When My Mate Locked Me in a Silver Cage

My bones still ached from the freezing lake water. I sat huddled in the corner of the packhouse parlor, a thick wool blanket pulled tight around my shivering shoulders. My inner wolf was silent, curled into a tight, traumatized ball deep within my chest. I stared blankly at the crackling fireplace, numb to everything around me.

Then, the heavy mahogany doors swung open, shattering the quiet.

A man strode into the room, his boots clicking sharply against the hardwood floor. He wore a tailored black suit, but it was the gleaming silver badge pinned to his lapel that made the air in the room turn heavy. Silas Thorne. The lead investigator for the Alpha Council Enforcers. He was shrewd, unyielding, and notorious for sniffing out buried pack secrets.

Graham and Kendra were standing near the window. At the sight of Silas, Kendra froze. I watched the color completely drain from her face. Her hands began to tremble, and sheer, unfiltered panic flashed in her wide eyes.

"Alpha Scott," Silas said, his voice smooth but dangerous. "I'm not here for a social visit. New evidence has come to light. The Council is officially reopening the cold case regarding your mother's death. The former Luna's murder was not a rogue attack."

Kendra let out a tiny, choked gasp. She stumbled backward, clutching Graham's sleeve. Instantly, Graham's entire demeanor shifted. The stoic, controlled Alpha vanished. His jaw locked, and a terrifying, toxic wave of protective energy rolled off him. He stepped in front of Kendra, using his massive body to shield her from Silas's calculating gaze. He was willing to burn the world down to keep her safe.

And I was about to become the kindling.

Less than an hour later, the grand hall was packed with hundreds of confused and whispering wolves. Graham had called an emergency pack meeting. I stood near the front of the dais, my damp hair still clinging to my neck. I naively assumed I was supposed to stand by my mate's side during a pack crisis.

Silas Thorne stood off to the side, his arms crossed, watching intently.

Graham stepped up to the podium. He didn't look at Kendra, who was safely hidden in the shadows of the balcony. Instead, his cold, dead eyes locked directly onto me.

"Pack," Graham's voice boomed. He didn't just speak; he unleashed his Alpha tone. The heavy, crushing vibration slammed into the room. My knees buckled instantly. My wolf whimpered, forced into submission by the sheer, terrifying weight of his dominance.

"We have a traitor among us," Graham declared, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling. He raised a gloved hand and pointed a single, steady finger right at my chest. "Liana Morales."

The entire hall gasped in unison. The sound sucked all the oxygen out of the room.

"Graham, what?" I choked out, my heart hammering against my ribs.

He ignored me, his voice rising in volume for Silas to hear. "She has committed treason against the Obsidian Crest Pack. She has embezzled our pack funds and conspired to compromise our borders. I will not harbor a criminal, not even my fated mate."

"No!" I screamed, the humiliation burning my cheeks like acid. "That's a lie! You know that's a lie!" I threw my consciousness against his mental walls, begging him through our mind-link. *Graham, please! Don't do this!*

He ruthlessly slammed his mental block down, throwing my psychic presence backward. The pain spiked through my skull. He was using me. He was feeding me to the Enforcers to give Silas a scapegoat, to draw all the attention away from Kendra's guilt.

"You are stripped of all Luna privileges," Graham roared, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Alpha, wait!" Beta Declan pushed his way to the front of the crowd. His face was pale, his fists clenched at his sides. "You can't do this! There is no proof! She is your Luna!"

Graham's head snapped toward his Beta. "Stand down, Declan! That is a direct order!" The sheer force of his command forced Declan to drop his gaze, his teeth gritted in helpless frustration.

Graham marched down the steps of the dais. He grabbed my upper arm, his grip like a steel vise. I struggled, my bare feet slipping on the polished stone, but I was no match for his strength. He dragged me through the parted crowd. Every eye in the pack burned into my skin. The whispers and stares felt like physical blows. My dignity, my title, my worth—he shredded all of it in seconds just to protect a murderer.

He pulled me out of the hall and down the winding, narrow stairs into the bowels of the packhouse. The air grew freezing and damp. The heavy, metallic tang of silver hit the back of my throat, making my stomach churn.

The dungeons.

We reached the bottom of the stairs. Graham shoved me forward. I stumbled into the pitch-black cell, my hands scraping against the rough, freezing stone floor. The walls literally hummed with silver lacing, a toxic metal that instantly began to drain my wolf's remaining strength.

I scrambled back to my feet and rushed to the heavy iron door. I grabbed the cold bars, looking out at the man the Moon Goddess had created just for me.

"Graham, please," I begged, tears spilling hot down my freezing cheeks. "Don't leave me in here. Don't do this for her."

He stood in the dim light of the hallway. He didn't flinch. He didn't show a single ounce of regret. He just reached out and slammed the heavy iron door shut in my face.

The lock clicked with a heavy, final thud. Then, his footsteps faded up the stairs, leaving me completely alone in the freezing, suffocating dark.