Chapter 1

I was sitting in the garden, flipping through the couture catalog that had just arrived from Paris. I'd been looking for ages and still couldn't decide which dress to wear tonight.

Jenna burst in with a few young pack guards and kicked over the tea table. Scalding black tea splashed all over my white dress.

She was one of the pack's warriors, and she'd always been in love with Leo. She thought I wasn't good enough for him.

"Claire, you've sure got a lot of free time!"

She bared her claws and leaned down to scream in my face. "Leo is risking his life at the border, and you, a human reject who can't even shift, are sitting here picking out stupid dresses!"

Laughter broke out all around us.

One young guard whistled. "What else is she good for besides lying in the Alpha's bed?"

Another one sneered. "The Alpha would be better off keeping a rabbit. At least a rabbit can have a litter."

Tea dripped down the hem of my dress. I pulled out a napkin, dabbed at it, and looked up at Jenna.

"Leo's happy with me. If you have a problem, you can go ask him yourself."

Shaking with rage, Jenna swiped her claws at my face.

But before she could reach me, a bloodcurdling howl rose from the front courtyard, and several patrol guards ran into the castle carrying the wounded.

"The border has fallen! They ambushed the Alpha with a silver blade. He's badly hurt!"

Jenna went pale. She forgot all about me and rushed off to the front courtyard with her people.

When I heard that Leo had been wounded by silver, the napkin slipped from my hand. My chest tightened as if a fist had closed around my heart.

Silver interfered with a werewolf's ability to heal; the deeper the wound, the less likely he was to survive.

I jumped up and hurried back toward the house. Then branches snapped in the bushes behind me as three rogues lunged into the garden, one after another.

The leader shifted into human form and ran his tongue over his fangs as he stalked toward me.

"So this is the Crescent Moon Alpha's human mate. She doesn't smell like a wolf at all."

The other two blocked the exit, grinning lewdly.

"Alpha Marcus said to bring her back alive so all the boys can have a taste."

When I retired ten years ago, I'd sealed away my scent and my bloodline. Even the strongest werewolf would mistake me for a human.

Usually that misunderstanding saved me a lot of trouble, but today it was getting on my nerves.

The leader reached for my neck. "Come with us nice and quiet, and you'll suffer less."

Before his claws could touch me, I grabbed his throat and twisted my wrist. The crisp snap of bone echoed through the garden.

His big body crumpled to the ground. Before the other two could react, I'd shattered their breastbones with a kick to each chest.

Three bodies lay at my feet. I wiped the blood off my hands in disgust, then searched the leader and found a silver-coated dagger.

The name Marcus was carved into the handle.

If Marcus already had men inside Crescent Moon territory, he was probably behind the border ambush too.

I lifted the hem of my wet dress and hurried back to the main house. When I pushed open the door, I saw Leo's father, Daniel, lying on a bench, the bandage on his leg soaked through with blood.

Leo's mother, Grace, was beside him crying. When she saw me in a new dress, she was so furious she grabbed a brass candlestick and hurled it at my feet.

"Claire, Ethan and Caleb are locked in silver cages, and no one knows if they're alive or dead. And at a time like this, you're wandering around in a new dress!"

Jenna followed her in and immediately added, "Luna Grace, she's an outsider. Why would she care whether the Crescent Moon pack lives or dies? She was just drinking tea in the garden, and when she heard Leo was hurt, she didn't shed a single tear."

Grace trembled with fury. She charged over and swung her hand at my face.

Before the slap could land, the heavy oak door flew open.

Leo was covered in blood, with half a silver blade stuck in his shoulder. He leaned on the doorframe, struggling to stay on his feet.

His gray eyes were locked on Grace's raised hand, and his hoarse voice was thick with anger.

"Mom, stop!"