Chapter Thirteen: The Cracking Point

Serena’s POV

"You sold me out." The words hang in the cold air between us.

Maya sits against the opposite wall. Her face is bruised. Her lip is split. But her eyes, her eyes are the worst part. She was empty, defeated, as if something inside her had already died. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this," she whispers.

"Then how was it supposed to happen?" I pull against the ropes again. They don't budge. "You were my friend. The only person in that house I trusted." "I know." "Then why?"

She doesn't answer right away. The silence stretches, heavy, suffocating. When she finally speaks, her voice is barely audible. "They have my mother." I stop struggling.

 "What?"

"Viktor's wolves." She lifts her head slowly. Tears streak through the dirt on her face. "They took her three months ago. Before you even arrived. They told me if I didn't give them information, they'd kill her."

My chest tightens.

"Maya—"

"I didn't know they were coming for you specifically." Her voice cracks. "They just wanted information about the pack. About Kael. About the border patrols. I thought if I gave them enough, they'd let her go."

"But they didn't." She shakes her head. "They kept asking for more. And then you arrived. And everything changed." I stare at her. Part of me wants to hate her. Part of me wants to scream. But looking at her now, broken, bleeding, and trapped in the same cell as me, I can't, because I understand desperation.

I understand what it means to feel like you have no choice. "Why did you come here?" I ask quietly. "You could have stayed at the mansion. Kept pretending."

"I couldn't." She wipes her face with shaking hands. "Not after they took you. Not after I realized what they were really planning." "What are they planning?"

She looks at me. And for the first time, I see fear, real fear.

"The full moon," she says. "Viktor knows about the bond. About what happens if it stays incomplete." My stomach drops. "How does he know?" "Someone told him. Someone inside the pack who knows more than they should." The words land like ice. "Who?"

Maya shakes her head. "I don't know. But whoever it is, they've been feeding Viktor information for longer than I have. More information. About the prophecy. About your bloodline." My mind races.

Someone else, another traitor, someone closer to the truth than Maya ever was. "What does Viktor want with me?"

Maya hesitates. "Tell me." "The prophecy says a Silverborne heir can either strengthen an Alpha's power or destroy it completely." Her voice drops. "Viktor wants to use you. Force the bond to break between you and Kael. Then bond you to himself."

The air leaves my lungs.

"That's not possible."

"It is. If Kael dies before the bond is sealed, it becomes... transferable." She swallows hard. "Viktor is planning to kill Kael during the full moon. Then claim you for himself." The walls close in around me. Kill Kael. Claim me. Use my blood to steal power that was never meant to be his. "I won't let that happen," I say.

"Serena—" "No." I pull against the ropes again. Pain shoots through my wrists. I don't care. "I won't be used as a weapon against him. I won't let them hurt him."

Maya stares at me. "You love him." The words stop me cold. Love?

I barely know him. We've fought more than we've talked. He's pushed me away at every turn. But the bond. The way it pulls at me. The way I feel when he's near. The way something inside me broke when they dragged me away from that garden. Is that love?

Or is it just the bond making me feel things that aren't real?

"I don't know what I feel," I admit quietly. "But I know I won't let them kill him. Not because of me."

Maya is silent for a moment. Then she shifts closer. "There might be a way." "What?"

"The ropes." She lowers her voice. "They're soaked in wolfsbane. It weakens our wolves. But I'm a healer. I've built up resistance over the years." Hope sparks in my chest. "You can get free?"

"Maybe. If I have time." She glances toward the door. "They check on us every few hours. If I can work on the knots between rounds, I might be able to loosen them enough to slip out." "And then what?"

"I don't know." She meets my eyes. "But anything is better than sitting here waiting to be used." "She's right." I nod slowly. "Do it."

Maya turns her back to me and starts working on her restraints. I watch the door. Listen for footsteps. The bond pulses in my chest, faint but steady.

Kael is out there somewhere, coming for me. I just have to stay alive long enough for him to arrive and maybe just maybe help myself along the way. Time passes; I don't know how much.

Maya works in silence. Her fingers move slowly, carefully. Every few minutes, she pauses, listens, then continues. I keep my eyes on the door. My ears were tuned to every sound. Footsteps in the distance, voices. The occasional howl from somewhere outside, Shadow Ridge is alive with activity.

They're preparing for something. The full moon, My heart pounds. "How many days?" I whisper. Maya pauses. "What?" "Until the full moon. How many days?"

She's quiet for a moment. "Ten." Ten days. Ten days until Viktor tries to kill Kael. Ten days until he tries to claim me. Ten days to escape, warn Kael, and stop all of this. It doesn't feel like enough, but it has to be.

"Maya." She looks at me. "Whatever happens," I say quietly, "thank you for telling me the truth." Her eyes fill with tears again. "I'm sorry, Serena. For all of it." "I know." And I mean it, because right now, she's all I have.

A sound cuts through the silence. Footsteps, heavy, coming closer.

Maya freezes. I press my back against the wall. The door opens. Two guards step inside. Behind them, a figure I recognize. The woman from before. Sharp features. Cold eyes. She looks between us with a thin smile. "Comfortable?"

Neither of us answers. She steps closer. Her eyes land on Maya. "The healer." Her smile widens. "Viktor was pleased when you arrived. He wasn't expecting a second gift."

Maya doesn't flinch. "Where's my mother?" The woman laughs. "Still asking about her? How sweet." She crouches in front of Maya. "Your mother is alive. For now. Whether she stays that way depends entirely on you." "What do you want?"

"Cooperation," the woman says, stands. "Viktor has questions. About the Silver Crest pack. About the Alpha. About weaknesses we can exploit."

"I've already told you everything I know."

"Then you'll tell us again." The woman gestures to the guards. "Bring her." The guards move forward. Grab Maya's arms. "No!" I pull against my ropes. "Leave her alone!" The woman turns to me. "Relax, little Silverborne." Her voice is soft. Mocking. "Your turn will come." They drag Maya toward the door; she looks back at me. Her eyes were wide and scared.

"Serena—"  "I'll find you!" I shout. "I promise!" The door slams shut. Silence. I'm alone again. My wrists burn. My heart pounds. My vision blurs with tears; I refuse to let them fall.

Maya trusted the wrong people. Made the wrong choices, but she doesn't deserve whatever they're about to do to her. None of us do. I close my eyes and focus on the bond.

Kael, please hurry. The thread pulses once. Faint, distant, but there. He's coming. I just have to hold on and pray I'm still alive when he gets here.