Chapter 1

My soft laugh made Emily Carter's face flush crimson in an instant.

She shot to her feet and lunged at me, then slapped me hard against my cheek.

"I said I'm the Alpha King's daughter. Are you deaf? Figures. Someone with no parents wouldn't understand rank or status."

She opened her mouth to keep going, but I slapped her back before she could finish.

Yes, I was an orphan.

My father was the former Alpha King. He and my mother died in the greatest war our kind had ever known, sacrificing themselves to protect the Werewolf Kingdom.

After that, my uncle, Hyde Sullivan, took the throne. He raised me himself and told me that I, Ariel Sullivan, would be his only successor.

In the Werewolf Kingdom, my status stood above everyone else except my uncle.

No one understood hierarchy better than I did, and no one understood the weight of responsibility it carried more than I did.

If I was going to become a worthy successor, I had to temper myself.

That was why I came to this border pack, a place rumored to have dangerous prey year round. I wanted to start from the ground up.

I even asked my uncle to help me find a potion to mask my scent. I refused to rely on my bloodline. I wanted to earn every step.

I rubbed my wrist slowly, my gaze locked on Emily.

No matter how hard she tried to wear the dignity of someone born above others, the truth of her scent could not be erased. It clung to her bones. I spoke coldly, without raising my voice.

"An Omega dares to lecture us about rank and worth?"

Quiet snickers rippled through the hall.

Several Omegas who had suffered under Emily's cruelty watched her now with open satisfaction.

Even the Beta responsible for maintaining order stayed silent at the edge of the room.

Last week, Emily had stolen medical supplies meant for his pregnant mate.

His mate had spent the entire night in pain, crying until her voice gave out.

I had asked others why the Beta never demanded an apology or compensation.

They avoided my eyes and their answers were vague and evasive.

Now I understood.

They believed Emily's lie, that she was the Alpha King's daughter.

Emily clutched her cheek, staring at me in disbelief. Then she pointed at me and screamed.

"How dare you?! This entire pack survives on my father's resources. Without his generosity, you and all of you would probably be dead by now!"

Then she pointed at several other pack members, who all immediately lowered their heads.

Their silence was an admission.

"You actually dare to defy me now?"

As she spoke, Emily jabbed her finger hard into my shoulder. Then she lifted the roasted meat of the Stag King right in front of my face, her voice dripping with arrogance.

"Look closely, wench. This is the difference between you and me. Only someone of my status deserves food like this. As for you, you belong fighting stray dogs for scraps."

I sneered. If not for my planning and my hunt, she would never have laid eyes on Stag King meat in her entire life.

I was about to speak when Alpha Claude Smith stormed in front of me. His eyes were vicious, like he wanted to tear me apart.

"How long are you going to keep this up? You just won first place in a hunting competition. That's all. What makes you think you're qualified to compete with Emily in rank or status? Know your place. Apologize to Emily. Right now."

I clenched my fist. Just then, a pack member grabbed my arm hard, her voice low and urgent.

"Let it go. Don't push it. Her father isn't someone we can afford to offend."

I pulled my hand back and gave the pack member a calm smile, gently patting her shoulder to ease her worry.

Then I turned to Emily, who stood off to the side wearing that smug, self-satisfied look. My voice dropped, steady and sharp.

"She says she's the Alpha King's daughter, and all of you just believed her? Where's the proof?"

My gaze never left Emily as I continued.

"Our Alpha King despises lies more than anything. If he finds out you fabricated something this serious, you know exactly what will happen to you."

Murmurs spread through the crowd, and several pack members nodded in agreement.

"That's right. Emily, you've always claimed you're the Alpha King's daughter. How do you prove it?"

I thought she would falter.

Instead, she pulled something out in the next second.

My uncle's emblem.

"This is the proof. This emblem was given to me by my father, the Alpha King."

Shock hit me hard.

I had seen that emblem before. I had seen my uncle wear it.

Emily swung it lightly between her fingers, her eyes locked on mine in open provocation.

"My father sent me to inspect the packs, and this is my authorization. Now kneel and apologize, or I'll make you regret ever being born into this world!"