Chapter 9

Rosalind's crying stopped. A triumphant sneer curled her lips.

Ten minutes later, the pack square was full. I was forced onto the stone platform in the center.

My ribs screamed in protest. Every movement was agony.

Below me was a sea of faces, many of whom I had once saved.

But now, their eyes held nothing but a feverish desire for a spectacle.

Lucas ascended the platform carrying a heavy stone basin, his hands trembling slightly.

It was filled with a thick, black liquid that reeked of rot and sulfur.

The Water of Shame.

Once it touched me, it would leave the indelible Mark of the Hunted, turning me into a living target.

For miles around, rogues and wild beasts would be drawn to my scent, hunting me relentlessly until I was dead.

Rosalind stood in the front row, her face flushed with excitement. "Slade, hurry up. I want to see her crawl away like a stray dog."

Slade walked to the stone basin. He reached out his hand, his fingertips hovering over the black liquid.

One touch to smear it on my forehead, and it would all be over.

Everyone in the square waited for this final moment.

"Eloise Vance," his voice, amplified, echoed across the square. "You have betrayed the pack and attempted murder. Do you confess?"

I lay on the ground, struggling to lift my head, but I managed a scornful smile.

A muscle twitched in Slade's jaw. I saw his fingers tremble, fighting against an order he was forcing himself to give.

One second. Two.

Rosalind urged from below, "Slade? What are you waiting for?"

Slade's eyes snapped shut.

The next second, his hand suddenly changed direction.

He bypassed the stone basin entirely, reaching instead for a nearly forgotten wooden bowl filled with clear water.

It was water from the Moonlight Well, used only for the simple revoking of pack protection.

"Alpha?" Lucas stared at him in shock. "That's the water for revoking pack protection, not for the Mark of the Hunted..."

Slade ignored everyone.

He dipped his fingers in the clear water and strode over to me.

His cold fingers drew a cross on my feverish forehead.

"Consider this my last act of mercy, Eloise," he whispered, his expression unreadable.

"From this moment on, Eloise Vance is no longer under the protection of the Blackwood pack! She is stripped of all status and exiled from these lands!"

"Neither pack nor prey. Now, get out."

Fine. He hadn't sentenced me to death. He had just thrown me away.

Rosalind, furious, tried to rush the stage but was held back by Lucas.

Two strong guards hauled me up and dragged me through the crowd.

As I was thrown hard onto the rough asphalt road, I heard the thunderous boom of the main gates closing behind me.

I lay on the asphalt, coughing up a mouthful of blood, just as a black Maybach glided silently to a stop in front of me.

The window rolled down, revealing a man with sharp eyes. It was Professor Sterling's personal assistant.

"Get in, Doctor Vance. Your lab coat has arrived."

I used my last ounce of strength to climb into the car. On the seat was a new identity package.

A top-tier security clearance badge, a passport, and a contract for the National Institute's most classified project.

The name on the ID read: Dr. Eloise Vance, Lead Geneticist. Project: Lycan Genome.

"And this," the assistant handed me a new encrypted phone. "The Director is waiting for you. The research you're about to lead will change the future of all werewolf kind. Including... them."

"Ironic, isn't it? Your Alpha has been sending us applications every month, begging for a slot in this very research program to cure their bloodline defects."

I took the phone. Then I pulled out the old one I had always carried with me.

The pinned contact was still labeled "My Alpha."

The photo was of him, asleep in the moonlight.

I stared at the name, then deleted the contact. I pulled out the SIM card, snapped it in two, and threw the pieces out the window with all my strength.

Goodbye, Slade. You just exiled the only person who holds the key to your pack's evolution.