Chapter 1

In the sixth year of willingly serving as Alpha Kane's cure, I was finally dragged out of the dungeon.

He didn't even look at the blood as he poured it out. His voice was flat.

"My wolfsbane was cured a long time ago. And your parents were never cursed."

He stepped around the blood pumps stacked on the floor like the sight of them disgusted him, looked down at me, and sneered.

Six years of devotion. And this was how I learned the truth.

I forced my cracked lips apart. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"You made Selene miscarry. If your blood hadn't been useful, I'd have exiled you years ago."

"The moonflower in her garden needs she-wolf blood. It'll help her conceive. Your blood wasn't wasted."

"I was going to keep you down there four more years. But the pack needs an heir."

My arms shook under me. Pain ripped through my whole body.

"You brought this on yourself."

Damien glanced down at me, his lip curling.

"Selene was kind enough to spare your life. She's letting you carry the Alpha's child. What more do you want?"

Kane's eyes moved over my sunken collarbone, the bruises mottling my arms.

His brow tightened — just for a second — and he turned to Damien. Suspicious.

"I've smelled something faint on her ever since they brought her up. Has she put some kind of curse on me?"

His gaze raked over the dried blood crusted on my skin.

His voice was impatient.

I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood, forcing the words out.

"If you all hate me so much, why don't you just kill me?"

"Why would I let you off that easy?"

"Selene can't have children because of you. So you can suffer for her."

"I told you. It wasn't me. Her losing that baby had nothing to do with me."

Selene, who'd been watching quietly, couldn't keep still anymore.

She started trembling.

"Lyra! Stop denying it! If you weren't trying to atone, why would you have let us draw your blood for six years without a fight?"

Then she turned to Kane. Her eyes went soft, wounded.

"I did it for him. That's all."

Kane's anger surged. He looked down at me like I was a stray dog panting at his feet.

"Don't make me sick. I never asked you to cure me. Stop trying to come between me and my mate, or I'll throw you straight back in that hole."

I stared at him. Then at Selene.

I had no idea why he still believed she was his mate.

Before I could say anything, Damien surged forward, hand already raised.

"Enough, Lyra. Six years and you still haven't learned. We should've let you die down there."

The slap came. I couldn't even flinch.

Six years of bleeding had slowed my body. I could see it coming and I couldn't move.

The memory of the dark hit me all at once and I started to shake.

Selene's beautiful eyes were brimming with tenderness, with pity —

But underneath, smug.

She tilted her head, just slightly. Mouthed the words at me.

"Six years and you still haven't learned?"

Then she blinked, and the tears were already there. She turned, threw herself into Kane's arms, her voice catching.

"Kane… she glared at me… I was so scared…"

Kane looked down at me. "We're not cruel. Apologize to Selene in front of everyone. Prove to our parents you've changed. Swear you'll never accuse her or hurt her again — and we'll let you carry the heir. We'll let you go back to the pack."

My gaze swept over every family member in the room.

Not one of them objected.

I nodded. Numb. "Fine. I'm sorry."

The pack doctor had told me my blood couldn't regenerate fast enough to keep up with the rate I was losing it.

The last draw, the tubes had come back yellow. Thin tissue fluid. No blood left.

And Kane — my mate — only my blood could pull that wolfsbane out of his marrow. I'd given everything, willingly. This was what it bought me.

At least I wouldn't live to see another full moon.

I didn't have much suffering left.