A Second Collar

The envelope still lay where she left it, untouched on the edge of the fireplace mantel, as if it could burn her fingers just by existing. Magnolia stared at it for a long time without blinking. The gold seal of Sterling Rhodes shimmered faintly in the soft evening light. It was elegant. Deadly. Just like the man himself.

The letter wasn't long. It didn't need to be. Every word was a threat dressed in civility, every line a leash.

She read it again.

Play the Luna. Smile for the wolves. When the year ends, walk away quietly, and you'll walk away wealthy. If not, the ashes you came from will be the only legacy you leave.

There was no signature. Just that same pressed wax. A seal that had ruined her life once before.

Magnolia's chest tightened, but she didn't cry. She was long past tears.

Instead, she took the envelope and shoved it deep into the drawer of her armoire. Out of sight wasn't out of mind but it would give her the illusion of control. For now.

A knock tapped softly on her door.

She opened it to find a housemaid young, tense, eyes downcast holding a box of evening wear.

"Dinner in an hour," the girl said, voice quiet, trained. "Formal dress code. Carlton says you'll be introduced to the full inner circle tonight."

Magnolia nodded. "Thank you."

The girl hesitated. "Good luck," she whispered, then turned and disappeared into the corridor like a shadow.

Magnolia dressed slowly. The gown was navy silk, flowing and elegant, clearly expensive. It clung at her waist and swept out like water around her legs. Someone wanted her to look every bit the Luna she wasn't.

By the time she reached the main hall, voices echoed from the massive dining chamber. The pack's elite inner circle Alphas, Betas, ranked wolves were already seated. Laughter rang out like weapons disguised as music.

Every step into the room felt like wading into cold water.

At the head of the table sat Rhett, regal and cold in a tailored black suit. His expression was unreadable as he looked up and saw her. Their eyes locked for the briefest second.

Then he turned away.

Magnolia took her place several seats down from him, beside a Beta couple who barely nodded. A few wolves further down leaned in to whisper, eyes lingering too long on her neck, her dress, her face.

"She doesn't even have a visible mark."

"Wasn't she the one who ran away from her pack?"

"I heard she used to live in a flower shop. Imagine."

The words slithered like insects through the air, meant to sting without drawing blood.

Magnolia kept her spine straight, her face still.

The meal began. Dishes passed. No one offered her anything. She served herself in silence. She'd eaten in worse company.

Halfway through the meal, the doors opened again. This time, Ivy Whitmore swept in with the grace of a queen.

She wore a blood-red gown, her hair coiled like a crown, lips painted like she'd kissed a kill.

"Apologies for my delay," she said with a dramatic smile, walking past the table with every eye glued to her. "I was helping the Omega wolves finalize the gala seating chart. They've been a bit… confused lately. Poor things."

Her gaze flicked to Magnolia and lingered.

Magnolia didn't flinch.

Ivy sat directly across from her. As if planned.

"You look lovely tonight, Magnolia," Ivy said sweetly, sipping her wine. "Very... understated."

"Thank you," Magnolia replied evenly. "You look like you're ready to bleed someone dry."

A few sharp gasps. One stifled laugh.

Ivy's smile twitched.

"Tell me," she said after a moment, setting down her glass, "how are you finding the estate? Adjusting well?"

"It's like being wrapped in velvet," Magnolia said. "Beautiful. And suffocating."

Rhett's fork paused mid-cut. He didn't speak. But Magnolia saw the way his jaw tensed, the flicker of something almost amused in his eyes.

Ivy leaned forward. "We don't mean to be cold. It's just... change takes time. And your return? It was a surprise."

"I was summoned."

"Yes, but you could've said no. Most women wouldn't have agreed to a contract marriage with someone who openly resented them."

Magnolia met her stare. "Most women don't owe a debt of blood and silence."

Ivy blinked. For the first time, caught off-guard.

"Well," she said after a beat, "you're certainly not boring."

Magnolia smiled. "And you're exactly what I expected."

The tension broke only when Carlton entered, announcing the formal end of dinner. Rhett stood, thanked the guests, and left without a word or glance in Magnolia's direction.

She rose a few minutes later and stepped into the hall. The estate was dim, the lights glowing gold along the walls. The night outside was moonless, the sky a deep curtain of black.

She didn't go straight to her room.

She walked.

Past the halls of ancestral paintings. Past the shrine where old Lunas were remembered empty, dusty. No candles burned for them. No prayers.

She passed the West Wing corridor. Her wolf stirred.

She knew he was there.

But she didn't turn back.

She entered the library instead.

The scent of old pages wrapped around her like a memory. Here, at least, no one sneered. No one whispered. No one offered her poisoned choices.

She sat near the far window, curled against the sill, her bare feet tucked beneath her. Somewhere in the distance, she could still hear Ivy laughing with some high-ranked Alpha.

She closed her eyes.

The mate bond pulsed faintly in her chest alive, but thin.

She didn't know how much longer she could carry this role. The pressure. The lies. The mask. The silent rooms.

And now Sterling's offer, coiled like a second collar around her throat.

The door creaked.

Her eyes flew open.

Rhett stood in the doorway.

No coat. Shirt sleeves rolled. Hair slightly tousled like he'd run his hands through it too many times. He looked tired. Raw.

She didn't move.

He didn't speak.

Then softly he said, "You embarrassed Ivy."

"She started it."

His lips twitched. "I'm not scolding you."

"Then what do you want?"

He walked inside, slow, steady, each step echoing against the shelves. He stopped in front of her close but not too close.

"I want to know why you really signed that contract."

"I told you. The house. My name."

"I don't believe you."

She looked up at him. "That's not my problem."

His eyes darkened. "You're not afraid of me."

"No."

"You should be."

Magnolia rose to her feet.

They stood eye to eye, the silence between them electric.

"I was afraid of you once," she said softly. "When I loved you. When I thought you'd fight for me. When I thought you'd never let them silence me."

His throat bobbed. "You don't know everything."

"I know enough."

Then she stepped past him.

Out of the library. Out of that moment.

Because if she stayed, she wasn't sure she could keep hating him the way she needed to.

Back in her room, she found another note.

Same seal.

Same wax.

Only this one was burned around the edges.

One line, scrawled in ink:

This time, I won't ask twice.