The first time I saw Lycan Prince Leo Mills was when he and my sister, Capri Jordan, confirmed their mate bond during the marking ceremony.

At that moment, I knew.

No matter the cost, no matter the means, I would become his mate.

Because he was the stepping stone I had chosen for myself.

I would climb over him, step by step, until I reached the highest position.

From then on, my word would be law.

No one would ever use me, enslave me, humiliate me, or trample me again.

I was grateful that the Moon Goddess had finally taken pity on me.

Capri had been spoiled rotten by Angie Carr.

She was rebellious, unconventional.

She loved books, especially those filled with tales of rogue werewolves and their adventures, and she idolized the characters within them.

Running through the forests, howling at the moon, hunting with abandon, drinking without restraint.

And above all, pursuing true love.

At first, our father, Alpha Carmelo Wilson, was furious. He confined her, punished her with endless pack training.

He broke three canes trying to discipline her, but her will never wavered.

She would shift into her wolf form and escape through the woods.

Father fell ill several times from stress, sighing deeply in frustration.

Meanwhile, I had always adhered to the standards of a perfect Omega.

I excelled in pack duties, training, and obedience, with a temperament and appearance that were beyond reproach.

Father feared that Capri would bring disaster to the royal pack if she became the Lycan Prince’s mate.

So he discussed with Leo the possibility of breaking the bond or choosing another mate.

When I heard this news, my heart pounded like a drum.

I thought my chance had finally come.

All those years of relentless effort had not been in vain.

Finally, I could be the one my father proudly presented to the world.

I looked at the calluses on my hands, tears of emotion welling up in my eyes.

Until Leo firmly declared:

"I find Capri to be exceptional, unlike any other female in the pack.

"They are lifeless, rigid, and dull, lacking even a fraction of Capri’s vivacity, honesty, and innocence.

"I admire Capri for who she is, and I will protect her unique spirit. Alpha, you need not worry. I will ensure she remains true to herself."

So, Capri forcing me to act as her mount was vivacity? Making me fight with a rogue for food was honesty? Secretly replacing my medicine, nearly killing me, was innocence? Holding my head underwater to see how long I could survive was her unique spirit?

Moon Goddess.

You truly are unfair.

After a long silence, Father tried again.

"My second daughter, Shay, is the epitome of pack decorum. She excels in all aspects of pack culture, and even Lycan Queen Marilyn Jones has praised her grace and composure, saying she would make an exemplary mate."

Leo dismissed me without hesitation, negating everything I had worked for.

"As for Shay, she is no different from the statues in my courtyard.

"She may be the model Omega, but to me, she is just a stone with no thoughts or desires of her own, destined to be shaped by others.

"Females like her are as common as summer cicadas.

"I want only Capri, the one who is truly unique."

That night, I sat before my mother’s memorial, watching the incense burn to ashes, watching the dawn break.

Seeing the courage I had lost ignite like embers bursting into flames before me.

A cicada lives for eight days, born from death.

Until the very end, there is always a chance.

I could not surrender, I could not falter.

My father, Alpha Carmelo Wilson, had received Prince Leo Mills’ promise to leave Capri Jordan be, and so he no longer restrained her. She was free to cause chaos as she pleased. Even when she severed the hands of a maid for spilling hot tea on her favorite dress, he turned a blind eye.

I stood nearby, frozen in horror as I watched the scene unfold. Capri casually flicked the blood from her claws, ignoring the maid’s agonized screams as she collapsed to the ground. She pointed at the damp stain on her dress and looked down at me with a cruel smirk.

“Clean it up,” she ordered.

I didn’t hesitate, not even for a second. I knelt and licked the stain clean, my stomach churning with disgust. Capri burst into laughter, her voice ringing through the room.

“You’re such a dog,” she sneered.

I forced a smile, swallowing my pride. Without power or status, any show of defiance was a death sentence. I knew better than to challenge her.

Not long after, I conveniently fell “ill,” burning with a fever that left me bedridden.

Meanwhile, in the heart of the city, a pack tournament had taken place. The winner, a Delta named Karim Scott, had stunned everyone with his skill. He was a low-ranking wolf, yet he’d defeated every high-born warrior in the competition. His precision with a bow and mastery of close combat left the crowd in awe.

As the tournament ended, a bold female admirer stepped forward, declaring her feelings for him. Karim, however, remained unfazed.

“My heart belongs to another,” he said calmly. “I cannot accept your feelings.”

When pressed, he revealed the name of the one who held his heart: Capri Jordan.

The announcement sent shockwaves through the pack. Capri, already marked by Prince Leo, had been avoided by every male in the city since the bond was announced. No one dared to show her such public affection.

But Karim had, and it intrigued her.

Capri, who prided herself on her combat skills, had always been frustrated with her sparring partners. They were too afraid to truly challenge her, knowing her volatile temper. She had killed before in fits of rage, and no one wanted to risk becoming her next victim.

Curiosity piqued, Capri ran out to meet the man who had openly declared his love for her. She wanted to see this bold, reckless wolf for herself. After all, since her marking ceremony with Prince Leo, the males of the pack had kept their distance. Karim was the first to break that unspoken rule, and Capri couldn’t help but wonder what made him so different.

Karim Scott was nothing like Leo Mills.

Leo, the Lycan Prince, was the future of the pack, the one destined to be a benevolent ruler. Every word he spoke about me seemed to reflect the life he himself was bound to—a life of duty and expectation.

But Karim? He was different.

He was a rogue, a free spirit, untethered by the rigid hierarchy of the pack. His independence was intoxicating, enough to captivate a sheltered Omega like Capri, who had only ever dreamed of such freedom through whispers and tales.

Karim painted a picture of the world beyond the pack’s borders with his words, spinning tales of adventure and romance that made Capri’s heart race with longing. She was drawn to it, to him, like a moth to a flame.

On the night of the pack’s Moon Festival, Capri was caught sneaking out to meet Karim. Our father, the Alpha of the Wilson pack, was furious. He punished her severely, locking her away and forbidding her from leaving the packhouse.

But Karim wasn’t one to be deterred.

While the rest of the pack celebrated the festival with music and dancing, the Wilson packhouse was eerily silent. Karim appeared at the back of the property, where the woods met the edge of our territory. He released a hundred lanterns into the night sky, their glow illuminating the darkness like stars.

He scaled the wall with ease, finding Capri in her room, her eyes red from crying. Without a word, he scooped her up and carried her to the rooftop, where they watched the lanterns float higher and higher, the world below them alive with the sounds of the festival.

Capri was mesmerized, her heart pounding as she looked out at the scene.

Karim pointed to the distant pack grounds, where the festival was in full swing. “See that? That’s just a glimpse of what’s out there,” he said, his voice low and inviting. “A world where you’re not bound by rules or expectations. Where you can be free.”

Capri clung to his words, her heart swelling with a longing she’d never felt before.

When a group of rogue werewolves cornered her in the woods during one of their secret meetings, Karim appeared like a shadow, his strength and skill undeniable. He shifted into his wolf form, his dominance clear even without the title of an Alpha.

From that moment on, Capri was his.

She was swept up in the thrill of her first love, her heart racing with the promise of freedom.

But she forgot. She forgot the trembling voice of Florence Taylor, the Omega she had once maimed in a fit of anger. She forgot the girl’s desperate pleas as she lay bleeding in the packhouse, her hands severed.

“Please,” Florence had begged, her voice barely a whisper. “I have a mate... he’s training with the Delta warriors. When he returns, he’ll come for me. He’ll take me away from here. I just... I just want to be happy with him.”

But Florence never got her happy ending.

She died that night, her mate’s scent lingering in the air, her dreams of freedom and love extinguished forever.

And Capri? She was too lost in her own world to care.

---

As I watched her, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitterness. Karim’s charm, his freedom—it was all a facade, a fleeting fantasy that would inevitably crumble.

But Capri was too blind to see it.

She had always been the rebellious one, the one who fought against the constraints of our world. And now, she was willing to throw everything away for a rogue who promised her the world.

I knew better.

Freedom wasn’t something you could find in the arms of a man. It was something you had to carve out for yourself, no matter how difficult the path.

And Capri? She was too busy chasing a dream to realize that.

---

The night was silent, the lanterns now just distant specks in the sky. I turned away from the window, my heart heavy with the weight of what was to come.

Capri had chosen her path.

And I? I would choose mine.

But I wouldn’t be naive enough to believe in fairy tales.

Not when the world we lived in was anything but.