Chapter 4

Sienna kicked the bloodied rogue, sending him sprawling at Ronan's feet.

"Tell us! Did you see Wren in the rogue encampment?"

The prisoner grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth, his mocking gaze shifting between Kian and Ronan.

"Saw her? Of course I saw her. She's our Alpha's favorite little pet."

"She's our new Luna now. Lives in the fanciest den, with servants waiting on her hand and foot."

Ronan lunged forward and grabbed his collar, pressing a silver-bullet pistol to his head. "Wipe that smirk off your face! If a single word you say is a lie, I'll blow your brains out!"

"You don't believe me, Enforcer?" The prisoner shrugged, spitting a mouthful of bloody saliva. "She shattered her own moonstone. Said she was sick of the pack's rules and didn't want you tracking her!"

"If you don't believe it, go check. See if the moonstone wasn't destroyed by force."

My soul shot toward the rogue. I wanted to tear out his throat.

That story was clearly fed to him by Sienna!

But his words broke my brother.

Ronan's hands fell away, the broken communicator in his grasp feeling like it was burning him.

The pack's specialists had just said the moonstone was severely damaged, as if it had been smashed against something hard.

"Did you hear that, Ronan?" Sienna patted her chest, letting out an exaggerated sigh of relief.

"Wren was always like this, throwing tantrums over the smallest things."

She turned to Kian.

"My Alpha, do you remember that day three months ago? She fought with you and blocked her mental link out of pure spite, so no one could find her. So selfish, thinking only of herself. How could someone like that ever be our Luna?"

"I tried to talk her out of it back then, told her not to make you worry, but she wouldn't listen. She said she wanted to make you anxious, make you regret it."

"Looking back now, she probably didn't block her link to make you worry. It was to make it easier for her to run off with that rogue!"

Kian stared at the prisoner, the last glimmer of hope in his eyes extinguished.

He twisted his lips into a sneer. "I knew it."

"She'd rather roll around in the filth with strays than be my Luna."

"Wren, you were always such a disappointment."

Ronan remained silent.

But the fists at his sides were clenched so tight they were cracking.

Sienna was still prattling on, parading her supposed "sisterly love," trying to cement the lie that I was still alive.

I floated in the air, my soul feeling like it was being ground to dust.

No...It wasn't like that!

The bloody night from three months ago flashed through my mind with painful clarity.

That day, I had listened to Sienna's advice to "go clear my head," blocking my link and walking alone into that desolate marsh.

I thought it was just a heart-to-heart between friends, but instead, I stumbled upon the Rogue Alpha using dark magic to break through our defensive wards.

There was no "elopement," no "pampering."

Only a cold dagger coated in wolfsbane and fangs pressed against my throat.

He tried to force me to reveal our pack's defensive layout so he could slaughter the elders on the full moon.

I was terrified.

But I knew that if I let him in, Kian would be in danger, and the entire pack would descend into hell.

"In your dreams," I had refused flatly.

And so, the torture began.

When he wasn't looking, I desperately tried to activate my moonstone, wanting to record his face and voice to send to my brother.

But I failed.

He saw what I was doing, stomped on my hand and shattered the bones, then snatched the moonstone and smashed it against a rock.

"Trying to send a message? Since you love this rock so much, you can take it to hell with you!"

He forced me to swallow the jagged shards of the stone.

Its sharp edges tore through my esophagus, and blood choked my airway.

But now, the secret I had died to protect was being twisted by Sienna into "ironclad proof" of my betrayal.

I finally understood. Sienna had planned all of this from the start.

She wanted me dead, my name branded in shame, so she could take everything that was rightfully mine.

My body began to flicker violently, becoming more and more transparent.

"Wren, your soul will dissipate in seven minutes."

The Moon Goddess's voice echoed once more.

I leaned weakly against Ronan's shoulder.

I had no weight, yet my heart felt as heavy as a mountain.

The honor I died to protect had become a joke to them.

The Alpha I loved was cursing me with the most venomous words.

Is this how it ends?

But I refuse to accept it.

Kian, brother... please, just look back!

I'm right here, watching you from inside this ravaged body!

Just as my soul was about to dissolve into specks of light, the doors to the infirmary compound were thrown open.

A sweat-drenched warrior stumbled in, holding a small tray covered with a velvet cloth.

He didn't even have time to salute. "Alpha! Enforcer! The Bloodline Resonance ritual is complete!"

"The Grand Elder repaired the moonstone shards! When we dropped Enforcer Ronan's blood onto it... it glowed crimson!"

"This only happens when the stone is stained with the soul of a direct blood relative! The deceased... is 100% Miss Wren..."