Chapter 4

Sylvia's POV

The alarm horn cut through the morning silence.

I was in my room, holding Lily's stuffed wolf that I'd found in the rubble weeks ago. Three months of searching and this toy was all I had left of her. When I heard that horn, hope flared so painfully in my chest I could barely breathe. Did they find her? Please, goddess, did someone find Lily?

I scrambled to my feet and ran toward the noise, ignoring how my barely-healed wounds screamed in protest. Warriors were gathering near the pack house, their voices urgent and overlapping. I shoved through the crowd, my heart pounding.

"What happened? Did you find my daughter?"

No one answered. They were all staring at Ethan, who stood on the Great Hall steps looking like someone had ripped his heart out. Not the careful, controlled expression he'd worn for three months whenever someone mentioned Lily. This was raw terror. His eyes flashed gold and I could see his muscles rippling under his skin as his wolf clawed for control.

"Alpha!" A warrior stumbled forward, gasping for air. "Clara was attacked at the border. Rogue wolves took her."

Everything inside me went numb.

Ethan's howl tore through the air, so full of anguish that several pack members actually dropped to their knees. His eyes burned pure gold and his canines were already elongating.

"All warriors, mobilize now!" The Alpha command in his voice made every wolf snap to attention. "Find her. I don't care what it takes, I don't care what you have to do, just find Clara!"

I stood there frozen, watching my mate become someone I'd never seen before.

He never looked like this for Lily. Not once.

"Marcus!" Ethan grabbed the Beta's arm so hard I saw Marcus flinch. "Send word to every neighboring pack. Tell them I'll pay whatever they ask, I'll ally with whoever they want. Tell them I need their help."

"Alpha, that will put us in serious debt—"

"I don't care!" Ethan's snarl made Marcus stumble backward. "Send warriors to every territory within a hundred miles. Search every inch of forest. She could be hurt, she could be dying, she could be—" His voice actually broke. "Just find her. Please."

Two hours later, two-thirds of our warriors were gone. The same warriors who'd been "too exhausted" to search for Lily. The same resources Ethan had said we couldn't spare because it would "compromise pack security."

I watched from the pack house steps as Ethan coordinated search parties with an energy that bordered on manic. He hadn't slept properly in three months, but suddenly he looked ready to stay awake forever if it meant finding Clara.

"I'm heading to the border myself," he announced, already shifting. His silver wolf was massive and magnificent. "Link me the second you hear anything."

He didn't even glance in my direction before he disappeared into the trees.

Of course not. Why would he? I'm not the one he's desperate to save.

I turned to go back inside, feeling hollow and cold, when Marcus appeared beside me. His expression was troubled in a way that made my stomach clench.

"Luna, I need to talk to you. Somewhere private."

I followed him to a small storage room off the main hall, away from all the chaos.

Marcus closed the door and leaned against it, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. "There's something you need to know about the war."

My pulse started racing. "What about it?"

"The Sacred Moon Stone they said we stole. We did take it." He held up his hand before I could speak.

"Clara wanted it." Marcus couldn't look at me anymore. "She'd heard stories about how it could enhance a she-wolf's spiritual power. She asked Ethan to get it for her, so he sent warriors to steal it."

The room tilted sideways. I grabbed the edge of a table to keep myself upright.

"You're telling me that war happened because Clara wanted a pretty rock?"

"Luna—"

"Thirty-seven warriors died, Marcus!" My voice came out louder than I meant it to. "Thirty-seven people I knew, people with families and futures. Hundreds more got hurt. And it was all for Clara's vanity?"

His silence confirmed everything.

"Alpha knew from the start." It wasn't a question. "He knew exactly why Crimson Valley Pack accused us. He knew we were guilty and he lied to everyone."

"He thought he could smooth it over politically." Marcus looked exhausted. "He figured if he held firm and refused to admit anything, they'd eventually back down. He didn't think they'd actually attack."

But they did attack. And people died. And Lily...

"The rogues that took Lily came during the war," I said slowly. "They took advantage of the chaos, of our weakened defenses."

"Yes."

Every single thing I'd suffered through these past three months traced back to one source. Clara wanted something, Ethan gave it to her, and my daughter paid the price. Our whole pack paid the price. Thirty-seven families paid with blood.

I'd thought I understood pain. I'd thought watching Ethan choose Clara over me and over Lily was the worst thing I could endure.

I was so wrong. This was worse, because now I understood that Lily's disappearance wasn't random bad luck. It was a direct consequence of Ethan's obsession with Clara. He'd gambled with our daughter's safety to make Clara happy.

"Luna, are you okay?" Marcus reached out like he thought I might fall.

"I'm fine." I wasn't fine. I would never be fine again. "Thank you for telling me the truth."

I walked out of that room feeling like I was moving underwater. Everything seemed far away and surreal. Pack members rushed past me, getting ready for the search, their faces tight with worry for Clara.

Where was this worry three months ago? Where were these search parties when Lily needed them?

I found myself standing at the pack's border, staring at the forest where my daughter had vanished. The same forest where Clara was supposedly lost right now.

Ethan will find her, I realized. He'll tear apart the entire territory, call in every favor, make any deal.