~ALPHA RAEL'S CHAMBERS~

Rael sat on the couch, his head leaning back, eyes shut tightly. The fire in the hearth flickered, casting long shadows across the stone walls. But nothing around him burned more than the war inside his chest.

Wolfie was pacing in his mind, restless.

Skye stood a few feet away, arms crossed, expression conflicted.

“You can lock the world out, Rael. But you can’t lock me out.” Wolfie’s voice was raw now. “You’re not just hurting her. You’re destroying us.”

Rael’s claws instinctively shot out from his fingers, scratching deep into the arm of the leather couch.

“She’s not ours,” he growled under his breath. “She was planted. She’s a trap, don’t you see? All this pain....this bond....it’s a sick game to weaken me before war.”

“You don’t believe that,” Wolfie snapped.

“You felt her. The pain she was in, the fear, no traitor could fake that. You smelled her blood, Rael. It’s Silverborn.”

Rael’s eyes flicked open at that. That word again- Silverborn. Elder Vasha had said it too.

“I don’t give a damn about bloodlines,” Rael muttered. “If she was Silverborn, they would’ve used her to infiltrate. Win my trust. Get inside the pack.”

“I’m not going to fall for tha, not after what happened with Talon.”

Wolfie went quiet for a moment.

Then…

“So you’re punishing her for someone else’s betrayal?” Wolfie asked.

“This isn’t about her being dangerous. It’s about you being afraid. You’re afraid of being vulnerable again. Afraid of trusting someone who could break you. So you’d rather kill her before she gets the chance.”

Rael stood up and turned to the window, his fists shaking. The moon was full tonight. Silver light spilled across the floor, casting a ghostly glow that touched the tips of his boots.

His chest ached but he shoved it down.

“You’ve said enough.”

Wolfie didn’t respond again.

“Rael,” Skye finally spoke, his voice low but firm. “Are you really going to reject your mate? I know you're stubborn, but this... this is another level of it.”

Rael didn’t open his eyes. “I'm not marking her. Tomorrow, I’ll reject her officially and I’ll order her execution.”

There was a tense beat of silence before Wolfie’s voice rang sharply in his head.

“So you're seriously killing our mate?”

Rael’s fingers curled into fists.

“I don’t care what anyone says,” he muttered. “We’re at war. Packs are moving. Something's coming this season, I can feel it. Whoever sent her knew exactly what they were doing. She's a distraction. A weapon to throw me off.”

Skye stepped closer, eyes narrowing. “What if she’s telling the truth? What if she’s not part of any plan? You’d be punishing her for something she didn’t do. What if Vasha is right? What if you’re the one in the wrong, Rael?”

“I can’t take that chance,” Rael growled. “She’s an enemy until proven otherwise. And until then... I need to shut Wolfie up before he gets us both killed.”

“I’ve made my decision,” he said coldly. “You can go back to your chambers, Skye. I’ll call if I need you.”

Skye lingered for a second longer, disappointment flashing across his features, then he turned and left.

As the door closed, silence swallowed the room again.

~ DAMON’S CHAMBER~

The heavy wooden door creaked open and Lyra followed Damon inside. The space was dimly lit, all stone walls and deep shadows. A few hunting trophies lined the walls, and the scent of burning cedar still clung to the air.

Damon didn’t say a word as he tugged off his shirt, muscles tense and scarred, and stalked toward the small cellar tucked into the wall.

He pulled out a dark bottle of wolf crafted liquor, popped the cork with his teeth, and poured himself a glass with a practiced hand.

Lyra leaned against the edge of the carved table, eyes following his movements. “Since when did Rael have a mate?”

Damon didn’t look at her as he answered. “It just happened.”

“That’s not an answer,” she pressed.

He exhaled through his nose, bitter. “I doubt it. There’s no way a strong Alpha like Rael would be fated to some filthy rogue. Something’s off. I’m suspicious of that prisoner.”

Damon downed the glass in one gulp, then poured another. His jaw ticked.

Lyra raised a brow but didn’t hide the smirk curling on her lips. She stepped closer and took the bottle from his hand, pouring herself a drink.

“She’s not just any rogue,” Lyra muttered, sipping. “She’s the Silverborn girl, right?”

“That’s what she claims to be,” Damon scoffed. “But Silverborn blood is supposed to be extinct. I’ve seen plenty of wolves use old tales to buy their lives. Doesn’t mean a damn thing until the truth is proven.”

Lyra tilted her glass and took another sip, slow.

“But I think Elder Vasha’s on her side,” Damon said. “She’s been whispering things to Rael. She wants him to claim that girl. Make her Luna of the Blood Moon Pack.”

The way he said Luna carried venom.

Lyra's lip curled. “Vasha’s always been too spiritual for her own good. Thinks everything is written in stars and fate. I don’t trust it. And neither should Rael.”

Lyra’s gaze darkened, her fingers tightening slightly around the glass. “Rael deserves someone worthy. Strong. Someone who’s proven herself, not a trembling stray dragged in with chains.”

Damon finally looked at her, his brow raised. “You volunteering, Lyra?”

She didn’t flinch. “Maybe I am.”

There was a beat of silence. The kind that hung heavy, hot.

Then Damon chuckled without humor. “Careful. Ambition like that either gets you the throne… or the grave.”

“I’ve never been afraid of either.”

He gave a quiet grunt of approval and turned, taking another drink. His back was still tense.

After a moment, his voice dropped lower. “Keep your eyes open. That girl’s not just some mate. She’s a problem.”

Lyra’s smirk vanished, lips thinning. “Then maybe we should get rid of her before she becomes a bigger one.”

Damon didn’t answer but he didn’t disagree either.

Lyra’s hand trembled, then clenched around the delicate glass until it shattered in her palm. Blood ran down her fingers, glistening crimson under the dim lantern glow but she didn’t flinch.

Her voice trembled with rage.

“ I will not let a worthless piece of shit take my place beside Rael. Rael is mine… he’s always been mine.”

The air grew thick, the kind of silence that came before violence. Damon set his glass down slowly, his eyes never leaving her. Then he stepped toward her- each movement deliberate, like a wolf circling its prey.

“Then we’ll fix that,” he said, voice low, deep. “We’ll devise a plan. You’ll be Luna of this pack, just as you deserve, and once we take Rael down… you’ll claim me as your Alpha.”