I Rejected My Alpha Mate

I stared at the ceiling of the hospital room, my hand resting on my empty womb. The grief had crystallized into something colder, harder—resolve.

"Kamryn," I whispered into the mind-link, reaching out to my best friend. "I need you."

Her response was immediate. "Zoe! Where are you? I've been trying to reach you since the ceremony."

"The pack hospital." My voice was hollow. "And Kamryn... I'm done hiding."

There was a pause, then understanding flooded through our connection. "Your heritage?"

"Yes." I closed my eyes, feeling Luna stir within me. "It's time."

Within hours, Kamryn arrived, her eyes wide with a mixture of sorrow and determination. She took one look at me and knew—truly knew—what had happened.

"The pup?" she asked softly.

I shook my head, unable to speak.

Her expression hardened. "Then it's time for the Alpha King's daughter to rise."

I nodded, feeling something shift inside me as I embraced my true identity for the first time in years. "Contact Grandfather's council. Tell them I'm ready to reclaim my birthright."

Kamryn's fingers flew across her phone, sending encrypted messages to the royal court. Meanwhile, I closed my eyes, reaching out through the pack bonds I'd suppressed for so long.

"Elders of Shadow Claw," I mind-linked directly to the council, bypassing Lucas entirely. "I hereby dissolve the financial alliance with the Sullivan Trust."

Their shock rippled through the link. "But Luna—"

"I am not your Luna," I cut them off. "And as of this moment, neither is my trust fund available to your Alpha."

With a few keystrokes on my tablet, I froze all assets tied to the pack's accounts. The satisfaction was immediate as I felt Lucas's panicked attempt to access the funds.

"Done," I said aloud, looking up at Kamryn. "Lucas's funding for imports and pack runs just evaporated."

---

The regional Alpha Gathering was held in the grand hall of the Neutral Territory Hotel. As a mandatory event, every Alpha in the region was required to attend—including Lucas.

I arrived separately, no longer in Shadow Claw colors but in deep royal velvet that whispered of my true heritage. The whispers began the moment I entered.

"Is that...?"

"The Alpha King's daughter?"

"I thought she'd rejected her birthright..."

I kept my head high, feeling Luna's power coursing through me. No longer would I dim my light for anyone.

Lucas was already at the podium, Sienna standing demurely beside him in a dress that looked suspiciously like something from my own closet. He was mid-sentence, claiming credit for the economic strategies that had benefited the pack—strategies I had implemented.

"As Alpha of Shadow Claw," he was saying, "I've personally overseen these initiatives that have strengthened our position..."

The doors at the back of the hall crashed open.

Every wolf in the room dropped to their knees instinctively—every wolf except me.

Lycan King Killian Robertson strode in, his presence filling the space like a physical force. His eyes, liquid mercury and ancient power, swept the room before landing on me.

The silence was deafening.

He walked straight past Lucas, who remained frozen at the podium, and stopped before me. Then, to the gasps of everyone present, he bowed slightly.

"Princess Zoe," he said, his voice carrying effortlessly through the hall. "Your presence honors us."

Lucas finally found his voice. "Your Majesty, I was just explaining how we've implemented these successful strategies—"

"Strategies," Killian interrupted, his tone glacial, "that were authorized by the Royal Treasury solely for Princess Zoe's benefit."

The blood drained from Lucas's face as Killian turned to address the gathering.

"The economic initiatives you've been enjoying were funded by Princess Zoe's trust fund, not by any action of the Shadow Claw Alpha."

---

I moved into a suite at the Neutral Territory Hotel, establishing my base of operations. The evidence was mounting.

"Look at this," Dr. Elena Cross said, spreading medical records across my desk. "Every one of Sienna's 'accidents' coincides perfectly with moments when you gained traction in the pack."

I studied the timeline, noting the pattern. "And her 'fragility'?"

"Medically unfounded," Dr. Cross confirmed. "I've been documenting everything."

Kamryn added a USB drive to the pile. "Security footage from the pack house. Sienna's family stealing resources, destroying property—all while Lucas looked the other way."

I plugged the drive into my laptop, watching as scene after scene played out—Sienna's uncle raiding the pack stores, her cousins damaging pack vehicles, all while wearing smug expressions.

"And this," I said, pulling out a leather-bound ledger I'd discovered hidden in Lucas's office, "is the real prize."

Kamryn and Dr. Cross leaned forward as I opened it to reveal years of transactions—pack funds funneled directly to Sienna's rogue relatives.

"He's been supporting them all along," I murmured, tracing the numbers with my fingertip.

"Using your money," Kamryn added angrily.

I closed the ledger, a cold smile forming on my lips. "Not anymore."

The pieces were falling into place. The evidence was mounting. And soon, very soon, Lucas Black would learn what happens when you betray a Lycan Princess.