His parents stripped me of the project I had poured my soul into for two years, handing it to Eva as a gift. They called me a weak-blooded Omega, unworthy of their son.
Meanwhile, Eva sent me an audio clip of Richard promising her she would be the one to carry his strong heir, not me.
They all thought I was a pathetic, disposable pawn in their twisted game. They were waiting for me to break.
They had no idea I was secretly the heir to the most powerful pack on the continent. And I had already arranged for our Mating Ceremony to be broadcast globally, turning their sacred day into the stage for their ultimate humiliation.
Chapter 1
Isabella Brooks POV:
The image slammed into my mind without warning, a violation of the sacred space of our Mind-Link. It was a psychic message, a weaponized memory sent by Eva.
In it, my fated mate, my fiancé Richard, was laughing. His head was thrown back, his strong throat exposed, and his hand was tangled in Eva's blonde hair. She was pressed against him, her scent-a cheap mix of synthetic florals-clinging to his skin like a disease. Surrounding them were his parents, the Alpha and Luna of the Black Creek Pack, beaming with approval. His friends were there too, raising their glasses in a toast.
They were a perfect family. And I was the outsider.
My inner wolf, a beast I had suppressed for five long years, howled in my mind, a raw, guttural sound of pure agony. The bond the Moon Goddess had woven between Richard and me frayed at the edges, a searing pain that felt like my soul was being torn.
But I didn't let the pain show. I took a slow, steady breath, pushing the anguish down into a cold, hard knot in my stomach.
I closed my eyes and reached out through the Mind-Link, not to Richard, but to a connection I had kept hidden for years.
"Father."
The response was immediate, a voice as cold and sharp as a winter wind. "Isabella. What is it?"
"I need a favor," I sent back, my mental voice calm and even. "My mating ceremony is in two weeks. I want it broadcast. Globally. Every pack, every werewolf with a screen, needs to see it."
There was a long pause. I could feel his immense power, the authority of the Alpha of the Shadowfen Pack, weighing my request.
"It will be done," he finally replied. "But there is a condition. After the ceremony, you come home. You will stop this foolish game of playing an Omega and take your place as my heir."
"I accept," I said without hesitation.
"Good."
The connection severed.
Two hours later, Richard knelt before me in the pack's grand hall. He held a small velvet box, and inside, a moonstone ring glowed with a soft, ethereal light. This stone was a sacred symbol, meant to represent the purity and strength of a mate bond before the final Marking ceremony.
"Isabella Brooks," he said, his voice thick with an emotion I now knew was a lie. "You are my destiny, my other half. The Moon Goddess blessed me with you. Will you accept my Mark? Will you be my Luna?"
My wolf clawed at the inside of my mind, screaming "Traitor! Liar!"
I forced a smile, letting a single, perfectly timed tear roll down my cheek. "Yes, Richard," I whispered, my voice trembling with manufactured joy. "Yes, of course, I will."
He slid the ring onto my finger, and the crowd of Black Creek members erupted in applause. He stood, pulling me into his arms, his scent of pine and earth now tainted by Eva's cloying perfume. He was the perfect Alpha, the loving mate, and I was the perfect, adoring Omega.
It was all a beautiful, perfect lie.
For the next week, he played his part flawlessly, planning the ceremony with a passion that would have once made my heart ache with love. I watched him, a spectator to my own life.
Eva's taunts continued, little psychic daggers sent through the Mind-Link. A flash of them kissing. A whisper of a promise he made to her. She wanted me to break before the big day. She had no idea who she was dealing with.
The day we were meant to choose my ceremonial gown, Richard's attention was elsewhere. I saw the distant look in his eyes, the slight smile playing on his lips. He was in a private Mind-Link. With her.
"Isabella? Does this one please you?" he asked, gesturing vaguely at a dress.
"I want you now, Richie," Eva's voice echoed in his mind, sloppy and loud enough that the edges of it leaked into my own link with him.
He flinched. "I have to go," he said suddenly, his phone already to his ear. "Pack emergency. Beta needs me."
He kissed my forehead and was gone.
A moment later, a new message arrived in my mind. It was from Eva. A short, vivid clip of Richard storming into her room, his face flushed with desire. His lie, exposed in an instant.
My heart didn't break. It turned to ice. I calmly picked up my phone and sent a text to a number I hadn't used in five years.
The reply was instant. "Walter. At your command."
I typed my response, my fingers steady. "The plan is a go. It's time to begin."