Athena’s heart had been pounding from the moment Beauty came to fetch her. Every step she took toward the pack mansion made her skin prickle with heat. Her palms were damp, her thoughts running in circles. The way Beauty had phrased the summons—“The Alpha wants to see you, now”—left her stomach in knots.

Why would Alpha Gray want her specifically? She had lived in Grayhound Pack for two years without drawing unnecessary attention. She had trained, worked, healed, raised her children quietly. She had never given him reason to look her way with suspicion. Unless… unless he had found something. Unless her carefully built walls had begun to crack.

The old wounds on her back, though healed, seemed to burn again as though memory alone could tear them open. She rubbed her arm absentmindedly and forced her feet to keep moving. Beauty walked at her side, tall, graceful, commanding even in the simple way she carried herself. People moved out of her path as if her beauty and presence were a silent command. Normally, that would make Athena feel safe. Today, it only made her feel exposed.

When they reached the tall doors of the Alpha’s office, Athena’s legs wavered. Beauty noticed, her sharp blue eyes narrowing. “Are you alright?” she asked, pausing with her hand on the door handle.

Athena swallowed hard and forced a nod. “Yes, I’m fine.”

It was a lie, and Beauty knew it, but she didn’t press further. Instead, she pushed the doors open and gestured for Athena to follow.

The office was wide, lined with bookshelves that held old volumes and leather-bound files. Maps of territories and old war charts hung on the walls. The large desk at the far end was neat, every paper aligned with military precision. Behind it sat Alpha Gray.

He wasn’t like Gian, who commanded with arrogance and cruelty. Gray commanded with silence. His eyes, pale and cool like winter skies, met hers as soon as she entered, and she felt herself shrink inside. He didn’t glare, didn’t scowl. He only watched—calmly, too calmly. That made it worse.

“Sit,” he said, his voice deep, unhurried.

Beauty immediately strode forward, her head held high, but Athena hesitated. Her knees felt weak, and she feared that if she sat, she might not be able to rise again. Still, she obeyed, lowering herself into the chair across from him.

A thick brown file lay in front of Alpha Gray. He didn’t open it. Instead, he pushed it toward Beauty with a flick of his fingers. She picked it up and began to read.

The room filled with silence except for the rustle of papers. Athena kept her hands folded tightly in her lap to hide the trembling. Her gaze remained low, fixed on the polished floorboards, but she could feel Gray’s attention on her. Not hostile. Not kind. Just… weighing.

Then Beauty’s sharp intake of breath shattered the quiet.

Her head snapped up, her eyes flashing like steel. She turned to her brother, anger spilling off her in waves. “What is this?” she demanded. Her voice was tight, clipped, dangerous.

Athena’s chest squeezed. Her pulse roared in her ears. This was it. Her secret was out. Gian had told them everything—how she had drugged him, how she had been flogged. Perhaps he had even claimed she was dead, only for her to resurface like some treacherous ghost.

She opened her mouth to speak, to beg, to explain—but no words came.

Beauty rose to her feet, the file clutched so hard in her hand that the pages crumpled. “Tell me this isn’t true,” she hissed at Gray. “Tell me he’s not actually demanding this of us.”

Athena froze, her words dying on her tongue. She blinked. What?

Alpha Gray leaned back in his chair, unshaken by his sister’s temper. “It came this morning. Sealed with Dark Moon’s mark.”

Beauty’s nostrils flared as she dropped the file on the desk. Some papers slid across the surface, and one landed close enough for Athena to glimpse a few lines. Her eyes darted over the words.

Dark Moon Pack… property rights… claim of blood debt…

Not her. Not about her at all.

Her shoulders slumped with relief so sharp it left her dizzy. She nearly laughed, though the sound would have been bitter.

But Beauty’s fury only grew. “He wants to claim training grounds that have been in Grayhound territory for generations,” she snapped. “Does Gian take us for fools? Does he think we’ll roll over and hand it to him?”

Athena quickly lowered her gaze again. The very mention of Gian’s name twisted her stomach. She hadn’t heard it spoken aloud in years, yet the sound was enough to drag her back to that night—the sting of the whip, the mocking laughter of her pack, the cruel satisfaction in his eyes.

She gripped her knees, forcing herself not to shiver.

Gray’s voice cut through the storm of her memories. “We won’t hand anything over. But this isn’t a demand we can ignore either. If we refuse without diplomacy, Gian will see it as provocation. We can’t afford another war on two fronts, not with Night Terror pressing on our borders.”

He glanced at Beauty, and then his gaze flicked to Athena. “That’s why I called you both here.”

Athena’s heart lurched. Her throat closed up. Why her?

Gray pushed the papers closer to Beauty, his tone steady. “I want you and Athena to travel to Dark Moon Pack. Deliver our formal rejection. Make it clear that we won’t be bullied, but also that we’re not seeking unnecessary bloodshed.”

The words rang like a death knell in Athena’s ears. Her lungs seized, her vision blurred. She gripped the arms of the chair to keep herself from collapsing.

Dark Moon Pack.

Back to him.

Back to the place where her blood had stained the dirt, where her body had been broken, where her very soul had been cast out like trash.

She couldn’t. She wouldn’t survive it.

“No,” she whispered before she could stop herself.

Both siblings turned to her. Beauty’s brows furrowed in confusion. Gray’s expression didn’t change, but his pale eyes sharpened.

Athena forced herself to straighten. “I mean… perhaps it isn’t wise. Sending women, I mean. He might not take it seriously.” Her words stumbled over each other. Her voice was thin, shaking. “Shouldn’t you send your Beta? Or your warriors?”

“Gian won’t take women seriously?” Beauty’s voice dripped with venom. “Let him try.”

Gray didn’t look away from Athena. “You have concerns.”

Athena’s lips parted, but no excuse came. She couldn’t tell them the truth—that if she set foot in Dark Moon again, she risked exposure, ruin, and perhaps death.

Gray’s gaze was steady, unblinking. Then he spoke in a tone that left no space for argument. “You’ll go. That’s an order.”

The Alpha command slid into her like a blade, slicing through will and reason alike. Her body shuddered as the bond of obedience wrapped around her. She wanted to scream, to beg, to claw free, but all she could do was bow her head in trembling silence.

“Yes, Alpha,” she whispered.

Beauty looked between them, her jaw tight, but she said nothing.

Gray nodded once, final, and dismissed them with a flick of his hand.

The walk back from the mansion felt like walking in chains. Athena’s mind was chaos, her heart thundering so hard she thought it might burst.

Beauty was uncharacteristically quiet until they reached the courtyard. Then she stopped, catching Athena’s arm. Her eyes searched Athena’s face, sharp and probing. “You’ve been off since this morning,” she said. “Don’t bother denying it. What’s going on with you?”

Athena forced a weak smile, but it faltered under Beauty’s piercing stare. She looked away. “I just… I don’t want to leave my children.”

Beauty’s expression softened slightly, but only slightly. “Athena, I’ve seen fear before. This isn’t about leaving your children. You’re hiding something.”

Athena’s chest constricted. She shook her head quickly. “No. Nothing. I’ll be fine.”

Beauty studied her for another long moment, then released her arm. But her words carried quiet warning. “Secrets have a way of bleeding through when you least expect. Be careful.”

That night, Athena lay awake long after her twins had fallen asleep beside her. Light’s small hand rested on her arm, Liam’s breath soft against her shoulder. She stared at the ceiling, her mind racing.

Back to Dark Moon. Back to Gian.

There had to be a way out.

And yet, no matter how many plans she spun in her mind, the Alpha’s command bound her like shackles. She had no choice. She would walk back into the jaws of the wolf who had once tried to end her life.

And this time, she might not come out alive.