Chapter 5
The wolf's jaws snapped inches from my throat as Greyson burst from the pack house, his massive black wolf form materializing in a blur of midnight fur and gleaming teeth. Relief flooded through me—he had chosen to save me after all.
"Greyson!" I gasped, my voice barely audible over the howling wind.
But something was wrong. His trajectory shifted mid-leap, his amber eyes darting toward the tree line where Kayla stood watching.
"Help!" Kayla screamed, her voice piercing the storm. "The rogue is coming for me!"
Time slowed as I watched Greyson's instincts override his purpose. Instead of intercepting the feral wolf before it reached me, he veered sharply away, placing himself between Kayla and danger.
The wolf's momentum carried it straight toward me.
"No!" I cried out as the rogue's fetid breath hit my face.
My frozen limbs finally responded, stumbling backward as I reached for the small silver dagger hidden in my boot—a gift from my grandmother that I'd kept concealed throughout my time in the Silver Claw Pack.
The wolf lunged, its jaws closing around my shoulder instead of my throat. Pain exploded through my body as its teeth tore through flesh and muscle.
I screamed, the sound tearing from my throat as I drove the dagger upward into the soft flesh beneath the rogue's jaw. Hot blood spurted across my face, mixing with snow and tears.
Guardians rushed forward, finally pulling the wounded wolf away. I collapsed to my knees, blood soaking through my dress as the dagger clattered to the ground.
---
"The rogue was clearly attracted to your negative energy," Kayla announced to the assembled pack members in the great hall. Her voice dripped with false concern as she stood beside Greyson's human form, her hand resting possessively on his arm. "Your stubborn stunt at our gates has endangered us all."
I stood before them, bandages covering my shoulder wound, my body still weak from three days of exposure. Luna growled within me, urging me to fight back.
"My trial was interrupted," I said, meeting Greyson's gaze steadily. "I completed two and a half days without food or shelter."
"Enough." Greyson's voice cut through the murmurs of the pack. "You engaged in violence during the trial. You used a weapon."
"It was self-defense," I countered.
"The trial is void," he declared, his Alpha aura pulsing outward. "You have failed to prove your resolve peacefully."
Kayla's lips curved into a triumphant smile as she pressed closer to Greyson.
"You will apologize to the pack," Greyson continued, his eyes cold. "For endangering everyone with your stubbornness."
---
The memory hit me suddenly—a crowded bar in neutral territory, my Omega friends huddled together as visiting Alphas mocked them.
"Look at the weak ones," one had sneered, reaching out to grab a female Omega by her hair.
Something had snapped inside me then. I'd felt Luna surge forward, my nails lengthening into claws as I stepped between them.
"Don't touch her," I'd growled, my voice unrecognizable even to myself.
The Alpha had laughed, until my partial shift forced him back. I'd taken the punishment alone—the public shaming, the temporary banishment from pack gatherings—but I'd protected those who couldn't protect themselves.
I hadn't been weak then. I wasn't weak now.
---
"I will not apologize," I said quietly, feeling something shift inside me as Luna's strength flowed through our bond.
Greyson's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What did you say?"
"You heard me." I turned away from him, from them all, my decision crystallizing with each step I took toward the Pack Archives.
The heavy wooden door closed behind me with a satisfying thud as I entered the heart of Greyson's authority—the repository of every law, every tradition that had oppressed me for three years.
I moved methodically through the shelves, gathering the ancient scrolls that detailed the "Code of the Claw"—the very laws Greyson had used to justify his cruelty.
From my pocket, I withdrew a small flask of oil that I'd taken from the kitchen. The liquid glugged softly as I poured it over the parchment and leather-bound volumes.
"This ends tonight," I whispered to Luna as I struck a match.
The flame caught quickly, dancing along my fingers before I dropped it onto the oil-soaked scrolls.
Fire bloomed across the ancient texts, consuming centuries of oppression in hungry orange flames. The heat warmed my face as I watched Greyson's precious laws curl and blacken.
I didn't hear the door open behind me.
"What have you done?" Greyson's voice was barely recognizable through his rage.
I turned slowly, the firelight casting shadows across my face as I met his gaze without flinching.
"I'm burning it all down," I replied calmly. "Starting with your prison."
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