3

Livia POV


My feet throbbed against the dusty tarred road as I trudged back toward our compound, every muscle in my body aching with exhaustion. It was another day of failed job hunting, another string of blunt rejections, and absolute "no's" from every money lender in May Town.

News had spread like wildfire; our family had been blacklisted from borrowing money across the entire Silver Moon Pack.


I could already picture it: the money lenders storming our home, tossing our few remaining possessions out on the street, and leaving my frail, sick mother with nowhere to go.


My chest tightened, but as I turned the corner leading to our street, my breathing stopped for a few seconds.


Parked directly in front of our battered wooden gates was a gleaming convoy of high-end armored luxury vehicles. Standing at different points along the perimeter were heavily armed deltas with lethal, unblinking expressions. Definitely High-ranking elite enforcers.


My heart began to thump vigoriously. Why on earth had local money lenders pulled up with high-tier Delta guards just to collect a debt? It wasn't like we were refusing to pay; we just needed more time. This was bad. Exceptionally bad.


I picked up my pace, keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact with the terrifying guards as I hurried through the open gate. But as I reached the front door, loud, grating voices echoed from the driveway behind me.


I spun around. Entering through the gate were the actual money lenders.


So if the money lenders were just arriving... who owned the luxury convoy inside?


"Where is your wretched mother and useless father who has chosen to repay the good deed we did with evil?" spat one of the lenders—a broad, round Beta woman with a scowl that could curdle milk.


Against my better judgment, I swallowed the fire rising in my throat and forced myself to be polite. "Good afternoon Ma. We have guests inside, but my parents will be with you shortly."


"Guests?" another woman cackled, raising her voice to a screeching halt as she called out toward our front door. "Come out, you scammer and your conniving thief of a wife! We don't have all day! We have over a hundred pack members waiting to storm this place and demand every cent your father owes!"


She turned her venomous gaze onto me, snorting in disgust. "Isn't this the wayward daughter? The prostitute? Mother is a wretched beggar, father is a shameless thief. No single virtue in this house! Fighting a man at a whore-lounge is already enough proof that she is poorly trained, and her parents are of low character."


Something inside me snapped.


Before she could draw another breath, I lunged forward and slammed my hand around her throat, driving her backward a bit.


"You have said enough," I snarled, my fingers tightening over her windpipe. "One more word out of your filthy mouth and I will forget you are an elder. I will beat the hell out of you. I will damn the consequences and make sure you spend the rest of your pathetic life in a wheelchair!"


The woman clawed at my wrist, her eyes bulging in pure terror as she choked. "Help! Someone help!"


"You don't dare insult my parents!" I roared, leaning directly into her face. "You can call me whatever you want, but don't you ever cross that line with my family! Are we the first people to borrow money? Did we say we wouldn't pay?"


"Enough!" a voice commanded.


The tone was smooth, incredibly rich, and dripping with an absolute authority.


"Why all this chaos?"


I froze, slowly releasing the woman's throat. She collapsed to the floor, coughing violently, as I turned to look at the woman stepping out from our front porch.


She was breathtakingly sophisticated. Her skin was flawless, her carriage regal, and her posture radiates unyielding power. We had well-to-do relatives, but none of them possessed a fraction of this woman's sheer aura. The scent of her insanely expensive perfume graced the air. I was momentarily stunned by her exquisite fashion sense when the coughing money lender scrambled up, barking, "Who are you, and what is your business here?"


The sophisticated woman didn't even flinch. She looked down her nose at the lender with disdain.


"Madam, do you realize I can have my guards throw you out of these premises?" her voice was soft, yet it cut like a razor. "I am Alpha King Tarian’s mother. Bow before your Queen Mother!"


In a split second, the air was sucked out of the yard. The money lenders dropped to their knees immediately. The terrifying Delta guards snapped to attention, bowing their heads in unison.


With my head lowered alongside them, my mind raced in complete shock. Alpha King Tarian’s mother?

What on earth is the Queen Mother doing in our impoverished house?


"How much is the debt?" the Queen Mother asked lazily, gesturing to her assistant.


The head lender immediately raised her head, calling out an inflated sum. "It is $70,000, Your Highness!"


"That's a lie!" I snapped, stepping forward without thinking. "Your Highness, we owe exactly $45,000, and that includes the interest!"


The Queen Mother blinked, jerking back slightly at the sheer aggression in my tone. She stared at me for a beat, then let out a light, amused laugh. "Okay, calm down, young lady. You almost scared me. This is no way to behave as a young lady."


She flicked her wrist, and her assistant handed the lenders a stamped check. "Here is a check for $100,000," the Queen Mother said smoothly. "Keep the change, and leave."


The lenders scrambled to take the check, bowing profusely before retreating out the gate like terrified rats. I glared after the woman who had called me a prostitute, making a silent vow that I would settle scores with her later.


The Queen Mother turned toward the doorway, where my parents were now standing, frozen in absolute shock. She pointed a manicured finger directly at me.


"Is she the one?"


"No, no!" my father stammered quickly, rushing forward. "This is Livia. The one you are looking for is Livyana. Oh—here she comes now."


My twin sister emerged through the front gate, breathless and wide-eyed. She took in the sight of the Delta guards, the luxury cars, and our terrified parents. "Dad? What's going on? I ran into the debtors on my way here and they said the debts has been cleared, How did you pay the debts? Who are these men outside? Are you hurt?"


Then, her eyes landed on the Queen Mother. Instinctively, Livyana dropped into a flawless, graceful bow. "Your Highness. Good afternoon."


The Queen Mother’s eyes lit up with deep satisfaction as she observed my sister. "She is indeed humble and homely, just as I was told," she murmured softly with a warm smile. "She is definitely going to be my son’s wife. I will return with Tarian tomorrow to finalize the marriage arrangement. I want things concluded as soon as possible, as I will be leaving for a business trip to Scotland."


Marriage?!


My jaw dropped. What has my father done?!
I glanced at Livyana. She looked as though she had been struck by lightning, her face completely pale, but she remained silent, too well-mannered to scream.


My father nodded eagerly, bowing his head again and again. "Yes, Your Highness! Thank you so much! Thank you for everything!"


Without another word, the Queen Mother turned, her retinue forming a tight protective wall around her as she glided back to her convoy. Within moments, the engines of their cars roared to life, and the fleet swept out of our property.


The second they left, the grateful smile wiped off my father's face. He turned back toward us, his voice commanding us.


"The two of you inside. Now."