Chapter 5

Spoilt Plans (Lana’s POV)

The scalding shower burned my skin, but I scrubbed harder, claws scraping as if I could erase the rogues’ hands, their laughter, their vile scents from that filthy alley. 

My wolf cowered, its amber eyes wild in my mind, replaying the torment I’d meant for Vera. How had my trap—carefully set to ruin her—ensnared me instead? My stomach churned, disgust rising like bile. 

Those men, their greedy leers, were supposed to break her, not me. My wolf snarled, rage and shame clawing at my chest as the water drowned my screams.

I need to figure out what we went wrong. Did I mistakenly drink the water I spiked for her?

My phone buzzed on the counter, snapping me back. I stumbled out, wrapping a towel around me, my wet hair dripping as I grabbed it. 

Damon’s voice crackled through, his alpha tone sharp with impatience. “Vera’s back at her pack’s stronghold, Lana. The hired rogues are gone—lost contact. Your plan’s a mess.” My wolf bristled, shock freezing my blood. On another day, I might have admired his powerful voice. But right now it was grating on my nerves.

I just went through a horrible experience and all he could think about was the fact that, that bitch was safe in her house.

“I dosed her drink with enough venom-laced drugs to drop a beta,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “She couldn’t have walked out of that bar alone.” Silence hung heavy, my claws twitching. “The plan won’t fail,” I snarled. “We’ll use AI to swap her face onto whatever photos they have. What’s meant to happen tomorrow will happen.” 

I slammed the phone down, my wolf’s growl echoing my fury.

Pacing my cramped apartment, the city’s neon glow seeping through the blinds, I pieced together the night’s mishap. 

Vera, drugged, somehow safe at home? Rogues vanished? And me, violated in that alley? My wolf’s senses flared, suspicion gnawing. Could Vera, that naive pup, have orchestrated this? I pictured her sweet smile, her trusting eyes—always so easy to manipulate. 

No, she was too weak, her wolf barely a whisper. I dismissed the thought, my claws digging into my palms. The urgent task was clear: those AI photos had to be ready for Vera’s coming-of-age ceremony tomorrow. Her eighteenth birthday, her pack initiation, was my chance to disgrace her, seize the pack’s moonstone, and claim leadership. I couldn’t miss it.

But it still vexed me that I was the one who got violated instead of her.

My laptop hummed as I opened the software, my wolf’s rage steadying my shaking hands. 

For a long time, I’d organized those rogues to have their way with Vera to brand her a disgrace, driving her to Damon’s false mate bond. Everything had worked perfectly—until tonight. My wolf snarled, its anger just as palpable as my own.

Gideon had taken me in after my father’s gambling debts tore us apart, but he’d let loan sharks destroy us first. His pity was an insult, his pack’s strength a prize I deserved. Vera, the weak heir, stood in my way. I’d planned every step—drugging her, letting the rogues take her, the photos—but something had gone wrong.

I replayed the bar’s happenings: Vera’s pale face, her request for a shawl, the water glass. My wolf tensed, a flicker of doubt creeping in. Had she switched the glasses? 

No—her innocent act was too convincing. Yet the rogues’ betrayal, their vile grins as they turned on me, felt deliberate. My heart raced, my wolf’s claws itching. If Vera was behind this, I’d underestimated her. 

But she was no alpha, and didn't possess half the strength I have even though I'm a rogue. So what really happened? 

Could there be someone else privy about my plans? I shook my head. That was impossible, Damon and I swore an oath by the moon goddess not to let anyone else know. 

But it didn't matter, nothing could stop me tomorrow. I’d prove it, when the pack saw her shame on those screens, their trust in her shattered.

I worked through the night, the AI software morphing images, Vera’s face replacing mine in the alley’s grainy footage. My wolf purred, satisfaction curling through me. 

Thank the fates that I had prepared my own camera as well, if not my plans would've have been ruined.

She’d fall, just as I’d planned, and the moonstone would be mine. Damon’s pack would merge with ours, his rogue strength bolstering my claim. 

But Gabriel’s face flashed in my mind—he was one alpha I should be looking out for. He has been up to something of recent and I couldn't let him affect my plans.

He needed to be dealt with.

The moon hung low, its pull tugging at my animosity towards that damn family. I’d lost too much to fail now—my family, my pride, all because of Gideon’s neglect. Vera’s pack was mine by right, and I’d burn it down before letting her rise. My claws extended, my wolf’s resolve hardening. 

Tomorrow, at the pack’s gathering, I’d unveil the photos, expose Vera, and take everything.

A sharp knock rattled my door, my wolf’s senses flaring. I froze, heart pounding. Rogues wouldn’t knock, and Damon was across town. My claws twitched, the moon’s light casting shadows through the blinds. 

“Who’s there?” I called, my voice sharp. No answer—just another knock, heavier, urgent. 

My wolf snarled, sensing a threat. Had Vera sent someone, or was it Nightmoor? I gripped my phone, ready to call Damon, when an envelope was slipped under the door. 

I pulled the door open but there was no one there. After a moment, I picked up the envelope. As I opened it and looked at its content, I couldn't help but smile.

Gotcha.