The Poisoned Toast

I stood in front of the mirror, my fingers trembling as I touched the diamond necklace around my neck. It was cold, but it felt like a promise. Harden had given this to me when I was just ten years old.

"Tonight, Sylvia," I whispered to my reflection. "Tonight, you finally become his Luna."

For ten years, I had lived for this moment. I wasn't the prettiest girl in the SilverLine Pack. I was the "nerd" who spent too much time with my nose in books and my glasses sliding down my nose. But Harden was different. He was the future Alpha, strong, handsome, and brave. And he was mine.

The door creaked open. My mother, Madame Helena, walked in. She didn't look happy. She looked like she was mourning a death rather than celebrating a wedding.

"You look beautiful, Sylvia," she said, but her voice was flat. She reached out and touched the necklace. "You still wear this trinket? I told you, Harden is not the man you think he is. Being an Alpha is better than being a Luna. You have your own strength, my child."

I pulled away, my heart stinging. "Mom, stop it. You’re just bitter because of what happened to Dad. Harden loves me. We’ve been betrothed since we were kids!"

She opened her mouth to say something, something that looked like a warning, but the door slammed open again.

"It’s time! It’s time!"

My best friend, Cassidy, bounced into the room. She looked stunning in a deep blue silk dress that hugged every curve. She looked more like a queen than I did. She was beaming, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Oh, Sylvia! You’re finally doing it!" Cassidy cried, wrapping me in a tight hug. "I’m so happy for you. Here, I brought you something to settle your stomach. You’re shaking like a leaf."

She handed me a tall glass of golden juice.

"Is this the special blend from the kitchens?" I asked, taking it.

"Only the best for my best friend," Cassidy said, her smile widening. "Drink up. To your new life with Harden."

I didn't hesitate. I trusted her more than anyone. I tilted my head back and finished the whole glass. The juice was sweet, but it had a strange, metallic aftertaste.

"Thanks, Cass," I said, setting the glass down. "I feel better already."

Suddenly, the world tilted.

A sharp, burning pain exploded in my stomach. It felt like I had swallowed a handful of hot needles. I tried to take a step, but my legs felt like jelly. I reached out for the table, but my hand missed.

"Cassidy?" I gasped. My voice sounded small and far away. "I... I don't feel good."

I slumped to my knees. The room began to spin in circles. My vision blurred, turning the beautiful lights of the dressing room into jagged streaks of white. Through the haze, I looked up at my best friend.

Cassidy wasn't reaching out to help me. She didn't look worried.

She was standing over me, her arms crossed, watching me struggle for breath. The "friendly" smile was gone. In its place was a cold, sharp smirk that made my blood run cold.

"The juice," I choked out, clawing at my throat. "What did you... put in it?"

"Just a little something to make sure you don't ruin the party," Cassidy whispered. She leaned down, her face inches from mine. "You really thought a mouse like you could lead this pack? You really thought Harden wanted a nerd for a mate?"

"Harden... loves me..." I fought to say the words, but my tongue felt heavy.

Cassidy laughed, and the sound was like glass breaking. "Harden loves power, Sylvia. And you? You're just a girl holding onto a dead man's dream. Don't worry. I’ll take very good care of him for you."

The darkness rushed in. I tried to scream for my mother, but no sound came out. My head hit the floor with a dull thud. The last thing I saw was Cassidy’s blue heels walking away from me, leaving me alone in the dark.

I don't know how much time passed.

The next thing I felt was the bite of cold metal. I opened my eyes and didn't see the soft lights of the ballroom. I saw dirt. I felt the freezing wind biting at my skin.

I tried to move my hands, but I heard the heavy clink of chains. Silver chains. They burned into my wrists, suppressing my inner wolf and making me feel weak and sick.

I wasn't at the altar. I was on the ground in the middle of the pack square.

The entire pack was there. Hundreds of people I had known my whole life were staring at me. But they weren't cheering. They were shouting.

"Traitor!"

"Murderer!"

"Kill the snake!"

I looked up at the stage. My heart shattered into a million pieces.

Harden was standing there. He looked powerful in his black Alpha suit. But he wasn't looking for me with worry. He was standing with his arm wrapped firmly around Cassidy’s waist.

A giant banner behind them, which used to say Alpha Harden and Luna Sylvia, was torn in half. My name had been ripped away.

Harden stepped forward, his eyes as cold as ice. He looked at me like I was something disgusting he had stepped on in the woods.

"Sylvia Browne," his voice boomed over the crowd. "You tried to poison my mother and steal the pack’s secrets. You are a disgrace to the SilverLine bloodline."

"No..." I croaked, my voice raw. "Harden, she’s lying! Cassidy did this!"

Harden didn't even blink. He leaned down and picked up a heavy stone from the ground. He looked me dead in the eye, and for the first time, I saw the monster behind the man I loved.

"I, Alpha Harden Silius, reject you, Sylvia Browne, as my mate and my Luna!"

The rejection hit me like a physical blow. A scream of pure agony ripped from my throat as the mating bond, the golden thread that was supposed to connect our souls, was snapped in half. It felt like my heart was being pulled out of my chest through a meat grinder.

I fell forward, sobbing into the dirt.

"Throw her out!" Harden commanded, turning his back on me. "Exile her to the Rogue Lands. If she ever steps foot on our territory again, kill her on sight!"

The guards grabbed my chains and began to drag me across the sharp rocks. I looked back one last time. Cassidy was leaning into Harden’s ear, whispering something that made him laugh.

But as I was dragged toward the dark, dangerous forest where no wolf survived alone, a low, deep growl started in the back of my mind. It wasn't my wolf. It was something older. Something much, much stronger.

"They think you are a lamb," a voice echoed in my soul. "Show them you are the tiger."