Shattered Bond, Sweet Revenge

I couldn't sleep that night, my broken wrist throbbing despite the pain medication. The weight of the Moonstone Pack letter burned against my side where I'd hidden it beneath my mattress. But even more pressing was the need to understand what Marcus was planning next. Injury ninety-eight had come so quickly after ninety-seven. The final blow couldn't be far behind.

Lyra paced restlessly within me. *We need to know what they're planning.*

"I know," I whispered into the darkness. "And there's only one way to find out."

When the grandfather clock in the hallway struck midnight, I slipped from my bed. The pack house had fallen silent, most members asleep after the day's training. My broken wrist was awkwardly splinted against my chest as I crept down the corridor toward Marcus's study.

The door was slightly ajar, a sliver of light spilling onto the polished floor. I pressed myself against the wall, my heart hammering so loudly I feared it would give me away. Marcus was inside, his voice a low murmur as he conducted a mind-link conversation.

I'd never been able to hear his mind-links before—another sign of how he'd suppressed our mate bond—but tonight, perhaps because of my heightened awareness or desperation, fragments of his words floated to me.

"...almost complete..." His voice was coldly satisfied. "The pup will be the perfect final blow."

My hand flew to my stomach, a wave of nausea washing over me. Pup? I hadn't even considered... but of course, we were mates. It was possible.

"Once the contract is fulfilled..." Marcus continued, his voice fading in and out. "...Isabella will take her rightful place..."

I stumbled back from the door, bile rising in my throat. They were planning to use my own child—our child—as the final injury. The ultimate betrayal of the mate bond.

Somehow, I made it back to my room without being discovered. With shaking hands, I retrieved the Moonstone letter from beneath my mattress and broke the crimson seal.

*To the daughter of Alpha Victoria Ashworth,* it began, and my world tilted on its axis. *Your blood has called to us across the ocean. The time has come for you to know the truth of your lineage...*

I read the letter three times, tears blurring the elegant script. I wasn't an orphan adopted by the Williams Pack out of charity. I was the stolen daughter of Alpha Victoria Ashworth of the Moonstone Pack—taken during an ambush when I was just an infant.

The final paragraph contained a warning: *We have reason to believe you are in grave danger. Your mate bond has been corrupted for nefarious purposes.*

My hands trembled as I set the letter aside. I needed to respond, to reach out to this woman who claimed to be my mother. But how? Marcus monitored all pack communications.

The pack network. Every member had access for basic functions, but the system was more vulnerable after hours when the IT team was off duty. As Beta's assistant in my first year, I'd learned the override codes for emergencies.

I waited another hour until the house was completely still before making my way to the communications room. The blue glow of the monitors cast eerie shadows as I logged in with trembling fingers.

The override code still worked. Thank the Moon Goddess for small mercies.

I crafted my message carefully, encrypting it with the highest security protocol:

*To Alpha Victoria Ashworth of the Moonstone Pack. I am Charlotte Williams. I received your letter. The mate bond has indeed been corrupted—97 injuries inflicted, with 2 remaining to complete some kind of contract. I believe I may be carrying a child they intend to harm. Please help us.*

I hit send before I could lose my nerve, then erased all traces of my activity from the system. Back in my room, I curled around my still-flat stomach, protective instincts I didn't know I possessed flaring to life.

The response came faster than I could have imagined. My phone vibrated with an incoming message from an unknown number:

*My daughter. At last. We've found you. Stay strong for three more days. Prepare only what you can carry unnoticed. We're coming for you. —Mother*

Three days. I could survive three more days. I had to—not just for myself anymore, but for the tiny life that might be growing inside me. The life that Marcus and Isabella intended to use as their final sacrifice.

Lyra stirred within me, her presence stronger than it had been in years. *We will protect our pup,* she growled. *And then we will make them pay.*

For the first time in three years, I felt the stirring of something beyond fear and resignation. Something dangerous and sharp-edged.

Hope.