Chapter 4

In the dead of night, a crash at the doors jolted me awake.

Two warriors seized my arms and dragged me to the altar.

They threw me to the ground.

Wolves crowded below the altar.

Elara stepped forward and bowed to the Moon Goddess.

"Great Moon Goddess! On behalf of the pack, I thank You for Your guidance."

Then she picked up a bowl of dark liquid and walked toward me.

Wolves forced my shoulders down, making me kneel before her.

As she drew closer, alarm cut through me.

It was wolfsbane!

It was lethal to any wolf.

I fought with everything I had left.

"Let go of me! You have no right to do this!"

Elara tilted my chin up, her expression full of pity.

"Sable, the Moon Goddess told me. The wolf inside you has been corrupted by darkness."

"She's been leading you astray, making you do terrible things."

"Only by putting her to sleep can you go back to normal."

"Don't worry. I had the healer adjust the dosage. It won't harm you."

I shook my head frantically, trying to pull back, but the wolves held me fast.

I could hear my wolf howling inside me.

She sensed the danger. The wolfsbane wasn't meant to put her to sleep. It was meant to kill her.

Desperate, I turned my helpless gaze to Damon.

"Save me. I saved you once. You promised you'd always protect me."

Damon's brow furrowed, and something like reluctance flickered in his eyes.

He was about to speak, but Elara cut in first.

"Damon! The Moon Goddess is never wrong. Putting Sable's wolf to sleep is what's best for her."

"Besides, have you forgotten all the terrible things she's done since her wolf awakened?"

Damon turned his face away, his voice rough.

"Sable, I believe stealing credit for Elara's training plan wasn't really your intention. Once your wolf is fully asleep, everything will get better."

The wolves below began to murmur.

"Awakening your wolf is one of the biggest events in any pack. No one has ever been punished by having theirs put to sleep. She must have truly crossed the Alpha."

"Everyone knows Elara and the Alpha grew up together. No outsider could ever compete with that bond. She was deluding herself."

"Without her wolf, can she even call herself one of us? I wouldn't have the nerve to go on living."

I heard every word. So did Damon.

He said nothing.

With her back to the crowd, Elara's face twisted with venom.

She pried my mouth open and whispered so only I could hear.

"You deserve this. This is what you get for going after Damon."

The liquid touched my lips. I pressed them together with everything I had, but it still seeped into my mouth.

I felt my wolf crying out in agony inside me, and tears streamed down my face.

Was I really going to lose her...

That was when a bullet whizzed past Elara's hair.

She dropped the bowl in shock, trembling all over.

"Who's there?!"

A deep voice boomed from the far end of the altar.

"I'd like to see who dares lay a hand on the future female Alpha of Ravencrest!"

The hall went silent.

Every wolf turned toward the voice.

He was no longer a young man.

Silver threaded his temples, but he still stood ramrod straight, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's.

One look from him was enough to frighten the entire hall.

He was Magnus Vale, Alpha of the most powerful pack in the territory. In the past three years, he had conquered five packs. Only Graymere remained.

That period had been a nightmare none of them wanted to remember. Every night, wolves lay awake, terrified that Ravencrest would attack under cover of darkness.

But for some reason, Ravencrest never came.

They slowly let their guard down, believing the threat had passed.

But today, Magnus was here.

What had he just said?

The crowd shuddered. They turned their eyes to the woman on the altar.

He was here for me.

War was about to break out.

Elara finally came to her senses, staring at me in disbelief.

"You're from Ravencrest? You're Magnus's daughter?"

I collapsed to the ground and spat out every drop of the liquid I'd nearly swallowed.

A mocking smile curled at my lips.

"That's right."

"Aren't you the Moon Goddess's messenger? Didn't She tell you?"

Her pupils shrank. Teeth clenched, she lunged at me.

"He won't let anything happen to you! As long as I have you, no one would dare touch me!"

My expression didn't change.

The next second, she was kicked clear across the platform.

"Playtime's over, my lady."

"The hunt begins now."

A wolf with black hair and golden eyes stepped out of the shadows and tossed me a vial.

He tilted his head, grinning.

"Try not to let trash like that hurt you again."

I downed the potion.

The wolf power that had been suppressed surged back. My pupils shifted to crimson, and energy flooded every inch of my body.

"Sable, why didn't you ever tell me who you really are..."

Damon had watched the entire scene unfold. His voice shook.

I looked at him, my gaze cold.

"I was going to tell you after our mating. You would have had Ravencrest as an ally."

"But you didn't deserve it."

I descended the altar steps, my fingers transforming into razor-sharp claws.

"From now on, we're nothing but enemies."