When My Mate Declared Me Rogue

My hands wouldn't stop shaking.

I stared at them in the mirror, watching my fingers tremble as I tried to fasten the clasp of my Luna pendant. The silver chain kept slipping through my grip, cold metal against skin that felt too hot, too tight. My wolf whimpered somewhere deep inside me, a sound so faint I almost couldn't hear her anymore.

"Luciano," I said quietly, turning toward where he stood adjusting his tie. "We need to discuss the Ironclaw border treaty before the Summit begins. Alpha Kael will expect—"

"Not now, Alena." He didn't even look at me, his eyes fixed on his own reflection. Perfect hair. Perfect suit. Perfect Alpha.

I swallowed the words I wanted to say. "It's important. The treaty terms—"

"I said not now." His gaze finally shifted to me, and I watched his jaw tighten with disgust. "You look sickly. Unpresentable. This is the biggest event of the year, and you look like you're about to collapse."

Because I am, I wanted to scream. Because our bond is killing me and you don't even care.

"I'll be fine," I said instead, my voice steady despite the tremor in my hands. "I just need—"

"Stay in the background tonight." He turned back to the mirror, dismissing me. "Don't embarrass me in front of the other Alphas."

The pendant finally clicked into place. I pressed my palm against it, feeling the metal warm under my touch. My nervous habit. My tell.

"Of course," I whispered.

The ballroom glittered with crystal chandeliers and the dangerous energy of too many Alphas in one room. I stood near the wall, watching Luciano work the crowd with Isla Brooks attached to his arm like a pretty accessory. She wore a dress the color of fresh blood, her laugh too loud, too eager.

My wolf stirred weakly. Wrong. Everything about this is wrong.

I touched my pendant again.

"Luna Alena." Alpha Kael's voice cut through the music, sharp and mocking. He was a massive man, all bulk and brutality, his pack known for violence rather than diplomacy. "You're looking rather... delicate this evening."

Other Alphas turned to watch. I felt their eyes like weights.

"Alpha Kael." I kept my voice measured, diplomatic. "Welcome to Moonshadow."

"I've been hearing rumors." He stepped closer, and I caught the scent of aggression rolling off him. "Rumors that your mate's strength is... waning. That the Moonshadow Pack isn't what it used to be."

Across the room, Luciano's head snapped up. But he didn't move toward me. He stayed exactly where he was, Isla's hand on his chest.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order." Kael gestured to a servant, who brought forward a crystal decanter filled with dark purple liquid. Wolfsbane wine. Traditional. Potent. Deadly to a wolf as weak as mine. "Drink with me, Luna. Prove your pack's vitality."

My heart hammered against my ribs. "I don't think—"

"Drink it, Alena." Luciano's voice carried across the ballroom, casual and cruel. "Don't be a spoilsport."

Isla's