Emma's POV:
"Don't trust Alpha Nathan to protect you if Lucian comes."
The words circle in my mind like vultures. Two days since that conversation, and I can't shake them.
I told him he was wrong. That Alpha Nathan is a good man. That my pack would protect me.
But late at night, when the house is quiet, doubt creeps in.
Luna Margaret's cold eyes. The cancelled engagement. The way my own family tiptoes around me like I'm made of glass—or worse, like I'm a problem they don't know how to solve.
'What if he's right? What if when Lucian comes, they just... hand me over?'
The thought makes my stomach turn.
So I'm here. In the forest clearing where I used to train with Caleb before—before everything. The sun barely up, dew still clinging to the grass.
If I can't rely on my pack to protec
