When My Mate Declared Me Rogue

My hands wouldn't stop shaking.

I stared at them in the mirror, watching my fingers tremble as I tried to fasten the clasp of my Luna pendant. The silver chain kept slipping through my grip, cold metal against skin that felt too hot, too tight. My wolf whimpered somewhere deep inside me, a sound so faint I almost couldn't hear her anymore.

"Luciano," I said quietly, turning toward where he stood adjusting his tie. "We need to discuss the Ironclaw border treaty before the Summit begins. Alpha Kael will expect—"

"Not now, Alena." He didn't even look at me, his eyes fixed on his own reflection. Perfect hair. Perfect suit. Perfect Alpha.

I swallowed the words I wanted to say. "It's important. The treaty terms—"

"I said not now." His gaze finally shifted to me, and I watched his jaw tighten with disgust. "You look sickly. Unpresentable. This is the biggest event of the year, and you look like you're about to collapse."

Because I am, I wanted to scream. Because our bond is killing me and you don't even care.

"I'll be fine," I said instead, my voice steady despite the tremor in my hands. "I just need—"

"Stay in the background tonight." He turned back to the mirror, dismissing me. "Don't embarrass me in front of the other Alphas."

The pendant finally clicked into place. I pressed my palm against it, feeling the metal warm under my touch. My nervous habit. My tell.

"Of course," I whispered.

The ballroom glittered with crystal chandeliers and the dangerous energy of too many Alphas in one room. I stood near the wall, watching Luciano work the crowd with Isla Brooks attached to his arm like a pretty accessory. She wore a dress the color of fresh blood, her laugh too loud, too eager.

My wolf stirred weakly. Wrong. Everything about this is wrong.

I touched my pendant again.

"Luna Alena." Alpha Kael's voice cut through the music, sharp and mocking. He was a massive man, all bulk and brutality, his pack known for violence rather than diplomacy. "You're looking rather... delicate this evening."

Other Alphas turned to watch. I felt their eyes like weights.

"Alpha Kael." I kept my voice measured, diplomatic. "Welcome to Moonshadow."

"I've been hearing rumors." He stepped closer, and I caught the scent of aggression rolling off him. "Rumors that your mate's strength is... waning. That the Moonshadow Pack isn't what it used to be."

Across the room, Luciano's head snapped up. But he didn't move toward me. He stayed exactly where he was, Isla's hand on his chest.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order." Kael gestured to a servant, who brought forward a crystal decanter filled with dark purple liquid. Wolfsbane wine. Traditional. Potent. Deadly to a wolf as weak as mine. "Drink with me, Luna. Prove your pack's vitality."

My heart hammered against my ribs. "I don't think—"

"Drink it, Alena." Luciano's voice carried across the ballroom, casual and cruel. "Don't be a spoilsport."

Isla's giggle pierced through the sudden silence. "A real Luna could handle a little drink," she said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

The servant poured two glasses. Kael lifted his, waiting. Watching.

I looked at Luciano. My mate. My Alpha. The man whose bond was supposed to protect me.

He raised his eyebrows. Drink it.

My fingers closed around the glass. The liquid sloshed, purple and poisonous. My wolf howled a warning I couldn't heed.

I drank.

The wolfsbane hit my system like acid. My corrupted bond seized, twisting, rejecting. The glass slipped from my hand and shattered. The ballroom tilted.

I tasted blood.

My knees hit the marble floor. Red bloomed across my silver gown, spreading like a stain I couldn't stop. The music died. Voices rose and fell like waves.

Through the haze of pain, I saw Luciano. Not rushing toward me. Not calling for the healer.

Sighing.

"My apologies," he said to the crowd, his voice carrying that easy Alpha charm. "My mate has always been... dramatic. Guards, please escort her out the back. Let's not let this ruin the evening."

Hands grabbed my arms. Lifted me. Dragged me.

Isla's perfume filled my nose as they pulled me past her. "Poor thing," she murmured, not quite quiet enough. "So weak."

The last thing I saw before the doors closed was Luciano, already turning back to his guests, already laughing at someone's joke.

Already forgetting I existed.

Something inside me cracked. Not my body. Not my wolf.

Something deeper.

Something that had been holding on for far too long.