Chapter 2

Gemma POV

The heavy door of the Maybach slammed shut, sealing me inside a leather-scented cage. The heater blasted, but I couldn't stop shivering. The confined space was suffocating, thick with Dallas's dominant cedarwood and snowstorm aura, now sickeningly tainted by Aubree's cloying tuberose.

Dallas leaned back against the seat, his eyes closed. "You smell weak," he stated, his voice a blade in the dark. He didn't critique my dress or my absence; he attacked the very core of my existence in the werewolf world.

Before I could process the sting, his phone illuminated the center console. A text from *Bree*. A soft, genuine smile touched his lips as he typed a reply-a tenderness he never spared for his fated mate.

Another visceral spasm ripped through my abdomen, the Bond-Rejection Sickness feeding on his blatant betrayal. I bit my lip to muffle a whimper, my trembling fingers digging into my purse for my painkillers. The plastic bottle rattled faintly.

Dallas's eyes snapped open. "What is that?" he demanded. The heavy, suffocating weight of his Alpha's Command filled the car, an invisible force trying to pry the truth from my throat.

I fought the compulsion with everything I had, my nails digging into my palms. "Mints," I choked out.

For a split second, his ice-blue eyes flickered to a feral, glowing gold. Kael, his inner wolf, was clawing at the surface, furious at the mistreatment of his true mate. But Dallas ruthlessly shoved the beast back down, turning his face toward the window. The silence that followed was a tomb.

The next morning, the pain was a dull, constant roar as I dragged myself down the cold marble corridor toward the Blackwood Global offices.

As I passed the breakroom, Seraphina's voice drifted out. "Did you see the gala photos? Dallas and Aubree look like a true Alpha and his mate. Her absence was entirely expected."

I froze. Seraphina and another she-wolf stepped out, stopping short when they saw me. They exchanged a mocking glance, their eyes glazing over slightly-they had shifted to the mind-link, a private channel I was deaf to because I was wolfless.

But Seraphina made sure to whisper aloud as she brushed past me. "An Alpha needs a strong she-wolf, not a... burden."

The humiliation hit me like a physical blow. My vision blurred, the edges of the corridor spinning as my knees buckled.

"Luna, are you alright?" Strong hands gripped my arms, steadying me before I hit the marble. It was Liam, a senior Warrior. His eyes held genuine concern, a rarity in this Pack House.

Before I could thank him, the temperature in the corridor plummeted.

"Get your hands off my Mate."

Dallas's voice was a lethal, vibrating growl that shook the floorboards. He stalked toward us, his Beta trailing behind. The sheer force of his Alpha aura slammed into Liam, forcing the strong Warrior to his knees.

"Alpha, she was falling-" Liam choked out, struggling against the Command.

"Are you so desperate for attention that you're seducing low-ranking wolves for pity?" Dallas sneered at me, his eyes dark with a twisted, hypocritical possessiveness. He didn't want me, but his Alpha pride couldn't stand another male touching his property.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, stepping away from Liam to spare him further punishment. "It was my fault."

Dallas scoffed, turning on his heel. As I watched him walk away, a bitter realization settled in my chest. He had just publicly humiliated the very person who secretly designed the Blackwood Pack's entire security and logistics algorithms. To him, and to the rest of them, I was just a useless Omega. They had no idea that the foundation of their safety rested in my hands.

The agonizing cramp in my stomach flared again, a stark reminder of my ticking clock. I couldn't survive this cage anymore. I turned my gaze toward the top floor, where the Alpha's office awaited.