead.”

“A life in chains.”

“A life as Luna of the most powerful pack in the northern territories.” He stepped closer, and I fought the urge to retreat. “Some would call that an honor so perhaps you should stop being so damn ungrateful!”

“Some would call you a monster for claiming your enemy’s sister.”

Reid’s hand shot out, gripping my jaw with just enough pressure to make his point. “Your enemy? I thought I was your mate.”

The bond pulsed between us at his touch, sending unwanted heat through my veins. I jerked away, but his grip tightened.

“Don’t.” The word came out breathless, and I hated myself for it.

“Don’t what?” His thumb traced along my lower lip. “Don’t touch what belongs to me?”

“I don’t belong to you.”

“After tonight, you will.” He released me so suddenly I stumbled. “Every wolf in the territory will see my mark on your throat. Will know exactly who owns you.”

“You can’t own a person.”

“Can’t I?” Reid’s smile was all teeth. “We’ll see.”

-----

The ritual circle was carved into the earth itself, surrounded by ancient stones that hummed with old magic. Hundreds of pack members formed concentric circles around it, their eyes hungry for the spectacle of their Alpha claiming his unwilling mate.

Four guards led me to the center, where silver chains waited. I tried to pull back, but their grips were iron.

“This isn’t necessary,” I said, loud enough for the crowd to hear. “I won’t run.”

“The chains aren’t to keep you from running,” Reid’s voice carried across the circle as he approached. He’d changed into ceremonial leathers—black as midnight, carved with ancient symbols that seemed to move in the firelight. “They’re to keep you from fighting what’s about to happen.”

The chains felt like ice against my wrists and ankles, binding me to the altar stone at the circle’s heart. The silver burned, but not as much as the humiliation of being displayed like a prize to be claimed.

Reid circled me slowly, a predator stalking his prey. “Pack of Crescent Fang,” he called, his voice carrying to every corner of the gathering. “Tonight, we witness the binding of our new Luna.”

“She’s Ashborne!” someone shouted from the crowd. “Traitor blood!”

“Yes,” Reid agreed, his gaze never leaving mine. “And through her, that bloodline will be cleansed. Her children will carry my legacy, not her brother’s shame.”

The pack magic began to build—ancient power that made the air itself thrum with energy. I could feel it pressing against my skin, into my lungs, demanding submission.

“I hate you,” I whispered as Reid leaned over me.

“I think you are misunderstanding something little wolf.” His hand fisted in my hair, tilting my head to expose my throat. “You and I aren’t friends so I do not give a damn about your feelings. You are here to serve a purpose so don’t you ever get comfortable or forget that.”

Tears pooled in my eyes as he continued, “besides hate me all you want. But I can smell just how much your body wants me.”

He was right, and I despised him for it. The mate bond sang between us, my traitorous body responding to his proximity despite everything. My pulse hammered against the spot where his mark would go.

“Any last words?” Reid asked, his fangs already extending.

“Go to hell.”

“I’m already there.” His mouth curved into a cold smile. “Welcome to the party.”

Reid’s fangs pierced my throat in one swift motion. Pain exploded through me—not just physical, but spiritual. The mate bond snapped into place like a chain around my soul, binding us together in ways that went deeper than flesh.

Magic poured through the connection, ancient and overwhelming. The pack’s power flowed into me, recognizing me as Luna whether I wanted it or not. I screamed, the sound raw and broken, as Reid’s mark burned itself into my very essence.

The world tilted, colors bleeding together as my vision blurred. Through the haze, I saw Reid’s eyes—no longer cold, but blazing with something primitive and possessive.

Then darkness claimed me.

-----

Fire. Everywhere, fire.

I stood in a forest that burned without being consumed, watching a white wolf pace through flames that didn’t touch her silver fur. She was beautiful and terrible, her eyes the color of winter storms.

“You’re not who they think you are,” she said, her voice echoing inside my head. “The blood remembers what the mind forgets.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You will.” The wolf’s gaze pierced through me. “When the lies crumble and the truth burns everything in its path, remember—the strongest chains are the ones we forge ourselves.”

The fire rose higher, and I reached for the wolf, but she was already fading.

“Find the truth, daughter of moon and shadow. Before it’s too late.”

-----

I woke to silk sheets and the overwhelming scent of pine and leather. Reid’s scent. Reid’s bed.

My hand flew to my throat, finding the tender mark he’d left there. It throbbed with each heartbeat, a constant reminder of what I’d lost—what I’d become.

The room was massive, dominated by a four-poster bed draped in midnight blue. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the forest beyond, but bars on the glass made it clear this was still a prison, just a prettier one.

I tried to sit up and something crinkled in my palm. A piece of paper, folded small and pressed into my hand while I was unconscious.

With trembling fingers, I unfolded it and read the words that changed everything:

Your brother didn’t betray anyone. Start looking at who did.