The silver cloche was lifted, revealing a rich spread of roasted venison and wild berries, but I couldn't stomach a single bite. I sat by the crackling fireplace in the royal suite, my knees pulled tightly to my chest.

Jackson sat across from me in a heavy velvet chair. He hadn't touched his food either. His glowing golden eyes were fixed on me, softening every time I flinched at the popping embers in the hearth.

"I never meant for you to suffer, Isabella," his deep voice rumbled, breaking the heavy silence of the room. "When I first discovered you were mated to Reid... it took every ounce of my control not to march into Silverfang territory and tear his throat out."

I looked down at my trembling hands, my mind struggling to process his words. "Then why didn't you?"

Jackson leaned forward, resting his massive forearms on his knees. "Because your inner wolf was still maturing. A forced separation from a chosen mate before your wolf is fully settled could have killed you. So, I waited." He swallowed hard, a flash of deep guilt crossing his sharp, aristocratic features. "I pulled strings in the werewolf council from the shadows. I funneled resources to Silverfang, elevating Reid's pack rank. I did it all to ensure you lived comfortably, like a true queen, until I could legally challenge him for you."

My breath hitched in my throat. All those sudden council grants? The unexpected territory expansions Reid always loved to brag about? It wasn't Reid's brilliant leadership. It was Jackson.

"You built my prison," I whispered, the betrayal of my past still a fresh, open wound in my chest. "You made him powerful."

"I tried to make you safe," Jackson corrected gently, his voice laced with sorrow. "But I failed to see the rot inside his house."

I closed my eyes, a hot tear slipping down my cheek. "I want to believe you. My wolf is howling, screaming that you're our fated mate. But Jackson... my own mate discarded me like trash to save his mistress. My own pup looked me in the eye and called me weak. I don't know how to trust anyone anymore."

Jackson’s jaw tightened. He didn't push. He just nodded, his Lycan aura wrapping around me like a warm, invisible blanket. "I have eternity to prove my devotion to you."

A soft knock on the heavy mahogany door interrupted us. Beta Marcus stepped into the room, placing a fist over his heart and bowing deeply. "My Prince. Lady Isabella. Forgive the intrusion, but our scouts have returned from the Silverfang border."

Jackson’s eyes darkened instantly. "Report."

"It's chaos," Marcus said, his lip curling in utter disgust. "Marigold and Jennifer have officially taken control of the pack house. They're ruling like tyrants. They've slashed the winter rations and are forcing the Omegas to work double shifts in the freezing mud to hoard resources for the Alpha estate."

My stomach twisted into a painful knot. The poor Omegas. Marigold had always despised them, and now she had free rein to torture them without consequence.

"However," Marcus continued, a small, triumphant smirk playing on his lips, "rebellion is brewing. Elena, the elder healer, has been secretly gathering the oppressed workers in the kitchens. She saw the Lycan escort. She's spreading the whispered truth that Lady Isabella wasn't executed as a tribute, but was taken in and treated as royalty. The pack is beginning to realize what they’ve lost."

A spark of fierce vindication flared in my chest, quickly followed by a wave of bone-deep exhaustion. I dismissed Marcus with a tired nod, and Jackson finally left me to sleep, promising to stand guard right outside my door.

But sleep was not a sanctuary.

I was suddenly back in the Silverfang great hall. The air was suffocating. Reid’s golden eyes burned into my skull as his dominant aura crushed my lungs. *"I reject you, Isabella Warren!"* Invisible, burning claws ripped into my chest, tearing my heart directly from my ribcage. And then, Dustin was there. My sweet, beautiful boy. But his little face was twisted with Marigold's cruel sneer. *"You're just a weak she-wolf! Just leave!"*

"No!" I screamed, the sound tearing my throat raw.

My eyes flew open. I was thrashing in the heavy silk sheets, drenched in cold sweat. My chest heaved as I gasped for air, my hands clawing desperately at my throat. The phantom pain of the severed mate bond was burning me alive. I couldn't breathe. I was dying.

*Bang.*

The heavy oak door flew open, the wood splintering against the stone wall.

Before I could even register the movement, a massive shadow crossed the room. Jackson was on the bed. He didn't hesitate or hold back this time. He gathered me into his massive, muscular arms, pulling me flush against his broad chest.

"I'm here," he a growled, his voice vibrating deeply through my shivering bones. "You're safe, Isabella. I've got you."

He unleashed his Lycan aura completely. It didn't crush me like Reid's had. It was a thick, protective fortress of crisp pine and heavy rain, instantly suffocating the panic in my veins. My frantic wolf whimpered, pressing eagerly against his dominant, comforting energy.

I buried my face in his neck, my fingers gripping his shirt like a lifeline. The intoxicating scent of him, the absolute certainty of his fated bond, washed over the jagged edges of my broken soul. For the first time in my life, I wasn't just a convenient Luna or a disposable mother.

I was cherished. I was protected. And as I finally broke down and sobbed into the Lycan Prince's chest, I knew my shattered heart was finally home.

My wolf was no longer a whimpering, broken thing. Under the steady, patient warmth of Jackson's roof, she was stretching her legs. Healing. For days, he had given me nothing but space and unwavering devotion, treating me like a fragile treasure rather than a discarded tribute. It was time I gave him something in return.

I walked down the grand hallway toward his study. The heavy oak door was cracked open. He was at his desk, bathed in the golden light of a small lamp, pouring over territory maps. He looked up instantly, his golden eyes locking onto me, sensing my shift in mood.

"Isabella?" he rumbled, already half out of his chair, his massive frame tense with concern.

I didn't let him keep his distance this time. I crossed the room, my heart pounding a frantic but steady rhythm. I stopped right in front of him. He was so imposing, a true apex predator, yet he looked at me like I was his entire world. I reached up, threading my trembling fingers into his thick, midnight-black hair, and pulled his lips down to mine.

It was a soft, tender kiss, but the spark that ignited between us felt like a lightning strike. Jackson gasped against my mouth. His massive hands hovered over my waist, terrified to break me, until I pressed myself flush against his solid chest. Then, his arms wrapped around me tight, anchoring me to him.

"I'm ready," I whispered against his lips, breathing in his intoxicating scent of pine and rain. "I want to fully accept you, Jackson. I want to be yours."

A raw, guttural sound of pure ecstasy tore from his throat. He buried his face in my neck, inhaling my scent like a starving man. "Marcus!" he roared, his powerful voice shaking the very walls of the study.

The Beta appeared in the doorway seconds later, breathless and wide-eyed.

"Prepare the sacred clearing," Jackson commanded, his golden eyes blazing with a joy so fierce it stole my breath. "Under the full moon tomorrow night, I am marking my mate."

The following night, the silver light of the full moon bathed the ancient Lycan clearing in an ethereal glow. Elite warriors lined the perimeter, their heads bowed in absolute reverence. I stood in the center of the sacred circle, wearing a flowing white gown that caught the midnight breeze.

Jackson approached me. He had stripped off his shirt, his heavily muscled chest glowing beneath the moonlight. The sheer, primal power radiating from him was intoxicating.

"Are you sure?" he murmured, his thumb gently tracing the faded, scarred skin on my neck where Reid's rejection had burned me.

"Mark me," I breathed, tilting my head back to expose my throat. "Erase him."

Jackson’s eyes flashed a brilliant, feral gold. His fangs elongated. With a deep, rumbling growl of pure possession, he dipped his head and sank his teeth into my neck.

I gasped, but there was no pain. Only a rush of liquid fire that poured directly into my soul. The bond snapped perfectly into place, sealing us together for eternity. The lingering coldness of my past, the agonizing trauma of my rejection, completely evaporated. In its place, a dormant, ancient strength exploded within my veins.

My inner wolf threw back her head and howled. Jackson’s Lycan aura surged, and to my shock, my own aura rose to meet it. It wasn't the suppressed, quiet energy of a Silverfang Luna. It was heavy, commanding, and absolute. The surrounding warriors dropped to their knees, submitting to the combined weight of the Lycan Prince and his new Princess. I opened my eyes, feeling entirely invincible.

Several weeks of pure bliss melted by. I was finally living the life I had always been denied. Jackson worshipped the ground I walked on, and my inner wolf thrived in the heart of the Obsidian Moon Pack.

But during a crisp morning pack run through the northern pines, something shifted.

We were racing through the snow-dusted woods when a sudden, violent wave of dizziness hit me. The towering trees blurred together. My legs buckled beneath me.

"Isabella!" Jackson's terrified roar echoed through the forest.

I didn't hit the ground. Massive arms caught me, pulling me against a frantically heaving chest as the world went black.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in our royal suite. Jackson was pacing like a caged beast, his jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth might shatter, while the elderly royal physician packed away his silver instruments.

"Well?" Jackson snapped, his voice trembling with barely contained panic. "What's wrong with her?"

The physician turned, a wide, reverent smile wrinkling his face. "Nothing is wrong, my Prince. The Princess fainted because her body is adapting to a massive surge of energy. She is pregnant. With a very powerful Lycan pup."

The room went dead silent.

Jackson froze mid-step. He slowly turned to me, his golden eyes wide with a raw vulnerability I had never seen before. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes. He crossed the room in two strides and dropped heavily to his knees beside the bed.

His massive, trembling hands reached out, gently resting on my flat stomach. He pressed his forehead against my abdomen, his broad shoulders shaking.

"A pup," he choked out, the fearsome monster of the North weeping tears of pure joy. "Our pup."

He turned his face, pressing a fierce, lingering kiss to my skin. When he looked up at me, his eyes burned with a lethal, terrifying devotion.

"I swear to you, Isabella," he vowed, his Lycan aura wrapping around me and our unborn child like an impenetrable fortress. "I will destroy anything and anyone in this world that dares to threaten our family."

I rested my hand on his thick hair, a fierce, maternal fire igniting in my chest. Let the Silverfang pack rot. Let Reid and Marigold tremble. I was a Lycan Princess now, carrying royal blood, and with my fated mate by my side, I was finally ready to face the ghosts of my past.

The life growing inside me was no larger than a seed, but it radiated an ancient, thrumming power that had completely rewired my soul. I rested my hand gently over my flat stomach. With every beat of my heart, I could feel my inner wolf stretching, growing massive and absolute. Carrying a royal Lycan pup had ignited a fierce, protective fire in my veins. My Luna aura, once suppressed and quiet, now pulsed with a heavy, commanding weight that commanded respect from the very air around me. I finally had a family—a true mate who worshipped me and a pup who needed my strength. It was time to stop running from my past.

I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Jackson in his dimly lit war room. The heavy mahogany table between us was covered in sprawling maps, financial ledgers, and thick intelligence files. Jackson’s arm was wrapped firmly around my waist, his thumb drawing slow, soothing circles on my hip as we stared down at the documented sins of the Silverfang Pack.

"Your father has been skimming Lycan Council funds for the better part of a decade," Jackson rumbled, his deep voice vibrating against my side. He tapped a massive finger against a forged bank statement. "And Alpha Reid signed off on every single transaction to keep the Warren family wealthy. Treason, embezzlement, and corruption. I have enough evidence here to strip them of their titles ten times over."

I stared at my father's signature, feeling nothing but cold, sharp clarity. "They built their empire on lies," I whispered, my voice steady. "And they threw me to the wolves to protect it."

"But they threw you to me," Jackson murmured, pressing a warm kiss to my temple. His golden eyes flashed with a lethal promise. "And that will be their fatal mistake."

Before I could reply, the heavy oak doors swung open. Beta Marcus strode into the room, his jaw clenched tight and his eyes dark with barely contained fury. The sharp, bitter scent of his distress immediately put my wolf on edge.

"Speak, Marcus," Jackson commanded, his posture instantly stiffening into that of a king.

"Our spies at the Silverfang border just intercepted a panicked communication," Marcus reported, his voice tight. "It's Marigold. She caught Elena smuggling extra rations to the Omegas in the freezing mud. Marigold made a public spectacle of it. She took a silver-tipped whip to the elder healer for insubordination."

The words hung in the air like poison. Elena. The sweet, fragile woman who had secretly held my hand when my mother died. The only person in that cursed pack house who had ever shown me true kindness.

A deafening roar echoed in my ears. It took me a second to realize the sound was coming from my own chest. A wave of blinding, white-hot rage exploded from my core. The glass tumblers on the war room table shattered instantly. The heavy wooden chairs groaned, pushed back by the sheer, suffocating weight of my amplified aura.

Jackson didn't flinch. He just watched me, his golden eyes wide with dark, absolute pride as his mate embraced her royal power.

I closed my eyes, tuning out the physical world. I bypassed the standard pack mind-link that Reid had violently severed, tapping instead into the specialized, ancient Lycan frequency that Jackson’s mating mark had unlocked within me. It felt like diving into a deep, electric ocean. I cast my consciousness across the miles of forest, searching the Silverfang territory until I found a flickering, pain-filled light.

*Elena?*

There was a sharp gasp in the dark void of my mind. *Lady... Lady Isabella?* Her mental voice was weak, trembling with agony and disbelief. *Is it truly you?*

*It is me,* I projected, pouring every ounce of warmth and strength I had into the connection to soothe her pain. *Listen to me, Elena. I am alive, and I am coming. Tell the Omegas to stand down. Tell them to prepare for a massive shift in power. Do not fight back today. Your nightmare is almost over.*

*Yes, my Princess,* she wept softly, a spark of fierce hope igniting in her fading consciousness. *We will wait for you.*

I snapped my eyes open, severing the link. My chest heaved as I looked up at Jackson. "It's time."

Jackson’s lips curled into a terrifying, beautiful smirk. "Marcus. Summon the elite guard to the courtyard. We ride for Silverfang."

An hour later, I stood in our royal suite, staring at my reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirror. Jackson stepped up behind me, holding a massive velvet box. He opened it, revealing a breathtaking, custom-made garment. It was a structured, midnight-black coat woven with intricate silver Lycan crests, lined with thick, luxurious wolf fur. It was armor disguised as high fashion.

He gently draped it over my shoulders. The heavy, rich fabric settled perfectly against my frame, radiating absolute dominance and grace. I didn't look like a broken Luna. I looked like a queen coming to claim her throne.

Hand in hand, we walked out into the freezing winter air of the courtyard. A dozen armored, black SUVs idled in a perfect line, their engines purring with menace. Fifty of Jackson’s most lethal Lycan warriors stood at strict attention, their heads bowed in deep reverence as we approached.

Jackson opened the heavy door of the lead vehicle. He paused, his golden eyes locking onto mine, burning with a possessive, vengeful fire.

"Are you ready for your official territory inspection, Princess?" he asked, his voice a dark, velvety rumble.

I touched the silver crest on my chest, my inner wolf howling for justice. "Take me to Silverfang, Jackson. Let's show them what real power looks like."