Chapter 2

"I know the price of leaving," I said, my voice cold as steel. "Exile. And the silver-fire brand of a traitor."

The color drained from Marcus’s face.

"Ember, are you insane? That brand is permanent, Ember! A mark of shame burned into your skin with silver and fire. You'll be marked as a traitor for life!"

"I'm sure," I said, my voice steady. "Don't tell Silas."

Marcus was silent for a long time before he sighed.

"Fine. Maybe you leaving is for the best. For the pack, and for his marriage." He pulled out a document. "Come back in seven days. On the night of the full moon. You can receive your punishment then."

Seven days.

The same day my bond with Silas would be severed for good.

Fine. I would say my final goodbye to him while he was moving on to another she-wolf.

I just wondered what would hurt more: the severing of a mate bond, or a brand of silver fire.

Three days later was the alliance hunt.

Moonlight spilled over the ancient hunting grounds where the elite of every pack had gathered. I stood in my black combat gear, representing the Black Moon pack as its strongest Beta.

Ravenna walked in on Silas's arm, her golden hair shimmering in the moonlight. She wore a long white gown, looking every bit the part of a future Luna.

"Silas, is this your pack's strongest Beta?" Ravenna's eyes landed on me, a flash of disgust in them. "Why does she carry your scent?"

Sharp instincts.

Silas's face was a mask. "Ember is my best warrior. We train together often."

"Is that so?" Ravenna’s red lips curved into a smirk. "I hear the Black Moon Betas are all so strong. Why don't we have a little competition? Hunt a sacred stag?"

Her eyes burned with a challenge.

"Of course," I inclined my head. "It would be an honor to compete with the future Luna."

The hunt began.

The sacred stag darted through the moonlit forest. Ravenna and I ran side-by-side in pursuit. She was fast, the power of her Alpha bloodline on full display.

Just as I was about to close in, a flash of silver.

A sharp pain shot through my arm. Blood instantly soaked my sleeve.

Ravenna's silver blade gleamed in the moonlight.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she gasped, her face a mask of surprise. "I guess I don't know my own strength."

Murmurs broke out among the other pack members.

"So much for the Black Moon’s ‘strongest Beta.’"

"As expected from the Sunfire Alpha’s daughter."

I gritted my teeth. Silver poison was already spreading through my veins.

But I ignored the pain and kept running.

Suddenly, a chorus of snarls echoed from deep within the woods.

Rogues!

Dozens of red-eyed beasts burst from the darkness, charging straight for Silas.

It was a planned attack.

I didn't hesitate.

My body moved before my mind could think. I threw myself in front of Silas, spreading my arms to block the first wave.

Silver-laced claws tore through my chest. The pain was so intense I almost blacked out.

But I didn't fall.

I shifted halfway, claws out, and tore through the rogues' throats one by one. Blood sprayed everywhere. The moonlit hunting ground became a slaughterhouse.

"Ember!"

Through the blur, I saw a massive black wolf charging toward me. It was Silas.

He was shouting my name. His voice was laced with a panic I had never heard before.

Then, my world went black.

The dream pulled me back to that night of blood and fire.

The bodies of my pack were piled high. I was crying in a pool of blood.

A blinding light tore the sky apart, and the figure of a young boy appeared before me.

"Are you okay?" A fourteen-year-old Silas held out his hand. "Want to come with me?"

The scene flickered. We were on the training grounds.

A grown-up Silas was teaching me how to fight, his hands covering mine to adjust my form.

"Remember, always protect what’s important."

Then our first kiss. Our first hug. The first time… he was inside me.

He told me he loved me.

But in the next second, he was holding Ravenna, telling me he was going to cast me out.

I screamed in my dream, a silent, agonizing sound. The good memories were knives twisting in my heart.

When I opened my eyes again, I felt a strange sensation on my chest.

Silas was hunched over me, his mouth latched onto the wound on my chest, sucking.

"Alpha…" I stared at him, shocked. "What are you doing?"