Chapter 3

Back in my room, I immediately contacted a lawyer about getting Zane out of Manto House.

"Lennox may be the Alpha, but if you bring this to the Council of Elders through the Wolf Alliance, he'll face the consequences he deserves. But right now, the priority is getting Zane out."

Those last words finally steadied my racing heart.

I had to get Zane out of there. Now.

The sound of the lock clicking — Lennox was back. I could still smell Alice's cloying scent on him.

I hadn't expected him to come home tonight.

But fine. Good timing.

I slapped the dissolution petition on the table. "Sign it."

Lennox looked down at the document, his expression weary.

"Crystal, enough. I don't understand why you insist on making such a big deal out of Alice.

"I know it was wrong to trick you into letting Amy live. But that was a life! And the Luna title is yours — always. She's no threat to you."

The Luna title?

I never cared about a title.

All I ever wanted was a man who loved only me. And Lennox had let me down again and again.

Five years ago, he could at least promise to cut things off with Alice completely. Now he didn't even bother pretending.

He'd even sent our son away without a second thought.

The boy who once said he'd fight the whole world for me couldn't keep his hands off another woman.

When I said nothing, Lennox softened his tone. He wrapped an arm around my waist and murmured, "Alice is raising Amy alone. It's hard on her, so I help out. But Crystal — you're the only one I love."

His hand slipped under my shirt, grazing my skin.

I shoved him away and slapped him hard across the face.

"You disgust me." I took a deep breath. "Sign. Now."

That pushed him over the edge. His eyes blazed red, and the look he gave me was terrifying.

I met his glare head-on.

"Fine. Fine. Don't come crying to me later."

He scrawled his signature on the petition.

"I'll be waiting for the day you come crawling back!"

I didn't bother responding. I grabbed the petition and my bags and walked out the door.

The next morning, I used the Elder's emergency order to get Zane released.

He didn't say a word when he came out. He just clung to me and wouldn't let go.

I didn't know what they'd done to him in there. The only thing that mattered now was getting him to his therapist before his condition got worse.

Seeing the fear in his eyes gutted me.

Then, out of nowhere, Lennox and Alice appeared and blocked our path.

I took a deep breath and fought to stay calm. "Move. I need to take Zane to the hospital—"

Before I could finish, Alice threw herself at my feet, sobbing. "Luna, I was wrong. I shouldn't have tried to take Lennox from you. But Amy is just a child — she's innocent! Please, spare her!"

She dropped to her knees and pressed her face to the floor, tears streaming everywhere.

What was she playing at?

Before I could react, Lennox pointed at me and snarled. "You poisoned an innocent child with wolfsbane! Hand over the antidote. Now!"

I stared at him in disbelief. "What does Amy being poisoned have to do with me?"

"Crystal! Don't play dumb!" Lennox roared. "You're the Luna of this pack. Even if you can't stand Alice and Amy, they're still pack members. How could you do something like this? I should never have made you Luna!"

My heart seized.

Seven years ago, his voice had rung with conviction: "If my Luna isn't Crystal, then I don't want to be Alpha."

And now, for another woman, he was telling me he regretted being with me.

But I couldn't dwell on that. Zane needed a hospital. Now.

I tried to go around them to the car, but Lennox ripped Zane from my arms. "I'm asking you one last time. Are you going to hand over the antidote or not?"

My fists clenched. I'd had enough. "If Amy's poisoned, then take her to a hospital! Why are you coming after me?"

Lennox faltered. Alice immediately shrieked, "Amy ate the pastries you sent! You're the one who poisoned them! She told me herself — would a child lie about something like that?"

She collapsed into hysterics, as if I'd actually done it.

But a mother who was truly worried about her child would have rushed to the hospital — not here.

Lennox had already lost all reason to Alice's screaming. His expression turned icy, and he waved over the Manto House staff.

"Lock Zane back up. Teach him a lesson. He doesn't come out until Crystal admits what she's done."