Chapter 2

I just stood there.

I let his Alpha command wash over me.

It was useless. A tidal wave crashing against a cliff.

The air grew thick with his power, and my soul ached from the fresh tear in our former bond.

Maybe this was the price the Moon Goddess demanded for my second chance.

He thought he could use his Alpha status to make me bend.

How pathetic.

“I agree,” I said. My voice was so calm, you couldn’t hear a ripple of emotion.

I pulled several rolled-up parchment maps from my leather satchel and tossed them onto the long conference table.

“Here are all the land surveys for the Blackwood territory.”

I paused, then unhooked a sigil made from a wolf’s fang from my belt and placed it on top of the maps.

“And this is the War Fang Sigil. It commands the pack’s warriors.”

Cora’s eyes lit up.

She eagerly reached out and snatched the sigil and maps, pulling them to her chest.

The sigil still carried my scent, and she recoiled for a second as if burned.

But greed won out.

“Wait,” I said, placing my hand over hers. My eyes flickered over her before landing on Aiden.

“You can have it all. But there are a few… bloody lessons our new Luna should learn.”

I pointed to one of the maps.

“The northern border of Blackwood is the Bloodclaw pack’s hunting ground. They’ve laid blood traps. Any wolf who crosses that line will be torn to shreds on sight. Cora, that cloying perfume you wear? It will be the perfect lure.”

Cora’s face went pale.

I pointed to another mark on a different map.

“The southern valley is the resting place of an Ancient Wolf Spirit. Disturb it, and the entire pack will be cursed. Cora, do you know whose bloodline the spirit demands for its appeasement ritual?”

The color drained from Cora’s lips.

She looked desperately to Aiden for help.

Aiden’s expression was grim.

In this new life, he only remembered the victory.

He’d forgotten the price.

The blood and sacrifice it took to win it.

“Enough!” he roared, unleashing his Alpha command. The air in the room turned to ice. “Elena, stop with your scare tactics and manipulative games! Cora will protect our lands just fine!”

I let out a soft laugh, completely unfazed by his pressure.

“Alright. Then I wish your bloodline all the glory it deserves.”

My gaze fell on Cora. I added, “Oh, and one more thing. To activate the War Fang Sigil, you have to chant the ancient wolf prayer. It’s a secret passed down through Aiden’s mother’s line, only taught to a worthy Luna. I assume you… don’t know it?”

My words were a silver dagger straight to her heart.

She didn’t even have the power to command the pack’s warriors.

The public humiliation, the feeling of being crushed by me, made her eyes burn with a jealous fire.

“Aiden!” she shrieked, her voice shrill and desperate.

“She’s humiliating me! Are you just going to let her stand here?”

She latched onto him like a lifeline.

“According to the oldest pack laws,” she cried, “an unmarked female rejected by her Alpha must be stripped of her name, her tattoo burned from her skin, and cast out. As a Rogue!”

Elder Marcus’s face fell.

“Cora, that’s a death sentence! She’d lose the pack’s protection. She’d be hunted and torn apart by other rogues or rival packs!”

“But the law is the law!” Cora sobbed, clutching Aiden’s arm.

“Aiden, are you really going to let one treacherous woman undermine the very foundation of our laws?”

All eyes turned to Aiden.

Just then, the conference room door creaked open.

Rhys was leaning against the frame, letting out a lazy yawn.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly into the room.

“Not even his Luna for a full day, and you’re already quoting ancient laws to have someone killed? You want to be a queen, but you can’t even speak the Old Tongue?”

Rhys’s mocking gaze swept over Cora.

“Brother, your ‘true love’ is a real piece of work. You’re really going to make Elena a Rogue? Are you trying to get us all killed?”

Aiden’s body went rigid.

He didn’t look back. He just stared at me, his golden eyes churning with conflict and fury.

Finally, he closed them. When he opened them again, there was only cold, hard resolve.

“Follow the law.”