BURNED BY THE MOON-FIRE

—Briar My wrists sizzled beneath the silver chains, the burning metal digging into my flesh with every slight movement. The pain was unbearable, but I had learned to endure it. You would too if you had spent three days bound in silver chains, confined within the walls of your own room with no one willing to offer you the slightest mercy. From the other side of the door, I could hear the guards laughing at my predicament, their voices carrying through the wooden panels as though my suffering were nothing more than a source of entertainment. Whenever a whimper escaped my lips, one of them would slam his fist against the door in an attempt to silence me. "Quiet!" I would bite down on my lower lip, swallowing whatever sound threatened to escape. Not because I wanted to obey them, but because I had learned that even the smallest act of defiance could earn me another punishment. And I had already suffered enough. By now, my broken ankle had healed, thanks to my werewolf blood, but the memory of the pain remained fresh in my mind. I sat uncomfortably on the edge of my bed, my tangled hair cascading over my face like a waterfall. In the three days I had been imprisoned, I had not been allowed to bathe, and the stench of sweat clung to my skin. My clothes were filthy, my throat was dry, and my wrists were raw from the silver but I no longer cared. My pack was gone. My home had been taken from me, and the man responsible was the very same monster who had locked me away like a troublesome animal. The ruthless Alpha Killeen had taken over our pack. I remembered the night of their attack as they invaded our home and countless lives were lost in the process. My father had made it his priority to protect me and had me hidden inside the wine cellar, in the kitchen but then, Killeen's men found us and they dragged us out of the cellar, ignoring my father's furious protests and my desperate attempts to break free. I clung to his arm as they forced us through the corridors, begging them to let him go. But the guards remained unmoved, their faces devoid of pity. By the time they brought us before their Alpha, I was trembling so badly that I could barely stand. Killeen Langley stood before us with an expression so cold that it was difficult to believe he was capable of feeling anything at all. Blood stained the ground beneath his boots, yet he looked completely unbothered by the destruction surrounding him. He was the man who had brought an entire pack to its knees, and there was not a trace of remorse on his face. When I realized my father was about to be executed, something inside me shattered and I fell at the tyrant Alpha's feet. "Please, have mercy on my father!" I begged, tears streaming down my face. "Please, I'm begging you. Don't kill him!" I kept my mindlink closed, desperately shielding my thoughts from my father. I knew he would try to persuade me to stop if he discovered what I was about to do. He would question what the hell I was thinking and tell me I was making a terrible mistake. And perhaps I was, but it was a mistake I was willing to make if it meant keeping him alive. Killeen barely spared me a glance. His cold, detached expression remained unchanged, as though my tears and desperate pleas were nothing more than an inconvenience. My heart pounded painfully against my ribs. "Please," I whispered again, gripping the fabric of his trousers. "I'll do anything. Just spare him." He made no effort to respond and panic seized me. "Take me!" The words burst from my mouth so loudly that even the guards turned to look at me. "Briar, no!" my father shouted. "Be quiet! Don't you dare—" But I couldn't stop. I couldn't stand there and watch the only family I had left be taken away from me. "Spare him," I cried, looking up at Killeen through my tears. "Let him live, and I will gladly become your slave. I'll do whatever you want. Just please, don't kill my father!" For the first time, the Alpha looked down at me. His gaze settled on my face, studying me with an intensity that made my breath catch in my throat. Slowly, he reached down and slipped his fingers beneath my chin, tilting my face upward until I had no choice but to meet his eyes. "You would give up your life for him?" he asked. His brow creased as though the very thought offended him. I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded desperately. "Yes." He stared at me for another moment before releasing my chin. Then he walked past me. "Very well." Those two words were all he gave me. My father was banished from the pack and forbidden to return, while I was dragged away in chains. I screamed his name as the guards hauled me down the corridor, fighting desperately to break free, but no one listened. The last thing I remembered was Killeen watching from a distance, his expression as cold and indifferent as it had been when I first fell at his feet. He had spared my father's life but he had made certain I would pay for it. And now, three days later, I was still trapped in this miserable room, wondering whether my sacrifice had meant anything at all. A sudden voice interrupted my thoughts. "Good morning Alpha." I heard one of them say and I could feel chills running down my spine as my door suddenly clicked open and the Alpha walked into the room. His presence seemed to swallow the little space between the walls. Dressed in black trousers and a fitted black shirt, he looked almost deceptively ordinary, save for the air of authority that clung to him like a second skin. His dark hair was neatly arranged, his broad shoulders held straight, and his expression was as cold as the winter nights that swept through our territory. There was not a single trace of warmth in his eyes. They settled on me, moving briefly over my filthy clothes, tangled hair, and chained wrists before returning to my face. I hated him. I hated him with a depth that frightened even me. If I had the strength, I would have torn those chains from my wrists and driven a knife straight into his heart. I would have made him pay for every life he had destroyed, every tear I had shed, and every moment I had spent wondering whether my father was still breathing.But I was an Omega and he was the Alpha who had brought my entire pack to its knees.The difference between us was painfully clear. Still, I refused to lower my gaze. Killeen watched me for several seconds, his expression unreadable, then he spoke. "Your name?" His voice was deep and measured, carrying an authority that made the question sound less like an inquiry and more like an order but I said nothing. I knew better than to provoke him, yet some stubborn part of me refused to answer. Perhaps it was foolish. Perhaps it was the only little piece of myself I had left, and I was unwilling to surrender it without a fight. His eyes narrowed slightly. "I asked you a question." I tightened my fingers around the edge of my dress, careful not to move my wrists too much. The silver chains burned against my skin, reminding me exactly how little power I possessed in that room. Still, I glared at him. Killeen took a step forward. "I do not like being ignored, little Omega." The last two words rolled off his tongue with unmistakable contempt. He said them as though my designation alone were an insult, as though being an Omega made me something beneath his notice. He continued walking until he stood barely a foot away from me. Up close, he was even more intimidating. His eyes held a strange, merciless intensity, and there was something deeply unsettling about the way he studied me without the slightest hint of discomfort. He did not look like a man who had come to have a conversation. He looked like a man who was accustomed to getting whatever he wanted, regardless of how many people had to suffer for it. "So, I will not repeat myself." His gaze hardened. "What is your name?"