The streets of Silvercrest were quiet, the moon casting cold silver light over the cobblestones as I made my way home. My steps were slow, deliberate, yet my mind raced. The cathedral, the feast, the laughter all replayed in my head like a cruel symphony. Each word, each look from Jamie and Lisa, each snicker from the pack burned. I gripped my father’s pendant beneath my cloak, feeling the familiar weight grounding me, reminding me of who I was and what I had to do.I hadn’t expected anyone else to be awake, but shadows shifted near the council chamber’s balcony. I froze, pressing against the wall behind a stack of crates. Elders huddled in tight conversation. My heart skipped when I saw her—Lisa, standing in the center, her posture perfect, her smile soft and measured, her eyes sharp and calculating. Around her, several elders leaned in, their faces tense.I crouched lower, hiding in the shadows, ears straining to catch their words.“I don’t understand,” one elder said, his voice hesitant. “Why are you asking this of us? Ember is one of our own. We cannot—”Lisa’s tone cut through him like ice. “I am concerned for my safety. You saw her yesterday. The way she clung, the way she wept. She is unpredictable, and volatile. And some she-wolves, humiliated as she was, may act out and cause chaos in your pack. If you care for me, for her safety, and for the order of Silvercrest, you will do what is necessary.”Another elder shifted uneasily. “And what would you have us do? She was our Beta’s daughter, and though an orphan, she is from Silvercrest. We cannot simply—”Lisa’s eyes darkened, and her smile turned sharp. “Send her to Black Fang. Let them deal with her.”I froze, my blood running cold. Black Fang. The name struck like a dagger to my chest. Black fang is best known for being Lawless, ruthless, merciless. Wolves of Black fang have been hunting our borders, raiding our lands, killing without hesitation. The same men who killed my alpha and the king. To be sent there was a death sentence.“No!” I whispered under my breath, nails digging into the wood behind which I hid. My wolf whimpered faintly, recoiling within me, sensing the danger, the inevitability of what they plotted.Lisa’s voice carried again, soft and venomous. “Do not hesitate. We must ensure Silvercrest remains secure. She cannot be allowed to linger, clinging to false hopes, disrupting the order.”“But she—” the elder began, only to be silenced by Lisa’s icy stare.I bit down on a cry, pressing myself closer to the shadows. My chest heaved, mind spinning with the betrayal I was witnessing. They were deciding my fate. Without me. And worse, they pretended to be concerned, but their eyes didn't mask thir joy.I needed allies, someone who remembered my father’s service, someone who could argue for me. But I knew. There was no one. Not here, not now. Not while Lisa had already ensnared all of them.The wind shifted, carrying her laughter lightly, cruelly, and I had to swallow my rising panic. My wolf stirred, faint but firm, reminding me that I was not yet broken. That I could still act.The next morning, I forced myself to leave my dark cottage and move toward the courtyard. I needed to see Jamie, to confront him one last time before the council’s decision could be carried out. My steps faltered when I saw them: Jamie walking with his Beta and Lisa moving swiftly to him, twining her hands around his as if she was claiming him entirely.I drew in a shuddering breath. “Jamie,” I called, voice cracking, breaking the silence.He froze, turning slowly. The golden light of dawn caught his face, sharp and unreadable. There was no softness in his gaze, no echo of the boy I had once known. Only steel and command.“Why?” My voice rose, trembling with the weight of every betrayal and every broken promise. “Was everything a lie? Every word, every look—did it mean nothing to you?”“I don’t owe you explanations,” he said flatly, tightening his arm around Lisa’s waist.Lisa tilted her head, her smile gentle, voice soft but cutting. “You see how she clings? She cannot let go. I warned you, Jamie. Orphans are always desperate. They mistake pity for love.”Jamie’s jaw tightened. “She warned me about you,” he said quietly, voice low but cutting. “That you’d try to manipulate me. That you’d twist your emotions to your favor. And she was right.”My chest felt as though it were splitting. “She doesn’t know me—” I gasped, voice breaking.“She knows enough,” Jamie said sharply, like a whip cracking across my back. “She saved my life once. She is loyal, yes. But her loyalty is not what I need. What matters is the future of Silvercrest, and that future is secured with Lisa.”Lisa leaned against his shoulder, victorious, her eyes gleaming with triumph. The weight of their alliance, of their unity, crushed me from within.A familiar presence drew my gaze to the side. Sasha. Jamie’s sister. She had been waiting, circling like a vulture, and now she stepped forward, her smile sharp, cruel.“You really thought he would choose you?” she sneered, her voice dripping with disdain. “Dreaming, always dreaming. Before you came along, Jamie was mine. We were inseparable. And then you came along. My father loved you, your father gave you to Jamie as a gift. Then, to my glee father died, and suddenly he had to comfort the poor orphan girl.”Her eyes narrowed, cruel, piercing. “You stole him. But I’ve taken him back. And now he has found someone more worthy. A princess. A warrior. Someone who deserves him.”I felt the words pierce me, yet I forced my spine straight. “Enjoy your crown, Sasha,” I whispered, my voice low, sharp as ice. “It fits like poison.”Her smirk faltered for the briefest of moments before she composed herself, turning away with a subtle sneer.Later, I returned to my chamber, the events replaying endlessly in my mind. My gown lay in shreds across the floor, torn remnants of a dream that had been my life. I tugged at my hair, damp and clinging to my face, the weight of my father’s pendant pressing against my heart. Every cheer, every laugh from the feast drifted through the stone walls, each sound a reminder that my place had been stolen.A heavy knock rattled the door, jolting me upright. My heart raced.The messenger’s face was set in a mask of disdain. “The Alpha requests your presence,” he said, voice cold. “You are requested to present yourself to the council—or the guards will drag you there.”The door slammed shut again, leaving me alone with the storm of thoughts swirling inside my mind. My wolf stirred faintly, a shadow of its former strength, urging me forward.I smoothed the torn edge of my dress, squared my shoulders, and lifted my chin. Whatever they planned, whatever they schemed against me, I would face it on my feet. The fire in my chest, the memory of my father’s words, the bond with my wolf—all of it reminded me of one truth: I was not finished. And when the time came, I would make them pay for underestimating me. For thinking I could be discarded so easily.I stepped toward the door, every step echoing like a promise: I would survive. I would fight. And I would reveal the truth behind the Luna of Crimson Fang.