Chapter 4

Cain relaxed.

He reached over and pulled the blanket up for me. The gesture was gentle.

I turned my head away. I couldn't look at him.

Pack Assembly day came quickly.

Cain had the Beta escort me to the Assembly hall.

He stood next to Vivienne the entire time.

I walked up to the stage. Hundreds of eyes stared up at me.

I clenched my fist, nails digging into my palm.

"There is no conflict between myself and Healer Vivienne."

The words scraped out of my throat, dry and hollow.

"What happened before was a misunderstanding. I hope every member of this pack will continue to trust and support her."

Two seconds of silence.

Then the crowd erupted.

"You made such a scene for so long that our best healer almost left!" An older woman shot to her feet, pointing straight at me.

"And now you're saying it was a misunderstanding?" Someone else scoffed.

"Is this what a Luna does? Say one thing and do another?"

I stood on that stage and didn't explain.

What was there to explain?

That Vivienne poisoned my mother? That she force-fed me wolfsbane?

It wouldn't matter. And Ethan was still in the silver prison.

I turned and walked off the stage.

I'd barely stepped down when a hand caught my arm.

"Luna!"

Vivienne had followed me, a sweet smile plastered on her face.

"I have some rare healing supplies stored in an old cave near the border. Lately I've been feeling like someone's been stealing from it." She tilted her head. "Could you go check on it for me?"

She paused, her smile widening.

"After all, you're the Luna. It'll carry more weight if you go."

"Send a guard." I refused coldly.

Vivienne tugged on Cain's sleeve like a child.

Cain walked over and frowned at me. "You can't even do her this small favor? You just stood up there and said there was no conflict, and now you won't even cooperate on something this minor."

I let out a bitter laugh. I knew I couldn't refuse.

He'd always been this domineering.

The difference was that before, his dominance was aimed at everyone else, and all his tenderness was saved for me.

Now his tenderness belonged to someone else.

He had a thousand ways to make me say yes.

I walked to the border alone.

The storage cave was deep in a dense stretch of forest. The moment I approached the entrance, three rogues in black cloaks burst from the trees.

The leader grabbed me by the throat and slammed me to the ground.

"Miss Vivienne asked us to teach you a lesson." His voice was ice cold. "Don't think being Luna means you can push people around."

A silver dagger sliced my arm. Once, twice, three times.

Silver toxin seeped through the wounds into my blood. The burning spread through my entire body in an instant.

They smashed my head against the cave wall again and again.

Blood poured down my face.

I fought with everything I had, but I couldn't break free from three rogues.

My consciousness was fading.

They started dragging me deeper into the cave.

Then a howl pierced the distance.

A figure came racing toward us.

I couldn't make out who it was before I blacked out completely.

I woke up in the pack's medical wing.

Cain was sitting by the bed, dark circles under his eyes, clearly up all night.

He'd been holding my hand.

When he saw me open my eyes, his grip tightened.

"We've identified them." His voice was hoarse. "A group of rogues that had been prowling the border tried to raid the supplies in the cave. You just happened to be there."

I stared at him.

"I've already sent warriors to eliminate them." His thumb traced lightly over the back of my hand. "I won't let you go to the border alone again."

He pulled a small bottle from his pocket and held it out to me.

"Vivienne prepared this specially—a concentrated wolf-spirit restoration remedy." He said, "She felt terrible when she heard you were hurt. She blames herself for asking you to go."

I looked at the bottle. I didn't take it.

"The rogue said, word for word, 'Miss Vivienne asked us to teach you a lesson.'" I looked at Cain evenly. "Do you believe me?"

Cain's expression changed instantly.

All the concern and guilt vanished, replaced by irritation.

"Wren, can you stop playing games? How could Vivienne possibly hire rogues to attack you?" His voice was sharp with annoyance. "She's a healer. Where would she even meet rogues?"

I said nothing.

"I feel terrible that you got hurt, but you can't blame Vivienne for everything just because something bad happened to you."

He paused, his tone softening. "Once you've healed, I'll take you to Moonlight Lake. Just the two of us. How does that sound?"

He truly wanted to make it up to me.

But he also truly didn't believe a single word I said about Vivienne.

I closed my eyes and stopped talking.