Chapter 3

I hurled the priceless ring straight into Lucas' face.

"Filthy blood like yours deserves nothing better than to wallow with trash like her."

With that, I turned to leave. One more glance at this pair of mongrels would only defile my eyes.

But Lucas, as the Alpha of the Dark Shadow pack, had never suffered such humiliation in his life.

"Stop right there!" he roared. "You think you can just walk away after assaulting someone and trashing this place? You must have a death wish!"

At his command, dozens of elite guards instantly drew their weapons, surrounding me in an impenetrable circle.

Tiffany grew even more brazen. She picked up a broken glass shard from the floor, her eyes gleaming with malice.

"Alpha Lucas, scammers like her care most about their face. I'm going to ruin that face of hers for daring to hit me. Let's see how she tricks men after that."

Lucas turned away and picked up a glass of wine. With his back coldly facing me, he said icily and mercilessly, "Do as you wish. Just leave her breathing.

"For the crime of impersonating the alliance's princess, I'll have her hung from the city walls for all to see. That way, everyone will know the price of defying me."

In that moment, I saw his true colors clearly.

To him, I was just a fraud with no connections, so killing me meant nothing. If anything, he could even present it to the real alliance princess as proof of his unwavering dedication to the betrothal.

How utterly ironic.

"Hold her down!" Tiffany shrieked.

The bodyguards swarmed in.

I'd learned self-defense, but even the strongest fists couldn't withstand so many. Soon, I was pinned down by several of them.

I struggled desperately, glaring furiously at Lucas' rigid back.

"Lucas, you will pay for your stupidity today!"

"Still running your mouth?" Tiffany sneered as she stepped closer, raising the sharp glass shard high. "Whore, you do have that seductive look about you. Let's see what you've got left to lure men with once I'm done with that face."

The cold glint of the shard descended.

"No!" I twisted my head desperately to dodge, but I wasn't fast enough.

A searing pain tore across my cheek. Warm liquid instantly gushed forth, staining the white of my T-shirt crimson.

"Ah! My face!"

The agony darkened my vision, nearly causing me to faint. The glass was actually coated with silver powder, and the wound burned as if I'd been branded.

Gasps echoed all around, and some of the more faint-hearted she-wolves shrieked, covering their eyes.

Tiffany laughed maniacally at the sight of my blood-soaked face.

"Let's see you act tough now." She leaned close to my ear. "If your trash-picking father saw you like this, he'd probably die of rage, right? This is what happens when you mess with the Dark Shadow pack."

The moment she mentioned Dad, the last shred of restraint inside me snapped completely. She should never ever have insulted my father, the most revered Alpha King of the entire werewolf alliance.

Biting back the searing pain, I reached into my pocket with a trembling hand and pressed the small red button hard.

That was the emergency beacon Dad gave me. It was connected straight to the Alliance Guard.

Minutes later, a deafening crash echoed as the banquet hall's heavy doors were violently blasted open from the outside.

Amidst swirling dust, two columns of fully armed elite enforcers in black-and-gold uniforms surged in like a dark tide. The pitch-black muzzles of silver-loaded guns instantly targeted every werewolf in the room.

A middle-aged wolf in military regalia, radiating an air of terrifying authority, strode in surrounded by his entourage. The moment he saw my bloodied face, a towering killing intent surged in his eyes.

"Who dares to lay a hand on my daughter?"