Chapter 2

Eliana POV

I was folding a silk blouse when the bedroom door burst open, slamming against the wall with a violence that rattled the frame.

Dustin stormed in, radiating a suffocating wave of Alpha authority.

The air pressure in the room plummeted instantly-a deliberate tactic designed to force lower-ranking wolves into submission.

"Eliana," he barked. "I don't appreciate you bombarding my phone with vague threats. As a Luna, you should know how to maintain the Pack's dignity instead of indulging in these hysterics."

I didn't flinch.

I placed the blouse neatly into the open suitcase on the bed, smoothing out a non-existent wrinkle.

"Luna?" I repeated the word, tasting the ash of it on my tongue. I looked at him, feeling nothing but a hollow exhaustion. "I thought that position had already been filled."

Dustin frowned, visibly confused by my lack of submission. He dialed back the pheromones, switching seamlessly to his 'reasonable leader' persona.

"Jami was an... oversight," he said, his tone softening. "But she is carrying my pup, Eliana. I have a responsibility to her."

"Responsibility?" I laughed, a dry, humorless sound that scraped against my throat. "What about your responsibility to your Mate? To the woman you swore an oath to under the full moon?"

"You're being dramatic," he sighed, running a hand through his hair in feigned exasperation. "Jami is just an assistant. Her existence ensures the stability of the Pack. We need an heir. You... you were having trouble."

"I was having trouble because you were poisoning me with stress and neglect!" I snapped, my control slipping. "And if the stability of this Pack requires me to be humiliated in my own home, then I choose to resign."

Dustin's face hardened into stone. "Resign? You can't resign from a marriage, Eliana. Stop this. What do you want? New jewelry? A vacation? I can open a line of credit for you at the boutiques in Paris."

"I don't want your money." I zipped up the suitcase with a finality that echoed in the silence. "I want my soul back."

Suddenly, a sickly sweet presence slithered into my mind. *Mind-Link.*

*Honey, Dustin says you're having a mental breakdown. Don't worry, I'll take care of his needs tonight.*

My *Inner Wolf* snarled, clawing at the mental barrier. I didn't block her out this time. I opened the channel, projecting my voice with all the force of my suppressed lineage.

*Jami, you are mistaken. I am not broken. I am just taking out the trash.*

Downstairs, I heard a sharp gasp, followed by a frantic *Mind-Link* directed at Dustin. *Dustin! She's threatening me! I'm scared for the baby!*

Dustin's eyes turned pitch black-the sign of his wolf taking control. He lunged forward and grabbed my arm, his grip bruising.

"Eliana! Enough! You are terrorizing a pregnant female!"

"Terrorizing?" I ripped my arm away with a strength that surprised us both. "She sent me a video of you two mating in this bed, Dustin! She sent me the ultrasound while sitting in my kitchen! You call that *me* terrorizing *her*?"

"She is the mother of my child!" he roared, the sound shaking the windowpanes. "You will treat her with respect!"

"I will treat her like the homewrecker she is," I hissed. "You have turned our *Mate Bond*, the most sacred gift of the Goddess, into a circus for your mistress."

"Silence!" Dustin bellowed, unleashing the full weight of the *Alpha's Command*.

My knees buckled. The Command slammed into me like a physical blow, locking my muscles in place. It was pure, agonizing paralysis.

But my *Inner Wolf*, the White Wolf, stood tall within the void. I forced my legs to straighten, fighting the crushing weight of his voice, my bones groaning under the pressure.

Dustin looked shocked that I was standing.

Jami's fake sobbing echoed through the *Mind-Link*. *Dustin, please... make her stop...*

He looked at me, and for a second, I saw the man I used to love. Then, the Alpha took over, blinded by the primal need to protect his unborn heir.

"You are ungrateful," he spat. "You are a barren Omega who got lucky enough to marry an Alpha. Know your place."

Something inside me snapped. It wasn't a bone. It was the last thread of hope that tethered me to this life.

My *Inner Wolf* stopped growling. She stood up, shook out her massive, snowy fur, and looked at me with ancient golden eyes. *It is time,* she said.

I looked at Dustin with dead eyes. "My place is not here."

I grabbed the handle of my suitcase. "And you are right about one thing. I am not lucky."

I walked past him.

He didn't stop me. He thought I was bluffing. He thought I'd be back by dinner, begging for forgiveness.

He had no idea.