Talia’s POV
I had no choice but to accept Viki moving into Alpha’s packhouse like she belonged here, like she hadn’t stolen what wasn’t hers like the thief she was.
From that day, I chose to walk to the guest suite on my own, I became invisible.
Jason, no, the Alpha, no longer addressed me with any affection. He was attentive to Viki in ways he hadn’t been to me in years. He escorted her to meals, checked in with the healers constantly, and praised her for even the smallest effort.
And me?
I was ordered to be considerate.
I was ordered to be supportive.
I was ordered to give Viki whatever she wanted no matter how small.
He told me I was just a barren omega and that Viki, being the daughter of our top warrior, held noble status and should be treated with respect. His words destroyed what little pride I had left. Not because he was wrong about her rank, but because he had no idea who I truly was.
I was the daughter of the Werewolf King. I was the princess of the Silverfang Pack. I held more power in my bloodline than Viki could ever dream of.
And still, I said nothing.
What would be the point? He wouldn’t believe me. No one would.
I swallowed the truth and just went along with whatever they wanted. Pride would not protect me here. I just needed to survive.
Even Clara, my mousy little maid, who usually averted her eyes and submitted with the skittishness of a wolf two ranks below me, had finally cracked.
“I don’t understand, Luna,” Clara said one night as she brushed my hair.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“She’s not Luna, but everyone is treating her like she is. She’s overstepping. The way she struts around… it’s shameful,” Clara replied.
I met Clara’s eyes in the mirror. She was young and easily intimidated. I could see the anger in her brown eyes and even she had her limits.
“I know,” I murmured. “But it doesn’t matter. Let her keep thinking she’s Luna.”
Clara frowned. She looked as if she wanted to argue but she just sighed and said, “Yes, Luna.”
For a time, I endured all of Viki’s taunts.
I kept my head down. I performed my duties. I pretended not to hear the whispers in the halls or see the smirks exchanged behind my back as the pack slowly turned its back on me. I focused on what mattered: my routines, my responsibilities, and my rose garden.
Especially my rose garden.
It was the only space that was still mine, untouched by Viki’s vicious hands. It was a small courtyard nestled behind the west wing, overflowing with roses I had personally planted. Every bloom had a memory: the pale peach ones from our first festival, the white ones Jason once said matched my purity, and the dark crimson that reminded me of strength.
It was my sanctuary until she found it.
Viki came stomping into the garden one morning. Her face twisted with distaste as she eyed the roses in full bloom.
“Ugh, I hate roses. They are such old-fashioned flowers,” she said loudly, waving at the beds as if she was waving away a bad smell. “We should replace them with lavender, or maybe orchids. Something elegant.”
Clara, tending to the edges, froze. She looked between Viki and I before standing up straight. Her face looked serious as she carefully said, “Miss Viki, this is Luna's garden. She grew all these bushes herself, so we can’t-”
“Luna?” Viki gave a dramatic sigh and rubbed her belly. “Oh, you mean Talia,” She laughed. “Come on. You knew that she holds the title in name only. I’m the Alpha’s choice now. And I want this garden torn apart. You heard me?”
Clara looked at me, wide-eyed and uncertain. I stood stiffly beside the fountain, my hands clenched at my sides.
I stepped forward, my aura flexing—not fully, but enough to make her servant flinch and lower her head.
“No,” I said. “These stay.”
Viki’s smile faded just a little. Her wolf pushed back, defiant but weaker than mine. “You’re being territorial over a bunch of plants.”
“I’m being territorial over mine,” I replied, tone cold.
Viki narrowed her eyes, her voice rising just enough to carry.“You’re refusing to accommodate the mother of the future Alpha?”
Of course, Jason arrived at that moment. He always came running when he heard her voice like a moth to the flame. It made me sick.
“What’s going on?” Jason asked, stepping between us.
“I was just asking to replace some of the flowers,” Viki said sweetly, her hands resting on her stomach. “The scent’s been making me nauseous in the mornings. I don’t want to cause any stress to the pup.”
Jason didn’t look at me as he lovingly caressed Viki’s belly. “I get you don’t understand what it is like to be pregnant, but you need to be more accommodating, Talia. They’re just flowers.”
I flinched at the remark. It was like he was twisting a dagger in my heart. I scoffed which caused him to look up at me frowning.
“They are not just flowers. This is my space. This is the only space left that is mine. She has taken everything,” I argued.
Jason turned to Clara and said, “Do as Viki said.”
“No,” I said. “Jason, this garden—”
“It’s not about the garden, Talia! Don’t you understand?” Jason interrupted. “It’s about unity. It’s about doing what’s best for the pack. Viki is carrying the next Alpha. She needs peace.”
I laughed bitterly. “So, you’ll rip out the only place that’s still mine? You think that’s peace? That’s supposed to be unity?”
“If you truly care about this pack, you’ll stop fighting me on a small thing,” he snapped.
My wolf howled in my chest, furious. ‘Don’t submit. Don’t you dare submit to this.’
‘There’s no point in fighting,’ I responded, earning a snarl from my wolf.
Whether I agreed or not my garden was going to be destroyed. I swallowed hard, forcing down the ache in my throat. “Of course, Alpha,” I said, voice cold and hollow, “Clara, do as you’re told.”
She obeyed.
The scent of roses was soon replaced with the scent of ripped roots and overturned soil. I stood motionless as Clara and Viki’s maid tore the bushes from the ground. With each one, a memory was uprooted and destroyed.
Jason said nothing. He didn’t even stay to watch.
As the last rose bush was tossed aside like trash, I felt it in my bones.
My place in his heart had been destroyed along with them too.
Jason’s POVThe video loaded slowly, and for a moment, I hoped it had been taken down. Viki’s face appeared on the screen. Her eyes were still red and puffy. Her makeup was caked on and deliberately smudged in the right places. Her hands trembled as she stared into the camera.“Goddess, she’s trying to look as pathetic as possible for sympathy,” Della snorted.“I want to apologize,” she began, her voice cracking. “to Luna Talia for everything I’ve said and done.”Della rolled her eyes beside me. “Good start. Let’s see if she can keep it up.”Viki sniffled delicately. “I was jealous,” Viki continued. “Talia was just an omega, and yet Alpha Jason still made her Luna. I’ve known him my whole life, but I was forced to live in the shadows, pretending to be nothing when I was the one who truly loved him. I’m the daughter of our Beta, and I’m carrying his child. It wasn’t fair.”My jaw tightened. Viki was making it seem like I bullied her out of being Luna. The Moon Goddess chose me to be Ja
Talia’s POVThe moment Jason left with Viki, I finally allowed the tears to fall.I held them in through the accusations, the betrayal, the cold indifference, but now, with no one left to see me break, I collapsed.Solon caught me before I hit the ground. I sobbed into his chest as I clung to him. He wrapped his arms around me without hesitation.“You don’t have to hold it in anymore,” Solon cooed. “Let it out.”“I just don’t understand,” I said through choked breaths. “He used to treat me so well, and I’m his fated mate, but now….”Solon held me tighter, but he didn’t interrupt me.“He loved surprising me with little gifts,” I continued. “It could be a new rose or a necklace. Or even a cup of chamomile tea before bed when I had a stressful day. He used to listen and pay attention to my preferences.” My voice broke. “I thought that was what love was.”Solon let out a quiet sigh, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Only through difficult times will you know who someone truly is.”
Jason’s POVI never thought Talia could be so cold.She used to be so agreeable and soft-spoken. Now, she stared at Viki like she was nothing. Her voice had no tremor. It was just cold as she gave her terms: a public confession or let Viki rot in that cell.“Talia, you can’t be serious. Our reputation will be ruined. The other packs will no longer take us seriously,” I said.“Sorry. What happens to your pack has nothing to do with me,” Talia countered.Viki curled against the cell wall as she began to cry again. “I didn’t mean to hurt her,” she sobbed, snot and tears running down her face. “I thought she was gone. I didn’t know she was… that she was someone so important. I was scared, Jason. Please, tell her. I didn’t mean it.”“I’m standing right here, Viki. Your apology doesn’t mean anything unless it is public,” Talia reiterated.Viki clutched her stomach and pleaded again, “Please, please Talia. I’m carrying the heir.”My gaze went to Talia. She had a stern expression. Talia meant
Talia’s POVViki clutched her swollen belly like a shield. “Jason, please,” she whimpered. “You have to save me. They’re treating me like a rogue. This is not healthy for our pup!”Jason looked torn, his gaze flicking from Viki’s tear-streaked face to Solon, who stood stone-faced beside me. Just as Jason opened his mouth to speak, Solon spoke. “Is this how you allow her to slander others at will, Alpha Jason?”“No, Prince Solon,” Jason muttered.“Jason, I didn’t do anything. You have to believe me!” Viki sobbed.“We heard everything, Viki. You’re not here because of Lady Talia. You’re here because you lied and slandered a royal guest,” Prince Solon stated.Viki looked hopeless for a split second before she whirled on me. Her eyes were filled with hatred as she hissed, “You planned this! You set me up!”Solon sneered at Viki’s audacity. “And it seems that you still don’t understand the severity of the situation.”I rolled my eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself, Viki. You made that post all o
Talia’s POVThis was not how I wanted to spend my night.I thought I would be able to get a good night’s rest, but it seemed that I could not escape Viki’s foolishness.‘We should just leave her in the dungeon to rot,’ my wolf growled. ‘It is what she deserves.’“I thought Viki left with Jason after you told him to back off,” I said, breaking the silence.“She spread lies about you, so I decided to take action,” Solon shrugged.“Solon!” I snapped. “I told you I’d handle it. You can’t always make decisions for me.”“Yes, I can! I’m your brother, and she slandered you,” he replied coolly. “She deserved to be punished.”I rubbed my temples in frustration. “Ok. I will meet her myself now.”I made my way down the dark, damn corridor that led to the holding cells. The scent of mildew and blood clung to the air. It didn’t matter how many times I came down here. It always made me uneasy.I stopped outside Viki’s cell, where she sat on the small cot. Viki sat hunched on the small cot, her arms
Talia’s POVOn the screen was a trending post from a gossip forum popular among the wolf packs. The headline was: “Royal Necklace Thief Exposed: The Barren Luna Who Faked Her Status.” Underneath the headline was a doctored photo of me angry at the banquet with Rosecrest clearly visible and it was paired with a cropped image of Jason and Viki looking like some fairytale couple.‘Why does she always have to cause problems?’ my wolf snarled. ‘She already got what she wanted!’The post twisted everything. It accused me of stealing Rosecrest, betraying the Moon Goddess’s mate bond by rejecting Jason, and of endangering Viki’s unborn child because I was “a bitter hateful barren omega that only cared about power”. The post turned my heartbreak into a weapon and made me out to be a villain. “It’s Viki,” Della snarled. “How dare she attempt to ruin your reputation! You should have let me claw her face.”“That would have only made the situation worse, and you know it,” I said.I wasn’t even up