•Chapter 4•

Ashley

I couldn't get away from the door fast enough, before I was grabbed and dragged into the hall. With a single jab to my back, I was forced to my knees before the Elders and Jace. I tried to fight it off but I wasn’t strong enough.

Elder Joseph was quick to speak. “Kill her. We can’t risk this getting out. Keeping her around at this point is more of a risk.”

He got up from his seat and came over to me. His cold eyes watched me like a hawk, assessing my every move. I was completely helpless—my limbs bound, my mouth gagged.

He knelt down and pressed his hands into my throat, with the clear intent of ending my life.

Panic surged within me as I struggled for breath. My eyes started to roll back into my head and the edges of my vision started to darken. All I could think about was how Jace, who I had trusted, was watching while I was getting strangled to death.

“I agree. She’s just an orphan,” another elder chimed. “Getting rid of her would be no loss to us at all.”

“For safety’s sake, it’s best to get rid of her. She’s too unpredictable.”

I felt the weight of their words press down on me, a suffocating realization sinking in. In their eyes, I was nothing. A tool, a thing to be discarded once I had outlived my usefulness.

I turned my head, my eyes desperately seeking Jace. The air seemed to shrink around me as my body fought for oxygen, my pulse racing. I gasped for breath, my throat tightening, and I felt the world slipping away.

"St . . ." I managed to choke out, my voice barely a whisper, a desperate plea for help.

"How dare you?" Jace demanded, yanking me out of Elder Joseph’s grasp. The coldness in his voice scared me.

But, I didn't want to feed in that hope I had. I wasn't going to be that stupid again. I rubbed my neck, the near-death experience leaving me dizzy.

“What are you doing?” the Elder demanded.

“She’s our best option,” Jace explained. “Without a wolf, she’s the perfect decoy, Elder Joseph. At this crucial moment, we can't afford to make drastic decisions. The pack already recognises her.”

Because of Carina, I had also lost my own wolf, becoming an even better stand-in for her. The one to take all the arrows that would come her way.

“For now, we'll keep her in the dungeon,” Jace continued, his Alpha aura pressing down on them. “I’ll handle her.”

—

I was stripped down to my undergarments and pushed into the cold, dark dungeon. The freezing dungeon walls and doors were laced with silver. Escape? Impossible.

At least they hadn't put me in a cell with Wolfsbane, because that would have been even worse. I would not have been able to survive in such a cell.

Outside the dungeon was none other than Jace himself. A part of me still wanted to think that I was probably hallucinating, but I killed that part of me completely.

The boy I once knew—the one who shielded me from Carina and her brother Lucas, the one who supported me, encouraged me—was gone. All those kisses, all those times we shared. All lies.

“If you pretend you never heard anything today, I can give you anything you want. Anything.” His voice was smooth, controlled, but there was a hint of urgency in his tone.

I scoffed. “I’m not like you, Jace. I can’t pretend. I can't lie.” My gaze locked onto his. “I wanted your love. You couldn't give me that. Does it even exist?”

He hesitated. For the first time, he had no answer.

“Does love really matter?” he muttered. “Is being Luna not enough?”

I let out a bitter laugh, forgetting about how the cold from the wall was making me shiver. “Luna? You mean being a decoy? Being a Luna that's only good for show?”

“Unlike what you've come to believe, things aren't going to be that way, alright?” he snapped. “You’ll have my protection.”

I turned my face away, preferring to stare at steel than at him. My heart had suffered enough.

When he saw that I wasn't listening to him anymore, he stepped inside, and closed the space between us.

He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him.

“You’re an orphan, Ashley. You should be grateful for what you have. If my mother hadn’t brought you back, you wouldn’t even be here in the first place.”

I stared at him, eyes wide in disbelief and my heart in shock. He had never used my past against me before—but now, his true thoughts were finally starting to spill out.

His grip loosened, and he looked away. “Look, I just mean... if you listen to me, be my Luna, my mate, we can move past this.” His voice softened, almost pleading.

But I knew better now. He wasn’t asking because of love. This was about control.

Finding a way out was necessary.

Tears welled up in my eyes and fell. I could feel Jace's eyes on me.

A little hesitantly, he stepped closer, arms wrapping around me. I stiffened initially, then forced myself to relax.

And that’s when I realized. Our mate bond was fading. With Amy, my wolf, gone, the connection between us had weakened. I no longer felt the irresistible pull to him I once did.

“I know it may be difficult for you ...” he murmured against my hair, holding me as if trying to convince himself. “But I need you, Ashley. Will you be my Luna?”

I lowered my gaze, playing along. “I just really need to understand. What prophecy were the Elders talking about?”

He tensed. “I’ll tell you later. For now though, just prepare for the ceremony.”

“What are the dangers I'd likely face at the ceremony?” I asked carefully. “If I’m going to be your Luna, I want to survive. ”

His lips curled into a slow smile. “Other wolves will likely try to lay claim on you.”

“Wolves? Only?”

The smirk on his lips widened. “You’re still as sharp as ever, Ash. Well, maybe Lycans or rogues.” His voice dripped with amusement, but his eyes glinted with something else—something darker.

I was in deeper trouble than I realised.

Carina’s existence was enough to attract Lycans, which were creatures that had once been seen as rulers, but in recent decades, had become feared for their incredible ruthlessness.

It was difficult to keep my thoughts aligned, but I kept reminding myself that I had a trump card. I just had to hold it long enough.

Soon after, Jace left, sending Beta Lucas to retrieve me. I knew why he had left. He was in a hurry to see Carina. That wasn’t my concern anymore.

Lucas was far more interesting at that point.

I found a rogue’s phone on the battlefield—filled with conversations with Lucas. Seeing it myself was the only way I could believe it. Beta Lucas, the Alpha’s right hand, had colluded with rogues. And now, it was time to use this to my advantage.

He was lean, always dressed in dark colors, moving like a shadow. I feared him, not because of his strength, but because of his cruel and cunning attributes. Without Jace, I would have barely survived his so-called "pranks" from childhood.

"I saw your chats with the rogues. Help me escape tomorrow, or your reputation is ruined," I threatened, securing my leverage for an escape.

He looked startled, clearly not expecting this.

I shifted my tone, coaxing instead. "After all, you and Carina want to get rid of me, don’t you? If I leave on my own, I promise never to come back."