Chapter 2

Charlotte.

"Don't drink that."

The words burst from my lips before I could stop them. Jeffrey's hand froze halfway to the goblet, and both he and Emmalaine stared at me like I'd grown a second head.

The Alpha King's dark eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

My heart pounded so hard I was sure they could hear it. This was it. My chance to change everything. "That drink. It's poisoned."

Emmalaine's face went white, then flushed red with indignation. "How dare you!" She turned to Jeffrey, her voice rising to a shrill pitch. "This little omega is accusing me of trying to poison you!"

Jeffrey set the goblet down on the nightstand, his massive frame radiating dangerous energy as he sat up fully. The sheets fell away from his chest, revealing scars that spoke of countless battles. "That's a very serious accusation, Charlotte. Are you saying my wife would poison me?”

I could see the doubt in his eyes. Of course he would doubt me. I was nobody to him, just some desperate omega he'd agreed to help conceive an heir. Emmalaine was his Luna, his wife, the woman he'd chosen to rule beside him.

But I had one advantage they didn't know about. I had already lived through this nightmare once and I remembered every pain that comes with it.

"I saw her put something in it," I lied smoothly, forcing myself to meet his intense stare. "When she thought I wasn't looking, she dropped something into the cup. A powder or liquid, I couldn't tell which."

Emmalaine's laugh was sharp and brittle. "This is ridiculous! Jeffrey, you can't possibly believe this pathetic creature over your own mate!"

The word 'mate' sent a stab of pain through my chest. She wasn't his mate. I was. But he didn't know that yet, and she'd made sure he never would.

Jeffrey's gaze moved between us, calculating. I held my breath, praying to the Moon Goddess that he would listen.

"If you're so confident it's not poisoned," I said, my voice steadier than I felt, "then drink it yourself."

The color drained from Emmalaine's face completely. "I... that's not... Why would I drink a potion meant for male enhancement?"

"Because if it's truly harmless, it won't hurt you to take a sip." I forced myself to sound reasonable, logical. "But if it is poisoned..."

Somehow, she had lost this round and I knew it. We stared at each other. I could not give her the satisfaction of seeing me drop my gaze first. Of course, she was the Luna, and it was an abomination for a mere commoner like myself to stand up to her. That was then, now I'm nothing but her nemesis!

Jeffrey stood up abruptly, his presence filling the room like a storm cloud. At six and a half feet tall with shoulders that could block out the sun, he was intimidating even when he wasn't angry. Right now, with suspicion darkening his features, he looked like the monster the other packs whispered about.

"Enough," he commanded, and both Emmalaine and I fell silent. "There's only one way to settle this."

He walked to the door and barked an order to someone in the hallway. Within minutes, a nervous-looking man in healer's robes entered the room.

"Dr. Reeves," Jeffrey said, handing him the goblet. "Test this. I want to know every ingredient. If you find anything suspicious, anything at all, you report directly to me. No one else."

As the healer scurried out, Emmalaine rounded on me with fury blazing in her blue eyes. "You little bitch! How dare you try to turn my husband against me!"

"Emmalaine." Jeffrey's voice was ice. "Sit down."

She opened her mouth to argue, but something in his tone made her think better of it. She perched on the edge of a chair, her hands twisted in her lap.

The next hour was torture. Jeffrey paced the room like a caged animal while Emmalaine sat in stony silence, occasionally shooting venomous looks in my direction. I tried to appear calm, but inside I was screaming. What if the healer couldn't detect the dark magic? What if Emmalaine had found a way to mask it?

When Dr. Reeves finally returned, his face was grave. "Alpha, I need to speak with you privately."

"No." Jeffrey's voice was sharp. "Whatever you find, you can say it in front of both of them."

The healer swallowed hard. "The drink contains traces of dark magic, my lord. Specifically, a bonding suppressant designed to prevent a wolf from recognizing their true mate."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Emmalaine shot to her feet. "That's impossible! I don't know anything about dark magic!"

But Jeffrey wasn't looking at her. His eyes were fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin burn. "If the drink was designed to suppress mate bonds..."

Dr. Reeves nodded nervously. "The magic would need a specific target to be effective. Based on the magical signature, I believe Miss Charlotte is your true mate, Alpha."

The words hung in the air like a death sentence.

Jeffrey's face went through a series of emotions so quickly I could barely track them. Shock, confusion, anger, and something else. Something that looked almost like relief.

"You've been dosing me with this for how long?" His voice was deadly quiet as he turned to Emmalaine.

She was backing toward the door, her face a mask of panic. "Jeffrey, please, let me explain."

"How. Long."

"Six months," she whispered.

The roar that erupted from Jeffrey's chest wasn't human. It was pure alpha rage, the sound of a predator who'd discovered he'd been betrayed by his own pack. The windows rattled, and I instinctively pressed myself against the headboard.

Emmalaine tried to run, but she wasn't fast enough. Jeffrey caught her by the throat, lifting her off the ground with one hand.

"You poisoned me," he snarled, his voice distorted by his wolf trying to surface. "You kept me from my mate. You violated the most sacred bond known to our kind."

"I did it for us!" Emmalaine gasped, clawing at his hand. "She's nobody! A weak omega from a broken family! I'm Luna! I'm your equal!"

"You had no right! And from today, you seize to be my Luna and Charlotte will take your place.” He released her so suddenly she crashed to the floor. "Guards!"

Two massive warriors appeared in the doorway instantly.

"Take her to the dungeons. She's to be held for trial."

But before the guards could move toward Emmalaine, an older man rose from the council seats. Elder Vale, Emmalaine's father. His silver hair was perfectly groomed, his expensive robes marking him as one of the most respected members of the pack hierarchy.

"My King," he said, his voice carrying the authority of his position. "I must speak."

Jeffrey's jaw clenched, but he nodded curtly. "Go on."

Elder Vale stepped forward, his cold eyes flicking between his daughter and me with obvious disgust. "It is unacceptable to cast aside my daughter and choose this nobody as Luna. Emmalaine may have made mistakes, but she is the daughter of an Alpha bloodline. She was born for this position."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some nodded in agreement. Others looked uncertain.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop. I could feel Jeffrey's rage building through our newly formed bond_ a connection that felt like fire in my veins.

"My word is law," Jeffrey said, his voice deadly quiet. "If I say I will marry this woman, then so be it."

But Elder Vale didn't back down. "When an Alpha begins to stray and make reckless decisions, it is the responsibility of the Elders to correct him." His voice grew stronger, more defiant. "And we will not allow you to make a nobody the Luna. Such a thing has never happened in our pack's history."

The silence that followed was deafening. No one had ever challenged Jeffrey so directly. I held my breath, knowing exactly what was about to happen but still shocked by the audacity.

Jeffrey turned to Beta Jackson, his face hardened. "Behead him."

Gasps of horror echoed throughout the hall. Several pack members jumped to their feet in shock.

"No!" Emmalaine screamed, breaking free from her guards and rushing toward her father. "Please, Jeffrey, show mercy! He's just trying to protect me!"

But more guards intercepted her, dragging her back as she fought and clawed at them.

Elder Vale's face went white, but he didn't beg. He lifted his chin with the same arrogance that had gotten him into this mess. "Would you execute an elder for speaking the truth?"

"I would execute anyone who defies me," Jeffrey replied coldly.

Beta Jackson stepped forward, his hand moving to the ceremonial sword at his side. His face was grim but he didn't hesitate. In the werewolf world, the Alpha's word was absolute law.

"Please!" Emmalaine sobbed. "I'll do anything! I'll leave quietly! Just don't hurt him!"

But it was too late. The sword sang through the air.

Elder Vale's head hit the floor with a sickening thud.

Emmalaine's scream shattered the silence. She collapsed beside her father's body, her hands coming away bloody as she tried desperately to put him back together. "Why?" she sobbed, looking up at Jeffrey with devastation in her eyes. "Why did you do this?"

Jeffrey ignored her completely. He stood and surveyed the room with those dark, merciless eyes.

"Is there anyone else who would like to oppose me?"

The silence was absolute.

"Good." He walked over to the Luna's ceremonial chair, an ornate throne carved from silver-veined marble. "The coronation will take place in the next few months."

He held out his hand to me. My legs felt like water, but I forced myself to stand and take it. His fingers were warm and strong, grounding me as the reality of what just happened sank in.

"Charlotte Dean will be your Luna," he announced to the stunned crowd. "You will show her the same respect you show me.”