Luna's POV
The poison burned through my veins like liquid fire.
Vivienne's friends released me and I collapsed onto the floor, gasping. The syringe clattered beside me, empty.
"Clean this up," Vivienne ordered her friends, stepping over me like I was trash. "And if either of you breathe a word of this, you'll be next."
They scrambled to gather the books, shoving them back into Sage's bag. Sage dropped to her knees beside me, her hands shaking as she checked my pulse.
"Luna, stay with me," she whispered frantically.
Through the mate bonds, I felt my three mates laughing about something during training. So far away. So unaware.
"Fight it," Selene growled in my mind. "We're a Lunar Wolf. We can heal. Fight!"
I focused on her voice, on the silver power sleeping somewhere deep inside me. The poison was strong, but Selene was right—something in my blood was fighting back, slowing the poison's spread.
It wouldn't kill me today. But it would keep working, slowly destroying me from the inside.
"Get her out of here," Vivienne said dismissively. "And Luna? Remember your place. Stay away from what's mine, or next time, I'll use something faster."
She left, her friends trailing behind her like obedient puppets.
Sage helped me stand, supporting most of my weight. "We need to get you to the pack doctor."
"No," I gasped. "The doctor will tell the Alpha. They'll ask questions. Vivienne will just deny everything."
"Then what do we do?"
"We survive," I said grimly. "And we plan."
The poison made me sick for two days. I stayed in the basement, pretending I had the flu while my body fought the dark magic. Sage brought me food and water, keeping watch.
On the third day, I felt strong enough to move. The poison was still there—I could feel it in my blood—but Selene's healing power kept it from spreading fast.
"We're buying time," Selene said. "But Luna, we need to leave soon. Before the poison wins."
I knew she was right. But first, I needed to understand what I was dealing with.
I needed to watch Vivienne.
That's how I ended up hiding behind the equipment shed, spying on the training grounds where Vivienne seemed to spend all her time lately.
She was always there, I realized. Always watching the brothers. Always positioning herself near Kael specifically.
Today she wore a tight training outfit that showed off her perfect figure. Her raven-black hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and even from here, I could see how beautiful she was. Everything I wasn't.
Kael was running drills with his brothers. Through our bond, I felt his focus, his drive to be perfect. He moved like a weapon—precise, deadly, controlled.
Vivienne walked right up to him, touching his arm to get his attention.
The mate bond in my chest twisted painfully, flooding me with jealousy I had no right to feel.
"Kael," Vivienne's voice carried across the training grounds. "Your father wants to see you after training. Something about the Alpha ceremony."
Through the bond, I felt Kael's acknowledgment but not much else. He nodded at Vivienne and went back to training.
She didn't leave, though. She stayed close, watching him with eyes that burned with possession.
Ryland noticed her and jogged over, flashing that charming smile. "Vivienne! You look amazing today. New outfit?"
"You noticed," she purred, but her eyes stayed on Kael.
Through my bond with Ryland, I felt his attraction to her beauty, his automatic urge to flirt. But underneath was something else—a feeling that this was expected, performative. He didn't actually want her.
Dante stayed separate from the group as always, but I noticed his grey eyes flicking toward Vivienne occasionally. Through our bond, I felt his unease around her, like his wolf sensed something wrong even if his human mind didn't recognize it.
Smart wolf.
I watched as Vivienne laughed at Ryland's jokes, complimented Dante's fighting form, and basically made herself the center of their attention. She was good at it—years of practice making herself indispensable to them.
Through the bonds, I felt the brothers' varying reactions. Kael barely noticed her. Ryland enjoyed the attention. Dante felt uncomfortable but didn't know why.
None of them loved her. But she was a constant presence in their lives, always there, always perfect, always appropriate for an Alpha's sons.
Everything I could never be.
I must have moved or made a sound because suddenly Vivienne's head snapped in my direction. Her ice-blue eyes locked onto my hiding spot.
"Excuse me, boys," she said sweetly. "I'll be right back."
She walked straight toward me.
I tried to slip away, but she was faster. Her hand shot out and grabbed my wrist, her nails digging in hard enough to draw blood.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed, her sweet mask dropping instantly.
"Nothing. I was just—"
"Spying on them?" Vivienne's grip tightened. "Watching what doesn't belong to you?"
Through the mate bonds, I felt the brothers continuing their training, completely unaware of what was happening twenty feet away.
"Let me go," I whispered.
"Not until you understand something." Vivienne leaned in close, her breath hot against my ear. "Kael is mine. He's always been mine. We grew up together. We're equals. We're perfect for each other."
"I wasn't—"
"Don't lie!" Her nails dug deeper. "I see the way you look at them. All three of them. Like you have any right. Like you could ever be worthy of standing beside them."
The mate bonds burned in my chest, three golden threads connecting me to wolves this beautiful, powerful girl thought she deserved more than me.
Maybe she was right.
"I know what you are," Vivienne continued, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "A nobody. An orphan omega who should be grateful we let you breathe the same air as us. So here's what's going to happen. You're going to stay in your place—in the shadows, in the dirt, where you belong. And if I catch you watching them again..."
She pressed something sharp against my ribs. I looked down and saw a small knife.
"If I catch you again," Vivienne said softly, "I'll make sure you disappear. Rogues attack lone omegas all the time. No one would even question it."
My heart pounded. Through the mate bonds, I felt Kael call for water. Felt Ryland laugh at something. Felt Dante's focus on his next opponent.
My mates, who would never know if I died. Who might not even care.
"Do we understand each other?" Vivienne pressed the knife harder.
"Yes," I gasped.
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, I'll stay away from them."
The knife disappeared. Vivienne released my wrist and stepped back, her sweet smile returning like she'd just flipped a switch.
"Good girl," she said, patting my cheek condescendingly. "Know your place, Luna. It'll keep you alive longer."
She walked back to the training grounds, her ponytail swinging. Within seconds, she was laughing with Ryland again, looking perfect and beautiful and everything an Alpha's mate should be.
I stumbled away, clutching my bleeding wrist. Through the bonds, none of my mates felt my fear, my pain, my racing heart.
But I felt them. Felt their contentment, their focus, their complete unawareness that their fated mate had just been threatened with death.
"She's insane," Selene growled. "And she's getting bolder. Luna, we need to leave NOW."
"Not yet," I whispered, watching Vivienne touch Kael's arm again. "Not until we understand what we're fighting."
"What we're fighting is a psychopath with dark magic and no conscience. We can't win this fight here. We're too weak, too alone."
She was right. But where could I go? How could I leave when three golden bonds tied my heart to this place?
I turned to head back to the pack house and nearly walked straight into Dante.
He stood three feet away, silent as always, his grey eyes fixed on my bleeding wrist.
Through our bond, I felt something crack in his carefully controlled emotions—concern, guilt, confusion about why he cared about an omega's injury.
We stared at each other for a long moment.
Then Dante's eyes shifted past me to where Vivienne stood with his brothers. His jaw clenched. Through the bond, I felt his wolf snarling at something he couldn't quite identify.
He looked back at me one more time, his grey eyes haunted.
Then he turned and walked away without a word.
But through our bond, I felt what he was too broken to say:
Something's wrong. Something's very, very wrong.
If only he knew how right he was.