---- around places wolves like you don't belong." My hands clenched into trembling fists. "You're both venomous cowards." Sara smirked. "Yet we're free." I narrowed my eyes. "What do you want?" Kiera leaned in, voice a hiss against the bars. "To see the fear in your eyes. It's beautiful. But next time? You won't be so lucky." Before I could strike back with words, a guard appeared. Kiera turned, all sugary sweetness. "T've had a change of heart," she cooed. "I no longer wish to press charges." My breath caught. "Tm dropping everything," she added witha ---- saccharine smile that didn't reach her eyes. The enforcer looked wary, but nodded. "You're free to go, Becky." Sara's grin was razor-sharp. "Enjoy your freedom. The moon might not grant you another." I stepped out slowly, spine straight, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing me break. They followed, their whispers clinging to my skin like a curse. At the entrance, Alpha Michael stood tall and waiting. Relief broke across his face the moment I appeared. He wrapped me in his arms like a shield. "Becky," he breathed, holding me close. "J didn't do it," I whispered, voice cracking. "T know," he said, fierce and unwavering. Sara's voice slithered in again, slicing the air. ---- "Enjoy your moment, but it won't last." Kiera crossed her arms, smirking. "We went easy this time. Next time, there'll be blood." Alpha Michael stepped in front of me, his presence casting a long, dark shadow. "Touch her again, and I' tear your lies apart with my fangs." Sara's eyes glittered. "Tit for tat, Alpha." I frowned. "Was that a threat?" Alpha Michael's voice dropped, dark as a moonless night. "They know what happened to my mother." The air turned to ice. Sara's grin deepened, malevolent and satisfied. ---- "You should've let the dead rest, Alpha." Kiera's voice followed, soft and cruel. "But you didn't. And now you've stirred ghosts and war." My pulse beat like thunder beneath my skin. Sara leaned in one last time, her words dripping with frost. "Be wary. The next full moon may not rise for you." And then, like shadows dissolving in dawn, they vanished into the mist.