A Spy's Gambit: Forsaken by the Pack, Claimed by the Alpha.

Liora's POV

Today was supposed to be the day the nightmare finally ended.

If my heart beats any louder, the entire pack house will hear the sound of my desperation.

For a whole week, the grand estate had been buzzing with preparation. Even the servants, who usually stopped to talk with me for a while, only gave me quick, nervous little smiles as they passed by in the corridors.

I understood they were all overwhelmed with the work for tonight anyway.

Julian hadn’t told me his grand plan in advance, but he didn’t need to.

I trusted him.

I believed with everything in me that he would keep his promises.

He had told me just last night, right before he kissed me, that we would be marrying today.

“The trade lines are finally secured, Liora,” he had promised, his hands framing my face. “We now have the leverage I need over the High Council. I will use my power as Alpha to free your mother. We will announce our mating before the entire pack, and no one will ever look down on you again, babe. I promise.”

I had felt sad and happy at the same time.

Happy that my mother would finally be released from her torment, but deeply grieving the fact that she couldn’t attend my own wedding.

Moving quietly, I slipped my hands under the thin mattress where Julian and I slept together, pulling out my mother’s Onyx Signet Ring.

It was the only piece of her I had left since the High Council dragged her away to the cells of the central capital, claiming she had leaked the pack's secret, coded trade routes to a rival faction.

They called her a traitor, but it was a lie.

My mother didn't create those routes but I did.

I was the high-level tactical spy who had secretly masterminded those paths, and my mother had taken the fall to protect my identity.

No one in this house knew the truth.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A harsh knocking at the door abruptly interrupted my thoughts.

Panic spiked through my veins as I quickly hid the ring back under the mattress, forced a large smile onto my face, and headed toward the door.

“Miss Liora,” a maid called softly from the other side. “Everyone is waiting for you in the grand hall. You must get ready.”

“I’m coming, Martha!” I shouted back, a giddy laugh bubbling up in my chest.

Pulling back the thin bed covers, I rushed toward my wardrobe.

I grabbed the only decent dress I owned—a simple, deep emerald gown that perfectly complemented the green of my eyes—and quickly hauled myself into the bathroom.

Unlike my stepsister, Samantha, who required a small army of maids to paint her face and lace her corsets, I preferred to get ready alone.

I found the vanity of high society took far too long. Tonight, time was a luxury I didn’t want to waste.

I made quick work of braiding my dark hair, keeping my makeup light and natural.

With one last look at myself in the mirror, ensuring my secrets were safely hidden away, I slipped out of my room.

As I made my way down the long corridors toward the front grand hall, I noticed something strange.

The maids—the very women who usually carved out time to talk to me and make me feel at home despite my stepmother and sister's endless torments—were all looking down at the floor.

I almost stopped to ask Martha what was wrong.

But I brushed it off, assuming they were probably just sad that I was getting married off and wouldn't have enough time to spend with them anymore.

The double doors of the grand hall stood right in front of me.

I pushed them open and stepped over the threshold.

Instantly, the cavernous room, which should have been noisy and cheerful, plunged into absolute, dead silence.

I stood frozen in shock at the view in front of me.

All the excitement I had built up to this very moment instantly depleted.

In the center of the hall stood my father and my stepmother, Isabella.

Isabella was clad in her usual heavy makeup and overly designed, jewelry-encrusted clothes.

And standing directly opposite her was Julian.

I blinked, a wave of confusion washing over me as I moved closer, only to realize a catastrophic truth.

Samantha was standing by his side, wearing a breathtaking, hand-embroidered bridal gown that perfectly matched the ceremonial gold and white of Julian’s Alpha robes.

What was going on?

My legs suddenly felt like rock as I tried to approach them.

“Julian? What is the meaning of this? Why is she wearing that? Where is the announcement about my mother?”

Julian’s eyes remained locked on the floor, refusing to spare a single glance at me.

His jaw was clenched so tightly that a sharp muscle twitched in his cheek.

“Liora.” Isabella, my stepmother stepped into my path, completely blocking me from getting any closer to Julian with a bitch smile painted on her lips. “You see, dear... well, there has been a sudden change of plans.”

My brows pulled together in a deep frown as I looked back at Julian.

“Julian, look at me! What does she mean there's a change of plans? I thought we were getting married today! You said you would finally free my mother, Julian! What is she saying?!”

“Sit down, Liora. And hold your tongue,” my father yelled, his cold voice cutting me off.

Instead of sitting, I stood my ground, my heart beating as Julian finally took a small step forward.

His face was completely emotionless, detached from my frantic venting.

“I have taken Samantha as my true mate and bride, Liora,” he said shortly, there wasn’t a single stitch of emotion in his deep voice.

My eyes widened, and my mouth fell open in horror.

“Your bride? But it’s me you loved. It’s me you planned to marry today. We’ve been together for years. But... okay. Okay,” I said, trying to control my breathing. “You know what? I don’t care about a stupid wedding plan, Julian! What the fuck about my mother?! Where is my mother?!”

My mind raced back to the grueling nights I had spent risking my life as a secret spy, ruining my eyesight by candlelight to map out highly complex trade routes just to secure Julian's power.

And now, the same man I did all of this for was throwing away my efforts without even telling me if my mother would be freed.

Samantha weaseled her way closer to his side, purposely nuzzling her head into his arm.

She looked directly at me with a smug, wicked grin, openly mocking me for my sudden, ruinous loss.

“You see, I’ve found Samantha to be a much better match for me,” Julian continued coldly. “Samantha embodies the refined qualities an Alpha’s female should have. Being tied to a traitor’s family would ruin my reputation and weaken the pack’s standing with the High Council. I just achieved this Alpha position with the help of those trade lines, Liora. I cannot risk my status to save your mother—a traitor—or marry into her tainted bloodline.”

Wow, I thought, a numbing cold washing over me.

So, he never loved me.

All that time we spent together, all those nights I spent mapping out the underground paths that guaranteed his success so we could get married and escape my abusive stepfamily...

It was all a calculated lie.

“So, you just used me,” I mumbled weakly, trying desperately to blink back the mournful tears that threatened to spill over. “You used me to get the trade routes, to secure your power, and now that you have them, you throw me and my mother away?”

“Let’s be honest with ourselves, Liora,” Isabella chimed in, smiling like the total bitch she was, her snake-like tone dripped with condescending pleasure as she patted my shoulder half-heartedly.

“Did you really believe a girl like you—a wild, unconventional girl who spends more time with servants than nobility—could ever be a successful Alpha’s mate? You know, as the elder sister, you really ought to step aside for Samantha. She deserves a chance at something special and important.”

“Really? So you’re the masterminds behind all of this, huh?” I let out a breathless laugh through my shaking voice, aggressively wiping away my tears.

“It isn't enough that whenever Samantha wanted something of mine, she took it. You and my stupid father ensured she got it.”

I hastily put a decent amount of space between Isabella and myself, tearing my shoulder away from her foul touch.

I forced myself to breathe, swallowing down the taste of betrayal.

The only consoling, dangerous thought I had left was the fact that Julian was a complete fool.

He thought he had the trade routes secured, but both him and Samantha didn't even know how to read a basic military map, let alone manage a complex territorial economy.

I wondered how they would survive without me.

Isabella stepped back to lock Samantha’s hand with Julian’s, continuing her agonizing blows while the rest of the pack watched in silence, probably enjoying my public humiliation.

“There’s really no reason for you to continue mulling around the estate and embarrassing us,” Isabella commented so excited . “We knew how much pain you would feel watching your younger sister marry your childhood sweetheart. And because of that... your father and I have already found you a much more... fitting husband.”

My stomach dropped into a bottomless pit of dread. I snapped my head around to glare at her.

“What did you do?”

Julian refused to look at me, while Samantha merely smirked.

My father finally stepped forward, decided he was done watching the spectacle.

“To pay off the debt your mother’s treason has incurred upon this house, and to clear our family name, we have signed a marriage contract on your behalf,” my father stated callously. “You are leaving tomorrow.”

“What?! You can't just sign me off and sell me like I'm your cattle, Father!” I screamed, the tears finally cascading down my cheeks. “I'm your daughter, for goodness' sake! I won't be marrying anyone I don't want to, let alone a stranger I haven't even met!”

Samantha chuckled darkly from Julian's side.

“You might want to know who it is before you start crying, sister. I think it's best you save your tears for when you find out.”

I turned back to my father, my voice mixed with grief and pure hatred.

“Who did you despicable monsters sell me to?” I demanded, the last word tasting like poison in my mouth.