Amelia’s POV

I swore to myself I’d never let the Silverlight Pack get their hands on me again. After I slipped away from the train station in Brimwatch, my heart was pounding so hard I thought it’d burst. 

I had a plan—get to the docks, hop on a boat, and disappear for good. Anywhere was better than going back to that nightmare. But every step I took, I kept checking behind me, terrified I’d see one of their soldiers coming for me. A few strangers helped me out along the way. An old lady at a market stall gave me a loaf of bread when she saw how hungry I looked. A dockworker pointed me toward a cheap ferry leaving that night. For a moment, I thought I might actually make it.

Then it all fell apart.

I was so close to the boat, the salty air hitting my face, when Silverlight’s soldiers grabbed me. I screamed, kicked, even tried to bite one of them, but it was no use. They were huge, and I was just… me. No wolf, no strength, nothing to fight back with. 

Their hands clamped around my arms, bruising my skin, and they dragged me to a van. My stomach churned as we sped back toward Silverlight territory. All I could think was, This is it. I’m done.

They didn’t take me to the packhouse like I expected. Instead, they dumped me in some gross safehouse near the border. The place was falling apart—peeling paint, moldy walls, and a smell like something died in there. My heart was racing as they shoved me through a heavy door into a dimly lit room. And there he was. Jasper. My stepbrother.

He was lounging on a ratty couch, one arm slung around a female wolf who was practically in his lap. She had sharp cheekbones, dark hair pulled tight, and a smirk that made my skin crawl. Jasper’s eyes locked on me, and his grin was pure poison. “Well, look who’s back,” he said, his voice dripping with smugness. “You’re gonna pay for running, Amelia.”

The woman—Estrella, I heard one of the soldiers mutter—glared at me like I was trash. She leaned closer to Jasper, her nails digging into his arm. “Don’t even think about trying to seduce Alpha Jasper,” she hissed. “He’s mine, you little rat.”

I almost laughed, even though my hands were shaking. “Trust me, you can have him. He’s gross.”

Her face turned bright red, and she jumped up, raising her hand to slap me. “You worthless servant!” she screamed. “You’re not even a wolf! You’re nothing!”

Before her hand could connect, Jasper grabbed her wrist, yanking her back. “Chill, Estrella,” he said, his voice cold but calm. Then he stood up, his eyes narrowing as he stalked toward me. Before I could move, his hand shot out, wrapping around my throat. I gasped, clawing at his fingers as he squeezed, lifting me until my toes barely touched the ground.

“Why’d you run from me, huh?” he roared, his face so close I could feel his hot breath. “You think you can just leave? You’re my servant, Amelia!”

I choked out a scream, my voice scratchy. “Somebody, help! Please!”

Jasper laughed, a nasty, cruel sound that made my stomach twist. “Scream all you want, little sister. There’s nowhere to go. You belong to me.”

“I’m not your slave!” I yelled, my voice shaking but loud. “I’m not anyone’s!”

He shoved me back, and I stumbled, slamming into the wall. Pain shot through my shoulder, but I stayed on my feet. Jasper smirked, pointing at my arm. “That brand says otherwise. You’re mine, Amelia. Always will be.”

I froze, my eyes dropping to the ugly scar on my arm. It was a jagged, burned mark, red and raw even after all this time. The memory hit me like a punch—Jasper holding me down, the red-hot iron searing my skin, my screams echoing while he laughed. I’d begged him to stop, but he just kept going, saying it was to “mark his property.” My knees wobbled, but I forced myself to stand tall. I wasn’t going to let him see me break again.

Then Jasper stepped closer, sniffing the air around me. His face twisted, and his eyes went dark with rage. “You smell like another wolf,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. “Who’ve you been with, you traitor?”

My heart stopped. The guy from the train. His scent must still be on me from that night. I didn’t even know his name, but Jasper was acting like I’d betrayed him. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but he raised his hand, ready to hit me. I flinched, bracing for the pain, my whole body tensing.

“Alpha!” A voice cut through the room. It was one of Jasper’s Betas, a tall guy with a shaved head and a scar across his cheek. “What’s going on in here?”

Jasper lowered his hand, still glaring at me like he wanted to rip me apart. “Just teaching this runaway a lesson,” he snapped. “What do you want?”

The Beta shifted, looking uneasy. “Alpha Ryder from the Pawmoon Pack is coming. He’ll be here in an hour. They moved up the meeting.”

Jasper froze, his eyebrows shooting up. “Ryder? From Pawmoon? Why the hell are they here early?”

My stomach dropped. 

Alpha Ryder. That name again. If that ruthless Alpha took me, it was over—truly over. 

Death wouldn’t even be the worst punishment. 

My heart pounded so hard I thought I’d pass out. I felt trapped, like a caged animal, knowing I’d be his prisoner soon. I wished I could just die right then.

Jasper turned back to me, a cruel grin spreading across his face. “You hear that, Amelia? Your new owner’s coming to get you. Hope you’re ready for an old, ugly bastard.”

………………………………

Ryder’s POV

I couldn’t stand still.

The memory of the bruises on her—fresh, some older—burned under my skin harder than the realization that the pack she’d been running from that night was definitely Silverlight. Were they inflicting more pain on her? The thought made my wolf pace my ribs and my hands want to break things. I wanted to be on that safehouse roof this second; I wanted to teleport to her and drag her out myself.

The team was dawdling with gear like time was a luxury I owned. I stomped out to the yard, slid into the Jeep, started the engine—ready to drive off—when Beta Lucas stepped in front of the bumper.

“Move,” I barked.

He didn’t.

I jabbed the horn. “Get out of my way, Lucas.”

He still didn’t budge. “Seems to me the Alpha’s trying to kill himself. Have you forgotten you’re still banged up?”

“Didn’t know the Pawmoon Alpha was fragile in his Beta’s eyes,” I retorted.

Lucas sighed, then reached for the driver’s door like he’d already decided. “I’m coming with you. Let me drive.”

“Fine. Make it fast.” I slid into the passenger seat.

“What’s the plan?” Lucas asked finally, after diplomatically ignoring my repeated requests to go faster.

“Tell Jasper to find her and hand her over.”

“And if he doesn’t?” he asked.

“We seize Silverlight.”

Lucas teased, “You’ll break the Union’s peace treaty for her?”

“Just drive.”

“Then Alpha doesn’t want to hear the latest development?”

“What?”

“Your girl is the same one Marcus claimed. Silverlight already agreed to sell her to us. You can finalize the transfer.”

The news should’ve eased something. It didn’t. If anything, it made my blood pound hotter, my jaw clench tighter. “Step on it.”