SERAPHINA
I slam my fist on the map hard enough to make my scouts jump.
"Three weeks." My voice cuts through the tent like ice. "Three weeks we've been hunting one pathetic omega and she keeps slipping away."
My elite tracking unit stands around the table. Six of the best warriors my father's pack can provide. All watching me with carefully blank expressions.
They think I'm obsessed. They're right.
But not for the reasons they assume.
"The scent trail leads here." I stab my finger at the map. Right into the black section marking forbidden territory. "The Dead Lands."
Silence. Heavy. Uncomfortable.
My second in command Marcus clears his throat. "Alpha Theron gave strict orders not to enter Blackthorn's territory. It's protected by Council decree."
"Protected." I laugh. Sharp. Bitter. "You mean they're too scared to go after him themselves so they pretend it's protection."
Marcus doesn't argue. Can't. Everyone knows the Council fears Kai Blackthorn. The rogue who killed twelve enforcers the last time they tried to capture him.
Good. Let them be afraid. I'm not.
I study the map again. The Dead Lands spread across miles of volcanic wasteland. Black sand beaches. Ancient ruins. Territory where pack magic supposedly doesn't work.
Ivy's scent leads straight into the heart of it. Straight to the old temple ruins marked in red.
She's there. I know it in my bones. Hiding under Blackthorn's protection like the coward she is.
"We go in at dawn." I meet each scout's eyes. Daring them to challenge me. "Full assault formation. Thirty wolves total."
"Thirty." Marcus looks sick. "Alpha Seraphina that's almost our entire fighting force. If we lose them your father will..."
"My father wants results." I cut him off. "Ivy Sterling has made fools of five major packs. She's cost us time, resources, and reputation. Whoever brings her back to Magnus Castellan earns a permanent alliance with Silverpine Pack."
Money. Power. Prestige. Watch how fast fear turns to greed.
The scouts lean forward. Interested now.
"Magnus wants her alive and unharmed." I pause. Let the next part sink in. "But accidents happen during captures. Broken bones. Cuts. Bruises. Who's to say she didn't resist."
Understanding spreads across their faces. They know what I'm really saying.
I want her broken. Bleeding. Dragged back in chains barely conscious.
I want Derek to see what his precious Ivy looks like after I'm done with her.
Marcus still looks uncertain. "Blackthorn killed twelve trained enforcers. What makes you think we can succeed where the Council failed."
"Because we're smarter." I pull out satellite photos. Recent ones my father acquired through less than legal channels. "The Council went in loud. Announced their presence. Gave him time to prepare."
I spread the photos across the map. Aerial views of the temple ruins. The surrounding forest. Possible entry points.
"We go in quiet. Three teams. North, south, east. Surround the temple. Close the net before he knows we're there." My finger traces the routes. "He's one wolf. We're thirty. Numbers win."
"What about the omega's power." One of the younger scouts speaks up. Brave or stupid. "Reports say she destroyed the mating ceremony. Killed two guards. She's dangerous."
"She's untrained." I've read every report. Studied every witness account. "Her power explodes randomly. No control. No aim. More likely to hurt herself than us."
That's what I'm counting on. Ivy's wild desperate energy turning against her at exactly the wrong moment.
Then Derek will finally see. She's not special. Not worth saving. Just a broken omega who got lucky with a rare bloodline.
"Gear up." I roll the map. "We leave in two hours. I want everyone armed with silver restraints. Tranquilizers rated for Alpha-level wolves. If she resists we put her down hard."
The scouts file out. All except Marcus who lingers by the entrance.
"Permission to speak freely Alpha."
I wave him on.
"This isn't about the bounty is it." He chooses his words carefully. "This is about Derek."
My jaw clenches. "I don't know what you mean."
"He came back from Blackthorn's territory three days ago. Refused to say what happened. But he's been different since. Distracted. Keeps staring at nothing."
Staring at nothing. Right. He's thinking about her. About Ivy. Even after I finally got the engagement I've wanted since we were children.
"Derek will forget her once she's locked away." I keep my voice steady. Professional. "This is about pack politics. Strategic alliances. Nothing personal."
Marcus doesn't believe me. I can see it in his eyes. But he's smart enough not to argue.
"As you say Alpha."
He leaves and I'm alone with the maps and my rage.
I've wanted Derek Castellan for ten years. Ten years of perfect behavior. Perfect appearance. Perfect everything. Becoming exactly what an Alpha's mate should be.
My father arranged the engagement when I was thirteen. Promised to Alpha Magnus that his daughter would unite Frostmoon and Silverpine packs. Create the strongest alliance in the northern territories.
I've spent a decade preparing for that role. Learning politics. Combat. How to be the perfect Luna. How to stand beside an Alpha and make him look strong.
Then Magnus chose Ivy instead.
Ivy Sterling. Nobody omega. Weak. Powerless. Nothing special.
Except she had violet eyes and some ancient bloodline Magnus wanted to exploit.
I watched Derek propose to her in front of everyone. Watched him smile at her like she was something precious. Something worth protecting.
He never smiled at me like that.
The ceremony explosion should have fixed everything. Proved Ivy was dangerous. Unstable. Wrong for him.
Instead Derek spent three weeks obsessed with finding her. Checking reports. Demanding updates. I saw the guilt eating him alive every time someone mentioned her name.
Then he went to Blackthorn's territory alone. Came back looking destroyed.
I cornered him that night. Asked what happened.
"She's alive," he said. "And she's with him. With Blackthorn."
The way he said it. Like someone carved out his heart and left a hole.
"You still love her." I made it a statement not a question.
Derek couldn't even deny it. Just stared at his hands. "I failed her Seraphina. When she needed me most I chose pack loyalty over her. That's not love. That's cowardice."
"So forget her. Move on. We're engaged now. We could be happy."
He finally looked at me. Really looked. And I saw the truth in his eyes.
He'll never love me. Not the way he loves her. I'm the consolation prize. The safe choice. The one his father picked after his first choice became impossible.
Second best. Always second best.
That's when I decided. Ivy Sterling has to disappear. Permanently.
If I can't have Derek's love I'll settle for his attention. And once Ivy is gone he'll have no choice but to focus on our future instead of his past.
A knock on the tent flap interrupts my thoughts.
"Enter."
One of my scouts. The best tracker we have. Young. Eager. Desperate to prove himself.
"Report." I gesture him forward.
"I did reconnaissance of the temple ruins like you ordered." He's excited. Practically vibrating. "Found fresh tracks. Very fresh. Less than six hours old."
"Ivy's tracks."
"Yes Alpha. But not just hers." He pulls out his phone. Shows me photos. Footprints in volcanic sand. Two sets. One small. One large. "There's another wolf with her. Training her from the looks of it."
I zoom in on the photos. The prints show combat stances. Movement patterns. Someone teaching someone else how to fight.
"Blackthorn." The name tastes like poison.
"Has to be. The tracks circle each other. Advance. Retreat. Classic sparring formation." He swipes to another photo. Scorched earth in a perfect circle. "And this. Her power signature. But controlled. Directed. Not random like the reports said."
My blood runs cold.
She's training. Learning to control that wild energy. And Blackthorn is helping her.
"How long." My voice is sharp. "How long has she been training."
"Based on the track patterns and wear on the ground. At least three days. Maybe four." He puts the phone away. "They're working together Alpha. Partners."
Partners. That's dangerous. Blackthorn alone is nearly impossible to kill. Blackthorn with a bloodline wolf backing him up could be unstoppable.
"Change of plans." I pull the map back out. "We don't wait for dawn. We go in tonight."
"Tonight?" The scout looks uncertain. "It's almost dark. We'll lose our advantage."
"Darkness works both ways. And I'd rather catch them tired from training than fresh and ready." I mark new entry points. Faster routes. Riskier but necessary. "Get everyone ready. We move in one hour."
He salutes and runs.
I stare at the map. At the red circle marking the temple ruins.
Derek thinks Ivy is safe with Blackthorn. Thinks the rogue will protect her from everyone hunting her.
He's wrong.
I'm going to drag her back in chains. Show Derek exactly what his precious omega looks like broken and defeated. Make him watch while Magnus locks her away forever.
Then maybe he'll finally look at me. Really see me. The woman who's been waiting for him. Who's perfect for him.
The woman who'll burn down the world to keep him.
My phone buzzes. Message from Derek.
"Please don't do this. She doesn't deserve what Magnus has planned."
I delete it without responding.
Doesn't deserve it. Right. She doesn't deserve Derek's obsession. His guilt. His love.
But I do. I've earned it through years of devotion. Of being exactly what he needs.
One way or another Ivy Sterling is going down tonight.
And when Derek realizes she's gone for good he'll have no choice but to move on.
With me. Where he belongs.
I grab my weapons and head out. The hunt is on.
Marcus meets me outside. "Scouts report Blackthorn left the temple twenty minutes ago. Heading east on patrol."
Perfect. He's away. Ivy is alone.
"How long until he gets back."
"Hard to say. Could be an hour. Could be three."
"Then we have a window." I shift to wolf form mid stride. My pack follows. Thirty warriors ready for blood. "Move fast. Hit hard. In and out before he knows what happened."
We run through the forest. Silent. Deadly. Professional killers on a mission.
The Dead Lands border appears ahead. Black sand replacing normal earth. Temperature drops ten degrees. The air feels wrong here. Heavy. Like the land itself is holding its breath.
My wolves hesitate at the boundary.
"Cross." I order. "Now."
They obey. We pour into forbidden territory together. Heading straight for the temple ruins.
Straight for Ivy.
I imagine her face when she sees us coming. The fear. The realization that there's nowhere left to run.
Derek will forget her. He has to.
And I'll finally be enough.
The temple appears through the trees. Ancient stone. Crumbling walls. Exactly like the photos.
I signal my pack. Surround. Close the net. Don't let her escape.
We move into position. Thirty wolves forming a perfect circle around the temple.
I shift to human. March straight to the entrance. Kick the door open.
"Ivy Sterling." My voice echoes through empty rooms. "I know you're here. Come out and I promise you won't be hurt."
Lie. Total lie. But she doesn't need to know that.
Silence answers me.
I gesture my wolves inside. "Search everywhere. Find her."
They spread out. Checking rooms. Corners. Anywhere she might hide.
Marcus appears from the back section. "Alpha. You need to see this."
I follow him to a training courtyard. And stop dead.
The entire space is destroyed. Scorched earth everywhere. Craters in the stone. Walls blasted apart. Evidence of massive power being used repeatedly.
And in the center fresh tracks. Two sets. One large. One small.
They're not just training together.
They're training seriously. Intensely. Like preparing for war.
"How long ago." I crouch to examine the tracks.
"Minutes." Marcus points to disturbed dust still settling. "They were just here."
Which means they knew we were coming. Ran before we arrived.
Or worse. They're watching us right now. Waiting.
A howl cuts through the night. Not from my pack. From the forest beyond.
Blackthorn. Returning early.
And he sounds furious.
"Fall back." I order immediately. "Everyone out. NOW."
Too late.
Shadows move in the trees. Fast. Deadly. Circling my position.
Not one wolf. Multiple. Blackthorn has backup I didn't know about.
My perfect trap just became his.
And somewhere in the darkness Ivy Sterling is watching me fall into it.