Chapter 3

Silas studied my face. Then he leaned in, inhaling the scent rising from my skin.

"Not bad," he said, standing up and nodding at Blake. "It's definitely the moonlight aura."

This was my last chance.

I had to make him know who I was.

Using what little strength I had left against the poison, I forced out the ancient, secret phrase known only to the core members of the Silver Peak Pack.

"By silver moon, and mountain peak…"

The smile vanished from Silas’s face. Shock morphed into pure rage.

SLAP!

He backhanded me across the face. The silver ring on his finger tore a bloody gash across my cheek.

"Where did you learn that code?!"

His eyes turned murderous as he glared down at me.

I was stunned. He… he understood?

Then why…

"I… I am from the Silver Peak Pack!" I tried desperately to explain, my voice raw and broken. "I'm Cora! Where is Gideon? What happened to…"

At the mention of Gideon's name, Silas's expression grew even more sinister.

"Gideon?" he sneered. "That exiled traitor? You know him? So you're the little spy who stole the code from him."

Gideon… exiled? A traitor?

My mind went blank. The shock was too great to process.

"The Silver Peak Pack? You?" Silas's mental pressure crushed down on my fragile consciousness. "I've been with the pack for ten years and I've never seen you. A mongrel like you dares to impersonate royalty?"

I curled into a ball, my head splitting.

"It seems you don't understand your situation," he said, waving over his guards.

"Since you're the traitor's little helper, I'll 'interrogate' you myself. For the King, of course." He grinned wickedly, his other hand clamping around my throat. "And then I'll send you down to join him."

The air left my lungs. My eyes widened in terror.

No… I have to see Roric.

"No! Lord Silas, you can't!" Blake cried, rushing forward. "If she can't be presented to the Alpha King, what about our pack's debt?"

"That's your problem," Silas shot back a cold glance. "You brought a wolf with ties to a traitor. What was your motive? An assassination attempt on the King? A declaration of war against the Silver Peak Pack? I think I need to have a serious talk with all of you!"

Blake's family turned pale with fear.

His mother, like a madwoman, lunged at me and slapped me hard.

"It's all your fault, you bitch!" she shrieked. "Why couldn't you just obey! Everyone could have been happy, but you! You ruined everything for our entire pack! You worthless Omega, shut your mouth!"

Silas waved a hand dismissively. "Enough. Drag this spy down to the silver cells. I'll deal with her myself."

No. The silver cells. It was a place of nightmares from my childhood. A place where they executed traitors.

With silver poison already in my system, going in there would be a death sentence.

But I was too weak to fight back.

Two guards grabbed me and began dragging me out of the suite.

My consciousness began to fade in a haze of pain and despair.

This is it. I'm going to die. Right on my own doorstep.

Without even seeing Roric one last time…

Just as I was being dragged through the doorway, the heavy doors were thrown open from the outside.

A tall figure stepped in, radiating an aura of chilling power.

A crushing Alpha presence swept through the room, suffocating everyone in it.

Roric! He's finally here!

I opened my mouth to call his name, but my voice was so hoarse no sound came out.

At the same time, I could feel the Moon Lure oil on my neck giving off a twisted, artificial scent that wasn't mine.

Help me.

We hadn't seen each other in eight years. I was terrified this fake scent would fool him.

Will he even recognize me?

I slapped my hand weakly against the floor, trying to get his attention.

"Your Majesty," Silas immediately stepped forward, bowing low and speaking first. "This tribute from the Gray Moon Pack is strange. She claims to know the traitor Gideon and even knows our secret code. Her identity is suspicious. I was just about to take her for…"

Roric ignored him. He walked slowly toward me.

His tall shadow fell over me, completely engulfing me.

With every ounce of strength I had left, I lifted my face, stained with tears and blood, to meet his gaze.

Our eyes met.

For a heartbeat, the world stopped. His pupils shrank to pinpricks.

"Cora…"