Chapter 1The pack council meeting dragged on forever.
Alpha Brennan kept pushing his expansion plan while everyone kissed his ass.
Meanwhile, Katrin whispered in his ear like they were the only two in the room.
When they opened the floor, I spoke up.
"Maybe we negotiate first? We don't need more enemies right now."
Dead silence. Then laughter erupted through the mind-link.
"Since when does the Alpha's charity case get an opinion?"
"Yeah, what does she know about strategy?"
My face burned, but I pushed through.
"I'm just saying there might be better options—"
Katrin's voice dripped with pity. "Aria, sweetie, leave the big decisions to wolves who actually contribute."
Brennan didn't defend me.
He turned to Katrin instead. "You're right. We'll proceed with the challenge."
Something inside me snapped.
I fired back through the mind-link.
"I'm Alpha's mate. Doesn't my opinion matter at all?"
---
The second I fired back in Ironpeak Pack's mind-link, everyone lost their shit.
Hundreds of voices slammed into the mental channel all at once.
"That stray bitch is talking out of her ass again!"
"She really needs to read the room before running her mouth like that."
"She's got the nerve to mouth off with Alpha Brennan right there. Makes you wonder what shady crap she pulls when no one's watching."
Katrin Shade decided to pile on, her voice dripping with fake concern.
"You've been in this pack five years and you're still bottom-rank, Aria. If I were Alpha Brennan, I'd be embarrassed to call you my mate. Maybe try working harder for once? You know, like me?"
I'd spent years hiding what I really was—burying my bloodline deep so Brennan's ego wouldn't crack.
All those late-night calls to my father's council. All those hunting rights I quietly handed over. All those rival packs I convinced to back down.
Every single victory Brennan claimed as his own? That was me pulling strings from the shadows.
And what did I get in return?
They called me weak. Called me a leech. A burden.
I didn't care what they thought of me. Not really.
What I cared about was Brennan.
And I never thought he'd be the one to spit in my face.
Then his voice cut through the noise, loud enough for the entire pack to hear.
"Katrin's right, Aria. She's better than you. In every way."
Someone snickered. "Bet Alpha means every way, if you know what I mean."
Another voice chimed in. "Such a waste. She's hot as hell but useless where it counts."
"Yeah, I was really hoping she'd be good for something."
The mind-link exploded with laughter. That last line got repeated over and over like some sick inside joke.
That's when Declan's voice punched through the chaos.
"You're all a bunch of pathetic ass-kissers. You treat everything that prick Brennan says like it's gospel. What's next—gonna line up to piss on his grave when he finally croaks?"
I actually laughed out loud.
Declan never gave a damn about rank or politics. He'd been like that since we were kids.
The mind-link went dead silent.
No one expected someone to go after an Alpha like that. Not publicly.
Brennan's fury hit the channel like a shockwave.
"You're banished, Declan. Get the hell out of my territory!"
I didn't even hesitate. "Then I'm leaving too."
The laughter started up again immediately.
"Oh look, the two losers are making their big dramatic exit together!"
"Did she actually think she mattered? Ironpeak's gonna be way better off without her deadweight ass."
"For real."
Three seconds later, Brennan forced a private link.
His voice was sharp. Pissed.
"Aria Silvren. What the hell do you think you're doing? Delete that message. Now. I'll make everyone forget this happened."
"I'm not deleting anything. I'm serious about leaving."
"I made a couple comments about you in public. So what? Katrin is better than you. Why are you throwing a tantrum over something so small?"
I stopped walking.
My chest felt tight.
"I'll be blunt then, Brennan. I'm rejecting the mate bond."
Silence.
Then he laughed. Mocking.
"You really think you can threaten me with rejection? That's cute. Not gonna work.
"I'm not coming back to the den tonight. You stay put, think about what you've done, and show up for patrol tomorrow like a good little wolf. Got it?"
He severed the link before I could respond.
Arrogant as always.
He seemed to have forgotten one very important detail.
Everything he had? Everything he was?
I gave him that.
Chapter 2
I showed up at the training grounds the next morning.
The second I walked through the gates, everyone started staring.
"Didn't that stray say she was leaving yesterday? Why's she still here?"
"Right? She was all dramatic about it too. I almost thought she actually had some backbone."
I didn't bother responding.
These wolves weren't worth my breath.
That's when Katrin strutted out of the Alpha's lodge.
She gave me this fake concerned look and said, "Oh, you actually came back, Aria? See, I told everyone. Young wolves these days just need a firm hand. They act out, then come crawling back once reality hits."
She turned to the others. "You should all learn from Aria's example."
The pack wolves hated Katrin's condescending bullshit, but they nodded anyway.
She was Brennan's favorite. His little strategist. No one wanted to piss her off.
Katrin ate up the attention, then walked over and patted my shoulder like I was some charity case.
"I already got Alpha Brennan's approval to supervise your training from now on, Aria. I'll make sure you're handling more important pack duties. You know, help you actually contribute something for once."
I didn't even look at her.
Just picked up my water canteen and took a slow drink.
"That won't be necessary. What could a strategist possibly teach me? Besides, I'm leaving today. So don't waste your time."
The training ground went dead silent.
Then someone started laughing.
"Holy shit, Aria. I take back everything I thought about you!"
Another voice whispered, "Did you see Katrin's face? She went from smug to pissed in like two seconds!"
Someone else muttered, "I already hated morning drills, but I especially hated Katrin's fake-ass attitude. That was so satisfying to watch."
Katrin's face flushed red.
She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again.
I ignored her completely and started gathering my things.
When she realized I wasn't reacting, she stormed off toward the Alpha's lodge.
A few minutes later, Brennan came out.
He walked straight toward me with that cold, hard stare he always used when he wanted to intimidate someone.
I didn't even flinch.
I picked up my bag and moved to leave. "You're in my way."
Brennan raised an eyebrow. "I don't care if you leave. Ironpeak doesn't need dead weight. But you're apologizing to Katrin before you go."
I stopped. "Why would I do that?"
"She offered to mentor you. To help you actually do something useful for once. And you disrespected her. Apologize. Now."
His voice had that sharp Alpha command edge to it.
The kind that made weaker wolves buckle.
I wasn't in the mood to argue with him, so I turned to Katrin and said flatly, "Sorry."
Then I started walking again.
Brennan stepped in front of me. "That's the most pathetic apology I've ever heard."
Katrin moved closer too, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "You really need to learn some humility, Aria. It's not good to be so impulsive at your age."
Something inside me snapped.
"You can shove your humility straight up your ass, Katrin."
I shoved past her.
I barely touched her, but she staggered back like I'd hit her with a freight train, then collapsed onto the ground with this dramatic wounded expression.
"How dare you, Aria!"
Brennan's voice cracked like a whip.
He lunged forward and backhanded me across the face.
Hard.
The sting spread across my cheek like fire.
Then he shoved me away like I was nothing.
Like I was trash.
He dropped to his knees beside Katrin, his whole body tense with panic.
"Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"
Chapter 3
I stood there, staring at him fussing over Katrin, and something clicked.
I'd never seen him look at me like that.
Not once in eight years.
I broke my damn leg saving him from a rogue attack once, and all he said was I deserved it for being careless.
But Katrin fakes a little stumble and suddenly he's ready to call the pack healer?
Maybe he actually loved her.
I didn't want to think about it anymore.
"I'll have someone deliver the rejection papers tomorrow. We're done, Brennan."
I turned and walked away.
Didn't look back.
The second I stepped outside the training grounds, the wind hit me.
Cold. Sharp.
For the first time in years, I felt completely alone.
Like I didn't have a home anymore.
---
Brennan came back to the den that night.
Wasted out of his mind.
It was well past midnight when I heard him stumbling through the door.
"Let's shift and run tonight, Katrin..."
I opened the door just as he collapsed into me.
The stench of cheap perfume hit me like a punch to the gut.
He pressed his mouth to my neck, and I felt nothing but disgust.
I shoved him off.
Hard.
He staggered back and hit the floor.
Then he started whining. "Why'd you push me away, Katrin? You mad at me because of the pup now?"
His voice cracked. Broken. Pathetic.
"You can't do this to me. You still have to love me more than him, even if he's my son."
I froze.
Wait.
"W-What? What did you just say?"
"I'm talking about our pup, Katrin. You didn't forget about that night we..."
He trailed off, mumbling something incoherent.
I thought I was past the point of being hurt by him.
But hearing that?
Something inside me shattered.
I grabbed him by the collar and shook him. "I wanted pups, Brennan! For years I wanted them! And you said no every single time because it would 'distract from pack business'!"
My voice cracked.
"But you knocked her up? You made a complete fool out of me! How the hell do you live with yourself?"
He didn't answer.
He was too drunk. Completely gone.
I was alone in that room, crying and screaming at someone who couldn't even hear me.
Eventually, I stopped.
My throat was raw. My eyes burned.
Brennan was passed out on the floor.
That's when his phone buzzed.
I saw my name on the screen.
I picked it up.
Unlocked it.
Read the messages.
Brennan: "You don't have to worry about Aria. Once the pup's born, I'll just tell her we found him abandoned on the border. She'll raise him for us."
Katrin: "Then don't reject her yet. We need someone to take care of the kid. Otherwise, we should just get rid of it. I'm not dealing with some screaming brat."
I stared at those words for a long time.
Then I wiped my tears away.
And I laughed.
"I gave you everything for eight years, Brennan. I handed you territory, allies, power. And this is how you repay me? By betraying me and plotting to use me like some damn nursemaid?"
I looked down at him, unconscious on the floor.
"Your easy ride is over, Brennan."
