Chapter 2
Sophia's POV
The icy water of Moonlight Lake slammed into me, and for the first time in weeks, I could actually breathe.
I sank deeper, letting the cold numb the constant burn where "traitor" was carved into my chest.
Down here, beneath the surface, I couldn't hear Cameron's worried voice calling from the shore. I couldn't feel the weight of Ethan's lies pressing down on me.
'So this is what dying feels like.'
My reflection wavered in the dark water above me—pale face, hollow cheeks.
I looked like roadkill.
"She's been in there too long, Alpha," Cameron's voice drifted across the water as I finally surfaced, gasping. "The full moon's approaching. This is dangerous."
Ethan's response was sharp with worry. "How long?"
"I don't know exactly. She threatened to fully shift if anyone came near her."
I heard the splash before I saw him. Ethan hit the water with the grace of a predator, swimming toward me with powerful strokes.
"Get away from me," I snarled as his arms wrapped around my waist.
He ignored my struggles, dragging me toward shore like I weighed nothing. "You're freezing, Sophia. Your lips are turning blue."
"I don't fucking care."
But he was already hauling me out, my body limp as a rag doll. Cameron had a blanket ready, and I found myself wrapped in warmth despite my protests.
Back at the cliff outpost, I spotted the silver vial on the stone table immediately.
My wolf recoiled instinctively. "No."
"Everyone out," Ethan ordered. His Alpha command sent the pack warriors scrambling for the door.
The others filed out, leaving us alone with the scent of herbs and the weight of unspoken tension.
The silver vial he offered me caught the moonlight, and I took it with apparent compliance. But the moment he turned back to his tools, I hurled the cup across the room. It shattered against the stone wall, the bitter liquid splashing everywhere.
"Damn it, Sophia—"
I was already moving, my hand closing around the silver dagger I kept hidden in my boot. The blade sang as I drew it, and for a moment, I imagined how satisfying it would feel to drive it into his chest.
But under the full moon's light, his senses were sharper than mine. He spun around before I could take two steps, his hand shooting out faster than I could track.
"Oh, what am I going to do with you?" His voice carried exhaustion and something that almost sounded like despair.
The dagger was in his hand now, torn from my grip so quickly it left my palm stinging.
"What's wrong now? Why do you torture yourself like this every full moon?"
I couldn't answer him. Not with words. Instead, I grabbed the collar of my shirt and yanked it down, exposing the raised silver scars that decorated my chest. The word "traitor" stood out in twisted, metallic lines that caught the moonlight like a brand.
"This hurts," I said simply, pressing my palm against the scarred flesh.
I remembered the night he'd carved it there. I'd tried to help Jack, a young omega from a rival pack who'd been caught stealing food. Just food, because his sister was sick and their pack couldn't afford medicine.
"Water-loving bitch," Ethan had snarled, the silver blade already in his hand. "You won't even leave the lowest wolves alone. Disgusting."
The blade had bitten deep, each letter a lesson in betrayal and pain.
Ethan dropped to his knees in front of me, his large hands framing my face with a gentleness that made my chest ache in ways that had nothing to do with the scars.
"Sophia..."
His fingers traced my cheekbone, and I hated how my body responded to his touch. Even now, even knowing what he was, part of me wanted to lean into that warmth.
He took my hands in his, and I saw something break behind his silver eyes. The kind of deep sadness.
I felt my resolve wavering, which only made me angrier.
Then he did something I never expected.
Ethan reached into his boot and pulled out a small silver dagger—smaller than mine, but just as deadly. Without hesitation, he drove it into his own chest, right over his heart.
The silver wound glowed with a faint blue light, and I could smell the acrid scent of burning flesh.
"Ethan, what the fuck—"
He pulled me closer, pressing his forehead against mine, his breath coming in short gasps from the pain.
"Does this make your pain less?" he whispered. "Even a little?"
I stared at him, shocked into silence. Blood was seeping through his shirt, and I could see the silver burning deeper with each heartbeat.
"Sophia, I know I can't take away what you're feeling, but please—don't refuse the moonbane anymore. During the full moon, your wolf instincts will spiral out of control."
The concern in his voice sounded so genuine it made me sick.
"But Ethan," I said, my voice flat and cold, "all this pain was brought to me by your own hands."
"It was you who grabbed my hand and used the silver weapon, blade by blade, to personally carve the word 'traitor' on my heart."
His face crumpled like I'd struck him.
"I'll make it up to you," he said urgently. "Give me another chance, okay, Sophia?"
The laugh that escaped me was harsh and bitter. "Compensation? Hahaha... The lives of thirteen clan members from my Silver Moon pack—what are you going to compensate with? Did you forget who slaughtered my family on the night of red snow?"
The silver dagger was still buried in his chest, blood soaking through the fabric of his shirt. He didn't seem to notice the pain, too focused on my words to care about his own injury.
I stood up, stepping away from his kneeling form, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"You want me to remember?" I continued, my voice rising. "I remember everything, Ethan. Every lie, every manipulation, every drop of blood you spilled that night."