Chapter 4 First Strike

Luna's POV

I spent the night cleaning glass from the living room and planning.

By dawn, I had seventeen different ways to destroy Marcus Kane mapped out in my head. Some were quick. Some were slow. All of them would leave him wishing he'd never heard my name.

But I was smarter than my rage. Seventeen years of healing training had taught me patience, precision, and the value of the right remedy at the right time. You don't cure a disease by treating the symptoms-you go after the source.

And Marcus was just a symptom of something much larger.

I made myself tea with chamomile and mint-safe for the pregnancy-and sat at my kitchen table with a notepad. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it right.

At the top of the page, I wrote: "What I Know."

1. My mate bond is artificial

2. Victoria Thorne is five months pregnant

3. This was planned from the beginning

4. My mother made the bonding potion

5. My sister has been lying to me for three years

6. I have powers I don't understand

7. Marcus thinks I'm weak and controllable

Then I started a new list: "What I Need to Find Out."

1. Who else knows about the artificial bond?

2. What kind of political alliance needs this level of deception?

3. Why can I use Alpha commands when I'm not Alpha-born?

4. What other lies have I been told?

5. Where did my new power come from?

My phone rang, interrupting my planning. Marcus's name flashed on the screen.

I let it go to voicemail.

Then it rang again. And again.

On the fourth call, I answered.

"What?"

"Luna, we need to talk. Come to my office."

No 'please.' No acknowledgment of what happened last night. Just commands, like I was one of his pack warriors.

"I'm busy."

"This isn't a request."

I almost laughed. "Actually, it is. I don't take orders from you anymore, Marcus. You lost that right when you decided to make me your spare wife."

"Luna-"

"Here's what's going to happen. You're going to give me space to process this. You're going to cancel whatever announcement you had planned about Victoria. And you're going to pray I don't decide to share some interesting information with the pack."

Silence on the other end.

"What information?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that their Alpha has been lying to them for three years? That their Luna was chosen through artificial means? That you've been planning to replace me since day one?"

"You can't prove any of that."

"Can't I?" I smiled, even though he couldn't see it. "I'm a healer, Marcus. I know exactly what ingredients went into that bonding potion. I can smell the residue of it on both of us even now. And I have a very interesting sister who might be willing to testify about our mother's involvement."

Another long pause.

"What do you want?"

Now we were getting somewhere.

"Time. And respect. Don't contact me unless it's an emergency. Don't make any announcements about Victoria. And don't you dare try to use your Alpha voice on me again."

"Luna-"

"Because the next time you do, everyone in a five-mile radius is going to hear exactly what I think of you. And trust me, you don't want that conversation broadcast to the whole pack."

I hung up before he could respond.

My hands were shaking, but not from fear. From adrenaline. From the intoxicating rush of finally standing up for myself.

Three years of being the perfect Luna, the supportive mate, the understanding wife. Three years of making myself smaller so he could feel bigger.

No more.

My phone buzzed with a text from Celeste: "Can we talk? I know you're angry, but I can explain everything."

I stared at the message for a long moment, then deleted it without responding.

Instead, I scrolled through my contacts until I found the number I was looking for: Dr. Sarah Chen, my old mentor from my birth pack. She'd trained me in advanced healing techniques, and more importantly, she'd never trusted the politics of inter-pack alliances.

If anyone would have answers about bonding potions and their long-term effects, it would be her.

The phone rang three times before her familiar voice answered.

"Luna? This is a surprise. How are you, dear?"

"I'm..." I paused, realizing I didn't have to lie anymore. "I'm in trouble, Dr. Chen. I need help."

"What kind of trouble? Are you hurt?"

"Not physically. But I think I've been... manipulated. Magically."

The silence that followed was telling.

"Luna, where are you right now? Are you alone?"

"I'm at home. Marcus is at the pack house."

"Good. Don't go anywhere. I'm coming to you."

"Dr. Chen, it's a four-hour drive-"

"I'm already in my car. And Luna? Don't eat or drink anything you haven't prepared yourself. Don't trust anyone until I get there."

The line went dead.

I stared at my phone, suddenly very aware of how isolated I was. How many people might be involved in this conspiracy? How long had they been watching me, controlling me, shaping me into what they wanted?

A knock at my front door made me jump.

Through the peephole, I could see a young pack member-Tommy, I thought his name was. He was holding a covered dish and shifting nervously from foot to foot.

"Luna? Alpha Kane sent me with your breakfast. He said you weren't feeling well."

I looked down at my untouched tea, then back at Tommy's earnest face.

Dr. Chen's warning echoed in my head: Don't eat or drink anything you haven't prepared yourself.

"That's very thoughtful," I called through the door. "But I'm actually not hungry right now."

"Alpha Kane specifically asked me to make sure you ate it. He said it was important for the baby."

My blood ran cold. How many times had Marcus brought me food lately? How many meals had I accepted without question, trusting my mate to care for me?

How many times had I been drugged in my own home?

"Tommy, I appreciate you bringing it by. But I'm really not feeling up to eating right now."

I could hear him muttering something, probably mind-linking with Marcus for instructions.

"Luna, Alpha Kane says this is a direct order. You need to eat."

A direct order. To consume food from someone I now knew had been poisoning me for years.

I backed away from the door, my heart racing.

"Tell Alpha Kane that Luna respectfully declines," I called out, putting as much steel in my voice as I could manage.

"But Luna-"

"And Tommy? Next time Marcus wants to send me something, tell him to bring it himself. Like a real mate would."

I heard footsteps retreating, followed by the sound of a car starting.

Within minutes, my phone was ringing again. Marcus, of course.

This time, I didn't answer.

But I did start making a new list: "People I Can't Trust."

Unfortunately, it was turning out to be a very long list.

The only question now was: who, if anyone, could I trust?

And how many enemies had I been living with without even knowing it?