2

ELIANA

I woke up feeling the worst I have ever felt in my life. The pain clawed at my stomach, sharp and cruel, as the guards helped me walk down a large hall. The silver cuffs on my wrists burned like fire, searing my skin, and my head was spinning.

I blinked, trying to focus, but my body was screaming in agony. My hands slide to my belly, searching for the familiar weight of my baby, but it is gone. My baby was gone. A silent sob rips out of me as the realisation sinks in me.

My baby’s gone. My little girl. I had so many plans for us but now she was never going to know what the world looks like. What I looked like. I felt angry. So angry that I wanted to burn up the entire pack.

Hot tears streamed down my face as I bit my lip hard, tasting blood as I tried to stop myself from sobbing loudly. I won’t let these lycan bastards see me shatter.

I’m still Night Shade’s luna, weak or not, so I have to survive this and be strong for my pack.

The guards took me into a massive hall and my knees scraped the floor as they shoved me forward, the silver cuffs sizzling against my raw skin. I was shaking as the pain pulsed through every inch of me, but I forced my head up, glaring at the monster on the throne.

Alpha Darius Lantslov, the Lycan King.

Heavens, the man looks like an old devil. His gray eyes were cold as steel, and his features hard and cruel. He had a permanent cocky look on his face as he watched them drag me in.

Lycans hate werewolves. They thought we were weak, dirty, and only good for serving their high and mighty asses. I’ve felt their scorn my whole life since I worked in a lycan company once, but now, staring at Darius, it’s like there was a leg on my neck.

“Who stole from my accounts, omega?” Darius’s voice boomed, his tone low and menacing. “Night Shade pack was one of the fast developing werewolf packs but suddenly, I received a report that the pack had gone broke. Not only that, I started to get reports that someone was taking out of my own personal money. As you stand in front of me now, I am demanding a name. Tell me who it is and I will save your head from the spike.”

I opened my mouth, my throat dry as sand, but before I could speak, a guard slammed his fist into my side, right where I’m bleeding. Pain exploded throughout my body as I doubled over, gasping.

“Speak, you filthy mutt!” he snarled, his lip curling like I’m garbage. His eyes screamed hate, like I was a trash bag that was not worth the dirt under his boots.

My vision blurred, as my tears mixed with blood on the floor, but I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to straighten.

“It was Craig,” I choked out, my voice trembling. “My husband. He stole the money… for Jade, his stepsister. He spent millions on her jewels, cars, fancy clothes… and other things. I begged him to stop, but he did not stop. I threatened him and did everything I could to stop him. I’m so sorry, Alpha Darius.” My voice cracked, thinking of George, Ann, and the kids starving in the snow back home. “I should’ve told someone in higher authority but I was scared. The pack would’ve turned on me. I failed them.” I cried, unable to stop the tears no matter how much I tried.

Darius leaned forward, as he eyed me, “You’re the luna, omega. You are responsible for your pack if your husband is incompetent. You knew and did nothing.” He stood up from his seat and approached me, using his long black cane as support. “And you know damn well that treason means death.”

“Treason?” I gasped, jaw dropped.

“Yes. He is not around and since we are not sure of his whereabouts, you will be the one to pay for your pack’s sins.”

My heart stopped suddenly. Death? I felt like I could not breathe. How was it fair that I was going to be the one to take responsibility for the crime I did not commit? I was the one betrayed. How would I also be punished for it?

“No,” I whispered, stunned as my hands shook over my empty belly. “Please… I’ll fix it. I will work jobs to pay you back for everything that has been stolen from you. Please do not punish me or my pack for the mistakes of our alpha.” My voice is small, as I begged, as much as I hated it.

But the last thing I would do was give up after everything I had done for my pack, just to watch it crumble because their leader decided to fuck all of us up. Alpha Darius had opened his mouth to speak again when the room suddenly stilled.

I smelled something good in the air. A combination of pine, leather, and honey, and it smelled sweet and wild. The sweet scent made me alert, and I heard my wolf stir, even through the pain. My skin tingled as I turned to see who it was, but I couldn’t from the constraints of the chains.

A deep voice came from behind, and my heart skipped a beat.

“Leave her to us. She’s not dying today.” The voice was sharp and cocky. If I were not in pain, I would scoff. I waited to see who it was and I was surprised when three people came from behind me and stopped.

My heart dropped when I saw them. The Blackthorn brothers, Axel, Cade, and Rhett. They were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, all muscle and dangerous and their eyes locked on me.

I have heard rumours of them being the kings of the Blackthorn Riders, a biker gang, and one of the worst things to happen to my pack.

One of them stepped forward, and I immediately noticed how sharp his green eyes were. A smirk was playing on his lips as he stared down at me. “This werewolf is our mate, Dad. She’s ours to deal with now.”

My jaw dropped.

Mates? Plural?

Lyra was going crazy as she howled for them, but my head was screaming hell no. Three mates? That was just insane. And these guys were tall, tattooed, and worst of all are the Blackthorn Riders, the lycan biker gang that’s been terrorizing my pack for years.

They’ve left my people bruised and scared, and I hated their guts. But that scent was pulling me in, and I hate how my body’s betraying me.

Cade, whom I recognised with the messy blond hair and a cigarette dangling from his lips, grinned like he was trouble incarnate, which I was sure he was because I had heard about him before.

“Yeah, Dad. She’s got our scent all over her. Let her prove she’s worth it. It’s been a long time since someone took the luna selection trial, and life’s getting boring.”

Darius’s face twisted, in something that resembled disgust. “A werewolf omega? Your mate?” He scoffed mockingly, making my skin crawl. “She is a thief’s wife, and she is weak. A werewolf for, moon’s sake. This is worse than a curse!”

The scary looking man beside Darius, whom I assumed was beta Viktor, due to the scar across his face, sneered before he spoke up, “Save yourself the stress of the luna trials, Darius. She is never going to be able to survive them. She is weak and frail, it is just a waste of time. Kill her and be over with it now, we have no use for her.” His eyes raked over me, full of that same werewolf-hating disgust.

Something snapped inside of me immediately. Maybe it was the hope of the triplets— my mates standing next to me, or it was the fact that I had just lost everything and I was so angry.

“I’m not going to die,” I snapped, my voice shaky but still loud. “I’ll take your stupid trials. I’m not some weak omega you should feel sorry for.” My heart was racing, but I meant every word. I’ve lost my baby and my husband.

If this was the price I had to pay to not die and hopefully get back to my pack, then I would take the damn luna trials.

Darius stared at me, his eyes narrowing like he was seeing me for the first time. “You want to suffer?” he asked, his voice dripping with venom. “Fine then. The luna trials will break you, and I’ll enjoy watching every second of it, werewolf.”

I closed my eyes, sighing in relief that I was not about to die today. Darius waved a hand, dismissing me like I was trash. “Take her away.”

The guards yanked me up and the silver cuffs were cut off, leaving raw, blistered skin. My body was trembling with pain as they dragged me through dark hallways.

The triplets’ scent lingered in my nose, messing with my head. My wolf was whining, wanting them, but I shoved her down. I hated them. They’re the enemy, no matter what my body says, and whatever my wolf says.

They shoved me into a small room and banged the door close. I collapsed on the floor, my body shaking as tears spilled over. I felt scared, so damn scared.

I’ve heard stories of the luna trials, and they were said to be granted by the moon. All I heard were rumours, and I was scared that they would actually be as brutal as they were rumoured to be. I cried as I mourned my baby, my husband, and my pack.

“I’ll survive this,” I stubbornly whispered to myself.

For Night Shade, for my pack, and the werewolves. They all thought werewolves were weak, stupid, and dumb. I was going to survive, and I was going to bring justice to myself and my pack no matter how hard the trials tried to break me.