Chapter 2

Liam's brow furrowed.

"Sweetheart, don't overreact. Elena is the most powerful Shaman Healer in the pack. Her diagnoses are never wrong."

He stepped closer, softening his voice, reaching for my shoulder.

"Besides, you already agreed to sign the Blood Pact. Backing out now isn't exactly Luna behavior."

I stepped sideways, out of reach.

"Maybe I'm Luna to this pack." I held his gaze. "But first—I'm a mother."

"Lily's in Rampage, and you didn't bother looking for a cause. You didn't look for a cure. You just wrote her off in your head."

"Tell me, Alpha—is the pack so desperate for organs that you need to sacrifice your own daughter?"

Liam's expression froze.

"Sophie, what kind of talk is that? This is an honor!" His voice dropped, heavy. "You know as well as I do—once a wolf enters Rampage, there's no coming back. This tantrum you're throwing? It's pointless. Just wasting time."

"If anyone's to blame, it's her. She didn't have the willpower—"

My blood turned to ice.

He was saying Lily deserved this. That she brought it on herself.

I stared at him for a long moment. Then I turned without another word and walked away.

Right now, keeping Lily alive was all that mattered.

The man behind me? He wasn't the father who'd once spent a fortune buying naming rights to a star because our little girl wanted one.

I pulled out my phone as I headed back to Lily's room.

My fingers hesitated over a number I hadn't called in five years.

My brother - Marcus Warren. Now a Council member.

Five years ago, I'd left our vast territory behind to mate Liam, to build Ironridge Pack with him. Every time I wanted to visit home, Liam stopped me. Said he couldn't bear the days without me.

So my family and I drifted into silence.

But now? They were Lily's only hope.

The line connected. I didn't have time to explain.

"Marcus. Bring your best Healer to Ironridge. Now. It's Lily—"

A beat of silence. Then my brother's voice, low and steady:

"Hold on. I'm coming."

I glanced at the clock.

One hour. If we could survive one hour, everything would change.

Liam had been mind-linking me nonstop. I'd blocked every attempt. He caught up to me, breath quick.

"Sophie, enough!" His voice stayed low, his face still wearing that "I'm worried about you" mask.

"Come sign the pact. The Elders are waiting."

I didn't look at him. My eyes stayed on Lily, chained to that bed.

Liam grabbed my wrist, trying to pull me toward the office. "Stop interfering with the Healers. Dragging this out helps no one."

I whipped my head toward him. "What's the rush? Eager to sign so you can hand her over for butchering?"

His pupils contracted. Panic flickered behind his eyes—there and gone.

"What the hell are you talking about? She's my daughter! You think I'm some kind of monster?"

"Lily's wolf spirit is shattered. She's nothing but a thing now—a beast that only knows how to bite and tear. Giving her body to the pack, saving other pups with potential—that's the only value she has left."

"She always said she wanted to be a hero for the pack. I'm honoring her wish."

The words hit me like a fist.

Weeks ago, he'd started telling Lily stories about wolf heroes who gave their lives for the pack. Her eyes had sparkled. She'd clapped her little hands and shouted, "I want to be a hero too!"

I'd felt proud then. Thought he was teaching her kindness.

It never once occurred to me—he was priming her. Softening her up. Using her own goodness as the knife to carve her open.

I planted myself in the doorway.

"I'm not signing anything. No one touches Lily."

Liam's composure cracked. His voice rose.

"Sophie, keeping her trapped in this—what's the point? Her flesh is rotting from the inside out. Her wolf is devouring whatever sanity she has left. Soon she'll just be a breathing corpse. Is that the life you want for her?"

He stepped closer, pinning me with his stare.

"Don't let your personal feelings override what's best for the pack."