Chapter 3

That hiss was mine.

Burning.

Searing, vicious burning.

I looked down at my arm. My skin was smoking, giving off the stench of scorched flesh. It was— *silverleaf sap*. The plant that's toxic to werewolves.

The pain ripped away my control. My body began to shift on instinct.

Bones cracked. Teeth sharpened. Nails lengthened into claws.

My wolf surged awake under the onslaught of agony, desperate to protect me, desperate to strike back.

The door slammed open.

Kael and Kieran burst out. Finn cowered behind them, still clutching an empty bottle, his face white with terror.

"Elara!" Kieran cried.

But what they saw wasn't my pain. They saw me mid-shift—fangs bared, claws out, facing a five-year-old child.

In their eyes, I must have looked like a monster.

A monster about to hurt a pup.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Kael's roar was deafening.

The next instant, a wall of force slammed into me. Kael had already half-shifted; he drove his shoulder into my body and sent me crashing to the ground.

I hit the flagstones hard. Pain exploded through my back. But it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

Kieran had already scooped Finn into his arms and was shielding the boy with his body, eyes locked on me like I was a threat.

"I—" I tried to speak, but my throat would only produce a ragged croak.

I fought to rein in the wolf rampaging inside me, forcing myself back into human form. The process was excruciating and slow, every bone grinding back into place like a separate torture.

Finally, I was human again, crumpled on the ground.

The wound on my arm was ghastly—skin charred black, flesh torn and raw.

I was in too much pain to speak, but Kael and Kieran weren't looking at the wound. They just stood there, eyes cold, staring at me like a stranger.

"You'd go after a *child* now?" Kael's voice was ice. "Elara, I don't even know who you are anymore."

He stepped forward, seized my throat in warning. "I'd suggest you leave. Now. Before I call the enforcers and have you dragged in for assaulting a pup."

"The one who's hurt… is me," I managed to choke out.

"Still making excuses!" His glare hardened further. "Looks like you need a lesson."

His grip around my throat tightened.

"No—" I struggled weakly, but there was no fighting an enraged Alpha.

"Wait!"

A voice cut through the suffocating standoff.

Sera emerged from inside. Her eyes—bright emerald green—went wide the moment they fell on my arm.

"Oh God," she gasped. "That's a silverleaf burn!"

She rushed toward me, but Kael blocked her path.

"Sera, careful. She just tried to attack Finn."

"No." Sera shook her head, her gaze darting between me and Finn. "Finn, what's that in your hand?"

The little boy held up the empty bottle, trembling. "It's… it's silverleaf sap. I saw this bad lady sneaking over here, and Mommy always says I should protect myself…"

"So you threw it on her?" Sera's voice turned stern.

Finn flinched and nodded.

Sera took a deep breath and looked at Kael and Kieran. "Can you not see? Her wound? Silverleaf is severely corrosive to werewolf skin. She didn't shift to attack—she shifted because of the *pain*. It's a reflexive response."

Silence.

Dead silence.

Kael and Kieran finally turned their eyes to my arm. In the moonlight, the wound looked even more horrific—blackened skin, curling flesh, the pale gleam of bone visible beneath.

"Elara…" Kieran's voice wavered.

I smiled. It must have been an ugly smile.

"So you finally see it?" My voice was raw. "I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I just… I came to find you. One last time."

I struggled to my feet, swaying with pain.

Sera stepped forward. "Let me look at that wound. I can—"

"No need." I cut her off and took a step back.

I looked at her—this perfect she-wolf. Strong. Independent. A healer. She had every quality I lacked.

"You're remarkable, Sera," I said. "You really are stronger than me, more independent, more suited to be Luna."

"Elara, that's not—" Kieran tried to say something.

"But," I raised my voice, cutting him off, "I still have my dignity."

I turned to Finn, the five-year-old hiding behind Kieran, eyes wide with fear.

"Finn," I said. "You threw that on me. You owe me an apology."

"Elara!" Kael's tone was pure warning. "He's just a kid!"