My Mate Betrayed Me for the Lycan Princess

The darkness was heavy and cold. I floated in it, tethered to the waking world only by the agonizing throb of my shattered bones. My inner wolf was completely silent, buried deep in a trauma-induced coma just to keep my organs functioning and my heart beating. I was dying at the bottom of a ravine, bleeding out into the frozen dirt.

Crunching footsteps broke the silence.

I couldn't open my eyes. Was Maren back to finish the job?

A large, warm hand pressed against my neck, checking for a pulse. "Goddess," a deep, gruff voice whispered.

It wasn't Reid. It wasn't a guard. It was Beta Marcus, the Lycan King's right hand.

He shifted my head gently, his fingers brushing the skin behind my left ear. I felt his body go completely rigid. "The crescent mark," he breathed, his voice trembling.

My blood soaked the earth, and with it, something else spilled into the air. The harsh, bitter scent of a rogue was washing away with my fading life force, replaced by something underneath. Something rich, ancient, and undeniably royal. I heard the tear of plastic as he quickly swabbed my blood. Then, strong arms scooped me up, and the dark pulled me under again.

I woke up to the sharp smell of antiseptic and blinding, white-hot pain.

I gasped, my eyes flying open. I was lying in a sterile bed in a dimly lit, unfamiliar room. Thick bandages wrapped tightly around my chest and shoulders.

"Don't move," Beta Marcus said gently. He sat in a chair beside the bed, holding a manila folder. The look in his eyes made my stomach twist. It wasn't pity. It was reverence. And crushing guilt.

"Where am I?" I croaked, my throat raw.

"A private safe house," Marcus replied. "I tracked Maren's scent after she returned from the border. She was too smug. I knew something was wrong." He leaned forward, holding out the folder. "I ran your blood, Juliet. Against the royal registry."

I stared at him, my heart hammering against my broken ribs. "Why would you do that?"

"Because of the birthmark behind your ear. Because of the scent your blood released when your rogue glamor broke." He opened the folder, revealing a stark white lab report. "You aren't a rogue, Juliet. You are the biological daughter of King Aldric. You are the true Lycan Princess."

A bitter, jagged laugh tore from my throat, ending in a cough of agony. "A princess? Are you insane? I've eaten out of garbage cans, Marcus. I've been beaten for crossing borders. I spent seven years lying and stealing just to sleep with a roof over my head!"

"You were stolen," Marcus insisted, his voice thick with emotion. He pointed to the black text on the paper. "Look at the markers. A 99.9 percent match to the King. Maren is an imposter. You are the rightful heir."

I stared at the numbers. The genetic markers. My breath hitched. It couldn't be real. But the unwavering truth in the Beta's eyes paralyzed me. Maren hadn't just stolen my mate. She had stolen my entire life.

"I need to secure the perimeter," Marcus said softly, standing up. "Rest. We will figure out our next move."

The heavy metal door clicked shut behind him. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, my mind a violent storm. I was royalty. I was the Princess.

Click.

The lock tumbled. The door swung open again.

"Forget something?" I whispered.

"Just tying up loose ends."

My blood turned to ice. That smooth, arrogant voice. The scent of pine and deceit.

Reid.

He stepped into the dim light of the safe house, dressed in a tailored charcoal suit that screamed Lycan elite. He didn't look surprised to see me alive. He looked annoyed.

"You always were too stubborn to just die," Reid sneered, walking to the edge of my bed. "Did you really think I couldn't track you? Seven years, Juliet. I know every trick you have. I figured you were hiding out, plotting some pathetic revenge."

I tried to push myself up, but a sharp agony radiated through my chest. "Get out."

Reid ignored me. He reached into his designer jacket and tossed a thick stack of papers onto my lap, followed by a sleek black pen.

I looked down. It was the strategic alliance plans. My masterpiece. The work I had poured my soul into for months to secure our fake identities.

"Sign them," Reid commanded, a forced alpha tone bleeding into his voice. "Sign over the copyrights."

I glared up at the man I had loved. The man who had broken me. "Why?"

"Because Maren needs a diplomatic victory to solidify her position," Reid said coldly, crossing his arms. "And I need the King to see me as the brilliant Future Alpha who helped her draft it. You're going to sign the release, Juliet. You're going to hand over your life's work to my new mate."

Tears of absolute fury burned my eyes. He wasn't just discarding me. He was stripping my bones bare to build his throne, stealing my genius to crown the very woman who had stolen my birthright.

"And if I don't?" I spat.

Reid leaned down, his face inches from mine, his eyes entirely empty of the boy I once knew. "Then I'll let Maren finish what she started in the woods."