The Moonlit Gala was supposed to be our night. Seven years of loving Colson Hill, three years as his chosen mate, and now—finally—I carried his pup. My hand rested protectively over my still-flat stomach as I navigated through the glittering crowd of Alphas and Lunas from neighboring packs.

"Have you seen Colson?" I asked a passing Beta, smoothing down the simple blue dress I'd chosen. Unlike the elaborate gowns around me, I'd always preferred simplicity—another thing that made me different from the power-hungry she-wolves who circled Colson like vultures.

"He was heading to the gardens last I saw," the Beta replied, barely glancing at me before continuing on.

The garden. Perfect. I wanted privacy for this announcement anyway.

The moonlight bathed the meticulously manicured grounds in silver, casting long shadows between the sculpted hedges. I followed the stone path, my heart racing with anticipation. Colson would be so happy—he'd been talking about starting a family once he became Alpha.

"Colson?" I called softly as I rounded the corner into the secluded alcove.

The words died in my throat.

Colson stood with his back against the stone wall, his hands tangled in Valeria Gibson's raven hair. Her body pressed against his, their lips locked in a passionate kiss. The high-ranking Beta female's hands roamed possessively over my mate's chest—territory that should have been mine alone.

"Colson?" My voice cracked, louder now.

They broke apart, but neither looked particularly concerned at being caught.

"Delaney." Colson's voice held irritation rather than guilt. "You shouldn't be here."

Valeria's red lips curved into a smile that never reached her eyes. "Yes, this is a private moment."

I stepped forward, my promise ring catching the moonlight. "Private? Colson, we're mates. I came to tell you—"

"To tell me what?" Valeria interrupted, her gaze dropping to my hand. "That you still believe this means something?" She reached out and knocked the ring from my finger with a flick of her wrist.

I gasped as it fell to the ground, rolling beneath a bush.

"Valeria." Colson's tone held a warning, but not for her—for me.

"Is there a problem?" Alpha Marcus Sterling's voice boomed from behind me. I turned to find him and several other pack leaders watching the scene unfold.

"Actually," Valeria purred, "there is. This... human-scented omega keeps claiming to be Colson's mate."

My heart pounded. "I am his mate. We've been paired for three years."

"Is this true, son?" Alpha Sterling asked, his eyes narrowing.

I looked to Colson, expecting him to confirm our bond, to defend me. Instead, he straightened his jacket and met his father's gaze.

"I do not recognize this woman as my mate," he said, his Alpha tone reverberating through the garden. "She has been delusional about our relationship."

The world tilted beneath my feet.

"You're lying," I whispered, tears blurring my vision. "Colson, please—"

"Remove her," he ordered, turning away. "She's disrupting the gala."

Two enforcers materialized beside me, their hands rough as they grabbed my arms.

"No!" I struggled against them. "Colson! Please!"

Someone else was shouting—Nia. My sweet Omega friend pushed through the crowd.

"Stop this!" she cried, throwing herself between me and the enforcers. "You can't do this!"

One of the enforcers shoved her aside with brutal force. I watched in horror as Nia's head struck the stone pillar with a sickening crack. She crumpled to the ground, blood pooling beneath her.

"Nia!" I screamed, fighting harder. "Stop! She's hurt!"

But they were dragging me backward now, away from the garden, away from Colson's cold stare and Valeria's triumphant smile.

"The pup," I gasped as a sharp pain lanced through my abdomen. "Please—I'm pregnant!"

No one listened. No one cared.

The night air grew colder as they hauled me beyond the pack borders, my body bruising under their grip. When they finally released me, I collapsed to the ground, another wave of agony tearing through me.

Something warm trickled down my thigh.

"No," I whispered, looking down at the dark stain spreading across my dress. "No, please, no."

But the Moon Goddess wasn't listening tonight.

* * *

Days later, I opened my eyes to sterile white walls and the steady beep of monitors.

"Delaney." My brother Fletcher's voice, tight with controlled rage.

I turned my head to see him sitting beside the bed, his Lycan King regalia replaced with simple clothes, his face haggard with exhaustion.

"The pup?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

His eyes darkened. "You lost it."

"And Nia?"

"She's here in the Royal Infirmary, but..." He hesitated. "The head injury was severe. She's in a coma."

I closed my eyes, feeling the hollow space inside me expand.

"Let me die," I whispered.

"No." Fletcher's hand gripped mine with crushing force. "You will live, and they will pay."

As I looked into his eyes, something shifted inside me—the last remnants of the gentle, naive Delaney Rose crumbling away.

"Prepare my return," I said, my voice steady for the first time in days. "Not as a mate, but as a Royal Proxy."

Fletcher nodded slowly, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "It will be done."

In that moment, as I lay broken in the Royal Infirmary, I made a vow to the Moon Goddess: Colson Hill and Valeria Gibson would learn what happens when you betray a Lycan Princess.

One month. That's all it took to bury Delaney Rose and resurrect someone new in her place.

I stood before the ornate mirror in my brother's palace, barely recognizing the woman who stared back at me. Gone was the simple blue dress and gentle smile. In their place stood a figure draped in a tailored charcoal suit that hugged every curve of my body, my hair swept into a severe knot at the nape of my neck.

"How do I look?" I asked Fletcher, who stood behind me with a mixture of pride and concern in his eyes.

"Like a Lycan Princess," he replied, adjusting the platinum emblem of the Royal Court on my lapel. "Remember, you're not just doing this for revenge. You're doing it because they violated our laws."

I nodded, touching the spot where Colson's promise ring once sat. "I know."

The Shadow Ridge Pack House loomed before us as our convoy pulled through the gates. I could see them waiting—Alpha Marcus Sterling, his son Colson, and the pack elders. Their faces showed confusion as they scanned the vehicles for the "Royal Representative" my brother had warned them about.

I stepped out first, feeling the weight of their stares. The whispers began immediately.

"Is that...?"

"It can't be..."

"The Proxy is..."

Their words died as I approached, my aura unfurling around me like a living thing. The power of my royal bloodline—once suppressed for Colson's comfort—now crashed against them in waves. One by one, they lowered their gazes, their bodies instinctively submitting to a higher power.

Colson stood last, his face draining of color as recognition dawned. His eyes widened, mouth opening and closing without sound.

"Delaney?" he finally managed, his voice barely audible.

I walked past him without acknowledgment, my heels clicking against the marble floor of the entrance hall.

"Welcome, Lady Rose," Alpha Sterling said, bowing deeply. "We weren't expecting..."

"The King's sister?" I finished for him, my voice cool and detached. "I am Lady Rose, Proxy to the King. I trust you've prepared the necessary accommodations."

---

"The security protocols for the eastern perimeter are inadequate," I stated, gesturing to the holographic display that hovered above the desk—my desk now. "And these financial reports show troubling discrepancies."

I looked up to find Colson shifting uncomfortably in the guest chair across from me. How strange to see him there, in his own office, relegated to a subordinate position.

"The previous security arrangements were sufficient," Valeria interjected from her place behind Colson. She'd been hovering there for the past hour, her hand possessively resting on his shoulder.

I raised an eyebrow. "The previous arrangements were under your father's supervision, I believe?"

She lifted her chin. "My father has served this pack faithfully for twenty years."

"Twenty years of incompetence, apparently." I tapped the display, zooming in on a section of the border. "These surveillance gaps are large enough to drive a tank through."

Colson leaned forward. "Delaney—"

"Lady Rose," I corrected him sharply. "Address me properly."

His jaw tightened. "Lady Rose, perhaps we could discuss this privately—"

"There's nothing private to discuss." I stood, walking around the desk to tower over them. "Your father's security contracts are terminated, effective immediately. I've reassigned them to Blackthorn Security."

Valeria's face contorted with rage. "You can't do that!"

"I just did." I smiled thinly. "Oh, and the quarterly payments from those contracts? They'll be redirected to fund the pack's medical facility instead of lining your family's pockets."

---

"Emergency pack meeting in ten minutes," I announced, striding through the corridors with two Royal Enforcers at my heels. "Every ranking member is required to attend."

The pack hall filled quickly, murmurs of confusion rippling through the crowd. I took my place at the center of the platform, my enforcers flanking me like statues.

"Three hours ago," I began without preamble, "the northern border was breached."

Gasps echoed through the hall. Colson straightened, confusion crossing his features.

"A simulated breach," I clarified, "conducted by Royal Enforcers on my authority."

The holographic display activated, showing footage of the border checkpoint—unguarded, vulnerable, with no response to the staged incursion for nearly twenty minutes.

"Where was the future Alpha during this crisis?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. My intelligence network had reported Colson and Valeria's spa day excursion that morning.

"I—" Colson started, rising from his seat.

"Sit down," I commanded, my voice carrying the weight of royal authority. "You were indulging in personal distractions while your territory remained undefended."

Valeria's face flushed crimson as whispers spread through the hall.

"This negligence cannot stand," I continued, my gaze sweeping over the assembled pack members. "The safety of this territory is now under direct royal oversight."

As the meeting adjourned, I caught Colson's furious glare. But beneath it lurked something else—fear.

Good. Let him fear. This was only the beginning.

The charity auction was supposed to be Colson's moment to shine—the future Alpha demonstrating his generosity to the pack. I watched from the back of the hall as he took the stage, Valeria clinging to his arm like a trophy.

"Today's final item," the auctioneer announced, "is a unique piece donated anonymously."

The lights dimmed as a spotlight illuminated a small glass case. Inside, on black velvet, lay a familiar silver band with a crescent moon setting—Colson's promise ring. The one he'd given me three years ago. The one Valeria had knocked from my finger that night in the garden.

"A trinket of broken promises," I'd written in the donation note. "May it find a worthy owner."

A ripple of recognition moved through the crowd. Someone whispered, "Isn't that..."

Colson froze mid-sentence, his eyes locked on the display. Valeria's grip on his arm tightened visibly.

"This delicate silver ring features a moonstone setting," the auctioneer continued, oblivious to the tension. "Starting bid at five hundred dollars."

I raised my paddle from the shadows.

"One thousand," I called, my voice carrying across the suddenly silent room.

Colson's head snapped toward me, his face paling. "Two thousand," he countered, his voice strained.

"Five thousand," I replied calmly.

The bidding escalated rapidly. Ten thousand. Twenty thousand. The pack members watched in confusion as their future Alpha and the Royal Proxy engaged in a heated contest over a simple ring.

"Fifty thousand," Colson finally growled, his composure cracking.

I lowered my paddle with a small smile. "It's yours."

After the auction, as Colson handed over the pack funds—money meant for infrastructure and security—I approached the microphone.

"Interesting use of pack resources," I remarked, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Buying back personal items at taxpayer expense. I wonder what the Council would think about such... creative allocation of funds."

The whispers started immediately. I caught fragments as I walked away:

"...using our money..."

"...personal vanity project..."

"...not how an Alpha should lead..."

---

"Merit over Rank," I announced to the assembled high-ranking females. "Effective immediately."

Valeria stood at the front of the group, her posture rigid with barely contained fury.

"This means," I continued, "that all positions will be earned through demonstrated ability, not inherited status."

I gestured to the training mat I'd had installed in the main hall. "Starting with combat assessments. Standard for all high-ranking females."

Valeria stepped forward. "I don't need to prove myself to anyone."

"Then you'll hold no rank in this pack," I replied simply.

She spat at my feet. "I'm the future Luna."

"You're an acting Beta with delusions of grandeur." I turned to the others. "Who will demonstrate the assessment first?"

A young Delta stepped forward—Kira, I recalled. Quiet, skilled, but overlooked because of her rank.

"Perfect," I said. "Valeria, you're up."

The fight lasted less than two minutes. Valeria, accustomed to using her status rather than her skills, crumpled under Kira's efficient attack. She lay panting on the mat as the pack watched in stunned silence.

"Results noted," I said, my voice echoing in the quiet hall. "Valeria Gibson, you are hereby stripped of acting Luna privileges."

Her scream of rage made the windows rattle.

"You'll report to inventory management tomorrow," I continued. "Standard Beta duties. You'll work alongside the Omegas on rotation."

"Inventory management?" she choked. "That's—that's menial work!"

"Ah, but you'll be doing it with the same Omegas you used to torment," I replied softly. "How fitting."

---

The hospital corridor was quiet as I made my daily visit to Nia's room. Dr. Chen met me at the door.

"No change," she said gently.

I nodded, taking my usual seat beside Nia's bed. Her face was peaceful in repose, the machines monitoring her vital signs creating a steady rhythm in the room.

"I brought fresh flowers," I told her, arranging daffodils in the vase by her window. "Yellow ones. You always said they reminded you of sunshine."

I took Nia's hand in mine, careful to avoid disturbing the IV line.

"The pack is changing," I whispered. "Little by little."

I caught Dr. Chen watching me from the doorway and gave her a sad smile.

"Did you know," I said, loud enough for her to hear, "that the Moon Goddess punishes those who reject their mates?"

Dr. Chen's eyes widened slightly.

"She takes what matters most," I continued, stroking Nia's hair. "My pup... our future..."

I let my voice break on the last word, watching as Dr. Chen's expression shifted from professional detachment to something closer to sympathy.

"Such a shame," she murmured, glancing at Nia's still form. "All this violence over a mate bond."

"Violence," I repeated softly. "Yes. Violence that cost me everything."

As Dr. Chen left, I noticed the nurses exchanging glances. By tomorrow, everyone would know that Colson's rejection had cost me my unborn child—without me ever having to say it directly.

The whispers had begun.