Silver Moon Rising

Chapter 3

MADISON

The pack house erupted into chaos. Wolves poured through windows and doors, snarling and snapping. I pressed myself against the wall, my injured ankle screaming as I tried to move toward the stairs.

"Find the girl!" Veronica's voice cut through the noise. "Bring her to me alive!"

My wolf, still weak from the rejection, stirred with panic. I couldn't shift. Couldn't fight. Could barely run.

A gray wolf lunged at me from the left. I grabbed a decorative vase and smashed it over his head, buying myself seconds to stumble toward the kitchen. If I could find a weapon, maybe—

"Going somewhere?"

Veronica stood in the doorway, looking immaculate despite the battle raging around us. The glowing object in her hand pulsed with strange energy.

"What is that?" I demanded, backing away.

"Insurance." Her smile was vicious. "Did you really think Ryker came here to get you back because he wanted you? Please. You were bait."

"Bait for what?"

"For him." She gestured toward the window where I could see Nile fighting off six wolves at once. "The mighty Alpha Jarvis. Ryker wants his territory, and I want his power."

"You're insane. The Shadow Mountain Pack will destroy you."

"Not with this." She held up the glowing stone. "A little gift from a witch who owed me a favor. It weakens the mate bond, makes wolves vulnerable. It's how Ryker was able to reject you so easily, despite your true bond."

My world tilted. "What?"

"Oh, did you not figure that out? Ryker fought the rejection for months. The bond was too strong. So I found a solution." She stepped closer. "But imagine my surprise when the infamous Nile Jarvis swooped in to save you. It's perfect, really. His weakness for broken things will be his downfall."

Rage flooded through me, hot and powerful. "You destroyed my life for power?"

"Welcome to the real world, little omega."

She raised her hand, the stone glowing brighter, and pain shot through my skull. I dropped to my knees, gasping. It felt like claws were tearing at my mind, trying to rip something essential away.

"Stop!" The roar shook the entire house.

Nile stood in the doorway, blood dripping from various wounds, his eyes pure silver with rage. The wolves attacking him backed away, whimpering.

"Let her go," he snarled.

"The big bad Alpha, brought to heel by a worthless omega." Veronica laughed. "How pathetic."

"Last warning."

"Or what? You'll kill me?" She pressed the stone harder, and I screamed as the pain intensified. "Take another step and I'll shatter her mind completely."

Nile froze, his hands clenched into fists. Through my pain, I could see the war in his eyes—his wolf demanding blood, his human side trying to protect me.

"That's what I thought." Veronica's confidence grew. "Now, here's what's going to happen. You're going to surrender your pack to Ryker. Sign over the territory, step down as Alpha, and maybe I'll let your little pet live."

"Don't," I gasped out. "Don't do it."

"Shut up," Veronica snapped, but I forced myself to keep talking.

"She's lying. The stone—it doesn't work the way she thinks."

Veronica's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

I laughed, though it came out pained. "You said it weakens the mate bond. But Nile and I aren't mates. So what exactly is it doing to me?"

For the first time, uncertainty flickered across her face. The stone's glow wavered.

That was all Nile needed.

He moved faster than lightning, shifting mid-leap into his massive black wolf. His jaws closed around Veronica's wrist, and she shrieked, dropping the stone. It shattered against the floor, and the pain in my head vanished instantly.

But something else flooded in. Something powerful and overwhelming.

My wolf, no longer suppressed, roared to life. The shift took me without warning—bones breaking and reshaping, skin sprouting silver fur. For the first time in my life, the transformation didn't hurt. It felt like coming home.

I stood on four legs, shaking out my silver coat, and Veronica's eyes went wide with shock.

"That's impossible. You're just an omega—"

I lunged for her throat.

She barely dodged, scrambling backward, but I was faster than I'd ever been. Stronger. My wolf was singing with power I didn't understand, and all I wanted was to make this woman pay for everything she'd taken from me.

"Madison, stop."

Nile's voice, even in human form, held enough Alpha command to freeze me mid-attack. I turned to look at him, and our eyes met.

The world stopped.

Something electric passed between us, a connection that went deeper than anything I'd ever felt. My wolf whispered a single word that changed everything:

Mate.

But that was impossible. I'd had a mate. The bond was broken.

"No," Veronica gasped, staring between us. "No, that's not—the stone was supposed to prevent—"

"You're done here," Nile said coldly. He signaled to his warriors who had subdued the attacking wolves. "Take her and any survivors back to Ryker. Tell him if he ever sets foot in my territory again, I'll kill him myself."

"This isn't over," Veronica snarled as they dragged her away. "You can't just—"

"Watch me."

When she was gone, Nile turned back to me. I shifted back to human form, suddenly very aware that my clothes had been shredded in the transformation. Nile immediately pulled off his shirt and wrapped it around me.

"We need to talk," he said quietly.

I nodded, unable to form words. Everything I thought I knew had just been shattered like that stone on the floor.

He led me to his office, closing the door behind us. The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken questions.

"You felt it too," he finally said.

"That's impossible." My voice shook. "I already had a mate. You can't have two mates."

"No, you can't." He moved closer, his presence overwhelming my senses. "Unless your first mating was false."

"What?"

"That stone. Veronica said it weakens mate bonds. But what if it does more than that? What if it can create false bonds too?"

My legs gave out. Nile caught me before I hit the floor, pulling me against his chest.

"Ryker was never my true mate?" The words came out broken.

"I don't think so." His arms tightened around me. "My wolf recognized you the moment I saw you in that ravine. I thought it was just protective instinct, but it was more. It was recognition."

"But you had a mate. Sarah."

Pain flickered across his face. "I did. And I loved her. But what I feel with you..." He pulled back to look at me. "It's different. Stronger. Like my wolf was waiting for you all along."

"This is insane."

"Is it? You shifted into a silver wolf, Madison. Do you know how rare that is?"

I shook my head.

"There hasn't been a silver wolf in over a century. They're blessed by the moon goddess herself. Powerful beyond measure." His thumb brushed my cheek. "You were never just an omega."

"Then what am I?"

"Mine," he said simply. "If you'll have me."

My heart raced. "Nile, I just found out my entire relationship was a lie. I can't just—"

"I'm not asking you to do anything right now. I'm just asking you to stay. Let us figure this out together."

"Your pack hates me. Your council thinks I'm causing problems."

"My pack will learn to respect you. And the council..." A dangerous smile curved his lips. "They'll fall in line or face the consequences."

"You can't threaten your own council for me."

"Watch me." He cupped my face in his hands. "Madison, I've been alone for three years. Dead inside. Then you stumbled into my life, and suddenly I can breathe again. My wolf is alive again. If that's not fate, I don't know what is."

Before I could respond, a knock came at the door.

"Alpha," Rebecca's voice called. "We have a problem."

Nile growled in frustration. "What now?"

"There's someone at the border. Says he's Madison's brother."

I jerked away from Nile. "That's impossible. I don't have a brother."

"Well, he has proof. Birth certificates, photos. And Alpha..." Rebecca paused. "He's a silver wolf too."

The room spun. First, I find out my mate bond was fake. Then I discover I have a true mate in Nile. Now I have a brother?

"Bring him in," Nile commanded. "Carefully. If this is another trap—"

"It's not," a new voice said from the doorway.

A man stood there, tall and lean with silver eyes exactly like mine. His dark hair was longer than fashionable, and he looked like he'd been living rough for years.

"Hello, Madison," he said softly. "I've been looking for you for a very long time."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Marcus Ryder. And I'm here to tell you the truth about why our parents really died."