Chapter 3

Echo POV:

The smell of bacon and syrup filled the kitchen, usually a comforting scent, but today it made my stomach churn.

"Sit down, Echo," Sam said, pulling out a chair. He was acting the benevolent Alpha, forcing harmony where there was only betrayal. "Lily made breakfast."

Lily looked up from her plate, eyes wide and innocent. She was wearing one of my old silk robes. "I hope you don't mind, Luna. I didn't have anything comfortable to wear."

I stared at the robe. It was a gift from my mother.

"Take it off," I said.

"Echo!" Sam slammed his hand on the table. "Be reasonable. It's just fabric."

"I want Mommy and Daddy to sleep with me tonight!" Kitty announced loudly, banging her spoon.

Lily hushed her, but shot a smirk in my direction. "Shh, Kitty. The Luna is sensitive."

I ignored them and sat down, mostly because my legs felt weak. My wolf was pacing inside my mind, scratching at the walls of my consciousness, demanding blood. Not yet.

"Here," Lily said, sliding a basket of bread toward me. "I baked this special bread. It has Sweetgrass in it. My grandmother used to say it helps with... fertility issues."

The insult was wrapped in a smile.

I looked at the bread. It looked golden and soft. Sweetgrass was a common herb, harmless.

"I'm not hungry," I said.

"Please, Echo," Sam sighed, looking exhausted. "Lily is trying to make peace. Eat the bread. Show me you can be a Luna who accepts her Pack."

Accepts her Pack. He meant accepts his infidelity.

I reached out. My fingertips brushed the crust of the bread.

Instantly, a sharp, stinging sensation shot up my arm. It felt like I had touched a live wire. My skin burned.

I jerked my hand back.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

I stared at the bread. My wolf snarled. *Poison.*

"That's not Sweetgrass," I whispered, looking at Lily. Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second.

"Of course it is," Lily said, her voice trembling. "I picked it myself."

"It's Wolfsbane," I said, my voice rising.

Wolfsbane. Deadly to our kind. In small doses, it causes sickness and miscarriage. In large doses, it closes the throat and stops the heart.

"You are crazy!" Sam stood up. "Wolfsbane? In the kitchen? Echo, your jealousy has made you insane."

"Touch it, Sam," I challenged him. "If it's Sweetgrass, eat it."

Sam hesitated. He looked at the bread, then at Lily. Lily's eyes were filled with tears again. "She's accusing me of trying to kill her! Sam, I can't stay here! She's dangerous!"

"She is dangerous," Sam agreed, looking at me with disgust. "Echo, you are losing your mind."

"I can smell it!" I screamed. *"The chemical bitterness underneath the sugar! She is poisoning me!"*

"Enough!" Sam roared. He used the Alpha Command. The air in the room grew heavy, pressing down on my shoulders like lead weights. "Silence!"

My mouth snapped shut against my will. The power of the Alpha over a pack member was absolute, unless the member was stronger. And right now, in my weakened state, he was stronger.

"I am taking Kitty upstairs to play," Sam said, his voice cold. "You and Lily will sort this out. Apologize to her, Echo. Or so help me Moon Goddess, I will lock you in your room."

He grabbed Kitty's hand and marched out.

I sat there, fighting the Command, my jaw aching.

As soon as Sam was gone, the tears vanished from Lily's face. She picked up the piece of bread I had touched.

"You have a good nose," she whispered, leaning across the table. "For a barren bitch."

"Why?" I managed to grit out, the Command fading slightly with Sam's distance.

"Because this is my Pack now," Lily hissed. Her eyes flashed yellow-the color of a common wolf. "Sam needs an heir. I gave him a fake one to get in the door. But once you're dead... I'll give him a real one. Or maybe I'll just take his money. Who cares?"

"He will find out," I said.

"He sees what he wants to see," Lily smiled. She stood up and walked around the table to me. "And right now, he sees a crazy, jealous ex-wife."

She grabbed my jaw with surprising strength. "Eat it."

*