Five wolves surrounded us, their golden eyes burning with predatory intent. Their growls echoed in my bones, but it wasn't the growls that unsettled me most — it was the stillness that followed.
Casey shifted first, her bones cracking and twisting as she shed her wolf form. Her brown hair clung to her sweat-slicked skin, her lips curling into a wicked grin as she stalked toward me. I barely had a moment to brace myself before her hand shot out and clamped around my neck like a vice.
"Move," she snarled, dragging me forward with a force that made my vision blur for a second. My feet stumbled to keep up, every instinct in me screaming to fight back, but I knew better. Not yet. I'd learned the hard way that there's a time to act strong and a time to act smart.
Derek's furious growl filled the air as the other four omegas tackled him. They wrestled him down, forcing him to his knees in front of Cale. Even with four of them holding him down, Derek fought like hell, his muscles straining under the weight of their grip. A beta's power wasn't something to underestimate, but four against one wasn't a fair fight.
Cale's eyes raked over me like I was prey, his smirk sharp enough to cut glass. "You're supposed to be the perfect Luna, Quinn," he said slowly, like he was savoring each word. "So tell me, how did a thirty-minute wedding discussion turn into a three-hour reunion with Luca's scent all over you?"
My jaw clenched so tight it ached. "The arrangements went into a catch-up session," I replied as evenly as I could, keeping my eyes locked on him. "Luca showed me the new inn where my home used to be. That's all."
His grin faltered, his eyes narrowing into sharp slits of suspicion. The silence stretched out like the taut string of a bow, ready to snap. Then, slowly, he shifted his attention to Derek. My stomach dropped.
"You," Cale said, his voice dangerously low. "You're supposed to report every move she makes, everywhere she goes, every person she sees. So why didn't I hear about this little surprise visit to her old home?"
Derek's eyes lifted to meet Cale's, his gaze steady but filled with unspoken defiance. "I was going to put it in my report when I got back," he said firmly, his voice unwavering.
Wrong answer.
Cale's fist shot forward like a bolt of lightning, driving into Derek's gut with such force that Derek tumbled over, coughing out a strangled breath. I jerked forward on instinct, every fiber of me ready to intervene, but Casey's iron grip yanked me back.
"You report anything new immediately!" Cale's voice boomed through the clearing like a thunderclap. Derek's face twisted in pain, but he didn't make a sound. His silence only made it worse. Cale hated silence. He hated defiance even more.
"Leave him alone," I said, forcing my voice to stay calm and even. My heart was thudding so hard it hurt, but I didn't dare let it show. "We both know I'm the one you're really mad at."
Cale's head tilted toward me, his smile curving with dark amusement. "Ah, you're right, Quinn," he said, slowly approaching me like a predator savoring its next meal. He stopped just in front of me, his eyes flicking over my face before his hand shot out. The crack of his palm against my cheek echoed through the clearing.
I didn't flinch.
The pain didn't register. Not really. Not after months of conditioning. He'd tried to break me so many times before, but pain only works if you feel it. He'd made sure I'd feel nothing at all.
His eyes darkened with frustration. "You're a problem, you know that? I've worked so hard to make you obedient, but here you are, still standing like you're untouchable." He sighed, shaking his head. "The issue, my dear Luna, is that hurting you no longer brings me joy. But my beta?" He glanced back at Derek with a cruel grin. "My beta still feels everything."
My stomach turned to ice.
Derek's head lifted, his eyes meeting mine. His face remained stoic, but I saw it — the flicker of fear. My breath hitched in my chest as Cale's hand reached behind his back, pulling out the glint of silver. My heart stopped.
"No!" I lurched forward, shoving Casey off me with every ounce of strength I had. My feet barely hit the ground before I was in front of Derek, throwing myself between him and Cale's blade.
Pain. Real pain.
It burned through me like molten lava, searing straight into my abdomen as the silver dug into my flesh. My breath left me in a rush, and for a moment, I swore my vision dimmed at the edges. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood, forcing myself to stay upright. Trinity's howl of agony echoed through my mind.
"We can't handle silver, Quinn!" she cried. "Get it out! Get it out!"
My knees buckled, but I locked them in place. I wouldn't fall. I couldn't fall.
Cale's eyes widened in surprise, his lips curving into something worse than a smile — realization. His fingers wrapped around the handle, and before I could brace myself, he twisted the knife. Agony exploded through my entire body, and I couldn't stop the scream that tore from my throat. My hands clutched his wrist, nails digging into his skin, but it only seemed to delight him more.
"Well, well," he mused, his voice laced with mock surprise. "Looks like silver still works on you, after all." He twisted it again, and I dropped to my knees, breathless and trembling. "I think you've finally learned your place, Quinn."
I gasped, swallowing the bile rising in my throat, my vision blurring as tears burned down my cheeks. He crouched to meet my gaze, his eyes filled with satisfaction.
"You're lucky I've got a meeting to attend," he sneered, yanking the blade out with a sickening squelch. My body seized with pain, but I didn't give him the satisfaction of another scream. "Otherwise, tonight would have been much longer for you." Cale's voice hushed into a deadly whisper in my ear. "I can practically smell him on you. You disgust me."
He rose, flicking the blood from the blade with a careless motion. "Derek, your Luna just saved your life. Do your job better next time, or there won't be anyone left to save you. Take him to the back of the property," he ordered the omegas, his voice sharp as steel.
I glanced back, still on my knees, meeting Derek's gaze. His lips moved without sound: "I'll be fine." But his eyes — his eyes told me he knew that was a lie.
Casey's hand gripped my arm, yanking me to my feet. I pulled away, glaring at her with every ounce of defiance I had left. "Don't touch me, bitch," I hissed, my breath ragged but steady. Her eyes flashed, but she didn't push it.
Blood soaked through my clothes, warm and sticky against my skin. I staggered toward the house, every step a war against gravity, against pain, against the world that refused to break me. Not yet.