Sophia POV:

Three days later.

The Grand Hall of the Aurelis Pack was glittering with lights. This was the Alpha Summit—the most prestigious gathering of wolf leaders in the country. Every Alpha, Luna, and dignitary was here to discuss territories and laws.

And, of course, to meet the Supreme Alpha.

I stood at the entrance.

I had shed the grey rags. Tonight, I wore the dress Ryder had commissioned for me. It was midnight blue, made of a fabric that shimmered like liquid starlight. Silver threads were woven into the bodice, forming subtle protective runes. The back was open, revealing my skin, but the long sleeves covered the healing scratches on my arm.

I wore no scent blocker tonight. But Ryder had placed a high-level masking spell on me. To the others, I would smell like a high-ranking wolf, but my true identity as the White Wolf would remain hidden until the moment was right.

"Invitation?" the door guard grunted. He was a large warrior, eyeing me suspiciously because I arrived alone.

I reached into my clutch, but before I could pull out my Royal Seal, a hand slammed onto the guard's shoulder.

"Let her in, Gary. She's with us."

I froze. August.

He was wearing a tuxedo, looking every bit the pompous leader. Hailey was beside him in a gaudy pink dress that looked like a cupcake exploded.

"August?" The guard looked confused. "She's on the guest list?"

"No," August smirked, looking me up and down. His eyes lingered on my dress with confusion. He clearly couldn't understand how I afforded it. "She's... staff. I hired her as extra help for the event. She cleaned up nicely, didn't she?"

He leaned in close to me, whispering, "I see you spent that five hundred dollars on a rental dress. Trying to snag a rich Beta tonight, Sophia?"

I didn't answer. I just stared ahead.

"Come on," Hailey giggled, grabbing my arm—the uninjured one. "We'll take her inside. The toilets need an attendant."

The guard shrugged and stepped aside.

We walked into the ballroom. The atmosphere was thick with pheromones. Power radiated from every corner. Alphas from fifty different packs were drinking champagne, their voices booming.

August steered me toward the back, near the kitchen doors.

"Stay here," he ordered. "Hold this tray. If anyone asks, you work for me."

He shoved a tray of empty glasses into my hands.

I looked at the tray. Then I looked at the center of the room.

There, on a raised dais, sat the Lymerian Throne. It was empty. Beside it was a smaller, but equally majestic chair for the Luna.

And beside that... a small, cushioned stool for the Heir.

"I don't think so," I said softly.

I dropped the tray.

*Crash.*

The sound of shattering glass silenced the nearby conversations.

August spun around, furious. "What are you doing, you clumsy idiot?"

"I'm going to my seat," I said.

I stepped over the broken glass and began walking. Not toward the kitchens. Not toward the exit.

I walked straight down the center aisle, toward the Throne.

"Sophia!" August hissed, chasing after me. "Stop! You're going to get us all killed! That area is for Royals only!"

I ignored him. My heels clicked rhythmically on the marble floor. With every step, I felt the connection to Ryder growing stronger. He was close.

"Stop her!" Hailey shrieked, pointing a manicured finger at me. "Security! That Rogue is trying to attack the Throne!"

The entire hall fell silent. All eyes turned to me.

I didn't stop. I kept walking, my head held high, my blue dress trailing behind me like a river of night.

I was done hiding.

*

Sophia POV:

The silence in the ballroom was heavy, suffocating. Hundreds of eyes bore into me—judging, confused, angry.

"Who is she?"

"Is she mad?"

"A Rogue approaching the Supreme Alpha's seat? She has a death wish."

Hailey sprinted in front of me, blocking my path just ten feet from the dais. Her face was twisted in ugly triumph. She wanted a show? She was making one.

"You have no shame!" Hailey screamed, her voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling. She pointed at my wrist, where I wore a new bracelet—this one made of interwoven platinum and diamonds. "Look! She’s wearing more fake jewelry! She’s mocking our customs!"

August caught up, grabbing my arm roughly. "I apologize to everyone!" he shouted to the room, sweating profusely. "This woman is mentally unstable. She is my... ex. She's a human who couldn't handle the rejection. I will remove her immediately."

"Get your hands off me," I said, my voice low and dangerous.

"Or what?" August sneered. "You'll cry? Guards! Drag her out!"

Two Aurelis warriors stepped forward, their muscles tense. They reached for me.

"Don't touch her," I warned.

The first warrior grabbed my shoulder.

*ZAP.*

A pulse of white energy exploded from my skin. It wasn't magic—it was pure, concentrated lineage power. The warrior flew backward as if hit by a truck, crashing into a buffet table.

The crowd gasped.

"She's a witch!" Hailey shrieked. "Kill her!"

Hailey, fueled by jealousy and stupidity, lunged at me. Her claws extended—she shifted partially. She aimed for my face.

I raised my arm to block.

Her claws raked across the back of my hand.

Pain flared. Bright, hot, and stinging.

Blood dripped onto the pristine white marble floor. *Drip. Drip.*

The scent of my blood—rich, powerful, and undeniably *Royal*—wafted through the air conditioning vents.

Suddenly, the air in the room changed.

It grew heavy. Oppressive. It felt like gravity had increased tenfold. The champagne glasses on the tables began to rattle.

A low, terrifying growl vibrated through the floorboards. It didn't come from a wolf in the room. It came from outside.

*BOOM.*

The double doors at the main entrance slammed open, not blown off their hinges, but forced wide by a wave of raw, kinetic power. Wood splinters rained down on the guests.

A shadow stood in the doorway.

He was massive. Over six foot five, with broad shoulders that blocked out the light. He wore a black tactical suit that strained against his muscles. His eyes were glowing a vibrant, predatory gold.

Ryder.

And in his arms, holding a small stuffed wolf, was a three-year-old boy with messy dark hair and eyes that matched his father's.

"Daddy," the boy said, his voice small but clear in the terrified silence. "I smell Mommy's blood."

Ryder stepped into the room. The temperature dropped twenty degrees.

He didn't look at the crowd. He didn't look at the other Alphas who were instinctively bowing their heads, exposing their necks in submission.

His golden eyes locked onto me. Then, they shifted to the blood on my hand. Finally, they landed on Hailey, who was standing there with my blood under her fingernails.

"KNEEL."

The command wasn't spoken. It was a thunderclap of Alpha power.

Every wolf in the room slammed to the floor, forced down by the sheer weight of his voice. August collapsed, his forehead hitting the marble with a crack. Hailey fell flat on her stomach, gasping for air.

Only I remained standing.

Ryder walked toward me, the crowd parting like the Red Sea for the god of death.

*

Ryder POV:

The scent of her blood drove me insane. It was a sweet, copper tang that triggered every protective instinct in my biology. My wolf, *Fenrir*, was clawing at the back of my mind, demanding slaughter.

*Who touched her? Who dared to spill the blood of my soul?*

I walked through the sea of prostrate bodies. They were nothing to me. Insects.

I reached Sophia. She looked pale, but her eyes were fierce. She was beautiful. My Goddess.

I dropped to one knee in front of her—me, the Supreme Alpha, kneeling before a woman in front of the entire council.

The room gasped, but no one dared to look up.

"Sophia," I breathed, my voice rough with suppressed rage. I gently took her injured hand. The sight of the three claw marks made my vision swim with red.

"I'm okay, Ryder," she whispered, her other hand coming up to cup my cheek. Her touch was the only thing anchoring me to sanity.

"Mommy!"

Darren wiggled out of my arm and jumped down. He didn't care about the politics. He ran to Sophia and hugged her legs, burying his face in her dress.

"Who hurt you?" Darren asked, pulling back. His little toddler voice was trying to be scary, but his eyes were wet. He looked at the floor and saw a small diamond that had fallen from Sophia's bracelet during the scuffle.

He picked it up and growled. A tiny, high-pitched growl, but it carried the weight of my bloodline.

I stood up, pulling Sophia into my side, shielding her from the world. I turned to face the room.

"Rise," I commanded coldly.

Slowly, terrifyingly, the wolves began to stand, their legs shaking.

August was trembling so hard he could barely stay upright. He looked at me, then at Sophia, his eyes bulging out of his head.

"Supreme Alpha..." August stammered. "We... we didn't know. She... she came in unannounced. She's a Rogue! She attacked us!"

"A Rogue?" I repeated, the word rolling off my tongue like poison.

I looked at Sophia. "Did they call you a Rogue, my love?"

"They did," Sophia said calmly. "And a beggar. And human trash."

I released a dark, humorless laugh that made the Aurelis Alpha—August’s father, who looked ready to faint—whimper.

"This woman," I announced, my voice booming to the rafters, "is Sophia Weyland. She is my Fated Mate. She is the Luna of the Lymerian Pack. And she is the mother of my heir."

Silence. Absolute, horrified silence.

August’s face went grey. "No... that's impossible. She has no wolf. I rejected her! She is defective!"

I narrowed my eyes. "You rejected her?"

"Yes!" August cried, sweat pouring down his face as he realized the depth of his mistake, yet his ego refused to let him stop. "Three years ago! She is a latent! She is useless!"

I released a pulse of Alpha aura, focused entirely on August. He collapsed to his knees again, clutching his chest, gasping as if his lungs were being crushed.

"She is not useless," I snarled. "She is the White Wolf."

I ripped off my expensive dress shirt, buttons popping and scattering across the floor. I didn't care. I wrapped the silk shirt around Sophia’s bleeding hand, tying it gently.

"You hurt her," I said to Hailey, who was sobbing silently on the floor. "You drew Royal blood."

"I... I didn't mean to..." Hailey choked out.

"Aurelis Pack," I addressed the room, my voice final. "You have insulted my Luna. You have injured her. You have questioned her lineage."

I pulled Sophia closer, kissing her forehead.

"Pray to the Moon Goddess," I whispered, staring directly at August. "Because I am going to make you wish you had never been born."

Sophia leaned into me, pointing a finger at August and Hailey.

"They offered me a job, Ryder," she said softly, her voice carrying in the silent hall. "They wanted me to be their maid."

My vision went red.

"Kill them," my wolf roared. "Kill them all."

*