3

ISLA'S POV

The silk of the nightgown felt like a mockery against my skin. It was too soft, too expensive, and far too kind for a body that had been ridiculed and discarded only hours before. I stood behind the double oak doors of the grand dining hall, my breath coming in jagged hitches.

Inside that room, I could hear the clinking of crystal and the low, rumbling hum of powerful men. The Ravencurse Pack. They weren't just werewolves; they were the elite. And I was a girl who had been kicked out into the mud in a piece of torn fabric.

"You’re shaking, Isla."

Caleb’s voice was right at my ear. I hadn't even heard him move. He stood behind me, his presence a towering wall of heat that seemed to shield me from the cold draft of the hallway.

"I don't belong here, Alpha," I whispered, my eyes fixed on my shaking hands. "Your people... they expect a Luna who looks like a goddess. I’m just... I’m the girl Noah laughed at. I’m the 'pig' the Green Diamond pack jeered at."

Caleb stepped around to face me. He didn't look at me with pity—that was the strangest part. He looked at me with a hunger that was almost terrifying. He reached out, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw before tilting my face up.

"Let them look," he murmured, his blue eyes dark. "Let them see exactly what I see. Do you know what happens to anyone in this room who dares to breathe a word against you?"

"They get punished?" I asked breathlessly.

"No," Caleb smiled, and for a second, I saw the predator behind the handsome mask. "They cease to exist. You are mine, Isla. Every curve, every scar, every part of you that Noah was too blind to value. Now, take my arm. Let’s show them who really owns the night."

I hesitated, then slid my hand onto his bicep. His muscles were like granite. He didn't wait for my courage to return; he signaled the guards, and the doors swung open.

The silence was instantaneous.

The dining hall was cavernous, lit by a chandelier that looked like it was made of frozen starlight. At the long obsidian table sat twelve men and women—the inner circle of Ravencurse. They were all dressed in black and deep reds, looking more like royalty than a pack of wolves.

As we walked, I felt the weight of their stares. I kept my head down, my hair shielding my face, waiting for the first laugh. Waiting for someone to point at my thighs or the roundness of my face and call me a disgrace.

Instead, I heard the sound of chairs scraping against the floor.

One by one, the elite of the Ravencurse Pack stood up. They didn't just stand; they bowed. Deep, respectful bows that were usually reserved for a Queen.

"Welcome home, Luna," they spoke in a synchronized chorus that vibrated in my chest.

Caleb led me to the head of the table. He pulled out a chair covered in crimson velvet and waited for me to sit before taking his place at the very end.

"Eat," Caleb commanded gently, gesturing to the feast laid out before us—prime rib, roasted vegetables, exotic fruits, and wines that smelled of summer.

I picked at a piece of bread, my stomach in knots. "Why are they being so nice to me?" I whispered to Caleb, leaning in. "They don't even know me."

"They know I chose you," Caleb replied, cutting into his steak with effortless grace. "In Ravencurse, my word is law. But more than that, they see the power you haven't realized you possess yet."

Across the table, a man with a jagged scar running across his eye cleared his throat. He was Silas, Caleb’s Beta and a man known for his ruthlessness.

"Alpha," Silas began, his voice like grinding stones. "We respect your choice, as always. But the Pack is whispering. The Green Diamond Pack claims she is... defective. That she has no wolf. They say you’ve brought a rogue into our sanctuary."

The air in the room turned ice-cold. I froze, the piece of bread turning to ash in my mouth. Here it was. The truth.

"Defective?" Caleb repeated the word slowly, as if tasting something foul.

"The girl has no scent of a wolf, Alpha," a woman added from the middle of the table, her eyes narrowing at me. "How can a wolf-less girl lead the strongest pack in the Northern Hemisphere? We are at the brink of war with the Silver Moon alliance. We need a Luna who can fight, not one who..." She paused, her eyes raking over my frame with a flicker of the old judgment I knew so well. "...one who can barely keep up."

I felt the familiar sting of tears. I wanted to run. I wanted to hide back in the forest where the shadows couldn't judge me.

"Isla," Caleb said, his voice abnormally calm. "Look at Silas."

I looked up, my vision blurred.

Caleb didn't stand up. He didn't shout. But suddenly, a wave of pure, unadulterated Alpha pressure exploded from him. It was so thick I could almost see it—a dark, shimmering aura that made the wine glasses on the table vibrate until they shattered.

The elders gasped, dropping to their knees as the sheer weight of Caleb’s power forced them down. Silas slammed his forehead against the table, groaning in pain.

"You speak of 'keeping up'?" Caleb’s voice was a low growl that sounded like an animal pacing in a cage. "You speak of 'defective'?"

"Alpha... please..." the woman gasped, clawing at her throat.

"Isla Montgomery is the daughter of the Great Alphas of the West," Caleb stated, his voice booming through the hall. "Her blood is older than this pack. Her wolf isn't missing; it is waiting. And she is not a rogue."

Caleb stood up then, his shadow stretching long across the floor. He walked over to me, and for a moment, the pressure vanished for me, though the others were still pinned to the floor. He placed a hand on my shoulder, and I felt a spark of electricity shoot through my spine.

"She is the Key," Caleb announced, his eyes glowing a predatory gold. "The prophecy of the Blood Moon spoke of a rejected daughter who would hold the power to unite the five kingdoms. Noah didn't reject a 'pig.' He rejected the most powerful weapon in the supernatural world."

The room went deathly silent. Even the sound of the wind outside seemed to stop.

I looked at Caleb, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Prophecy? Caleb, what are you talking about? I’m just... I’m just Isla."

Caleb leaned down, his lips brushing against my temple. His scent—cedarwood and rain—wrapped around me like a blanket.

"You were 'just Isla' in a pack of fools," he whispered so only I could hear. "Here, you are a legend. And very soon, the whole world will watch as you burn Noah’s kingdom to the ground."

He turned back to his council, his face hardening. "Prepare the initiation. We mate at the full moon."

"But Alpha!" Silas managed to grunt out. "The Green Diamond Pack... Noah has already filed a claim with the Council. He says she stole assets. He’s calling for an execution!"

Caleb laughed, a dark, chilling sound. "Let him come. I’ve been looking for an excuse to tear his throat out since the day he first touched what belongs to me."

As the dinner ended in a blur of hushed whispers and terrified glances, Caleb led me back toward the private wing. But as we passed a large, gilded mirror in the hallway, I caught a glimpse of my reflection.

For a split second, I didn't see my brown eyes. I saw a flash of silver. A glow so bright it looked like moonlight was trapped behind my pupils.

And then, a voice—cold, ancient, and feminine—echoed in the back of my mind.

He’s lying, little lamb. He doesn't want your heart. He wants the fire inside it.

I stumbled, nearly falling.

"Isla? What is it?" Caleb asked, his hand instantly steadying my waist.

"Nothing," I lied, my skin crawling. "Just... tired."

I looked at Caleb—at his perfect face and his protective gaze. He had saved me. He had fed me. He had called me beautiful. But as we reached the door to my room, I realized I didn't know him at all.

And if my wolf was finally waking up... why was she warning me about the man who had just saved my life?