Chapter 3

Elana POV:

I didn't make it out before moonrise.

The Pack Gala was mandatory. Emilio had dispatched a Guardian to my hospital room with a dress-a slate-grey slip of a thing designed to blend into the shadows.

*Fitting,* I thought, fingering the dull fabric. *He wants me to be invisible.*

I entered the ballroom, my body held together by painkillers and sheer, unadulterated spite.

The room was glittering with lights. Laughter bubbled up like cheap champagne. And in the center of the vortex was Hayden.

She wore red. A deep, blood-red silk that clung to her curves like a second skin. On her neck sat a diamond necklace I had never seen before. She held court, with wolves fawning over her as if she were already Luna.

I stayed anchored by the wall, Ayla gripping my elbow for support.

"Look at her," Ayla hissed. "She's practically gloating."

Hayden spotted me. Her eyes lit up with malicious delight. She excused herself from her circle and sauntered over, a glass of wine dangling dangerously in her hand.

"Elana," she cooed. "You look... tired. Shouldn't you be resting? After your... accident?"

"It wasn't an accident," I said, my voice low.

Hayden stepped closer, invading my personal space. She smelled of Emilio-cedar and rain. It made my skin crawl.

"You know," she whispered, her voice too low for anyone else to hear. "Emilio and I go way back. College. Sophomore year."

I froze. "We met in college. Junior year."

Hayden smirked. "Exactly. He found me first. But I was an Omega. Weak. He needed someone... useful. Someone to build his little empire while he secured his power." She tapped a manicured fingernail against my chest, right over my heart. "You were the shield, sweetie. I was the heart."

The world tilted on its axis.

It wasn't just an affair. It was the blueprint of our entire existence. Every kiss, every promise, every architectural plan I drew-it was all to build a kingdom for *her*.

"He used the Fated Mate bond," I whispered, horror dawning on me. "He felt the pull... and he used it to manipulate me."

"Fated Mates," Hayden scoffed. "Biology. Instinct. Emilio is a man of logic. He chose love over instinct. He chose *me*." She leaned in, her breath hot on my ear. "Leo is five. You do the math."

Five years. We had been together for four.

He had cheated on me before we had even officially started.

Just then, a squeal cut through the music.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

Leo ran across the dance floor. He was still wearing the moonstone bracelet. It dangled loosely on his small arm. He ran straight to Emilio, who scooped him up in his arms.

"There's my big man," Emilio said, kissing the boy's cheek.

The room went silent. This was a public declaration. An Alpha holding a child like that... claiming him.

Emilio looked up. His eyes met mine across the room.

For a heartbeat, I saw panic. He put Leo down quickly, smoothing his suit jacket. He started walking toward me, his hand raised as if to explain.

"Elana, wait-"

I didn't wait. I turned my back on him.

"Elana!" he barked.

I kept walking. The connection-that deep, spiritual tug that usually pulled me toward him-was screaming in agony. But my mind was silent. Cold.

Ayla was right beside me. "Let's go."

"No," I said, stopping at the double doors. "I need to do this."

I turned back. Emilio had stopped halfway across the floor, Hayden clutching his arm, whispering furiously. He looked torn. Not between two loves, but between his useful tool and his true desire.

I looked at Leo. The bracelet glittered, mocking me. It was a symbol of the moon, of the Luna's protection. And he had given it to the product of his betrayal.

*You were just a placeholder,* my inner wolf whimpered, curled into a ball of misery. *We were never the Luna. We were the staff.*

"I'm done building his walls," I told Ayla. "It's time to tear them down."

I threw my weight against the doors and walked out into the night air. It was cold, biting. It felt like freedom.

But freedom has a price.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Hayden's voice came from behind me. I turned. She stood on the steps, Leo hiding behind her legs. Emilio was nowhere to be seen.

"Away from you," I said.

"You can't leave," she sneered. "Emilio needs the western tower finished. And the nursery. You think you can just walk away? He's the Alpha. He owns you."

"He owns nothing of me," I spat.

"Leo," Hayden said, looking down at her son. "Tell the nasty woman what Daddy said."

The boy peeked out. "Daddy said... Daddy said you have to stay in the basement until you learn to be nice."

My blood ran cold. The basement. The Pack prison.

"Is that the plan?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Lock me up and force me to draw?"

"Whatever it takes," Hayden smiled. "Guardians."

Two large wolves shifted from the shadows, blocking my path.

I was trapped.