EMBER POV
The syringe breaks against my skin.
Sienna's face twists in shock as the needle shatters on my arm like glass hitting steel. No blood. No puncture. Just tiny shards of metal falling to the floor.
"That's impossible," she breathes.
I'm just as confused as she is. But I don't have time to think about it because Damon's hand closes around Sienna's throat, lifting her off the ground.
"You have three seconds to explain what was in that syringe before I rip out your spine."
The dining hall has gone completely silent. Every wolf is frozen, watching.
Asher appears next to me, checking my arm. "Are you hurt?"
"I don't think so." My skin doesn't even have a scratch. "It just... broke."
"Wolfsbane," Sienna chokes out, Damon's hand still around her neck. "Concentrated. Enough to kill ten wolves."
My stomach drops. She tried to murder me. In front of everyone.
"Why?" Alpha Marcus's voice cuts through the chaos. He's standing now, power rolling off him in waves. "Why would you attack my daughter?"
"She's not your daughter!" Sienna's voice rises to a shriek. "She's a freak! An abomination! True Omegas are dangerous—they destroy packs, steal Alphas, break bonds! I was protecting us!"
"By committing murder?" Kael's voice is ice.
"The last True Omega had to be put down too!" Sienna struggles against Damon's grip. "My grandmother told me the stories. They're too powerful. They make Alphas go insane, turn brother against brother. She would have destroyed you three! I was saving you!"
"Saving us," Asher repeats slowly, "by killing our mate."
The word mate echoes through the hall. Everyone heard it.
Sienna's eyes go wide. "Your... no. No, you can't be—she's your stepsister!"
"No blood relation," Damon growls. "And even if there was, she's ours. You tried to kill what belongs to us."
"Alpha Marcus," Sienna turns desperate. "You can't allow this. It's wrong. They're supposed to be siblings!"
But Marcus is looking at me with something like wonder. "How did you survive concentrated wolfsbane?"
"I don't know." My voice shakes. "It just broke."
"True Omegas have gifts," an old voice says from the back. An elderly she-wolf steps forward, someone I've never seen before. "The legends say their bodies reject poison. That their skin is blessed by the Moon Goddess herself."
That would have been useful information BEFORE someone tried to kill me, I think hysterically.
"Sienna Vale," Marcus's voice booms with Alpha command. "You are hereby banished from Crimson Moon Pack for attempted murder of a pack member. You have until sunset to leave our territory. If you're found here after dark, you will be executed."
"No! Please!" Sienna's crying now. "Kael, please, tell him—"
"Get out," Kael says coldly. "Before I let Damon finish what he started."
Damon drops her. She crumples to the floor, sobbing, but no one moves to help her. Two guards drag her away.
The room stays frozen. Then, slowly, every wolf in the hall—including Alpha Marcus—drops to one knee.
"What are you doing?" I ask, panicked.
"Showing respect," Marcus says quietly. "You're a True Omega, Ember. One of the rarest wolves to ever exist. And you're under the protection of three of our strongest Alphas." He looks at his sons. "I assume you're claiming her?"
"Yes," all three say together.
"Then this pack recognizes the claim. Ember Ashford is now under the protection of Kael, Damon, and Asher Crimson. Anyone who harms her answers to them—and to me."
The pack echoes: "We recognize the claim."
I want to argue. Want to say I don't need their protection, don't want their claim. But I just survived a murder attempt because my skin randomly rejected poison. This is not the time to be stubborn.
"Meeting adjourned," Marcus announces. "Everyone back to your duties."
The pack disperses, but I can feel their eyes on me. Curious. Hungry. Afraid.
The brothers surround me immediately, forming a wall.
"We're taking you home," Kael says.
"I'm fine—"
"You almost died." Asher's charm is completely gone. "You're going home. Now."
They escort me out like I'm made of glass. The car ride back to the estate is silent except for Damon's knuckles cracking as he clenches and unclenches his fists.
"I should have killed her," he mutters.
"Dad made the right call," Asher says. "Banishment is worse for her than death."
"Is it?" Damon's eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. "Because I'm pretty sure death threats usually end in death."
"She wrote the note," I realize. "Sienna. She was 'S.'"
"We figured that out about thirty seconds too late," Asher admits. "I'm sorry. I should have—"
"Stop," I interrupt. "All of you, just stop. Stop protecting me. Stop claiming me. Stop making decisions for me. I didn't ask for any of this!"
"Too bad," Kael says flatly. "You're stuck with us now."
"Why? Because of some bond I didn't choose? Because I'm rare and valuable?"
"Because you're ours." Damon pulls into the driveway. "And we don't give up what's ours."
I want to fight. Want to run. But I'm exhausted and scared and my arm still tingles where the needle broke.
They walk me to my room. Stand outside my door like guards.
"We'll be right here," Asher promises. "All night. No one's getting through us."
"This is insane."
"Welcome to the family," Damon smirks, but his eyes are serious.
I close the door and lean against it, trying to breathe.
That was exciting, Seraphina purrs in my mind.
Someone tried to kill us!
And failed. Because we're stronger than they think. She sounds proud. Did you feel it? When the needle touched your skin? That was me. Protecting us.
You broke the needle?
Our skin is blessed. Poison can't touch us. Neither can silver, or most dark magic. It's one of the gifts of True Omegas.
I slide down to sit on the floor. One day in this pack and I've already been threatened, attacked, publicly claimed by three Alphas, and discovered I'm basically immune to poison.
My phone buzzes. Unknown number again.
My hands shake as I open it.
"Clever girl. Sienna was always too emotional, too obvious. But don't get comfortable. She was just the first. There are others who know what you are. Others who know True Omegas are worth more dead than alive—if you know the right buyer. Your blood is worth a fortune on the black market. Your heart, even more. Sleep well, little Omega. The real hunt begins tomorrow."
The phone slips from my fingers.
There's another threat. Someone worse than Sienna.
And they want to cut out my heart.
A knock on my door makes me jump.
"Ember?" Kael's voice. "I can hear your heartbeat. What's wrong?"
I look at the message. Look at the door where three Alphas stand guard.
They almost lost me today. If I tell them about this new threat, they'll go insane trying to protect me. They'll lock me up. Control every aspect of my life.
But if I don't tell them...
Another message: "Tell your guard dogs and I'll kill someone you love. Your mother, perhaps? Such a sweet, fragile thing. So easy to break."
My blood turns to ice.
"Ember?" Kael's knocking harder now. "Open the door."
I delete the messages with shaking hands.
"I'm fine!" I call out, voice steadier than I feel. "Just tired. I'm going to sleep."
Silence. Then: "We'll be right outside if you need us."
I climb into bed fully clothed, phone clutched in my hand.
Someone wants to kill me and sell my body parts.
And I can't tell anyone because they threatened my mom.
I'm completely alone in a house full of protectors.
And tomorrow, the real hunt begins.