I am the sole heir to the Alpha King of Northaria, but I'm an Omega.

All of Northaria awaits the day I come of age, hoping I'll awaken the kind of Alpha bloodline strong enough to claim the throne. But when the day finally comes, I'm still just a low-rank Omega.

So, they say that the true heir must be one of the three "pledged Alphas" my father adopted from the major tribes. Whichever one of them marks me becomes the ruler of all Northaria packs.

But none of them have ever truly looked at me.

The one I like most is Quin Lawson. When I fainted on the snowy plains as a child, it was he who carried me back to the pack.

I've tried countless times to get close to him, only to be met with nothing but cold, contemptuous stares.

I used to think he was just emotionally distant—until the Moon Goddess Festival.

That night, I saw him kneel before Silvia Anderson, the daughter of my father's second-in-command. His voice is soft, and his gaze is tender.

"I'm marrying Evelyn only to repay the Alpha King's kindness. Once I get the inheritance, I'll make you my Luna. As long as she doesn't harm you, I'll even grant her a piece of land to live out her life in peace. You're my true mate."

The night before the marking ceremony, my father asks me who I choose.

I think of the way all three of the pledged Alphas look away whenever our eyes meet.

I smile and say, "I'm the rightful heir of Northaria. My mate should be someone who brings the greatest strength to our pack. And so, I choose Alpha Heath of the Pyraxis pack."

The air goes still.

My father frowns. "Him? Are you sure? Every one of his mates has died under mysterious circumstances. His wolf is known to be vicious—no one dares get close to him. You truly want to be his mate?"

"As the only daughter of the Alpha King of Northaria, it's only right I choose to ally with the strongest pack—the Pyraxis pack." My voice was calm and unwavering.

Dad's gaze was heavy with concern. "Even so... not one of the three pledged Alphas I chose for you stirred your heart?"

Dad had loved Mom deeply, but she died the year I was born, ambushed and fatally wounded by our enemies. Since then, he had refused to take another Luna Queen.

Still, he couldn't bring himself to entrust all of Northaria to a daughter born an Omega—especially one who hadn't yet awakened her wolf.

On his second-in-command's counsel, he had selected three orphaned pups of Alpha blood from our allied packs. They were raised alongside me, groomed to be my future mates—our so-called "pledged Alphas".

He even issued a royal decree, declaring that whoever marked me in the future would stand beside me and rule the packs of Northaria as equals.

Dad loved me, but he didn't believe an Omega could bear the weight of the throne of Northaria alone. Love and doubt—he carried them both, and they were not contradictions.

"Heath's wolf might be brutal and impossible to control, but I don't need to live in peace with his wolf. I only need to take the potion during mating to put his wolf to sleep.

"That's all it takes to conceive our pup. He's a powerful Alpha—young, wealthy, and far more capable than those three half breed Alphas you raised.

"Better to ally with a dominant pack than waste years trying to mold those three into something they're not, right?" I kept my voice measured.

Dad was quiet for a moment before nodding slowly. "If none of them could win your heart... there's no reason for them to remain at the palace."

If I had told Dad the truth—that Quin Lawson rejected the bond, he would've dragged him to his knees and demanded an explanation.

After all, what right did a wolf raised under the Alpha King's protection have to turn down the princess of Northaria?

However, I didn't want Dad to use his power to guilt or force Quin into submission. And I didn't want to trap a man whose heart clearly already belonged to another.

What he whispered to Silvia under the moonlight during the Moon Goddess Festival… that was the moment I felt my heart shatter.

This alliance with Heath was the last shred of dignity I could offer him.

Dad cast Quin a sharp, icy look as I left the council chamber.

Quin bowed respectfully in farewell—but the moment Dad was out of sight, he turned toward me with his brows drawn tight.

"What did you say to the Alpha King?"

His eyes were thick with anger and disgust, as if I'd just committed some unforgivable sin.

Before I could answer, Mason Lawson scoffed beside me. "Let me guess—the usual? She's upset none of us coddled her, didn't give her what she wanted," he sneered.

Kayden Lawson's face was cold as frost as he sneered. "You're nothing but an Omega, Evelyn. Do you seriously think you're a queen?

"A few shiny coins and some empty commands, and you think you can make all of Northaria bow?"

The three of them stood there, united in their scorn, and their words were like blades meant to cut me down.

"If none of you ever planned to accept the mate bond, then why didn't you have the spine to tell my father yourselves?" I countered.

Dad had always hoped that one of the three pledged Alphas would bond with me, but he never forced their hand.

If any of them ever expressed a desire to walk away, he'd immediately arrange a travel letter and a hefty sum to send them off to Southaria or whichever pack they wished to live in.

But in the end, none of them could truly let go of the power, prestige, and protection that came with the Northaria throne.

Kayden, the most rebellious of the three, scoffed. "How noble of you to act like we had a choice. We were raised like loyal wolves under Northaria's roof. What right did we ever have to say no?"

"If you're set on choosing me, I won't stop you," Quin said. He cast me a glance heavy with remorse. "But don't punish the others because of it."

That made both Kayden and Mason fall silent.

Quin acted like a man walking to the gallows, and the sight of it crushed something in my chest.

Before I could speak, footsteps approached from behind, and Silvia appeared. The moment she saw me, her eyes widened with fear, and she immediately darted behind Quin like a frightened pup.

He wrapped an arm around her protectively as his expression turned guarded. "She didn't do anything wrong. Don't take this out on her."

Just like that, the three Alphas—my would-be protectors—stood between me and Silvia, guarding her.

Five years ago, when Silvia first arrived in Northaria, she gave me a small porcelain pendant shaped like a feather. As a welcome gesture, I'd gifted her a moonstone armlet in return.

But when I opened the jewelry box, Quin ripped it from my hands like I was stealing it. "That pendant was her grandmother's!" he snapped. "Do you seriously have to take even that from her?"

I turned to Silvia, dumbfounded, silently waiting for her to speak up and tell the truth, saying that it was a gift she'd given me willingly.

But instead, she dropped to her knees with her eyes full of tears. "She didn't take it away from me. I gave it to Her Highness willingly.

"She's always treated me kindly… she even gave me the moonstone armlet. Please… I was never forced..."

She bowed until her forehead touched the floor. That pitiful act was all it took to stir their sympathy.

It reminded them of when they had first been brought to Northaria, and how powerless they had felt back then.

Then, they turned on me. "You may be Northaria's heir, but that doesn't give you the right to take someone else's bequest!"

"That pendant might not be worth much, but it's all she has left of her family. A moonstone armlet doesn't even come close. Give it back to Silvia now!"

"You've always been like this. Selfish and thoughtless."

My expression fell, but I bit my tongue, hoping it was all a misunderstanding—hoping I could explain it all, eventually.

I handed the pendant back to Silvia, but she fumbled. Whether by accident or not, it slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor.

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she cried out. "You just couldn't stand to give it back, could you? You'd rather destroy it than return it to me."

"Apologize to Silvia. Right now. Or else, don't blame me when I reject the mate bond." Quin said coldly. He had never tolerated the strong bullying the weak.

I had already confessed my feelings to him. I told him I wanted to be his mate, his Luna. But now he was using that love against me and forcing me to kneel for someone else.

I was young and loved him too much, so I lowered my head and said the words he wanted to hear. I took the blame.

And that apology… haunted me for five long years.

Ever since, whenever Silvia saw me, she'd either burst into tears or fall to her knees, like I was some cruel monster out to ruin her life.

But I'd never done a thing to her.

I looked at Quin coldly. "If you're so worried I'll hurt her, maybe you should just keep her glued to your side."

It was sarcasm, but he didn't take it that way.

Quin frowned. "Is that a threat? What are you planning to do to her now?"

Kayden slammed his hand down on the table and snapped, "So we let her stay in the Moonlight Sanctuary, and suddenly you're looking for excuses to go after her?"

Mason's glare was sharp. "You already own everything, while Silvia hasn't even celebrated her birthday before. And now you're being petty about one small sanctuary?"

"The Moonlight Sanctuary?" I asked.

The Moonlight Sanctuary was the estate Dad began building for me the day I was born.

It wasn't just any property—it was sacred ground meant to house the relics of the Moon Goddess. Every stone laid, every tree planted, and every flower grown was blessed with her divine power.

Six months ago, as the sanctuary neared completion, Dad handed the final phase over to Quin. It was supposed to be a gift to me for my coming-of-age ceremony next month.

But now… the estate that was meant to be mine had been handed over to Silvia. And she was already living there?

My gaze dropped to Quin.

"She grew up in a poor pack. She's never even seen a real moonstone. I just wanted to give her something she's always dreamed of. Besides, the Moonlight Sanctuary's still legally yours, isn't it?

"Don't be so unreasonable. We can just announce the mate ceremony during your coming-of-age ceremony next month, will that do?"

Quin said it like he was making some great sacrifice, and for a moment, I almost felt like I was the one who had been taken in.

And of course, the others chimed in to defend him. "Why throw yourself away for her, Quin? Evelyn's got a nasty temper, no wolf, and no discipline. You'd be better off alone."

"She's probably losing her mind with happiness right now—after all, she's been begging you to choose her for years."

"Quin, don't marry someone like her just because of me! I'll apologize to her, or get on my knees if I have to. She can hit me, yell at me—whatever she wants…" Silvia sobbed.

Their pitying words were pathetic. I almost laughed.

"Relax. I would never choose you." I looked at Quin coldly.

Quin raised a brow, and a dry, humorless laugh slipped from his lips.

I turned to walk away, done with this circus, only for Silvia to suddenly clutch the hem of my dress.

"Please, Evelyn. Don't make this harder for Quin. The Alpha King of Northaria only adopted them because of you—they came from a lowly background.

"If you're angry about the Moonlight Sanctuary and plan on going to the Alpha King… I'll apologize. I'll bow a thousand times if that's what it takes."

Before I could respond, she dropped to her knees and started bowing—again and again—until the floor beneath her ran red with blood.

Quin stormed forward and yanked her to her feet with a snarl. His furious gaze locked onto mine.

"I knew you were lying about the bond. All that talk about not choosing me was just an excuse to come after Silvia.

"You think you can manipulate everyone by whining to the Alpha King? Well, guess what? As long as I'm here, Silvia stays."

"I know you won't believe me, but I've never laid a hand on her—and I never will choose you," I said bluntly.

I turned to go, thinking that was the end of it. However, Quin grabbed my wrist, with his eyes sharp with scorn.

"So who is it, then? Mason? Or Kayden?

"Kayden's an artist—he just got accepted into Imperial Academy. Mason's a free spirit who doesn't even want the Alpha title.

"I've put up with your obsession for over a decade. Are you going after them now, too?

"Fine. You want the bond? You've got it. I'll be your mate. Just stop dragging Silvia into any mess and stop mistreating her. I'll live with you. I'll make it work."

The exhaustion in Quin's eyes was plain, as if I'd worn him down completely.

I stared back at him, and my voice turned as cold as frost. "I know what you really want. And I'll make sure you get it."

He was terrified I'd hurt Silvia—but even more terrified of being my mate. There was only Silvia in his eyes.

That was fine. Because at the coming-of-age ceremony, I would announce my bond with Heath. And none of them—not Quin, Mason, or Kayden—would ever be my mate.