Chapter 1I'm minding my business. Tending my herbs. Perfectly happy on my little farm.
Then eight—EIGHT—massive SUVs roll up to my cabin.
My long-lost family. The ones who "finally found me" after 20 years.
An elder Alpha steps out. Looks me up and down.
"You're the heir to the Ashford Pack. How did you let yourself fall THIS low?"
My own brother looked at me with pure hatred.
"I only recognize Nell as my sister. Don't even THINK about taking what's HERS."
"You're a FAILURE. Your mate's WORTHLESS."
Excuse me?!
They called my sixteen acres of rare medicinal herbs—worth MILLIONS—"falling low."
And my "useless" mate?
Bram Whitlock.
Billionaire Alpha.
Genius researcher.
The man who could DESTROY THEM with ONE phone call.
But sure, Dad. I'm the disappointment.
…
When I arrived back at the Ashford Pack, I finally witnessed what an old pack looked like—lavish, opulent, a constant parade of feasts and finery.
My sister Nell Ashford was dripping in diamonds and pearls. She stepped forward gracefully, holding my hand with a look of deep apology.
"Maren, I prayed to the Moon Goddess night and day for Mom and Dad to find their biological daughter. Now that you are finally back, they have no regrets."
As she lifted her wrist, her diamond Patek Philippe watch flashed in the light.
Alpha Graham Ashford, my biological father, sat sternly at the head of the table. His cold gaze swept over me as if inspecting a piece of expired trash.
"Maren, now that you're back, you'd better learn some proper manners and etiquette. Don't act so backward and embarrass the Ashford Pack."
He took a sip of red wine, his expression dark and unreadable.
Before I could even agree, he kept talking.
"We found Nell on the side of the road the exact day you went missing. She is about to become the next Luna of the Greaves Pack, the medicinal herb titans."
"Even though you are back, Nell has been with us for over twenty years. She is already our daughter in every way that matters. To the public, I will claim you are just a distant relative who came to the Ashford Pack for shelter."
"Once you've learned to carry yourself with some dignity and grace, we will officially acknowledge you."
I looked at my biological father calmly.
Thirty-odd years of life experience had taught me enough to see right through his calculations at a single glance.
He looked down on my background and wanted to observe me first. If I truly turned out to be hopeless, they simply wouldn't acknowledge the relation at all.
From beginning to end, he didn't care whether I had suffered after going missing, or how I had survived all these years.
The fantasy from TV dramas where they instantly hand over estates and car fleets didn't exist here.
Not even a trace of it.
I let out a soft laugh.
"Fine."
At least I had found the place I was born. That was closure enough for me.
They all looked at me in surprise, clearly not expecting this reaction.
Calder, who was sitting next to Nell, couldn't hold back anymore. He raised his voice in warning.
"Nell is highly educated and graduated with honors from a top university. And her mate is exceptionally capable as well. So even if you are back, don't dream of driving Nell away. Remember your place as a countryside peasant."
"The Ashford Pack has no room for scheming troublemakers."
Looking at this brother who shared my blood, I vaguely recalled a memory of him carrying me on his back, running happily.
But now every word out of his mouth was a warning, a guard rail. His eyes held only his new sister.
I smiled faintly and answered.
"Fine."
Graham's face darkened, and he slammed his teacup down.
"All you can say is fine. Do you not have a single opinion of your own?"
"Submissive and weak. People like you will never be fit for high society."
"Let me remind you, if that so-called mate of yours is just as useless, break the marriage bond with him immediately. Don't bring him here to embarrass us."
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Chapter 2
His face was filled with irritation and disgust as he spoke.
It seemed he already regretted bringing this country peasant back.
I took a deep breath and spoke calmly.
"Alpha, I cannot break the marriage bond with him. He is very clingy, he won't let me go."
Graham slammed his hand on the table.
"So you can't bear to leave some backwoods brute?"
"He just wants to cling to you so he can leech money from the Ashford Pack, doesn't he? The Ashford Pack is not a charity. If he doesn't know his place, I'll put him in it."
With that, he pulled out a few thin bills and threw them into my face.
"Take this money and get rid of him tomorrow. Don't cause a scandal for the Ashford Pack."
The bills floated down and scattered on the floor.
I caught the mocking, disdainful smirk flitting across Nell's face.
In her eyes, so what if I was the real daughter?
She was marrying into power, she was educated and she had a powerful backer. For the rest of my life, I could only be stomped beneath her feet, looking up at her in envy.
"Maren, you aren't exactly young anymore. Surely you can't still be hung up on some rough country brute?" She covered her mouth and giggled. "You really must be desperate."
A flash of humiliated anger crossed Calder's face.
"Maren, I'm warning you—don't you dare bring that man back here. If you do, you can pack your things and get out too."
I really didn't want to waste my breath on them, so I submissively agreed once more.
Calder and Nell exchanged a contemptuous smile.
To them, my quick compliance meant nothing more than a desperate fear of losing the wealth and noble status I had just gained.
Finally, Graham waved his hand in disappointment and ordered the butler to take me to my room.
Looking around the tiny attic, I sat on the bed indifferently.
I remembered this place. I recalled playing hide-and-seek with Calder once; I had hidden behind some clutter, and when Calder didn't show up for a long time, I fell asleep.
When I woke up, I saw Calder kneeling in the living room while Graham struck him hard with a cane.
"I told you to keep an eye on your sister! How could you lose her? If we don't find Maren, I'll beat you to death!"
When they finally found me, Calder held me and cried, his eyes full of relief, without a single word of blame.
But everything had changed.
As I was looking at the drawings I had scratched onto the wall as a child, Nell pushed the door open and walked in.
She still wore that hypocritical facade, tightly grasping my hands.
"I'm so sorry, Maren. I never meant to take your place, but Mom and Dad already see me as their own, so it's hard for me to just give it back to you now."
Then she added with a hint of smugness.
"Don't worry, Maren. You're welcome to take anything of mine that catches your eye. I've never cared much for those trinkets."
"Dad and Calder buy me too much anyway, I can't even use it all."
I lifted my gaze to the emerald necklace around her neck. It was an heirloom that belonged to my mother.
When I was little, she would often put it around my neck, smiling as she spoke.
"Maren, when you grow up, I'll give you this necklace so you can wear it on your wedding day."
I slowly pointed at it and smiled faintly.
"Then give me this. Looks nice."
Nell's face instantly stiffened.
She probably hadn't expected me to be so shameless as to ask for something so valuable right away.
After all, my previous compliance had made her think I was just a cowardly woman who would never dare to claim anything.
I stared straight into her eyes, watching her smugness turn into shock.
"What? Were you just running your mouth?"
"Or are you flaunting yourself in front of me while keeping what belongs to me?"
Nell's face twisted from bright red to a deep, furious purple. Suddenly, she yanked the necklace off, snapping the chain, and burst into a loud sob.
"Maren! Mom gave that to me! How could you destroy it?"
Chapter 3
Nell's cries were sharp and loud.
Bang!
The door was slammed open.
Calder was the first to burst in.
The moment she saw him, Nell threw herself into his arms and sobbed.
"Calder, I already told Maren she could have any of my things, but she insisted on taking this necklace."
"Mom gave it to me, and with her still abroad for treatment, it's all I have left of her. I couldn't bear to let it go."
Smack!
A sharp slap echoed through the attic.
Calder stared at me, his face dark with rage.
"I knew you were up to no good. That submissive act earlier was completely fake. You only came back to steal Nell's inheritance!"
"Let me tell you something, if you behave yourself, the Ashford Pack won't let you starve. But if you dare try to compete with Nell, you can pack up and get back to your farm immediately!"
Our father entered the room. When he saw the broken necklace on the floor, his expression turned icy.
His gaze shifted between Nell and me, and his voice came out like ice.
"You cause trouble the second you get back? Your mother is fighting for her life abroad, and this is how little you respect her belongings?"
"Clearly, you've had no proper upbringing out in the sticks. Go kneel in the garden for three hours. Reflect on what it means to have some decency!"
I rubbed my swelling cheek, suddenly finding all of this incredibly tedious.
I had originally thought that finding what I lost would bring some sense of comfort.
Instead, it had just become an excuse to humiliate me.
I straightened my clothes, picked up my bag, and prepared to leave.
"Alpha, since you hold me in such contempt, I'll take my leave today and spare the Ashford Pack any further disgrace."
As I took a step forward, Calder grabbed my arm and sneered.
"What kind of trick are you trying to pull now?"
"Running away so you can faint at our gates tomorrow and make everyone accuse the Ashford Pack of being heartless?"
Nell placed a hand on Calder's arm.
"Calder, Maren is probably just scared of Dad's punishment, so she wants to hide."
Hearing this, disgust washed over both Graham and Calder's faces.
"Maren, is this all you're capable of? You make a mistake and your first instinct is to cowardly run away?"
"Dad, don't waste your breath on her. We need to teach her the Ashford Pack rules today."
With a wave of Calder's hand, two warriors stepped inside and pinned me down.
"Drag her outside. Thirty lashes, then three hours of kneeling. Not a single minute less."
The two massive warriors grabbed my arms.
I struggled with everything I had, but they still forced me down onto the ground.
Seeing me continue to resist, Calder narrowed his eyes.
He signaled to a guard, who handed him a barbed whip.
"Since she refuses to accept discipline, we'll go by the Ashford Pack rules. Thirty lashes to start."
I raised my head and glared at Calder.
"Calder, I suggest you let me go right now, or my mate will make you regret it."
"His name is Bram Whitlock."
Bram wasn't just a leading figure in research; he was at the absolute top of high society. He held countless patents, major industry decision-making power, and controlled significant economic lifelines.
Logically, his name alone should have been enough to make them think twice.
Instead, Calder burst into a loud laugh, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Bram Whitlock? You mean the top billionaire scientist in the country is your mate?"
"Why don't you just say the Alpha King is your mate while you're at it?"
Nell stood by, snickering.
"I had the honor of meeting Alpha Bram once at an invitation-only event. He was sophisticated, elegant, and completely charming."
"A man like that, with so much talent and wealth, is the dream of every woman."
She then looked down at me with pure disdain.
"Maren, if you want to escape your punishment, at least make up a believable excuse. Do you take Calder and me for fools?"
Furious, Calder raised his hand and brought the whip down on me.
"Still at it, are you? Instead of admitting your mistake, you just keep trying to lie your way out of it!"
Agonizing pain instantly tore through my body.
I opened my mouth to mention Bram again, but Calder struck my back a second time.
"One more delusional word out of your mouth, and it's forty lashes."
That was it. I lunged forward and grabbed the whip.
"Calder, what right do you have to strike me? Why couldn't my mate be Bram?"
