Chapter 2: The Taste Of Silver.

The heat from the branding iron shimmered in the stagnant air of the dungeon, casting

distorted shapes against the damp stone walls. Elidra felt the weight of the metal in her

hand, the handle vibrating with a heat that threatened to blister her skin despite the leather

grip. Her heart was a frantic bird trapped in a cage of ribs, slamming against the walls of her

chest with a violence that made it hard to breathe.

Silas stood behind her, his presence a heavy, suffocating blanket. He leaned down, his lips

brushing against her ear, his breath smelling of peppermint and cold steel.

Do it, Elidra, he urged, his voice a low, hypnotic purr. Show him that your memory is the only

thing you have lost, not your spine. This dog needs to know his place before the moon

reaches its peak.

Elidra looked at Cassian. The bond was a physical cord pulled tight between them,

thrumming with a frequency that made her teeth ache. Up close, she could see the depth of

the trauma etched into his skin. His scars were not just from battles; they were precise,

deliberate marks of torture. The realization that her own hands might have caused them

made her stomach turn with a sudden, sharp nausea.

Cassian did not flinch. He did not beg. He stared at her with eyes that were dark, stormy

gold, a color that seemed to pull at the very essence of her soul. His wolf was there, buried

deep behind the pain, snarling in recognition of the woman who was fated to be his other

half.

I wont, Elidra whispered, her voice trembling.

Silas’s hand clamped down on her shoulder, his fingers digging into the muscle with enough

force to bruise. The mask of the doting husband vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp fury

that turned his eyes into chips of ice.

You will, he hissed. You are the Luna of Silver Crest. If you show weakness now, the pack

will tear you apart by morning. They do not follow a woman who pities her enemies. They

follow a queen who breaks them.

Elidra looked back at the glowing metal. The orange light reflected in Cassian’s eyes. She

felt a surge of power from her own wolf, a White Shadow that felt ancient and vast. It was

fighting against the drugs Silas had fed her, clawing through the fog in her mind. She saw a

flash of a memory: her standing over Cassian in this very cell, laughing as she held a blade

to his throat. The memory was so cold it made her blood run like slush.

Cassian’s gaze shifted to Silas and then back to Elidra. A sneer curled his bloodied lip.

Don't keep the Alpha waiting, Elidra, Cassian taunted, his voice a rasping growl. We both

know you love the smell of burning flesh. It used to be your favorite perfume.

The cruelty in his voice was a shield, a desperate attempt to hide the agony of the mate

bond that was undoubtedly tearing him apart as much as it was her. Elidra felt a tear trackthrough the grime on her face. She was caught between two monsters, and she didn't know

which one was more dangerous.

She raised the iron. The heat was inches from Cassian’s chest. She could see the fine hair

on his skin curling from the temperature. Silas let out a satisfied hum, his grip on her

shoulder loosening as he prepared to witness the spectacle.

Elidra’s hand shook. The bond screamed a warning, a primal instinct that told her if she

marked him now, she would be marking her own soul. The White Wolf inside her let out a

mournful howl that vibrated in her marrow.

I said no! Elidra screamed.

She swung her arm, but she didn't aim for Cassian. She hurled the white hot iron into the

brazier of coals. It struck with a loud, metallic clang, sending a spray of orange sparks flying

into the air.

Silence descended on the cell, heavy and thick. Silas stood perfectly still, his face a mask of

disbelief that quickly curdled into a dark, murderous rage. He backhanded her so hard that

Elidra spun around, her vision blooming with white stars as she hit the stone floor.

You useless bitch, Silas spat, his voice no longer smooth. He stepped toward her, his boots

clicking on the stone. Elidra tried to scramble back, her hand catching on a sharp rock that

sliced into her palm. The scent of her own blood hit the air, sweet and metallic.

In the chains, Cassian let out a roar that shook the very foundations of the dungeon. His

muscles surged against the silver shackles, the metal biting into his wrists and ankles,

drawing fresh blood that smoked against the enchanted surface.

Leave her alone! Cassian bellowed, his voice sounding more like a beast than a man.

Silas turned his head slowly toward the prisoner, a mocking smile spreading across his face.

Oh? Does the rogue have a heart after all? Silas asked, walking toward Cassian. Do you still

love the woman who destroyed your life? Even after she treated you like a stray dog?

Silas reached out and gripped one of the open wounds on Cassian’s chest, twisting his

thumb into the raw flesh. Cassian let out a choked sound of pain, his head falling forward as

his body slumped in the chains.

Elidra pushed herself up, her head throbbing. She saw the blood on her palm and felt a

strange sensation. The wound was already closing. Her healing factor was far more

advanced than Silas had led her to believe. She watched Silas torment the man who was

fated to be hers, and a cold, quiet anger began to settle in her chest.

Stop it, Silas, Elidra said, her voice steadying. If you kill him, you lose your leverage. Isn't

that what you told me? That he has information.Silas paused, his hand still buried in Cassian’s chest. He turned to look at her, his eyes

narrowed in calculation. He wiped Cassian’s blood onto his expensive suit trousers, looking

disgusted.

He knows where the Blood Moon relics are hidden, Silas said, regaining his composure. But

if he won't talk to the Luna he once feared, perhaps he will talk to the executioner.

Silas walked over to the door and signaled the guards.

Lock her in her room, Silas ordered, not looking at Elidra. No food. No water. If she wants to

act like a petulant child, she will be treated like one.

Two large warriors stepped into the cell. They grabbed Elidra by the arms, their grip bruising

and disrespectful. They dragged her out of the dungeon, away from the man who was her

mate, away from the truth she was desperate to uncover.

As she was pulled through the iron gate, she looked back one last time. Cassian had lifted

his head. Through the mess of hair and blood, his eyes found hers. There was no hatred in

them now. Only a profound, shattering sadness that hurt worse than Silas’s blow.

The guards threw Elidra into her bedroom and slammed the door, the sound of the heavy

bolt sliding into place echoing like a gunshot.

Elidra ran to the door, pulling at the handle, but it was useless. She was a prisoner in a

golden cage. She sank to the floor, her back against the wood, and let out a sob she had

been holding back since she woke up.

She was alone. She was a monster. And her mate was dying in a hole because of her.

Hours passed in a blur of misery. The moon climbed high in the sky, casting long, pale

beams through the window. Elidra paced the room, her wolf pacing along with her, restless

and hungry for blood. She tried to shift, but a sharp, stinging pain in her veins stopped her.

She realized the tea Silas had given her earlier must have contained wolfsbane. It was a low

dose, not enough to kill her, but enough to keep her wolf locked away.

She had to get out. She had to find a way to help Cassian.

She began to search the room again, pulling at the rugs and opening every drawer. She

found nothing but silk dresses and expensive jewelry. Then, her eyes fell on the heavy oak

wardrobe. She pushed it with all her strength . It didn't budge. She tried again, putting her

shoulder into it, her muscles burning with effort.

The wardrobe shifted an inch, revealing a small, loose stone in the wall behind it.

Elidra knelt down and pried the stone loose with her fingernails. Inside was a small wooden

box. With trembling fingers, she opened it.

There was no gold inside. Instead, she found a small glass vial filled with a clear liquid and a

folded piece of parchment.She opened the note. The handwriting was hers, but it was rushed, the letters jagged and

uneven.

If you are reading this, the ritual failed. Silas has stolen your mind. Do not trust the medicine

or the pack. The vial is the antidote to the suppression. Drink it and run. Find the man in the

dark. He is the only one who can save us.

Elidra stared at the vial. It was her own voice reaching out from the past, a warning from the

woman she thought was a villain. Was the "Old Elidra" trying to save her, or was this another

layer of the trap?

She looked at the vial and then at the door. She could hear the guards whispering in the

hallway. They were talking about the execution. Silas was planning to kill Cassian at dawn to

assert his dominance over the pack.

She didn't have time to be afraid. She uncorked the vial and swallowed the contents in one

gulp.

It felt like swallowing molten lead. Her vision turned red, and she fell to her knees, her body

convulsing as the antidote tore through the wolfsbane in her system. Her skin felt too tight,

her bones stretching and snapping as her wolf fought to break free.

The door to her room creaked open.

Elidra looked up, her eyes glowing a brilliant, lethal white. Silas stood in the doorway, a silver

dagger in his hand. He looked at the open box on the floor and then at Elidra, his face

twisting with a look of pure, unadulterated evil.

I knew you were hiding something in here, he said, stepping into the room. It doesn't matter.

The ritual can be done while you are unconscious.

He raised the dagger, the silver blade glinting in the moonlight.

Elidra tried to stand, but her body was still in the middle of the transition. She was caught

between human and wolf, her senses overwhelmed.

Silas lunged, the blade whistling through the air. Elidra threw herself to the side, the dagger

slicing through the silk of her sleeve and grazing her arm. The silver burned like acid, making

her scream.

She scrambled toward the window, her heart pounding. The drop was three stories down to

the stone courtyard below.

Silas laughed, a cold, dry sound that chilled her to the bone.

There is nowhere to run, Elidra. You are mine. Your soul, your wolf, and that pathetic mate of

yours in the dungeon. I will kill him while you watch, and then I will take everything that

belongs to you.

He moved toward her again, the dagger held low, ready to gut her.Elidra looked at the window and then at the man who had stolen her life. She realized she

had two choices: stay and be a puppet, or jump and take a chance on a life she couldn't

remember.

She didn't hesitate. She turned and threw herself through the glass.

The window shattered into a thousand jagged pieces. Elidra felt the wind whip past her face

as she plummeted toward the ground. In the split second before she hit the stones, she

heard a voice in her head, clear and strong.

Shift, Elidra. Now!

The world exploded into white light.