After My Brothers Rejected Me, My Prince Claimed Me

I woke to the sound of excited whispers echoing through the pack house. My body felt heavy, weighed down by the rejection ceremony that had occurred just three days ago. Hope, my wolf, remained curled in a tight ball within me, her once vibrant twilight-colored fur now dull and listless.

"Did you hear? Madison Taylor is coming today!" A young pack member's voice drifted through my door.

"The Alpha's daughter from the Eastern Ridge Pack?" another responded. "I heard she's gorgeous."

I pulled my pillow over my head, trying to block out their voices. I didn't care who Madison Taylor was. All I cared about was surviving each day until my arranged mating with Lycan Prince Alexander Sterling could take place. A mating I had agreed to purely for the pack's benefit—the same pack whose future leaders had publicly humiliated me.

A sharp knock at my door startled me upright.

"Grace." Luna Catherine's voice was formal, lacking the maternal warmth I once thought I heard in it. "You're expected at the welcome dinner tonight. Alpha Marcus insists all pack members be present to greet our guest."

I swallowed hard. "Yes, Luna Catherine."

No inquiry about how I was coping. No gentle words of comfort for the girl she had raised alongside her sons. Just orders.

*She never truly saw us as her daughter*, Hope whispered, her first words in days.

The grand dining hall was decorated with fresh flowers and candles when I slipped in that evening, wearing my simplest dress. I took a seat at the far end of the table, hoping to remain invisible.

The doors swung open, and Alpha Marcus entered with a striking young woman at his side. Madison Taylor had cascading blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and an aura of confidence that commanded attention. Behind them walked the three Harrison brothers, all looking unusually groomed and attentive.

"Pack members," Alpha Marcus announced, "I present Madison Taylor, daughter of Alpha Jackson of the Eastern Ridge Pack. She will be staying with us for the diplomatic visit."

Madison's gaze swept the room, pausing briefly on me before dismissing me entirely. Her smile was dazzling as she turned to Marcus Jr.

"Your pack house is even more impressive than I imagined," she said, her voice honey-sweet.

Marcus Jr. pulled out the chair beside him—the place where I used to sit during formal dinners. "We're honored by your presence, Madison."

Throughout dinner, I might as well have been invisible. The three brothers who had rejected me just days ago now fawned over Madison, laughing at her every comment, offering her the choicest portions of food. Noah, who once shared secret jokes with me across the table, now leaned close to Madison, whispering something that made her giggle.

*They never looked at us that way*, Hope observed sadly.

I picked at my food, counting the minutes until I could escape.

The next morning, I dragged myself to breakfast, hoping to grab something quickly and retreat. The dining room was nearly empty except for Madison and the Harrison brothers, huddled together at one end of the table.

"Grace," Ethan called as I entered, his tone falsely pleasant. "Come join us. Madison was just telling us about her pack's territory expansion."

Reluctantly, I took a seat across from them, reaching for the coffee pot.

"Oh, let me," Madison offered with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She lifted the pot and began pouring, but as she extended her arm across the table, the steaming liquid suddenly splashed directly onto my lap.

I gasped in pain, jumping to my feet as the scalding coffee soaked through my clothes.

"Grace!" Marcus Jr. snapped, his voice sharp. "Be careful! You're embarrassing us in front of our guest."

"I didn't—" I started, but Madison was already speaking over me.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, though her eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "She bumped my arm—it was an accident!"

Ethan and Noah snickered, exchanging glances.

"Typical Grace," Noah said with a smirk. "Always so clumsy."

I bit my lip hard, fighting back tears as I grabbed a napkin to dab at my burning skin. No one offered to help. No one defended me.

"Perhaps you should change," Marcus Jr. suggested coldly. "And try not to cause any more scenes today."

I fled the dining room, Hope whimpering in shared pain. After cleaning myself up and applying some healing salve to the red, angry skin on my thighs, I spent the day avoiding the pack house, throwing myself into chores at the pack gardens.

By evening, exhaustion had settled deep in my bones. All I wanted was the sanctuary of my room, small comfort though it was. But as I approached my door, I froze.

My belongings—clothes, books, the few precious mementos I had kept from my childhood—were piled haphazardly in the hallway outside my room. The door stood ajar, and inside, Madison was humming softly as she hung her expensive clothes in my closet.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Madison turned, a saccharine smile on her face. "Oh, Grace! The brothers thought I'd be more comfortable in this room. It has the best morning light, they said."

I stared at her in disbelief, then at my possessions dumped unceremoniously in the hall. This room had been my safe haven for fourteen years.

"This is my room," I said, my voice strengthening with Hope's sudden surge of anger.

"Is there a problem?" Ethan's cold voice came from behind me. I turned to find him leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"She's taking my room," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady.

Ethan's eyes narrowed. "Madison is our honored guest, and this is the best guest room. You'll take the small room at the end of the hall."

"But all my things—"

"Should be moved immediately," he cut me off. "Unless you'd prefer to sleep in the garden shed?"

Madison's soft laugh floated from my room—no, her room now. "Don't be so harsh, Ethan. I'm sure Grace understands the importance of proper hospitality."

I looked between them, the reality of my new position in the pack crashing down around me. Three days ago, I had been rejected as a mate. Now, I was being displaced from my very room.

As I gathered my scattered belongings, a small photograph fluttered to the floor—a picture of me with the Harrison brothers as children, all smiling, arms linked. I stared at it for a long moment before tucking it away.

The cramped guest room at the end of the hall had a narrow bed and a single window that wouldn't quite close. As I placed my last belonging—the silver crescent moon pendant—on the nightstand, I wondered how much more the pack that had raised me could take away.

Hope stirred restlessly within me. *Perhaps*, she whispered, *our true home lies elsewhere*.