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.

On the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, Quin appeared before me with a face like stone—cold and unreadable.

Mason and Kayden trailed close behind, both looking irritated, like they'd been dragged here against their will.

I frowned and glanced at the butler. I had explicitly told him not to invite them today. However, he only shook his head in confusion, clearly just as blindsided as I was.

The ceremony was minutes from starting, and frankly, I didn't have the time or energy to deal with the three of them.

Still, the guests had already gathered around them with eager smiles and sycophantic praise.

"Mr. Quin, you're truly exceptional. I heard you subdued a rogue pack last month with the warriors—no wonder Princess Evelyn insists on choosing you!"

"Mr. Kayden, I know you have that temper of yours, but you've got a good heart. Princess Evelyn would be lucky to have you."

"Mr. Mason, you're not only handsome, but so dependable. If Princess Evelyn chooses you, the whole of Northaria will thrive under your guidance."

Each of them stood there like like they were the rightful rulers of Northaria.

Not one guest noticed the tension between us. They just kept feeding into the fantasy.

I clenched my jaw as I was disgusted by the whole performance. I was just about to tell the butler to escort them out.

However, all three of them froze after checking their phones. Their expressions darkened.

A sinking feeling twisted in my gut. Before I could speak, Kayden stepped forward and shoved me hard.

The force of it sent me stumbling back into the champagne tower. Glass exploded everywhere, and icy liquid soaked the floor as pain erupted across my back.

I hit the ground as I felt dizzy from the impact. Around us, shocked guests recoiled.

Quin went pale. In a blink, he stepped in front of me, shielding me from the others—but his voice was tight with fury.

"You've really outdone yourself this time. The three of us came here, ready for you to make your choice, and this is how you respond? By pulling up a trick?"

I stared at him, stunned. What was he even talking about?

"You arranged for Silvia to be attacked while we were here, huh? You're trying to pressure us into surrendering? How clever!" Mason snapped. His eyes were cold and filled with disdain.

The accusation pierced through me like a blade, and it pulled me out of the daze.

Of course, it was Silvia. This had her written all over it.

Nearly everyone in the hall was from allied packs or Dad's close friends. But they just stood there in silence, watching me be humiliated. Not a single person spoke up for me.

A chill crept into my heart.

Were they convinced that I wasn't capable of leading Northaria? Was that why they dared to side so openly with those three?

While the pain was throbbing in my shoulder, I glared at Kayden and demanded. "Apologize. Now."

Kayden glanced at the broken glasses on the floor, then let out a cold laugh. "Rogues nearly killed Silvia, and you want me to apologize because you got a little bump?"

Just then, Silvia burst into the room in tears.

She looked completely disheveled—face streaked with blood, her dress torn—obviously fresh from some staged "attack".

"Quin…" she whimpered pitifully.

Quin rushed to her side, shielding her, then turned to me with eyes filled with disgust.

"I almost believed you. All those promises—you were faking it the whole time. Let me lay this straight right now, I will never mark you!"

Even Mason, usually the most reserved of the three, stepped in front of Silvia with a sneer.

"You're nothing but a pathetic little Omega. You can't hold Northaria together, so you tried to use us as tools. We were ready to surrender and do our part, but you? You're just manipulative and conniving."

Then he turned and walked away, not even sparing me, the princess of Northaria, a final glance.

Quin followed, but not before pausing beside me.

"I'll be your mate, sure. But don't forget—you're just a powerless puppet. If you want Northaria to survive, you'll do exactly what I say," he said icily.

I stood frozen, watching their backs as they walked out. They'd forgotten one crucial truth—if it weren't for me, the King of Northaria would've never taken them in.

Just as they reached the threshold, one of the guests hesitated, clearly about to call out and stop them.

However, I raised my voice. "Let them go!"

Silvia turned to look back with a smug and radiant expression like a peacock in full display, seemingly certain she had won.

The butler leaned close, and his voice trembled. "Princess Evelyn… the three pledged Alphas have walked out. What will you do now?"

Around me, the murmurs swelled again—this time laced with doubt and fear.

"She's just an Omega… She could never hold Northaria together without an Alpha by her side."

"With all three of them gone, this might be the end of Northaria's legacy…"

I straightened my shoulders and lifted my chin. "Today isn't just my coming-of-age ceremony, it's also my engagement banquet."

Behind me, the enormous screen suddenly flickered to life. And then, Heath's sharp, chiseled face appeared.

Gasps echoed through the hall, and everyone widened their eyes in disbelief.

"Is that… is that Alpha Heath? From the Pyraxis pack?"