My heart raced as I stood outside Kaelen's door. Corbin knocked sharply before pushing me inside.
"She's here, Alpha," he announced, closing the door behind me.
I stepped into chaos. Kaelen's usually pristine room looked like a hurricane had torn through it. Clothes were strewn across the floor, drawers pulled out, and even the mattress was half off the bed. In the middle of the destruction stood Kaelen, his green eyes burning with fury as they landed on me.
"You!" he snarled, stalking forward. "Where is it?"
I took an instinctive step back, my spine hitting the closed door. "Where is what?"
"Don't play dumb!" His fist slammed against the wall beside my head, making me flinch. "The diamond necklace I bought for Lilith. It was in the top drawer of my dresser yesterday."
My mind raced. I had cleaned his room yesterday, but I hadn't seen any necklace. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't take anything."
"Liar!" His face was inches from mine, his breath hot against my skin. His scent—pine and winter air—flooded my senses, triggering unwanted memories of when that smell meant safety instead of danger. "Only you and Lilith were in my room yesterday."
"I just cleaned, Alpha. I swear I didn't touch anything valuable." My voice trembled despite my efforts to stay calm. "I wouldn't steal from you."
Kaelen grabbed my arm, his fingers digging painfully into my flesh as he dragged me deeper into the room. "Then help me find it."
I stared at the mess surrounding us. "Maybe it fell somewhere during cleaning?"
"I've looked everywhere!" He released me with a shove that sent me stumbling. "That necklace cost more than your worthless life. I was going to give it to Lilith tonight."
Of course. Another lavish gift for Lilith while my mother and I barely had enough to eat. The unfairness of it burned in my chest, but I pushed the feeling away. Now wasn't the time for bitterness.
"Let me help you look," I offered, already kneeling to check under the bed.
"Don't bother." His voice dripped with disdain. "If you stole it, you've already hidden it somewhere."
I rose slowly, anger finally breaking through my fear. "I didn't steal your necklace. I've never stolen anything in my life."
"Like father, like daughter." Kaelen's words cut deeper than any physical blow. "Your father stole from this pack, betrayed our trust, and you're following right in his footsteps."
"My father is innocent!" The words burst out before I could stop them. Luna howled her approval in my mind.
For a moment, surprise flickered across Kaelen's face, replaced quickly by mocking amusement. "Still clinging to that delusion? The evidence against Silas Moon was irrefutable."
"Evidence can be fabricated," I whispered, immediately regretting my boldness when his expression darkened.
Kaelen moved so fast I couldn't react. His hand closed around my throat, not squeezing but sending a clear message. "Watch your tongue, Omega. Your father confessed to his crimes."
After being beaten for days, I wanted to say. After threats against his family. But I remained silent, knowing the truth would only enrage him further.
He released me and turned away, raking his fingers through his dark hair. "You were in here yesterday afternoon. The necklace was in my drawer when I left. This morning, it's gone."
"Lilith was here too," I said quietly. "You said so yourself."
Kaelen whirled around, eyes flashing dangerously. "What are you implying?"
I swallowed hard. "Nothing. I just... maybe she moved it? Or maybe it fell and rolled somewhere?"
"Lilith wouldn't touch my things without permission." His tone left no room for argument. "Unlike you, she respects boundaries."
The irony was almost laughable. Lilith had been invading my privacy and stealing my things since we were fourteen. The silver bracelet my father gave me for my birthday, my favorite books, even small keepsakes—all had mysteriously disappeared after Lilith admired them.
"I'll help you look again," I offered, desperate to defuse his anger.
"I don't want your help. I want my property returned." He stalked to his closet and yanked out a fresh shirt. "You have until the end of today to bring me that necklace."
"But I don't have it!" Panic clawed at my throat. "How can I return something I never took?"
"Figure it out." He pulled the shirt over his head, muscles flexing. "Or your mother will be the one to pay the price."
Ice flooded my veins. "Leave my mother out of this."
"Then find my necklace." His voice softened dangerously. "It's simple, Seraphina. Return what you stole, and your mother keeps her position in the kitchen."
My hands clenched into fists. We both knew what would happen if Mom lost her kitchen job. The basement cleaning crew worked in horrible conditions—the fumes made several Omegas sick last month. Two hadn't recovered.
"This isn't fair," I whispered.
"Life isn't fair." Kaelen loomed over me again, and for a split second, I caught something besides anger in his eyes—something that looked almost like pain. "You should have learned that by now."
The memory of us as children, promising to always protect each other, flashed through my mind. How far we had fallen from those innocent days.
"Do you remember when we were friends?" The question slipped out before I could stop it.
He stiffened, his expression shuttering closed. "That was before I knew what kind of person you really are."
"You don't know me at all anymore."
"I know enough." He stepped back, creating distance between us. "End of day, Seraphina. Either the necklace appears, or your mother suffers. Your choice."
I recognized the dismissal and moved toward the door, my mind racing. I had to find that necklace, but how? If Lilith had taken it—and I was almost certain she had—she would never admit it. It was her word against mine, and in this pack, there was no contest who would be believed.
As my hand touched the doorknob, Kaelen's voice stopped me. "Why did you do it, Seraphina? Why steal from me when you know the consequences?"
The genuine confusion in his voice made me turn. "I didn't steal from you, Kaelen. Not now, not ever. And neither did my father."
Something flickered in his eyes—doubt, perhaps—before hardening again. "End of day," he repeated coldly.
I slipped out, closing the door behind me, only to find Jaxon, one of the younger guards, waiting in the hallway. His expression held something close to sympathy.
"Everything okay?" he asked, falling into step beside me.
"Just perfect," I muttered. "Alpha Kaelen thinks I stole from him."
Jaxon winced. "Bad timing."
"Why?"
"Because Ronan Nightwing is looking for you, and he doesn't seem happy," he said, glancing nervously down the corridor. "He's really furious and demanding for you."
My heart sank. Two angry Alphas in one morning? What had I done to deserve this?
But I already knew the answer: I was born a Moon, daughter of Silas, the pack's scapegoat. And in the Silver Crescent Pack, that was crime enough.