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Chapter 5

The invitation arrived on a silver-embossed card, the crest of the Silver Moon Pack gleaming in the afternoon light. I traced the raised emblem with my fingertip, feeling Luna stir within me. My wolf had been silent for so long, but now she was alert, curious.

"The Grand Summit," Griffin said, his voice low as he stood behind me. "All pack leaders will be there to address the rogue threat."

I turned to face him, taking in his concerned expression. Two years had passed since he'd pulled me from the ocean—two years of healing, of finding strength I never knew I possessed.

"You don't have to go," he added softly. "No one would blame you."

I smiled, feeling Luna's confidence flowing through me. "I'm not the same person they broke two years ago."

Griffin's eyes warmed as he took my hand. "No, you're not. You're stronger."

"I want to go," I said firmly. "Not as a victim seeking revenge, but as your Queen."

His lips curved into a smile that still made my heart skip. "Then we'll show them exactly who you've become."

---

The Silver Moon Pack's grand ballroom glittered with crystal chandeliers and polished marble. As our car pulled up to the entrance, I caught my reflection in the window—shimmering silver dress, hair swept up to reveal the elegant curve of my neck, no longer bearing rejection marks.

"Ready?" Griffin asked, his hand warm against mine.

I nodded, Luna's presence steady within me. "Ready."

The moment we entered, the room fell silent. I felt it immediately—the collective intake of breath, the sudden stillness. Then came the whispers.

"Is that...?"

"It can't be..."

"The Omega who jumped..."

And then, the scent. I'd almost forgotten how distinct it was—moonstone and rain. My natural scent had returned with Luna's awakening, stronger than ever.

Across the room, I saw him—Knox. The Alpha who had once been my everything. He stood frozen, wine glass suspended halfway to his lips, his face draining of color.

The glass slipped from his fingers, shattering on the marble floor. Red wine spread like blood between the white tiles.

"Averie?" His voice cracked, barely audible across the distance.

I met his gaze steadily, feeling nothing but a cool detachment where once there had been love. Griffin's hand tightened protectively around mine, his presence a solid anchor beside me.

"Alpha Robinson," I acknowledged with a slight nod, my voice carrying clearly through the hushed room.

Knox took a step toward us, then another. His movements were jerky, almost feral. "You're dead," he whispered. "I felt you die."

"Clearly, I'm not," I replied, my tone even.

He reached out as if to touch me, his hand trembling. "Averie, please—"

A low growl rumbled from Griffin's chest, the sound vibrating through the air with unmistakable warning. Knox froze, his eyes darting between us.

I placed a calming hand on Griffin's chest. "It's alright," I murmured, before turning back to Knox. "Alpha King Griffin Thomas," I introduced formally. "My mate and soon-to-be husband."

Knox's face contorted with pain. "Mate? But we—"

"Are nothing to each other," I finished for him. "You made that perfectly clear two years ago."

---

The Summit meeting began with tense formality. I sat beside Griffin at the head table, aware of Knox's burning gaze from across the room. Izabella sat beside him, her fingers digging into his arm as if trying to anchor herself.

"These accusations are absurd," Izabella's voice cut through the discussion of rogue attacks. "We've been nothing but hospitable to all packs."

I watched her carefully. She was thinner than before, her eyes darting nervously around the room. Guilt looked good on her.

"Except to your own," I said quietly.

All eyes turned to me.

"What did you say?" Izabella hissed.

I rose slowly, feeling Luna's power surge through me. "I said 'except to your own.'"

"You have no right to speak here," she snapped. "You're nothing but an impostor pretending to be—"

"Enough." My voice carried a new authority that silenced her instantly. I let my eyes flash silver, allowing Luna to show herself for the first time.

Gasps echoed through the room as my wolf's presence became visible—a silver glow emanating from within.

"Impossible," Izabella whispered. "You were wolfless."

"I was suppressed," I corrected her. "By trauma. By rejection." I turned to address the Council directly. "But that's not all that was suppressed."

Griffin nodded to an aide, who distributed folders to each Council member.

"Evidence?" Izabella's voice rose shrilly. "What evidence could you possibly—"

"Communications between you and the rogues who tried to kill me," I said calmly. "Payment records. Meeting coordinates."

The Council members flipped through the documents, their expressions darkening as they read.

"This is treason," one of them said, looking up at Izabella with disgust.

She stood abruptly, knocking over her chair. "You can't believe this! She's lying!"

"Sit down," Knox commanded, his voice hollow as he stared at the evidence before him.

For the first time, I saw something like recognition in his eyes—not of me, but of his own failure.

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