Emma's POV:
Luna Margaret looks at me like I'm something she scraped off her shoe.
"You understand, don't you?" Her voice drips false sympathy. "A Luna must be pure. Untouched. You've been... compromised."
The word lands like a slap.
I force the word out. "What happened to me wasn't my choice—"
"Choice or not, the result is the same." Margaret's gaze is cold. Clinical.
Each word is a knife.
I look at Alpha Nathan. He's staring at the floor. His jaw clenched tight.
'Say something. Defend me. Tell her she's wrong.'
He doesn't.
I look at my father. At Caleb.
Father shifts in his seat. Won't meet my eyes.
Caleb examines his hands.
'They're not going to fight for me.'
The realization crushes the air from my lungs.
"This is ridiculous." My voice shakes but I force it louder. "Luc
