Chapter 3

Beta Dean's gaze slid past Maison and locked onto me. "We were ambushed. Not just by Viktor's rogues—there were others. Wolves I didn't recognise."

Luna Mara rushed to his side with a medical kit. "Sit down before you collapse."

Dean ignored her, his good eye still fixed on me. "Jackson ordered me to report back. He and Mateo were holding the east exit when I left."

Something about his story didn't feel right. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I instinctively moved closer to Maison.

"How did you get past Viktor's forces?" Alpha Logan demanded, clearly sharing my suspicion. "The tunnels should have been compromised."

Dean's lips curved into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm very good at what I do, Alpha."

Before anyone could react, Dean lunged—not at me as I expected, but at Maison. The attack was so sudden, so unexpected from a trusted Beta, that Maison barely had time to block. They crashed into the tactical table, sending maps and markers flying.

"Traitor!" Luna Mara snarled, shifting partially to reveal claws and fangs.

Guards rushed in as Alpha Logan roared commands, but Dean had already rolled away from Maison, a silver dagger in his hand that hadn't been visible before. He slashed wildly, keeping the approaching guards at bay.

"Viktor sends his regards," Dean spat, his voice changed—harder, colder. "Did you really think he wouldn't have eyes inside your precious pack?"

Maison was on his feet in an instant, blood trickling from a cut on his cheek. "How long?" he demanded, circling Dean cautiously. "How long have you been his?"

Dean laughed, a hollow sound that echoed in the suddenly silent room. "Long enough to know your little secret, Alpha." His gaze flicked to me. "Long enough to report that you found your mate in the very girl Viktor's been hunting for a decade."

My blood ran cold. If Dean had been reporting to Viktor all this time, then everything—my hidden identity, the suppressants, even my work schedule at Sneakz—had been compromised.

"Where's my brother?" Maison growled, his eyes beginning to glow with the amber light of his wolf.

"Probably dead by now," Dean said with disturbing casualness. "Along with that traitor Mateo."

I couldn't breathe. Uncle Mateo—the man who had raised me, protected me, even while following Alpha Logan's misguided orders about the suppressants—dead? The room tilted dangerously around me.

"You're lying," I managed, my voice stronger than I felt. "Uncle Mateo wouldn't fall to the likes of you."

Dean's attention shifted to me, his gaze calculating. "The princess speaks. Tell me, do you even remember what it's like to feel your wolf? To run under the moon?" His voice dropped mockingly. "Or did they take that from you, too?"

Alpha Logan moved with the speed that had made him legendary among pack leaders. One moment he was across the room, the next his hand was around Dean's throat, lifting him off the ground.

"You betrayed my son. My pack. For what?" Alpha Logan's voice was terrifyingly calm. "What did Viktor offer you?"

Dean struggled against the iron grip, but managed a strangled laugh. "Freedom. Power. Everything you denied me."

"I made you Beta," Maison growled, advancing on his former friend.

"You made me your shadow!" Dean spat back. "Always following, never leading. Viktor sees my true worth."

A commotion outside the war room door drew everyone's attention. Guards were shouting, and the sound of fighting echoed down the corridor.

"Right on time," Dean wheezed through Alpha Logan's grip, his eyes gleaming with malice.

Luna Mara moved to my side, her posture protective. "Get Marabelle to the panic room," she ordered the nearest guards.

"No," I said firmly. "I'm done running. Done hiding."

My pendant pulsed against my skin, warmer than it had ever been. I reached for it instinctively, feeling something stir deep within me—a presence I hadn't felt clearly in years.

My wolf.

Not dead. Not gone. Just sleeping. And now, somehow, awakening.

The doors burst open as rogues poured into the room, overwhelming the guards in the corridor. At their centre stood a tall figure with silver-streaked dark hair and eyes that burned with fanatical intensity.

Viktor Bloodmoon.

He looked older than in my childhood memory, his face lined with years of hard living, but there was no mistaking him. The same predatory grace and calculating gaze are now fixed directly on me.

"Marabelle," he said, my name a caress on his lips that made my skin crawl. "At last."

Alpha Logan threw Dean aside like a rag doll, positioning himself between Viktor and me. Maison flanked his father, his stance perfectly mirroring the older Alpha's.

"You're trespassing, Bloodmoon," Alpha Logan declared. "This is Diamond territory."

Viktor smiled, revealing teeth too sharp to be fully human. "I've come for what's mine. The girl. The lands. Perhaps even your pack, Logan, when this is done."

"She's not yours," Maison snarled, his control slipping as his wolf pushed closer to the surface. "She belongs to no one."

Viktor's eyes narrowed, studying Maison's protective stance in front of me. Understanding dawned on his face, followed by cold fury.

"So the rumours are true," he said softly. "The Diamond heir has claimed my intended mate."

"I was never your intended," I said, stepping forward despite Luna Mara's restraining hand. "My father never finalised any arrangement with your family."

Viktor's gaze locked with mine, a possessive hunger in his eyes that made my skin crawl. "Matthew Graystone was weak. Indecisive. It cost him his life and his pack." His lips curved in a cruel smile. "But fate has a way of correcting such mistakes. You were always meant to be mine, Marabelle."

My pendant burned against my skin, and with it came a surge of something I hadn't felt in years—my wolf, stirring from her forced slumber. Not fully awake, but more present than she'd been since the suppressants began.

"I choose my own fate," I said, my voice steady despite the fear coursing through me.

Viktor laughed, the sound echoing off the war room walls. "Bold words from a half-wolf. Did they tell you what those suppressants did to you? How they crippled your true nature?" His eyes flicked to Alpha Logan. "Diamond has kept you weak. Dependent. A shadow of what you could be."

"Enough talk," Alpha Logan growled. "You're outnumbered, Viktor. Even with your traitor's help."

Viktor's smile widened as he gestured toward the door. "Am I?"

Two of his rogues dragged in a battered figure, throwing him to the floor at Viktor's feet. Jackson. His face was bloodied, one arm hanging at an awkward angle that suggested it was broken. But he was alive, his chest rising and falling with laboured breaths.

"Jackson!" Luna Mara cried out, only Alpha Logan's restraining arm keeping her from rushing to her son.

"Where is Mateo?" I demanded, fear clawing at my throat.

Viktor shrugged with exaggerated casualness. "The old wolf fought surprisingly well for a cripple. But even he couldn't stand against an Alpha."

The implication hung in the air, devastating in its simplicity. Uncle Mateo was gone. The man who had raised me, protected me, and loved me as his own was dead at the hands of the monster standing before us.

Something broke inside me. Not just grief, but a dam that had been holding back my true self for years. The pendant at my throat flared hot, almost burning, as power surged through me—wild, primal, and completely beyond my control.

"You killed him," I whispered, my voice changing, deepening with a growl that came from somewhere beyond my human self.

Viktor's expression shifted, surprise flickering across from all the reports that he would have been given from Beta Dean, and anyone else would have assumed that Star, my wolf, was long dead from the suppressants.

“You think I’m dead, murderer of not only my parents but your best friend, my brother,” Star growled through my throat. “Maison Diamond is my true mate, Viktor. Did you think that I would accept a monster like you?" The words tore from my throat, my voice carrying a dual resonance—my human voice layered with my wolf's deeper, feral tones.

Viktor's eyes widened, genuine shock breaking through his composed facade. "Impossible. The suppressants—"

"Failed," I snarled, feeling my canines lengthen in my mouth. Not a full shift—I was still too weak for that—but more than should have been possible after a decade of chemical suppression.

The pendant burned white-hot against my skin, the moonstone eye glowing with an inner light that cast strange shadows across the room. It was ancient magic, pack magic, stirring to life after years of dormancy.

Maison moved to my side, his shoulder brushing mine in silent support. I could feel his wolf reaching out to mine, strengthening the connection that had been muted for so long.

"Kill them," Viktor ordered, stepping back as his rogues surged forward.

Chaos erupted in the war room. Alpha Logan shifted partially, claws and fangs emerging as he engaged three rogues simultaneously. Luna Mara darted toward Jackson, her maternal instincts overriding tactical concerns. Guards and rogues clashed in a violent tangle of snarls and snapping jaws.

Maison positioned himself in front of me, his body tensed for combat. "Stay behind me," he growled.

"No," I said, stepping up beside him. "I fight my own battles."

Viktor watched the melee with calculated detachment, his eyes never leaving me. He was waiting, I realised, for his rogues to wear us down before he made his move.

Beta Dean had regained his feet and now approached from our right, silver dagger still in hand. "I'll take care of the heir," he called to Viktor. "You claim the girl."

Maison snarled, his control slipping as his features began to shift. "You first have to get through me."

Dean lunged, faster than I expected, the silver blade flashing as it arced toward Maison's throat. Without thinking, I shoved Maison aside, the dagger slicing through my sleeve and into the flesh of my arm instead.

Pain blazed up my arm, but with it came something unexpected—a surge of power, as if the injury had broken through whatever remained of the suppressants' hold on me.

"Marabelle!" Maison's voice sounded distant as heat flooded my system.

My wolf—Star—howled inside me, no longer a whisper but a roar demanding release. The pendant at my throat pulsed in time with my racing heart, and I understood suddenly what it truly was—not just a family heirloom, but a focus for pack magic, a reservoir of power placed around my neck for safekeeping.

I gripped it tightly, feeling the magic respond to my call. The moonstone eye flared with a blinding light, illuminating the war room with an otherworldly glow. The rogues nearest me fell back, shielding their eyes from the radiance.

“Impossible,” Dean spat, “your wolf is meant to be dead, Tristan, Carter and I changed the herbs used to create the suppressants to ensure that she would die.”

The revelation hit me like a physical blow. Dean and the others hadn't just been following orders—they'd deliberately sabotaged my medication, intending to kill my wolf entirely.

"You were trying to destroy me," I whispered, the words emerging as a feral growl. "All this time."

Maison roared with rage, lunging at Dean with lethal intent. The traitor barely managed to dodge, slashing with the silver blade as he retreated.

Viktor stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the glowing pendant. "The Luna's Charm," he breathed, recognition and coveting clear in his voice. "I thought it lost with the rest of the Graystone relics."

"It was never lost," I replied, feeling ancient knowledge flow through me as the pendant's magic merged with my awakening wolf. "It was waiting."

The pendant's light expanded, forming a protective circle around me. With a clarity I hadn't felt in years, I understood what was happening—the magic embedded in the pendant wasn't just a shield; it was a key, unlocking what had been forcibly locked away.

Viktor snarled, abandoning his calculated distance to charge directly at me. "Give me what's mine!"

Maison intercepted him, their bodies colliding with bone-jarring force. They tumbled across the floor, a blur of slashing claws and snapping jaws as both partially shifted.

The battle continued around us. Alpha Logan had dispatched two rogues and was grappling with a third. Luna Mara crouched protectively over Jackson, who had managed to sit up despite his injuries. Guards and rogues fought throughout the room, the air thick with snarls and the metallic scent of blood.

The cut on my arm throbbed, but each pulse sent another wave of awakening through my system instead of weakening me. I could feel my wolf stirring more strongly, pushing against the chemical chains that had bound her for so long.

"Star," I whispered her name, our connection strengthening. "Help me."

Dean circled back toward me, seeing his opportunity while Maison was engaged with Viktor. "You should have stayed hidden, princess," he sneered, silver dagger raised.

I met his gaze without flinching. "You should have run while you had the chance."

The pendant flared again as Dean lunged, its light solidifying into something tangible between us. The silver dagger struck the barrier and shattered, fragments flying everywhere. Dean howled as silver shards embedded in his hand and arm.

Without the knife, he shifted more fully, fangs elongating as he prepared to attack with tooth and claw instead. But I was done being the victim, done being hunted.

"You poisoned me," I said, my voice echoing with my wolf's power. "You betrayed your pack. You helped murder my uncle."

“Oh no, he didn’t,” a voice came from the hallway, ”He just thought he did. And the little shits thought I wouldn’t notice, oh I noticed that the herbs had been switched.”

Uncle Mateo stood in the doorway, bloodied but very much alive. His left arm hung uselessly at his side, and a deep gash across his forehead had painted half his face crimson, but his eyes burned with fierce determination. Behind him stood two more Diamond pack guards, equally battered but standing.

"Mateo!" I gasped, relief flooding through me so intensely I nearly staggered.

Dean's eyes widened in shock. "Impossible. You were—"

"Dead?" Uncle Mateo's lips curved into a grim smile. "Sorry to disappoint you, pup. I'm harder to kill than you think."

Viktor snarled, momentarily distracted by the unexpected arrival. Maison used the opening to land a vicious blow that sent the rogue Alpha stumbling backward.

"How touching," Viktor spat, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "The family reunion continues."

Uncle Mateo limped forward, his eyes finding mine. "I felt it, little star. Your wolf awakening."

The nickname he hadn't used since I was a child brought tears to my eyes. "She's coming back," I confirmed, the pendant still pulsing with light between my fingers.

"I knew she would," Uncle Mateo said, pride evident in his voice. "Your mother's pendant would never let Star truly die."

Viktor's eyes narrowed at this exchange. "The charm was meant to be mine, along with the girl. Part of the original arrangement."

"There was never an arrangement," Uncle Mateo growled. "Just your father's desperation and your twisted obsession."

The battle had momentarily paused, all eyes on the confrontation unfolding in the centre of the room. Even the rogues seemed to be waiting for Viktor's next move.

"I switched your herbs back the moment I realised what they'd done," Uncle Mateo told me, his gaze never leaving Viktor. "I've been giving you the proper suppressants—just enough to hide you, not harm you. Star was never in danger of dying."

Relief washed through me, followed immediately by a surge of renewed strength. If Star had been merely sleeping rather than slowly poisoned, then her awakening now would be all the more powerful.

"You interfering old cripple," Dean snarled. "Always playing both sides."

"Not both sides," Uncle Mateo corrected. "Just the right one."

Viktor had apparently heard enough. With a roar that shook the walls, he launched himself not at Maison this time, but directly at me. "The charm! Give me the charm!"

The pendant flared in response to the threat, but I instinctively knew its power alone wouldn't be enough. I needed Star—all of her, not just the fragments breaking through.

Time seemed to slow as Viktor's claws reached for my throat. I could see every detail with preternatural clarity—the mad gleam in his eyes, the flecks of silver as they faced Viktor.

Uncle Mateo continued, “Dean, have you wondered why Tristan and Carter aren’t here to back you up? Weren’t they meant to come through the escape tunnel in the war room wall to attack from behind?”

Dean's eyes widened in panic, scanning the room for his co-conspirators. "They should be here. They were right behind me in the tunnel."

"Were they?" Uncle Mateo's smile was grim. "Or did someone else find them first?"

As if on cue, two Diamond pack enforcers dragged in the limp forms of Delta Carter and Gamma Tristan. Both were bound with silver chains, unconscious but alive.

"Found these two trying to access the secondary war room entrance," one of the enforcers reported. "Seems they got a little lost in the tunnels."

Understanding dawned on me. "You redirected the tunnels."

Uncle Mateo nodded. "One of the benefits of being the old cripple no one takes seriously—they forget I designed half the security systems in this compound."

Viktor's momentum faltered as he processed this new development. His carefully orchestrated attack unravelled, his inside men were neutralised, and his advantage slipped away.

"It doesn't matter," he snarled, desperation edging into his voice. "I've waited a decade for this moment. The girl is mine. The territories are mine!"

The pendant pulsed between my fingers, its light forming intricate patterns on the floor around me—ancient pack symbols that hadn't been seen in generations. I recognised them somehow, knowledge flowing into me from a source beyond my conscious mind.

"You never understood what this pendant truly is," I said, my voice carrying with unexpected authority. "It's not just a charm or a trinket to be possessed."

Viktor lunged again, but Maison intercepted him once more, their partially shifted forms locked in brutal combat. Alpha Logan moved to join his son, but four rogues blocked his path, forcing him into a defensive position.

I clutched the pendant tightly, feeling its ancient magic respond to my touch. "Star," I whispered. "It's time."

The sensation that swept through me was like nothing I'd ever experienced—not pain or pleasure, but something transcendent that encompassed both. The suppressants' hold shattered completely as my wolf surged forward, no longer content to remain dormant.

My body began to change, bones shifting and realigning with audible cracks. I should have screamed from the pain, but all I felt was exhilaration as fur sprouted along my skin and my senses sharpened beyond human comprehension.

The transformation was swift and complete—one moment, I was Marabelle in human form, the next, I stood as a wolf, larger than a natural wolf should be. My fur was the distinctive silver-white of the Graystone bloodline, marked with the amber streaks that had earned my wolf her name.

Star stretched luxuriously, savouring her freedom after years of confinement. Through her eyes, I saw the room differently—scent and sound and movement taking precedence over mere visual input. I could smell the fear emanating from Dean, the shock from Viktor, the pride from Uncle Mateo, and something more complex from Maison—a mixture of awe and recognition that resonated with Star on a primal level. My mate.

Viktor's eyes widened as he took in my transformed state. "Impossible," he breathed. "The suppressants—"

Star answered with a growl that rumbled through the room like thunder. Her thoughts merged with mine, our separation dissolving after years of forced distance. We were one being again, as we were always meant to be.

*He hurt our family. Killed our parents. Hunted us. He will never stop.*

I agreed with her assessment, which stated that our shared consciousness makes verbal communication unnecessary. Viktor would never cease his pursuit—not of me, not of the territories he coveted, not of the power he believed was his by right.

Dean backed away, genuine fear in his eyes now. "Viktor, she's fully shifted. This wasn't supposed to happen!"

Viktor tore himself from his grapple with Maison, throwing the younger Alpha aside with desperate strength. "The pendant!" he roared. "It's the pendant's magic!"

Star's instincts merged with my human strategic thinking. In that moment, we understood that Viktor wouldn't stop until he possessed both me and the pendant—the twin keys to the territorial claims he coveted. The pendant wasn't just a family heirloom or a magical focus; it was the physical manifestation of the Graystone pack's blood right to their ancestral lands.

My massive paws moved with surprising grace as I circled Viktor, my silver-white fur gleaming in the pendant's light. The chain had stretched to accommodate my wolf form, the pendant itself now resting against my chest fur, still pulsing with ancient magic.

*He fears us now,* Star observed with savage satisfaction. *He never expected this. He believed we were broken.*

Viktor shifted fully into his wolf form—a large black beast with silver streaks through his muzzle. His eyes retained their human calculation even in animal form. He was bigger than Maison or Alpha Logan, and his years as a rogue had honed his body into a weapon.

But Star was bigger.

Female wolves were typically smaller than males, but Star stood taller at the shoulder than any wolf in the room, her size a testament to the pure Alpha bloodline of the Graystone pack. I felt our combined strength rippling through powerful muscles, a decade of suppression giving way to a flood of primal power.Viktor circled cautiously, looking for weakness. The remaining rogues had fallen back, forming a loose ring around us. This was no longer a pack battle but a challenge between Alphas—a ritual as old as werewolf kind itself.

Alpha Logan barked a command, and the Diamond pack members likewise withdrew to the edges of the room, respecting the ancient protocol. Only Maison hesitated, his partially shifted form tense with the need to protect his mate.

*Our fight,* Star insisted, and I agreed. This confrontation had been brewing the moment that he killed my family and betrayed his closest friend. This was going to end right here, right now.

Viktor lunged first, his black form a blur of fangs and fury. Star sidestepped with surprising agility, her reflexes sharper than I would have expected after years of suppression. The pendant pulsed against my chest fur, and I understood it was helping us—feeding ancient pack magic into our newly awakened bond.

*He fights without honour,* Star observed as Viktor's teeth snapped inches from our flank. *All power, no discipline.*

I agreed, noticing the feral desperation in his attacks. Viktor fought like a rogue for all his physical strength—relying on brute force rather than the calculated precision that pack training instilled. We could use that against him.

We circled each other, testing defences. I could sense everyone watching—Uncle Mateo's concern, Alpha Logan's calculating assessment, Luna Mara's fierce hope, and Maison... Maison's presence burned brightest in my awareness, his wolf straining toward mine despite his human control.

Viktor feinted left, then charged right, attempting to unbalance us. Star pivoted smoothly, her greater size allowing us to absorb the glancing blow without yielding ground. We counterattacked immediately, our jaws closing on Viktor's shoulder with bone-crushing force.

He howled in pain and rage, twisting violently to break free. The movement tore flesh, leaving a ragged wound that immediately began to bleed. The scent of his blood filled the room, metallic and tinged with something wrong—a corruption that seemed to emanate from within.

*He is sick,* Star realised with sudden clarity. *His wolf and human are at war with each other.*

The insight gave us an advantage. Viktor wasn't just fighting us; he was fighting himself, the years of unchecked power and living without pack bonds having fractured something essential within him.

We pressed our advantage, forcing Viktor toward the wall with a series of short, powerful charges. Each time he tried to circle away, we cut him off, herding him exactly where we wanted him. His attacks grew more frenzied, more desperate, and more predictable.

*Now,* Star urged as Viktor reared back for another lunge.

We met his charge head-on, and our combined strength and the pendant's magic gave us the needed edge. Our jaws locked around his throat, not yet crushing but establishing dominance in the most primal way. Viktor thrashed wildly, his claws raking our sides, but Star held firm.

The room went utterly silent, the ancient ritual of submission playing out before them. I could end Viktor's life with a single powerful clench of our jaws—wolf law would consider it justified after all he had done.

But something held me back. Not mercy, but a deeper understanding of justice.

*He must face what he has done,* Star agreed. *Death would be too easy.*

I relaxed our grip slightly, just enough for Viktor to understand the choice being offered. Submit or die.

For a moment, I thought he would take my offer to live as he shifted back, only for him to sneer, “Even if I die here today, there will be others.”

I growled, shifting back to my human form, the pendant still glowing against my skin. "Others like you? Cowards who murder families in their sleep? Who poison children?"

Viktor sneered, blood trickling from the wounds on his neck. "You think this ends with me? The Graystone territories are too valuable. If not me, then another will come for you."

"Let them try," I said, my voice carrying the dual timbre of human and wolf. "I am Marabelle Daisy Graystone, daughter of Alpha Matthew and Luna Elena, sister of Alpha Kenneth. I claim my birthright and my pack's lands by blood and by right."

The pendant flared with blinding intensity as I spoke the ritual words, ancient magic recognising and responding to my claim. A circle of golden light expanded from where I stood, washing over everyone in the room.

Viktor screamed as the light touched him, his body convulsing. "What are you doing to me?"

"Nothing," I said quietly. "The magic is simply recognising truth. You have no claim to Graystone lands. You never did."

Alpha Logan stepped forward, his expression solemn. "By pack law and ancient rite, I witness this claim. Marabelle Daisy Graystone stands as the rightful heir to the Graystone territories."

Uncle Mateo joined him, his voice strong despite his injuries. "I witness this claim as former Beta to Alpha Matthew Graystone."

The golden light contracted suddenly, concentrating around Viktor's writhing form. I understood what was happening—the ancient pack magic bound in the pendant was responding to my claim, severing any connection Viktor might have forged to my family's lands through treachery or blood spilled.

"No!" Viktor howled, his body beginning to shift uncontrollably between human and wolf forms, unable to settle in either. "The territories are mine! You are mine!"