A Dangerous Lie

By Athena

My heart slammed against my ribs as Beta Lucas dragged me into the narrow stone corridor.

His fingers dug painfully into my arm, bruised flesh giving way beneath his cruel grip. I stumbled over the uneven flagstones, barely keeping my footing as he yanked me along the dim passageway.

"Please..." I pleaded, my voice raspy from exhaustion. "You're hurting me."

He didn't even slow down. "You should have thought about that before trying to charm Alpha Buckley, you wretched girl."

"I didn't!" I pulled desperately against his grip, but it was completely useless against a full-grown warrior. "I didn't do anything! I'm only a servant!"

Lucas let out a cold, mocking laugh that echoed off the damp walls. "Exactly."

He stopped abruptly outside a heavy wooden door leading to an isolated storage room and shoved me inside with all his force.

I crashed hard into a pile of old grain sacks, the impact knocking the air straight from my lungs. The door slammed shut behind us, cutting off the faint corridor light.

The room was dimly lit by a single flickering lantern hanging from a rusted beam. The heavy scent of dust, mildew, and decaying wood filled my nose.

Lucas folded his arms, standing between me and the only exit. "Let's make one thing very clear, Athena."

I slowly pushed myself to my feet, brushing dust from my torn dress, my breath coming in ragged gasps. "I have done nothing wrong."

"You've done plenty." His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "The moment Alpha Buckley looked at you, you became a massive problem."

"I didn't ask him to look at me!"

"No." Lucas stepped closer, his shadow stretching over me. "But he noticed you. And do you know what Alpha Damon hates more than anything in this world?"

I remained silent, my heart pounding a terrifying rhythm against my sternum.

"He hates losing control," Lucas whispered, his voice dropping into a sinister tone. "And right now, you belong to him."

"I belong to no one," the words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them, fueled by a sudden, desperate spark of defiance.

Lucas's expression darkened instantly. "What did you say?"

I swallowed hard, the magnitude of my mistake hitting me. "I..."

The slap came so fast I never even saw his hand move.

CRACK.

My head snapped violently to the side, and blinding pain exploded across my cheekbone. Hot tears instantly sprang to my eyes as I stumbled sideways against the stone wall.

"You'll remember your place," he growled, reaching out and grabbing my chin roughly, squeezing until my jaw creaked. "You are nothing. Do you hear me? Nothing."

Deep within the dark recesses of my mind, Nyx growled. It was a low, furious, terrifying sound—a wolf's primal rage that I had never heard from her before.

"One day..." her voice trembled with raw, vengeful rage. "One day, no one will ever lay a hand on us again."

I wanted to believe her. I wanted to hold onto those words more than anything in the world. But in this dark room, covered in bruises and blood, hope had become a very dangerous thing.

Lucas released my chin with a rough shove. "Clean yourself up."

"Why?" I managed to choke out, touching my swelling cheek.

"Because the Alpha Council banquet begins shortly." A cruel, sickening smile spread across his face as he stepped back toward the door. "Oh, yes. And Alpha Damon has a very special task waiting for you tonight."

Before I could ask what he meant, he opened the door and walked away, locking it from the outside and leaving me alone in the shadows.

Meanwhile...

Inside the high council chamber...

Buck stood beside the massive, arched windows that overlooked the sprawling territory of the Silver Moon Pack.

His full attention should have been focused on the critical border trade discussions happening around the long marble table. Instead, his thoughts kept violently drifting back to one person.

Athena.

He could still vividly picture the fresh bruises purpling her pale skin. The deep cuts covered her hands. The profound, heartbreaking sadness was hidden just behind her dark eyes.

None of it made any sense to him. The pull was maddening, defying every logical thought in his head.

"...if we strengthen the eastern border patrol, we can secure the trade routes before winter," one of the visiting Alphas continued speaking, gesturing toward a map.

Buck hadn't heard a single word of the proposal.

Standing nearby, Bobby Nash noticed his complete absence of focus immediately. Stepping away from the table, the older Alpha approached Buck silently.

"You seem thoroughly distracted, Evan," Bobby said softly.

Buck looked at him, forcing his posture to remain stiff and professional. "I'm listening."

"No, you're not." Bobby offered a gentle, knowing smile. "You're pretending."

Buck let out a quiet, frustrated sigh, running a hand through his dark hair. "I met the servant."

"I know," Bobby replied, his expression becoming thoughtful. "What do you think of her?"

Buck hesitated, looking back out over the moonlit courtyard. "I don't know."

"That is extremely unlike you."

Buck frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You've always been a man who judges others within seconds of meeting them," Bobby pointed out gently. "You read people effortlessly. But with her..."

"With her, I can't," Buck admitted, the words heavy in his throat. He looked toward the glass, his jaw tightening. "When I stand near her... it feels like..."

He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. To say it out loud felt like surrendering to something terrifying.

Bobby's eyes softened with immense understanding. "Feels as though you've known her your entire life?"

Buck slowly, reluctantly nodded. "And when she's hurt..." He clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white. "...it makes me dangerously angry."

Bobby didn't look surprised. Not even a little. Instead, he looked at the young Alpha and asked quietly, "Have you asked the Moon Goddess why?"

Buck looked away, refusing to answer.

Because deep down in his chest, where the bond burned like a living flame... he already knew the answer. He was simply far too terrified to accept what it meant.

Outside the council chamber...

Ravi leaned casually against a heavy stone pillar, keeping watch while the Alphas finished their meeting.

The moment Alpha Damon Grant stepped out of the high chamber, Ravi noticed something off. The Silver Moon Alpha wasn't heading toward the main hall to join the other guests. Instead, he slipped quietly down a dark, secondary corridor.

Ravi's eyes narrowed. Where is he going?

Curiosity and suspicion got the better of him. Keeping a careful, silent distance, Ravi shadowed the Alpha down the hallway.

Damon stopped outside an isolated alcove where Beta Lucas was already waiting in the shadows.

Ravi pressed his back against a nearby stone column, holding his breath. He couldn't hear the entire hushed conversation—only jagged fragments carried by the draft:

"...tonight..."

"...can't let Buck suspect..."

"...before the ceremony concludes..."

"...she dies."

Ravi's eyes widened in sheer shock.

Dies?

Who were they talking about?

Before he could shift closer to hear more, Damon abruptly turned around. Ravi melted backward into the deep shadows just in time, his heart hammering against his ribs.

After a few tense, agonizing moments, Damon and Lucas walked past his hiding spot and disappeared toward the main hall.

Ravi remained completely frozen in the dark. Something was terribly, horribly wrong within this pack. He didn't know who they were planning to eliminate... but one thing was absolute.

Someone inside the Silver Moon Pack wasn't meant to survive the night.

I washed the blood from my hands using the cold water in the basin within the servants' quarters.

The icy water stung the fresh cuts on my palms, making me wince. The deep bruise on my cheekbone had already blossomed into a dark purple shade.

I stared at my reflection in the cracked, dusty mirror resting on the washstand. For a moment... I barely recognized the woman staring back at me.

Where had the happy, vibrant girl gone? The girl who used to laugh as she ran through these very halls, her parents watching her with endless pride? The girl who had dreamed of one day becoming a loving, just Luna?

She was completely dead. Replaced by a broken, filthy servant who was invisible to the world.

Suddenly, Nyx perked up inside my chest, her ears alert. "He's coming."

"What?" I whispered, my hand freezing over the water.

Before I could turn around—

KNOCK. KNOCK.

A loud, firm knock echoed through the quiet servants' quarters. Every maid and footman in the room froze in terror.

The head maid hurried to the entrance and pulled open the heavy door.

Standing on the threshold, looking imposing in his dark coat, was Ravi.

Alpha Buckley's Beta.

His sharp, dark eyes swept across the room, bypassing the bowing servants, until they landed directly on me.

"I have a message," he announced, his voice carrying absolute authority.

The room fell into a deathly silence. The head maid bowed respectfully. "For whom, Beta?"

Ravi never broke eye contact with me.

"For Athena Grant."

My heart completely stopped in my chest.

No one had spoken my full name out loud in five agonizing years.

The room instantly erupted into shocked, frantic whispers among the servants. The head maid slowly turned around to stare at me, utter confusion and horror written across her face.

"You... you know her?" she stammered.

Ravi's expression remained entirely unreadable as he stepped into the room. "I do now."

Then, he uttered the words that made every single servant—and Athena herself—go deathly, paralyzing still.

"Alpha Buckley formally requests your presence."