Chapter 1My fiancé's so-called "girl bro" just announced she took his Marking bite.
He doesn't deny it. Just shrugs. "She doesn't get why I'd want to be leashed so young."
So I slide the moonstone ring off my finger. Set it down. "Okay then. No mating ceremony."
They both stare at me like I've lost it.
Then I smiled. "How exactly are you planning to explain this to my FATHER?"
They think he's just some ordinary Alpha.
BIG MISTAKE.
My father is the Alpha King of the Eastern Territories. My mother is his fated Luna and controls the Pack's silver trade and wolfsbane supply chains.
And they've got one rule: their daughter doesn't fight. She just ORDERS.
But my fiancé and that bitch didn't stop there. He promoted her. They scent-marked each other in the break room.
Fine.
Enjoy Silver Prison.
--
My father's been a walking nightmare since he was a pup.
Used to howl that no Pack owned him. That his fate was his alone.
Then he clawed his way up and became the Alpha King who controls the Eastern Territories.
My mother? She's got a terminal case of Luna Superiority Complex.
Her life motto is simple: whatever an Alpha female wants, she takes.
And she controls every ounce of silver and wolfsbane from the Northern Pines to the Coastal Reaches to prove it.
So yeah. Go figure.
Two completely feral wolves somehow balanced each other out.
And they ended up with me. The most low-maintenance Alpha heir you'll ever meet.
Everything was fine.
Until my fiancé's so-called "girl best friend" came back from her European Pack training.
The night Petra Voss came back to Thornridge territory, Tolliver Grimshaw's Pack chat exploded.
[Everyone meet at the usual den tonight. My boy's engaged. Time to vet the future Lady Grimshaw.]
By the time I walked into the private room, it was already packed with Ashgrave wolves.
Petra had her hand slipped under Tolliver's shirt, fingers tracing his ribs.
"Damn, two years and you finally shifted into something decent. Let me check your form."
Tolliver laughed and tried to dodge. "Cut it out. You know my wolf gets twitchy when you do that."
Petra didn't stop. "I'm just making sure you're still in shape. Don't act like I'm crossing boundaries."
Some Beta at the table looked up and caught my scent. "Everyone shut up! The fiancée's here!"
Petra turned and looked me up and down with those cold predator eyes.
But her hand was still inside Tolliver's shirt.
Tolliver quickly pulled her hand away and stood up to guide me to a seat.
The second I sat down next to him, Petra elbowed him in the ribs.
"Nice work, pup. She's gorgeous. You didn't even warn us she was Alpha-blooded."
Tolliver's wolf preened, proud. "I wanted you to meet her in person when you got back. So? Does she pass inspection?"
Petra took a sip of her drink. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Since when do I get to approve your mating choice? Don't drag me into your hormonal mess."
The Ashgrave wolves all laughed. Then the laughter died when they realized how thick the tension had gotten.
One Beta quickly looked at me. "Petra's just like that. Don't take it personally. She's always been—"
Petra waved him off. "Yeah, that's just who I am. Don't overthink it. I've never liked running with she-wolves."
"Three females in a den? Pure chaos. Too much territorial posturing. I can't stand it."
Tolliver jumped in. "Well, there are only two females here tonight, so we should be fine."
Petra smacked his arm.
"Screw you. I'm nothing like your precious little mate-to-be. Don't you dare lump me in with her."
Tolliver rubbed his arm and glanced at me nervously. When he saw I wasn't reacting, his shoulders relaxed.
Petra was the star of the gathering. She held court the whole time, telling stories about their childhood in Ashgrave territory.
She talked loud. Gestured big. Slammed the table whenever she got excited. Tolliver's Pack mates played along, raising their glasses and feeding her ego.
I knew exactly what she was doing.
She was pulling the males to her side. Steering the conversation toward Pack politics I wasn't part of.
But honestly? I didn't care. I've never been one to fight for a place in the circle.
When Petra saw that I wasn't bothered at all, she finished a round of toasts and suddenly turned to me.
"Imogen, let me tell you something. Since you're mating into Ashgrave, I think I should come clean."
The room went dead quiet.
Petra took a sip and said it casually. "Tolliver gave me his first Marking bite."
Tolliver's face went blank. His wolf retreated behind his eyes.
Then Petra laughed. "But that was years ago. We're just Pack now."
"Honestly, if I hadn't left for that European Alpha training program, things might have... but fate's full of what-ifs."
She set her glass down and locked eyes with me.
"Forget it. I shouldn't even bring it up. I'm not like you. I don't make mating my endgame. My Pack rank is the real priority."
Tolliver's head snapped up. "Petra didn't mean it that way. She just doesn't get why we're bonding so young."
He turned and shot her a warning look. "Petra, back off."
Petra held up her hands. "What? I'm just being honest. A mating bond is supposed to be built on truth. I'm doing you both a favor."
But I had already put down my fork.
I reached over and slipped the moonstone ring off my finger. Then I set it on the table.
"Alright then," I said. "Let's call off the ceremony."
The whole den went silent.
No one expected the Alpha King's daughter to be so calm about it.
Tolliver went pale. "Imogen, don't listen to her. She's just—"
Petra suddenly lunged forward and snatched the ring off the table.
"God, I can't stand she-wolves like you. The ones who need constant validation. You have one little confrontation and you break the engagement? Grow a spine."
She clenched the ring in her fist.
"Sweetheart, in the Pack world, you fight for your rank. If you don't, you get trampled."
"Females like you set our gender back a century. And then you go around acting like you're above the hierarchy."
"You think I'm scared because you took off your ring? You're exactly the type of weak Luna I despise."
I smiled.
See, I can afford to be low-maintenance.
Because I really do have everything.
Besides, my parents always told me:
Anything I want in this world should be handed to me without a growl or a scratch.
Fight? I don't do that. Especially not over an Alpha male.
Then I changed the subject.
"So." I looked at Tolliver. "How exactly are you planning to explain this to my father?"
Chapter 2
Before Tolliver could even open his mouth, Petra laughed.
"Little princess." She leaned back. "Your mate's a total daddy's girl."
She slipped the ring into her pocket. "Runs to her Pack for everything. You'll never stand on your own four paws, you know that? Never have a wolf thought of your own."
Tolliver saw the room going south fast. He turned to me. "Imogen, stop. We're not calling anything off. Petra's just messing around. Don't take her seriously."
I looked at him. "The ring's in her pocket. So who exactly do you want to mate?"
He turned to Petra and held out his hand. "Petra. Give me the ring. Quit screwing around."
But she pulled her hand back. "Why should I give it to her? Look at her. All she talks about is what her father said."
"She takes off the ring at the first sign of trouble. Threatens to break the bond. That's emotional manipulation, plain and simple. I'm helping you see it. Don't shoot the messenger."
I stood up and grabbed my jacket. "Fine. Keep it. That little moonstone was too weak anyway."
Petra scoffed. "Too weak? Then why were you wearing it? Stop pretending you're better than us."
I didn't answer. Just walked toward the door.
The second I stepped forward, Tolliver's voice came from behind me. "Imogen, maybe you should go back to Thornridge and cool off."
He didn't grab me. Didn't chase me.
Because I'd never told him about my bloodline. Why would I? I'm low-maintenance. None of that Alpha King stuff seemed worth mentioning.
I looked back over my shoulder.
Petra was leaning back in her chair, arm slung over Tolliver's shoulder, patting it.
"Let her go," she said. "Don't chase a she-wolf having a tantrum. She'll crawl back on her own."
Tolliver nodded. "Yeah... Imogen's usually really easygoing. I don't know why she's being so dramatic today."
I smiled to myself and walked out.
When I got back to the Thornridge estate, both my parents were there.
My father was sitting on the stone throne in the main hall, sharpening his claws on a whetstone. The slow, deliberate kind of sharpening that meant someone was about to bleed.
My mother was sprawled across her Luna's chair, examining her nails. She'd just had them filed into points by her personal attendant. Because apparently no one in the Eastern Territories could sharpen claws properly except her.
I kicked off my boots and sat down on the fur rug near the fire.
"Father. Mother." I said it calm. "I called off the mating ceremony with Tolliver."
My father's hand stopped mid-stroke. "You what?"
Without another word, his eyes flashed gold. His wolf surged just beneath the surface.
"That bastard do something to you?" His voice dropped into a growl. "Another female? Did he mark you without permission?"
"Say the word and he's dead tonight."
My mother sat up straight. Ten freshly sharpened claws glinted in the firelight. Her eyes burned amber.
"Who the hell dares to disrespect my daughter?"
That's just how my mother is. She's in her forties and still acts like she's the apex predator in every room.
You wanna know why my father chose her as his Luna back in the day?
During a territorial dispute, some Rogue put a silver blade to her throat. And she just snarled, "Go ahead. Draw one drop of my blood. See what happens. Your Luna dares you."
So yeah. That's her.
I pulled a cushion into my lap. "No one disrespected me. I just didn't want to mate anymore. Didn't feel right."
My mother's whole face softened. She patted the space next to her. "Come here, baby."
"Fine. Don't mate him then. Come pick which territory you want to rule instead."
She flexed her claws at me. "Mother always said that moonstone was too dull anyway. I could barely see it in the moonlight. I'll have the silversmiths forge you a dozen blood-rubies tomorrow. You can wear them on your collar for all I care."
I stayed calm because I know my parents too well.
If I told them the truth? Ashgrave Pack would be wiped off the map by sunrise. And Petra? She'd be found torn apart in the forest the day after.
With parents like mine, the only way to live is low-key. Otherwise we'd be starting Pack wars every other week.
Besides. I really am low-maintenance. Nothing feels worth shifting for.
After my bath, I lay in my den on the silk furs and stared at the moonstone pendant hanging above my bed.
It was carved by a master stoneworker from the Northern Pines. The chain was pure silver. Every link was thicker than the band on Tolliver's ring.
I suddenly laughed.
Petra said you have to fight for your place in this world. No fight, no rank.
She said she couldn't stand she-wolves like me pretending to be above the hierarchy.
But what exactly am I supposed to fight for?
Growing up, if I wanted something, my father would have it brought to my den by sunrise.
If I liked something I saw in another Pack's territory, my mother would claim the whole region. I didn't even have to ask. I just had to glance at it for one second too long.
My mother always said my life was supposed to be easy. No fights. No challenges. Just peace.
All I had to do was stay low-key. And everything would stay peaceful.
So tell me, Petra...
What exactly am I supposed to fight for?
Chapter 3
I woke up the next day on my own. No dawn patrol. No training drills.
The omega servants had already laid out breakfast. Venison strips. Fresh berries. Herbal tea. The usual.
My mother actually went to the trade hall for once. She said there was a new silver contract to negotiate and wanted me to come along.
"The supply chains are gonna be yours someday anyway, baby," she said. "Might as well start learning the routes."
So I ate my venison, changed into a simple tunic, and had the Pack driver take me there.
When I walked into the Thornridge trading post, I saw Petra.
She was standing by the front desk, holding a mug like she owned the place.
She looked up and saw me. Didn't even blink.
"Imogen." She smiled. "Fancy meeting you here."
Before I could say anything, I heard Tolliver's voice behind me.
He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. Glanced at Petra. Then announced loud enough for the whole hall to hear.
"Petra Voss just finished Alpha training in the Old World. Her skills are insane."
"Our trade division needed a lead coordinator. So I hired her. Everyone give her a warm welcome."
Wolves nodded. Polite. Distracted. Then they went right back to sorting inventory.
Petra walked over and draped her arm over Tolliver's shoulder. Casual. Like it was nothing.
She smiled at me.
"Don't worry, Imogen. I keep my Pack duties and personal life separate."
She paused. Let that hang.
"I gave your mate a little reality check last night. But today at the post? I'm his subordinate." Another pause. "And also... your superior."
She patted Tolliver's chest. Smug.
"Looking forward to working under you, Lead Coordinator Grimshaw."
Tolliver quickly jumped in. "Petra's really skilled, Imogen. I hired her for her tracking and trade experience. It's got nothing to do with our... personal history."
I watched the two of them go back and forth. Him fumbling. Her preening.
I chuckled. Quiet.
Tolliver saw me smile and stepped closer. "Imogen, Petra brought the ring today. She'll give it back later. Don't be upset, okay?"
I shook my head. "I'm not upset."
Then I looked at Petra.
"But I do have one question."
Petra's face flickered. Disdain. Like she already knew I was about to embarrass myself.
"What right do you have to hire someone as lead coordinator in our territory?"
The hall went quiet.
I tilted my head. Smiled. Then I said it.
"You don't actually think you earned this position through skill, do you?"
