My eyes opened to stare at the outer brick of the fireplace. The cracks of mortar were blurry jagged lines and I found it extremely difficult to focus on the details in the grit of each brick; they appeared smooth yet fuzzy at the same time. It took me a moment to realize I had been woken by the sound of water running, heavy enough to be not a sink faucet, but a bath being drawn.

Grunting, I lifted my head off of the rug, my cheek tingling so that I was sure there was an imprinted carpet pattern my skin sported. It took more effort than I was expecting, and pushing myself up off of my stomach and to my knees was almost excruciating, leaving me panting for breath.

"Morning." Scarlet's voice echoed past the ringing in my ears as she passed me. She did not stop to help me up.

"How-" My tongue seemed to stick to the roof of my mouth. I scraped it against my teeth and tried again. "How long was I out?"

My question was met with silence, only the running water from behind me was there. I lifted my head to see where she went, and that was when she walked out of the closet with green fabric draped across her arm. I furrowed my brow, my confusion not helping with the pounding in my head. Yesterday, that closet had been vacant.

"About ten hours. Give or take." She sauntered past me into the bathroom, but I caught a better look at her before she did once my eyes focused more.

Scarlet had changed clothes since I saw her last, and was now clad in a simple grey cotton dress with capped sleeves and a black belt cinched around her waist. Her long brown hair was tied back in a low ponytail that swayed with every step. I was one hundred percent positive the queen requested that outfit to effectively label her as a maid. Scarlet must be seething underneath that stony expression she always wore.

She poked her head around the doorframe. "Time to get up. Breakfast is soon, and I don't think Her Majesty will appreciate if you called down sick on your first day here."

I didn't like how flat and light her voice was. Even though usually those sharp jabs and ridiculous nagging with her obnoxious voice were directed at me with full intent to harm, at least it wasn't boring. At least it had been Scarlet.

This, whatever was speaking to me, drawing my bath, taking care of me, fetching my clothes, prepping me for breakfast with a queen. . . wasn't Scarlet.

I managed to stand, with effort and more labored breathing, but I did it without help—not that she would be willing to help me anyway—and I stumbled to the bathroom. When I nearly slipped on the polished flooring, nimble but sturdy hands caught my shoulders and helped me to the edge of the tub.

"Thanks." I gasped as I sat on the rim. She didn't answer, but moved her hands from my shoulders to my waist where she grabbed the hem of my shirt. My hands grabbed hers.

"I can undress myself."

She rolled her eyes, "Emerald, my job now is to take care of you."

I pushed her away. "Okay, well," I said, "I'm giving you a small break. I can bathe myself."

She didn't fight me and stepped out of the room, sliding the door shut as she went. It wasn't that I didn't want her seeing me without clothes on, I didn't care about that. She didn't care about that. I just knew how much she resented me, and the thought of her helping me into the bath seemed excessive and futile.

It didn't matter though, anyway, because when I finished washing off the dirt from my skin, she came back in and helped me out of the tub. Unfortunately, and slightly humiliatingly, I had to call her in for help because I found myself too weak to lift myself from the water with my upper body.

"What the hell did you give me?" I groused as she sat me on the edge of the tub again and grabbed a towel. She handed it to me without speaking, but did express a flicker of concern in her eyes as she scanned me head to toe quickly. Wrapping the towel around myself, I glanced down at my body.

I was thinner than usual, but not grotesquely so. I just seemed to have lost a few pounds of muscle and instead of lean and fit, I was just plain and averagely skinny. As I wrung my wet hair out in the towel, I noticed it had lost some of its shine and health, and if I looked in the mirror, I was suddenly sure I would see eyes that weren't as brightly emerald as they should be.

"What the hell did you do to me?" This time, my question was a snarl and if I had had the strength, I would have lunged at her.

Finally she looked me in the eyes and swallowed. "The spray was largely Aconitum napellus."

I knew that word. Written in red letters, and usually bolded in the ancient royal's Information Volumes each pack carried. "Wolfsbane." I muttered. "You poisoned me with Wolfsbane!"

"Yes." She confirmed. "And also hints of Ergot and—"

"Ergot?"

"It's a fungus that grows on rye. It's only rumored to be dangerous to werekind, but I thought I'd give it a go."

"You're insane." I tightened the cloth around myself, my fists curling as I pictured all the ways her little potion or concoction or whatever she wanted to call it would end up killing me. Would it be the weakness that seemed to get worse every day? Or would it be hallucinations? Or convulsions until my heart stopped? She got rid of my wolf with it, and now I was no longer able to heal me of such things.

"Let me guess," I wheezed. "Maybe there's some powdered silver in my system too that's going to shred my muscles from the inside out?"

"Actually no. Good thought, though." She smirked, but it didn't hold her usual spice. "Silver doesn't hurt us unless fashioned as an actual weapon. It's mineral form does not affect us."

My eyes fixated on hers, serious. "Do silver weapons even affect you? Without a wolf?" Would they affect me right now?

Grandma Eden once told me of her experience with silver. A Hunter came after her home pack when she was a teenager and he was smart and well-researched enough to coat his bullets in silver. He even went as far as to wield a silver sword should a wolf get too close. Grandma told me she was shot in the arm and it literally seemed to shred her muscle apart, sinew by sinew. She said it burned like a fire that man had not created yet; so painful, so hot. The doctor was able to save her arm, but a scar as flat and round as a bullet hole lingered on her bicep.

I missed Grandma Eden. She was definitely the grandmother whose presence I would much rather be in today. Mom told me she saved Grandma's life once during a fight, but she wasn't able to save her a second time when it got to be too much and her wolf could no longer survive without her mate. Dad said he was honestly surprised—and proud of her—that she was able to hang on for that many years.

"Time to get dressed." Scarlet said suddenly, snapping me from my memories of Grandma.

"You didn't answer my question." I snapped, but stood up all the same.

"Because I didn't want to." She lifted the green material I had seen her carry in here before. She held it out and I realized it was a dress. Knee length and flowy, it's shape wasn't entirely my style but at least it matched my eyes. I didn't complain and stepped into it.

"Could I order you to give me answers about your no-wolf thing?" I pressed as she buttoned me up from behind.

"No. Now stand in front of the mirror while I do your hair." Her hands pressed against my shoulder blades and put me directly in front of the vanity.

"I can brush my own hair." I argued. "Besides, you're not tall enough to see the top of my head." That was true. I stood a few inches taller than her, and so by default, she could reach my head but couldn't see the top of it unless I crouched.

"Fine." She snapped, her face stony again, her eyes lambent with anger. She slapped the butt of a brush into my palm and stormed out.

I had no idea why that made her so angry. Didn't she hate the idea of being my maid anyway? Why be mad when I gave her less work to do? Was it because I indirectly called her short? She'd have to get over that, because that wasn't changing, and it would be something she would deal with her entire life.

Though, for a werewolf, she was pretty small, standing at five feet flat. And I wasn't giant, either, at five-six.

I combed my hair through quickly, leaving the brush on the counter as I left. Scarlet was still in the room, tidying up an already-perfect bed. Without speaking, she disappeared into the closet and reappeared holding white flats. She gave them to me and I slipped them onto my bare feet. I appreciated the fact she understood I was not a fan of heels.

For the first time since being brought to the room in the turret at the end of the hall, I left it. Thomas was standing guard—just as Anne commanded of him—to the right, his back to us. He followed us as we walked down the corridor to the stairs.

Reaching the entrance hall, we turned to the left, a complete one-eighty around the stairs and down the hall that empty room was in. I was proud of myself for recognizing the exact door as we passed. In front of us opened up into a huge living room, but we veered to the left and a different guard opened up the double doors that led to a grand dining hall.

Chandeliers glittered above us, reflecting on the polished marble floors beneath our feet. An elegant, rectangular mahogany table stood in the center of the room, directly beneath the middle chandelier. The room felt awkwardly spacious with only one table, but I was sure it had at one point held more. But under Anne's secluded rule there would be no need for tables that seated guests. I wondered where the rest of the Menai Moon pack ate their meals. Was everyone here treated as if they were omegas?

Her Majesty stood to greet us as we neared the table. Three omegas seemed to melt from the shadows—dressed similarity to Scarlet—and pulled out chairs for us. I sat directly across from Anne, while my annoying bodyguards occupied either side of me.

"Mother, this is ridiculous." Aunt Natalia said from her spot to the right of the queen. She sent a quick wink at me, and I relaxed immensely, knowing she would try to help me the best she could.

Anne sank into her seat, sipping at whatever liquid was in her glass. "It isn't."

"Let her go!" Tally urged. "This is just going to make Eirenae more upset than she already is. You stole her daughter."

Queen Anne did not seem at all fazed by her crimes. "So, she will come get her, and that is when we can get the rightful heir back in place."

My nose wrinkled in disgust but I held my tongue.

Tally looked exhausted. I was sure this was the same argument she had had with her mother her entire life. It was probably getting very old and very tired. "Mother, this isn't the right way to go about it." I was shocked she didn't outright demand she be elevated to queen, or at least say Anne had her heir right there next to her.

"Eirenae will not come for any other reason. This is the only way to bring her to Menai Moon."

"Why didn't you just kidnap her instead?" I blurted, then clamped my teeth down hard together. That was stupid. Of course I didn't want my mother kidnapped in my place, but this definitely seemed like much more work on the queen's part by taking me first.

"Your mother," Her Majesty explained slowly, her voice like an iceberg on water, "is not as easily obtained. Her little alpha mate of hers has her heavily guarded and your entire pack is strung wire-high on alert. But you, child. You still go to school, you have periods of time where you are not so heavily guarded, and I doubt your parents even worried that bringing you here was an option of mine." She clicked her tongue and brought the glass to her lips for another sip. "I didn't understand why they didn't guard you so heavily, until you got here and showed me how weak you are. They must have realized I'd have no benefit taking you. But they forgot about bait."

I didn't miss the glared both Thomas and Scarlet were sporting. Yesterday, the queen was appalled by the idea they would kidnap me, but today she was taking the credit.

"Everything you just said," I muttered, "is sick. Just leave us alone. You have a perfectly capable heir right at your side, trained and ready to lead. Mom doesn't want the crown. Dad doesn't want the crown. I don't want the crown."

The queen smirked. "Why a change of heart when it comes from leading a pack to leading all the packs? Shouldn't that ambition be one and the same?"

When I didn't answer, she laughed. "You are weak, like your father. He couldn't see that letting Eirenae be queen meant he could be king! The mate of a royal is usually gifted with a wolf transformation. They get to become a Purus Lupus and take the full title of werewolf royalty."

"My father is not weak." I snarled. "He would never encourage Mom to be something she didn't want."

"Mother, seriously." Tally urged, taking the heat from me and I breathed with relief. "This way of thinking, or dragging Eirenae here to rescue her daughter. . . That will start a war."

"There's already been attacks on my pack. But I know for sure that River's pack will join mine in taking you down."

"Hm, how sweet." Anne tilted her head. "Your mate is gonna come rescue you." She cackled, "Dear child, remember that with your heritage, a mate is weak in comparison to what you can do."

"I can't do anything!" I reminded her, but she didn't seem to get that I wasn't born with the powers she was, that my mother had.

"Mates aren't weak," I argued instead, startling myself. Where had that change of heart come from? Two weeks ago I would have agreed with her without hesitating that mates made us weaker. But now I understood how they made us stronger. If River was here now, I would feel ten times better. Maybe he would even be the key in getting my wolf back. Scarlet didn't seem to know how to return it to me, but maybe it was because I needed the other half of my soul. Without him near, I'd just get worse.

It was the first solid idea I'd had about getting my wolf back since it had been taken.

"Mother-"

"Mates just disappear!" The queen snarled. "Tying a soul together doesn't mean you die when they die or they live because you lived! You should know that more than anyone, Natalia."

Tally seemed to wilt like a plant that hadn't been given water or sun for several days. She sunk down and hung her head, staring at the table. The silence was long and heavy, and the omegas decided that was the right time to bring out our breakfast dishes. I wasn't so hungry anymore.

River hadn't crossed my mind much since I had been taken here. But saying his name aloud just now, twice, sent a painful ringing throughout my chest. I missed him.

I missed him. That couldn't be right. I hated him.

Okay, that was a lie. I was pretty sure it was near impossible to actually hate your soulmate. But I definitely didn't love him! Why had I felt the sudden need to defend him today? Where did this sudden yearning in my heart for him appear? I was surprised it could, even without my wolf. I always thought the mate bond happened explicitly because I had a wolf, that our wolves were what tied us together. But even without my wolf I craved his touch, and ached for him to be near me—once my brain remembered his existence of course.

I shook myself from it. He wasn't here. Thoughts of him were not going to help me right now.

"You'll just start a war." Tally repeated, softly this time. The tension in the air had lessened, but it was still heavy enough to choke me should I breathe too much in.

"Maybe a war needs starting."