Ember’s POVThe knock came before dawn. Hard, sharp, a sound that didn’t ask for permission. It demanded obedience.I jerked upright. I hadn’t slept. I’d been sitting on the edge of my bed in the same dress I had pulled on after tearing off the wedding gown. Hours had passed since the rejection. Hours since the laughter still echoing from the hall.“You were summoned,” the messenger barked through the door, his tone dripping with contempt. “How dare you keep the Alpha and his council waiting?”Boot heels clicked as he retreated, leaving me trembling in the shadows. My hand found my father’s pendant, warm against my skin. His voice whispered in memory: “Never forget your worth, Ember. Even when the world tries to strip it away. You are worth more than they can ever know.”But worth was exactly what I no longer had. The whispers hadn’t stopped all night, even outside my chamber door. I was the rejected bride, a curse branded as a name they now called me. I was nothing more than the orphan who reached too high.I forced myself to rise, slipping into a plain gray dress. The wedding gown still lay in a heap on the floor, torn lace and broken promises.When I stepped outside, the village was already awake, restless, hungry for gossip. Wolves leaned against walls, warriors sneered, mothers drew their children close as if my shame might be contagious.“She deserved it…”“She thought she was untouchable.”“Worthless.”Every step toward the council hall was like walking barefoot on glass.The great hall loomed, its high doors carved with the crest of Silvercrest Pack—two wolves circling the moon. My father had once stood proud here as Beta. Now, his daughter entered as nothing but a stain.The guards pulled the doors wide.The chamber was alive with firelight and tension. Elders sat cloaked in robes, the central pit blazing. Warriors lined the walls. And on the dais, Jamie sat on the Alpha’s throne. Lisa beside him, regal already. Sasha lounged against the railing, sipping my humiliation like wine.“Ember Lane,” the eldest councilor intoned. “Stand before the Alpha and his council.”My steps dragged me into the firelight. Jamie’s eyes were cold, empty. His silence was worse than any insult.The council began at once.“What should be done with her? She is a liability and a distraction. An embarrassment.”“Yes she cannot remain here,” another said. “Her presence festers unrest. She’ll plot a revenge.”Their words lashed me, but I clenched my fists and lifted my chin.Then Lisa rose.“My lords,” she began, voice smooth as silk, laced with sweetness. “If I may offer… a solution.”All eyes turned. She tilted her head, the fire painting her like something divine.“I’ve heard some interesting rumors,” she said lightly, as though she was sharing gossip at a feast. “The Black Fang Alpha has been… shopping for a particular type of companion.” Her gaze flicked to me, her lips curling. “He has no voice, no mate, and yet he craves an heir. What better peace offering than one of our own? She is young, fertile and unwanted here. This is the only way she can be of use to us, one last time.”Her words landed like a dagger.Sasha clapped mockingly, grinning. “Brilliant, Lisa. This is inspired.”The council murmured. “Practical.” “A clean solution.”But one voice cut through—old Councillor Manor, his beard long and eyes weary. He shook his head. “Her father gave his life to this pack. Beta Lane was no ordinary wolf. Are we so quick to dishonor his service? Sending his only child to Black Fang like an object to be discarded?”The room quieted, just for a breath.Lisa’s smile twitched, but she smoothed it back into place. “And what would you suggest? That we keep her? Let her be a thorn in our Alpha’s side forever?”The others nodded, swept back into her current.I seized the silence, desperate. “Councillors, by our own laws no pack-born wolf can be sent out as tribute without consent. My father died protecting Silvercrest. He earned me that right. Are we so willing to break the laws he bled for?”For a moment, the words hung in the air. My wolf stirred faintly, proud.But Jamie’s voice cut it down. “The law bends for the safety of the pack.” His gaze swept over me, ice-cold. “And while you are here, there will be no safety. You would only cause division.”Something inside me snapped.I spun toward Lisa. “You don’t belong here!” The words tore from me, raw, shaking. “You are not one of us. You came from another pack, from another land, and you dare to decide my fate? You think I didn't see you conniving with the elders the other day?”For the first time, Lisa flinched. Her smile faltered, her eyes flashing sharp with anger before she masked it.But I saw it. And the glimpse gave me strength.“Enough.” Elder marrow interrupted. “You would not speed more lies from your gutter mouth.”I ignored him, turning to Jamie. “You would hand me to the Alpha who murdered my father?” I shouted, my voice rising over the chamber. “The same monster who drowned this land in blood? You’d sell me to him like livestock? Have you forgotten so quickly that his attack led to your father's death as well? So why—” I wept. “Watch your tongue,” an elder hissed. “You will not insult the council.”“I will not go!” My voice broke but carried. “I swear, I will not! Unless you drag me by my hair and throw me at his feet!”The chamber erupted. With wolves laughter. Shouts of approval from some, and disgust from others.Then Jamie rose, his hand tightening on Lisa’s. His eyes bore into me with the weight of judgment.“She warned me you’d say this,” he said quietly. “Lisa told me you’d fight. That you’d try to turn us against her. She was right. It is done.”The council stood in agreement, and Moren's protest drowned.“You will leave immediately,” the elder announced. “You will be taken under guard to Black Fang. There will be no delay.”My knees shook, but I stood tall. My wolf whimpered, but I forced her to hear me: This isn’t the end.Back in my chamber, I packed what little I had. Plain dresses, worn boots, my father’s pendant clutched tight. The wedding gown lay where it had fallen, a corpse of dreams.I paused at the window. Silvercrest stretched beneath the moonlight, my home, my prison, my grave.“If I survive him,” I whispered to the night, “I will come back. And they will regret this.”A hard knock rattled the door.“Time to leave,” the guard growled.I wiped my face, lifted my chin, and wrapped my fingers around the pendant. Then I walked toward the gates. Toward the monster who had stolen everything—my father, my pack, my future.And who would now claim me.As I crossed the threshold of my home, pulling all my belongings along with me, I made myself a vow, silent but sharp as steel: If I must walk into the jaws of a monster, I will not go quietly. I will serve if I must and I would make sure I survive. And if I survive, I will return—not as the rejected bride, not as the orphan girl, but as something greater than they had ever imagined.