Chapter 2

Kenia POV:

The next morning, the air in the Silver Lake territory was thick with anticipation. Colorful banners hung from the lampposts, celebrating the "Union of Strength."

I hadn't packed much. Just my sketchbook and the locket Elder Evans had given me. I tried to leave the estate grounds, heading toward the southern border where I hoped Gael would meet me, but the gate scanner flashed red.

ACCESS DENIED.

"Sorry, Miss Kenia," the guard said, not looking sorry at all. He smirked, chewing on a toothpick. "Alpha Heir's orders. No one leaves the compound until after the... festivities."

I was a prisoner.

I retreated to the garden, my senses on high alert. Being an Omega meant I wasn't strong, but my survival instincts were honed sharp. My hearing, usually average, seemed to stretch, desperate for information.

I crouched behind a hedge of hydrangeas as Holden and Estella walked by on the gravel path.

"Is everything set for the finale?" Estella asked, linking her arm through his.

"It's going to be hilarious," Holden chuckled. "We take her to the cliff for a 'security check.' The guys are waiting in the bushes. We simulate a Rogue attack."

"And then?"

"And then, the 'trust fall,'" Holden said, kissing her temple. "I tell her I can't save us both. I shove her off the ledge. There's a safety net ten feet down, hidden by the fog. She'll scream her head off, land in the mud, and realize she's the punchline. It's the perfect send-off before the wedding."

My stomach turned. It wasn't enough to cheat on me. It wasn't enough to put Evans in the ICU. They had to break my spirit one last time.

I could have hidden. I could have fought. But a cold resolve settled over me. If they wanted a show, I would give them one. But I would rewrite the ending.

Two hours later, Holden found me in the library.

"Kenia!" He flashed that charming smile that used to make my knees weak. Now, it just looked like a predator baring its teeth. "Come on. I need you to check the perimeter defenses with me. Just a quick run to the Northern Cliff."

"Okay," I said softly.

We took the jeep. Estella was in the back, claiming she wanted to "learn the ropes" of being a Luna. The drive was silent. I stared out the window, watching the trees blur.

We reached the cliff. It was a sheer drop, hundreds of feet down into the rocky gorge below. The wind howled here, masking the sound of approaching footsteps.

Suddenly, five wolves burst from the treeline. They were shifted, large and grey, but their movements were clumsy. Fake Rogues. Holden's frat boy friends in fur.

"Oh no!" Estella shrieked, her acting terrible. "Rogues! Holden, save me!"

Holden grabbed my arm and Estella's arm, dragging us toward the edge. "Stay back!" he yelled at the wolves.

One of the wolves lunged-slowly, deliberately.

"I can only save one!" Holden shouted, the script clumsy and cruel. He looked at me, his eyes gleaming with malicious delight. "Sorry, Kenia. Survival of the fittest."

He shoved me.

He didn't just let go. He shoved me toward the wolves.

The "Rogues" didn't attack. They laughed. A barking, guttural sound in their wolf forms. One of them, a brown wolf I recognized as Holden's Beta, shoved me back toward the edge.

"Please," I said, my voice flat. "Don't."

"Beg!" Estella laughed, clapping her hands. "Beg for him to save you, you little stray!"

I looked at Holden. "Is this what you are?" I asked. "A man who hurts those weaker than him for fun?"

Holden's smile faltered for a second, but Estella was watching. He hardened his expression. "You're an Omega, Kenia. You exist to be used. Now, hand over the defense blueprints you drew. Estella needs the credit."

"No."

"What?"

"No."

Holden's face turned red. "I am your future Alpha! I command you!"

The Alpha's Command slammed into me. It was a physical weight, forcing my knees to buckle. My body wanted to obey, wanted to submit, to bare my neck. It was biology. It was torture.

But beneath the submission, something else stirred. A spark of silver heat.

"You... are... nothing," I gritted out, fighting the Command.

Holden snarled. He stepped forward and pushed me hard.

My heels slipped on the loose gravel.

I fell backward.

The wind roared in my ears. I saw Holden's face, not in horror, but in triumph. I saw Estella laughing.

I didn't scream.

I plummeted down, the grey sky spinning.

Gael, my mind whispered.

I braced for impact, for death.

But I didn't hit rocks. I hit something semi-soft. A massive, industrial-grade safety airbag hidden on the ledge below.

I bounced, the breath knocked out of me.

From above, a chorus of howls and laughter erupted.

"Look at her face!" someone yelled. "She thought she was going to die!"

"Happy Bachelor Party, Holden!"

I lay on the yellow plastic of the airbag, staring up at the sliver of sky. I was alive. But Kenia, the girl who loved art and believed in goodness, had died on that fall.

My inner wolf, usually a quiet, gentle presence, curled into a tight ball in the back of my mind. She closed her eyes and went silent. She severed the connection to the pack.

I was alone.

And for the first time in my life, I felt truly dangerous.