My Husband Tried to Make Her Luna

The silver chains bit into my wrists, each link burning like molten metal against my skin. Three days. Three days of agony as the silver poisoned my blood, weakening the bond with my wolf until Goldie's voice became a faint whisper in my mind.

"She's awake again," a gruff voice said somewhere above me.

I forced my eyes open, blinking against the dim light of the cellar. A Rogue with a scarred face leered down at me, his breath reeking of cheap whiskey.

"Your Alpha husband hasn't paid the ransom," he sneered, crouching beside me. "What kind of mate abandons his precious Luna?"

My throat burned with thirst, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing me beg. "Christian will come for me."

The Rogue laughed, the sound echoing off the damp stone walls. "That's what you think. He's probably celebrating his freedom right now."

He leaned closer, his fingers brushing my cheek in a gesture that made my skin crawl. "Such pretty skin for a high-born bitch. Pity it'll be scarred when we're done with you."

Something inside me snapped. Goldie stirred, her rage feeding mine despite the silver's suppression.

"Get away from me," I whispered, my voice hoarse but still carrying the edge of an Alpha's command.

The Rogue slapped me hard across the face, sending stars dancing across my vision. "You're not an Alpha anymore, princess. You're just our prisoner."

As he turned to grab a water bottle from the table, I summoned every ounce of strength I had left. My fingers, numb from the silver's effects, closed around the small dagger concealed in the lining of my jacket—the only silver that didn't burn me, blessed by the Moon Priestess as protection.

With a swift motion, I drove the blade into his throat.

He gurgled, eyes wide with shock as he collapsed. Blood pooled beneath him, warm and sticky against my legs.

"Goldie," I whispered, feeling her stir within me. "We need to go."

The silver chains wouldn't yield to my weakened strength, but the dagger's point worked into the lock. One minute. Two. The mechanism finally clicked.

Freedom.

I stumbled to my feet, legs trembling beneath me. The cellar door creaked as I pushed it open, revealing a stormy night. Rain lashed against my face, but after three days in that suffocating darkness, even the cold felt like salvation.

---

The forest blurred around me as I dragged myself toward Silver King territory. Every step sent shards of pain through my body. The silver poisoning had weakened me too much to shift fully—I could only manage partial transformations, my hands shifting to claws when I needed to climb, my senses sharpening just enough to track my way home.

Blood trailed behind me, a scent trail any wolf could follow. I couldn't stop to tend my wounds. Not yet.

As I approached the territory borders, Goldie suddenly surged forward with unexpected strength.

"Something's wrong," she growled within me.

I paused at a large oak marking