Second Chance to Free Myself

The Gamma found me in the second-floor hallway three days after I'd moved into the guest suite.

"Luna." He inclined his head, respect in the gesture even if the title felt like ash in my mouth. "A moment?"

I paused, medical supplies from the Healer clutched in my hand. The ritual's aftereffects still lingered—dizziness when I stood too quickly, hypersensitivity to sound and scent. But my wolf felt different. Stronger. Like something that had been suffocating could finally breathe.

"Of course."

He glanced down the hallway, checking for listeners, then spoke quietly. "I've been reviewing security footage. Routine checks." His jaw tightened. "There are... inconsistencies I'm documenting."

He didn't elaborate. Didn't need to. The warning in his eyes said enough—he'd seen something, but couldn't act yet. Needed proof.

I nodded once. "Thank you for your diligence."

He left without another word, and I wondered what patterns he'd found in those recordings. How many times Blair's emergencies aligned with my appointments. How many coincidences stopped being coincidental when laid out in timestamps and footage.

But proof took time. And I was running out of it.

---

The full moon rose three nights later, pulling at every wolf in Shadowcrest Pack with ancient summons we couldn't ignore. Mandatory pack runs—tradition and bonding, Nolan had explained when we'd first mated. A way for the pack to move as one beneath the Moon Goddess's light.

I'd dreaded them for three years. My weak wolf had always lagged behind, drawing sneers and whispered comments about the Luna who couldn't keep pace.

Tonight felt different. My wolf stirred eagerly beneath my skin as I joined the gathering at the forest's edge. The ritual had worked. We were ready.

Nolan stood at the front, already shifted—a massive black wolf with Alpha presence radiating from every line of his body. Blair's russet wolf sat beside him, large and glossy, her coat catching moonlight like polished copper.

She'd taken my place. Even here.

I stripped out of my clothes with the other pack members, folding them carefully. The shift came easier than it had in months—bones rearranging, fur sprouting, senses exploding into sharper focus. When I stood on four legs, I caught my reflection in a nearby puddle.

Small. Dull brown. Still recovering.

But stronger. Definitely stronger.

Nolan's howl split the night, and the pack surged forward into the forest.

I ran. Not at the back this time, but near the middle, keeping pace with the Deltas. My wolf's newfound strength carried me over roots and rocks I would've stumbled on before. The wind sang through my fur. For a moment—just a moment—I felt free.

Then Blair's scent hit me, sharp and deliberate. She'd dropped back from Nolan's side, weaving through pack members until she ran parallel to me.

My wolf's hackles rose. Warning.

We approached the ravine—a steep slope the pack usually skirted, dangerous with loose rocks and jutting roots. I started to veer left, following the main group.

Blair's wolf slammed into my side.

The impact sent me tumbling. Rocks tore at my fur, roots caught my legs. I shifted mid-fall—panic response, my human form more vulnerable but able to grab for purchase. My fingers scraped stone. Blood welled from a gash above my eyebrow. My shoulder hit hard enough to make stars explode across my vision.

I lay at the bottom of the ravine, breathing hard, tasting copper.

Above me, Blair shifted back to human form. Her face arranged itself into perfect shock. "Oh my goddess! Lily!" Her voice carried, loud enough for the pack to hear. "I didn't see you! You were so far behind!"

Lies. All lies.

I'd been right beside her. She'd aimed for me.

I pushed myself up on shaking arms, wiping blood from my face. The pack gathered at the ravine's edge—wolves and humans mixed, all staring down at me. Nolan's black wolf bounded forward, shifting as he moved.

"What happened?" His Alpha authority filled every syllable.

I met his eyes from the bottom of the ravine. "She pushed me. Deliberately."

Blair's face crumpled. Tears—always tears. "No! I would never—Nolan, I swear, it was an accident. She was lagging and I didn't see her and—"

"You were right beside me." I climbed to my feet, ignoring the way my legs shook. Blood dripped down my temple. "You body-checked me. Aimed for me."

"That's insane!" Blair's voice broke on a sob. She turned to Nolan, one hand reaching for him. "Why would I hurt her? She's your mate!"

Mate. The word mocked me.

Nolan looked between us. I saw the calculation in his eyes—his Luna, bruised and bleeding, versus his childhood companion, weeping and innocent. His jaw clenched. That tell I knew too well.

He'd already chosen.

"Enough, Lily!" His eyes flashed Alpha red. Power rolled off him in waves that made lesser wolves whimper. "It was an accident. Stand down!"

The Alpha Tone slammed into me like a physical blow.

My knees buckled. My neck bent, forcing my head down, baring my throat in submission. The compulsion was absolute—ancient instinct that made every fiber of my being scream to obey. To submit. To accept his authority without question.

I knelt in the dirt at the bottom of the ravine, bleeding and broken, forced to bow to my mate while he defended the woman who'd tried to hurt me.

The pack watched in silence.

Blair's tears stopped. For just a moment, I caught her expression before she arranged it back to concern—satisfaction. Pure, cold satisfaction.

She'd won. Again.

The Alpha Tone released me slowly. I stayed on my knees, not because I had to, but because standing felt impossible. My throat burned where I'd been forced to bare it. My wolf howled inside my mind—rage and betrayal mixing into something sharp enough to cut.

Nolan turned away, dismissing me. "Blair, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she whispered. "Just shaken."

He pulled her close—comfort I'd never received, care he'd never shown. The pack began to disperse, the run ruined. Some cast pitying glances my way. Most looked away.

I touched my neck. The incomplete mark there throbbed.

In my past life, I'd died trying to keep this bond. I'd sacrificed everything—my dignity, my strength, my child—for a man who used his Alpha authority to force me to my knees in front of the entire pack.

The last emotional thread I'd held for Nolan Harris snapped clean.

I didn't cry. Didn't scream. I simply stood, wiped the blood from my face, and walked back toward the pack house alone.

Behind me, I heard Blair's soft laugh, quickly muffled against Nolan's chest.

And I knew—with the cold certainty of someone who'd already died once—that this bond would kill me if I didn't kill it first.