Chapter 1

No. I can't let them all die for some stupid game!

Then I remembered one last hope.

The Starlight pack had a Flower of Life that had been passed down for generations.

It could bring back anyone who had been dead for no more than three hours!

If I could get to it, there was still a chance to save them all.

I clenched my teeth, dug my fingers into the dirt, and dragged myself toward the mouth of the cave.

But the opening, where a little light had shone through before, had been sealed off!

All I could see was darkness.

I pounded on the stone with my bloody palms.

Smack.

The sound was too faint. The wind outside drowned it out.

I pulled the silver dagger out of my chest, gripped it, and slammed the hilt against the boulder.

Thunk!

Thunk!

The chatter outside stopped.

"Did you hear something in there?"

one of the wolves asked.

Another wolf hesitated.

"Yeah, I think so. Should we move the rock and check? What if something's wrong?"

If they came in and saw the bodies on the ground, Magnus would know the game had gone horribly wrong.

He would bring out the Flower of Life and save them.

But just as the footsteps approached, a third voice cut in.

"We blocked the cave to keep word from getting out.

"Besides, Susie's orders were clear. Nobody goes in. She wants them scared out of their minds all night so the surprise in the morning hits harder."

The third wolf lowered his voice and warned,

"The Alpha dotes on his adopted sister Susie. Defy her orders, and you're as good as dead."

After a short silence, the two wolves by the stone backed off.

"Fair enough. The rock's in place. They're not going anywhere."

"Come on, let's go get a drink."

My hand, still holding the silver dagger, went limp and slid down the rough stone wall, landing hard in the dirt.

As if every bone had been pulled from my body, I went limp and collapsed.

I turned my head and looked behind me.

The bodies lay scattered across the floor.

The truth was, I had wanted to wait one more night.

Maybe things would turn around.

Colt changed my mind with his graphic descriptions of the enemy's cruelty.

He said any male who fell into their hands would have his arms and legs broken, then be penned up like livestock.

And every female would become a sex slave!

Those words were the last straw. That was what finally broke everyone.

Looking back, Colt had probably been working for Susie Hale, Magnus's adopted sister.

She'd insisted on going into battle with the males, and no matter what I said, I couldn't talk her out of it.

Magnus was an Alpha who always followed the rules, yet he agreed to something so unreasonable.

He even scolded me for trying to stop her.

"Susie isn't like the rest of you, staying behind in the pack to look after the women and children. She's a hero. She can fight beside us on the battlefield."

But Susie had been sickly from birth. If not for years of herbal treatment, her wolf might never have awakened.

Maybe that was when I should have known it was all fake.

My vision blurred as I looked over at the corner.

My two daughters-in-law, Lily Hale and Nora Hale, were huddled there.

Lily, my older son's mate, held my three-year-old granddaughter, Poppy Hale, in her arms.

Poppy hadn't cried at all before she died. She held the piece of wolfsbane, looked up at Lily, and asked,

"Mommy, if I eat this, the bad guys won't get us?"

Lily fought back her tears and nodded.

"If you eat it, the bad guys won't get us."

Poppy swallowed it without protest and slumped against Lily, her little hand still clutching the hem of her mother's shirt.

Then Lily took the wolfsbane too.

Nora followed, then every other she-wolf in the pack.

Right up to the end, they believed they were defending the pack's honor.

I looked down at the silver dagger lying beside me.

The ruby glinted in the dim light, reminding me of the indulgent look on Magnus's face whenever he gazed at Susie.

I had believed that choosing death alongside the pack's weakest members was a brave stand against the enemy.

Now I knew the honor I had fought so hard to protect was nothing but a game to them.

I could hear voices outside.

"Think the Luna's going to burst into tears when she sees the Alpha tomorrow?"

"This game is so much fun. I can't wait to see them cry tears of joy when they see the Alpha tomorrow."

Tears of joy?

A broken laugh escaped me as bloody tears blurred my vision.

Then everything went black.

There would be no tomorrow for us.