The first day I was brought back to the royal pack from the countryside.

Valeria Carter’s loyal beta, Juliet Kennedy, slapped me across the face and whispered a warning:

“So what if you’re the Lycan Queen’s daughter? Valeria is still the most respected female in this pack.”

“I’m warning you, don’t even think about competing with her. Stay in your place, and maybe you’ll keep your life.”

Sure, I was a rough-around-the-edges girl from the countryside.

But I wasn’t going to take this lying down.

When someone hit me, my first instinct was to throw myself to the ground and wail:

“Help! Someone’s trying to kill me! Is there no one here to protect the Lycan Princess?”

Juliet was startled and tried to cover my mouth, but I screamed louder, my hands gripping her arm with the strength of someone used to hard labor.

“Murder! There’s a murderer in the pack house!”

The commotion drew the attention of the pack members, and I was rescued.

Juliet was later exiled for assaulting a royal.

That day, Valeria hissed in my ear:

“Don’t think you’ve won.”

“You took one of my betas; I’ll make you pay a hundred times over.”

“With just one word from me, I can have you mated to an Omega—someone broken, someone without a wolf.”

Oh, great.

I’ve always had a thing for underdogs.

...

To comfort me after the ordeal, the Lycan King, my father, gifted me a small wolf pup as a companion.

The pup was pure white and utterly adorable.

I quickly adapted to pack life, even turning the patch of land outside my room into a small garden.

Just as things were settling down, Valeria decided to stir up trouble again.

During a morning pack meeting with the Lycan Queen, she brought up the topic of my mating.

The Lycan Queen, my mother, frowned and said, “Avery has just returned to the pack. I’m not ready to let her go.”

But Valeria insisted, “She’s not getting any younger. If we don’t settle her mating soon, people will start talking.”

She mimicked the gossipers, dramatically recounting the rumors circulating about me.

“A wild girl from the countryside, with no reputation to speak of.”

“Who knows what kind of diseases she might have? She might have even had pups already.”

“Such a crude girl, even if she’s a princess, no decent pack would want her.”

Valeria’s face was alight with glee as she said every cruel thing she could think of.

Under the guise of concern, she humiliated me in front of everyone.

Finally, she looked at me with mock pity:

“Sister, your reputation is in shambles. I doubt any respectable pack would even consider you now.”

She didn’t notice the Lycan Queen’s aura darkening on her throne.

Not long after, my mating was arranged.

The Lycan King himself declared I would be mated to Joseph Montgomery, the son of a prominent Alpha.

I didn’t care much, but Valeria was furious.

She and Joseph had grown up together and had long been close.

She had planned to ask the Lycan King for their mating during the upcoming Moon Festival.

But her plan backfired.

She had only meant to humiliate me but ended up securing my mating to her chosen mate.

When Valeria found out, she confronted me with tears in her eyes.

“Sister, I’ve never wished you harm. Why do you keep targeting me?”

“Do you have to take everything from me? My mating, my betas—what else do you want? Just take it all!”

Afraid she might change her mind, I stormed into her room and took the gold headpiece I’d been eyeing for weeks, along with a rare Moonstone pendant she treasured.

“Thanks, sis! You’re too kind. If you’d been this generous from the start, we could’ve been best friends…”

Valeria’s face turned pale, then red, and she stood there speechless for a long time.

The next day, Joseph Montgomery stormed into the royal pack’s estate to confront Valeria Carter.

As the son of a prominent Alpha, Joseph had connections that allowed him to bypass the usual protocols. His mother, Monica Montgomery, had come to visit the Lycan Queen under the guise of a formal meeting, and Joseph had sneaked in, disguised as one of the pack’s guards.

He barged into my quarters without warning, his voice booming. “Avery Lane! Get out here, Avery Lane!”

I was in the middle of tending to my garden, planting lavender under the cool morning sun. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I squinted at him, my tone sharp. “You blind or something?”

Joseph froze, clearly unprepared for my disheveled appearance and blunt demeanor. After a long pause, he finally spat out, “You think you’re fit to be mated into my family? You’re nothing but a rogue! How dare you humiliate Valeria? She’s kind and graceful, and you—you’re just a brute with no heart!”

I hadn’t humiliated Valeria, but I wasn’t about to waste my breath defending myself.

Joseph’s face was red with rage as he continued, “I’ll never accept someone like you as my mate! My future Luna will be Valeria, and no one else!”

Honestly, Joseph wasn’t unattractive. But the way he snarled at me, his face twisted in fury, made him look more like a rabid wolf than a high-ranking werewolf.

And this was the man who thought I wasn’t good enough for him? Back in the countryside, I could handle ten of his kind with one swipe of my claws.

When I didn’t respond, Joseph’s anger escalated. He stomped into my freshly tilled garden, crushing my lavender underfoot. Then, with a vicious kick, he sent Whiskers, my beloved pet wolf, flying.

Before I could react, Joseph was in my face, his hand swinging to deliver a brutal slap. The force of it left my cheek numb, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth.

But I didn’t have time to tend to my own injuries.

Whiskers—my constant companion, the one who curled up beside me every night—was lying motionless on the ground, foam bubbling from his mouth.

I rushed to him, cradling his small, white body in my arms. His soft fur, once warm and vibrant, was now lifeless. A final twitch, and then stillness.

My vision blurred with tears as I gently laid Whiskers down. Extending my claws, I slashed with all my strength, aiming for Joseph’s right leg.

The crack of bone echoed through the air, followed by Joseph’s strangled cry.

He collapsed, his face pale and contorted in pain, but I wasn’t done. Another slash, and his left leg gave way.

By the time he was on his knees, unable to scream, I finally let out a wail. “Guards! Where are the guards? Are you all blind? You’re useless, the lot of you!”

“Mother! This intruder killed Whiskers—the pet the Lycan King himself gifted me! What kind of pack lets someone murder a royal’s companion?”

Joseph was dragged to the Lycan Queen’s chambers by the time the guards arrived. His mother, Monica, was torn between her concern for her son and the undeniable fact that he’d broken into the royal quarters.

Her voice trembled as she finally spoke. “Regardless of what happened, Princess Avery, you didn’t have to be so harsh. My son was just curious about you. He wasn’t a real threat!”

I cradled Whiskers’ lifeless body, my sobs echoing through the halls. The lung capacity I’d developed from years of pack training ensured everyone within a mile could hear my grief.

“I didn’t know! I grew up in the countryside—how was I supposed to recognize your son? He barged into my quarters and killed the Lycan King’s gift to me! Of course I panicked!”

I emphasized the words “Lycan King’s gift,” and Monica’s face turned ashen.

Moments later, the Lycan King and Valeria arrived. My hair was a mess, my face streaked with tears, and my clothes stained with dirt and Whiskers’ vomit. In contrast, Valeria looked every bit the elegant Luna she aspired to be, her movements graceful and composed.

Joseph, dragging his broken legs, struggled to kneel before the Lycan King. “Your Majesty, there’s no bond between Princess Avery and me. I beg you to revoke the mating decree!”