Marcus's POV

My hands shook as I watched Kira disappear into the storm.

What had I done?

The golden light that had burst from her body still made my skin tingle. Every wolf in the room felt stronger, healthy, more alive. But that was impossible. Kira was just a weak omega. Wasn't she?

"Alpha!" Beta Williams grabbed my arm. "We need to go after her! If she's working with rogues like Chelsea said—"

"No." The word came out harder than I meant it to. "Let her go."

But even as I said it, my wolf howled in anger. Rex had been restless all night, running in my mind like a caged animal. Now he was going crazy.

Mate! he growled at me. Our mate! Go after her!

She's not our mate, I told him firmly. Sarah is our mate. Sarah is what the pack needs.

Rex snarled harder. Liar! You felt it too! The power! The link! She's ours and you let her run into danger!

I pushed Rex down deep in my mind and turned to face my pack. They were all staring at me, waiting for words I didn't have.

"The show is over," I stated. "Sarah and I will be joined at the next full moon. Everyone go home."

People started to leave, talking to each other about what they'd seen. About Kira's power. About whether Chelsea was right about dark magic.

Sarah appeared at my side, her face glowing with success. "Marcus, that was amazing! Did you see how scared she looked? And that light trick—obviously fake magic to make herself seem important."

I nodded, but something cold settled in my stomach. "Obviously."

"I'm so happy," Sarah continued, putting her arms around mine. "We're going to be perfect together. And now that the evil one is finally gone, nothing can ruin our happiness."

The cursed one. Even Sarah called her that.

But I remembered Kira as a child, before the pack's abuse broke her spirit. She used to smile all the time. She used to help hurt animals in the forest. She used to look at me like I was her whole world.

When had I stopped seeing that little girl? When had I started seeing only what the pack expected me to see?

"Marcus?" Sarah's voice brought me back to the present. "You're not listening to me."

"Sorry. I'm just tired. It's been a long night."

Sarah pouted. "Well, don't be too tired. We have wedding plans to make!"

She kissed my cheek and bounced away to join her friends. They instantly surrounded her, squealing about wedding dresses and flowers and honeymoons.

I stood alone in the middle of my pack house, feeling empty inside.

"You did the right thing." Chelsea appeared beside me, her green eyes gleaming with joy. "Kira was always trouble. Now she's someone else's problem."

Something in her tone made Rex stir uncomfortably. "Someone else's problem?"

Chelsea shrugged. "Well, she won't live long out there alone. Especially not with rogues hunting in our area lately."

My blood went cold. "What rogues?"

"Oh, didn't I mention? I've been picking up strange smells near the borders for weeks. Big, mean wolves that don't belong to any pack. They've been getting closer every night."

My hands clenched into fists. "And you're just telling me this now?"

Chelsea's smile was too sweet. "I didn't want to worry you before your big reveal. But now that it's over..." She shrugged again. "I'm sure whoever they are, they'll take care of our Kira problem for us."

Rage burst through me. Rex roared so loud in my mind that I almost shifted right there.

"You knew," I growled. "You knew there were rogues out there, and you let me send her into the storm anyway."

"Send her?" Chelsea laughed. "Marcus, she ran. Like the coward she's always been. This isn't your fault."

But it was my fault. I could have rejected her personally. I could have let her down softly. Instead, I'd embarrassed her in front of the entire pack. I'd broken her spirit so totally that she'd rather face unknown dangers than stay another minute with us.

With me.

"I have to find her," I said, moving toward the door.

Chelsea grabbed my arm. "No! Marcus, think about what you're doing! If the pack sees you running after her, they'll think you care about her more than Sarah. They'll think you're weak."

She was right. A weak Alpha meant a weak pack. A weak pack meant other Alphas would try to take our area. People would die.

But Kira might die tonight if I didn't find her.

"She's not worth it," Chelsea whispered. "She never was. Let her go, Marcus. Let the rogues deal with her, and focus on your future with Sarah."

I stared at the door, torn between duty and something I couldn't name. Something that felt like my heart being ripped in half.

Then a new smell hit my nose. Strange. Powerful. Definitely not from my pack.

"Do you smell that?" I asked.

Chelsea's face went pale. "Smell what?"

The smell was getting stronger. Multiple wolves, moving fast through our area. Coming from the direction Kira had run.

Rex went wild in my mind. Rogues! They're after our mate! MOVE!

But before I could take a step toward the door, it burst inward.

Three huge wolves burst into my pack house, their eyes glowing red with bloodlust. Behind them came more wolves, at least a dozen, all bigger and meaner than any rogues I'd ever seen.

The lead wolf changed into human form. He was huge, with silver hair and scars covering his strong body. His gray eyes found mine and he smiled, showing teeth like knives.

"Alpha Marcus Reid," he said in a voice like grit. "I'm Viktor Steele. We need to talk."

My pack members who were still inside started backing toward the walls, frightened. Sarah screamed and hid behind her father.

But Viktor wasn't looking at them. He was looking at me.

"Where is she?" he asked quietly.

"Who?"

Viktor's smile got bigger and more dangerous. "Don't play stupid, pup. The girl. The one with the bright light. The one who just ran into my forest."

My blood turned to ice. Somehow, these rogues knew about Kira. They'd been watching. Waiting.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied.

Viktor laughed, and the sound made my skin crawl. "Oh, but you do. And here's what's going to happen. You're going to tell me exactly where she went. Or I'm going to kill everyone in this room, starting with your pretty little Luna."

He nodded toward Sarah, who let out another scream.

"And then," Viktor continued, his gray eyes never leaving mine, "I'm going to find the girl anyway. Because she belongs to me now. She just doesn't know it yet."

Behind him, his rogues snarled and snapped their teeth. They were hungry for murder.

Rex was howling for war, but I couldn't fight them. Not with innocent pack members in the room. Not when I was overwhelmed three to one.

"You have ten seconds," Viktor said, pulling out a silver knife that gleamed in the moonlight. "Where is the girl with the golden power?"

I looked at the knife. At the rogues. At my scared pack.

And I realized that no matter what choice I made, someone I cared about was going to die tonight.

The question was: who was I willing to sacrifice?