Chapter 1

MAEVE POV

This white gown with its high collar feels like a noose tightening around my throat. The fabric wrapped tightly around my body is a constant reminder of how powerless I am in my own home. In front of the mirror, I see a woman who looks unfamiliar—Maeve Nightwhisper.

Yes, that’s me. The princess who was supposed to inherit greatness. And now I am nothing more than a bargaining chip.

“Stop staring at your reflection like you’re waiting for a miracle, Maeve.”

The heavy, cold voice comes from the doorway. I do not need to turn around to know it is Uncle Garson. In the mirror’s reflection, I see him standing there with that same arrogant posture.

Uncle Garson’s gray eyes rest on me without a trace of affection. To him, I am nothing more than a tool to expand his power through a political marriage.

“Uncle, the Alpha you chose for me… he is known for being cruel. Please, call off this marriage to him. I am a daughter of Nightwhisper.” I turn to face him. “I am sure I can still be useful to the pack in some other way.”

“Useful?”

He lets out a dry laugh that makes the hair on the back of my neck rise.

“Maeve, you were born without a wolf. You cannot even shift. In this world, where strength is everything, you have nothing,” Uncle Garson continues.

My hands curl tightly into fists when I hear that insult.

“The only use you have is your womb, to give Nightwhisper’s ally an heir.”

His words hit harder than any physical slap. I am the disgrace of the Nightwhisper pack because of my biological defect. Meanwhile, my twin brother, Reeve, is the sun everyone adores.

Reeve is the perfect Alpha. Tonight, he is leaving for Lycan Spirit Academy to secure his claim to the throne after our father passed away.

“Reeve is the Alpha of this pack, and I know he would never allow this!” I say through trembling breath.

“Do not make things harder for your brother, Maeve. He is busy preparing for his departure. And you…” Uncle Garson steps closer and grips my shoulder harshly. “You will wear this gown, smile, and hand yourself over to your future Alpha. If you refuse, I will make sure you spend the rest of your life in the dungeon.”

The moment Uncle Garson leaves, I tear the bridal veil from my face. I cannot accept this fate just like that. I have to see Reeve. He is the only one who sees me as a whole person, not as a defective pawn.

With the heavy skirt of my wedding gown slowing my steps, I slip toward the eastern wing of the castle, the private territory of the Alpha. Strangely, the corridor that is usually guarded so tightly is now completely empty.

Even without a wolf, my instincts scream that something is wrong.

“Reeve?” I call softly when I reach his door.

There is no answer. But then a scent hits me, and it is not familiar. It is the smell of blood.

“Reeve!” I gasp.

I shove the heavy oak door open. My knees slam against the floor as I stumble forward.

And there he is. Reeve Nightwhisper, my twin brother, is lying helpless on the ground. Half of my soul is convulsing on the cold stone floor. Thick black blood seeps from the corner of his mouth.

Reeve’s handsome face is pale, and dark purple veins stand out against his neck as if something is burning his blood from the inside.

I drop to my knees, ignoring how the fabric of my wedding gown soaks up the spreading pool of black blood.

“Reeve! By the Moon Goddess!” My voice breaks in my throat.

“Maeve…” His voice sounds like he is choking on thick liquid. Black blood spills from the corner of his lips as he tries to say my name.

“No, no, no, do not talk,” I plead in panic.

My hands tremble violently when I touch his chest. I am terrified to touch him, afraid the poison will spread faster through his body.

“I will call a healer. Stay here, I will—”

Reeve’s hand grips my wrist tightly, as if that is the last strength he has left.

“No…” He shakes his head, his eyes sharp despite the pain. “They are… part of this…”

My world feels like it stops turning. They?

“Uncle Garson’s treason…” Reeve coughs. “He knew… tomorrow I would be registered… he does not want me to become the rightful Alpha…”

Tomorrow is the registration day at Alpha Spirit Academy. The moment Reeve would be officially recognized as the rightful heir of our pack.

Now Uncle Garson sees Reeve as a threat. If Reeve does not appear at the academy…

My world collapses instantly. Uncle Garson planned all of this. He deliberately killed Reeve so the pack’s throne would fall into his hands.

And he sold me off so there would be no Nightwhisper heir left to stand against him.

Reeve’s coughing grows worse until his body arches in pain.

I cannot lose Reeve. He is the perfect Alpha, the only hope of the pack, and my protector. And now, if Reeve is gone, the pack will crumble in my hands, in the hands of his so-called defective sister.

“You have to… survive,” Reeve says between broken breaths, each one weaker than the last. “Protect… our name…”

“Reeve, please…” I sob. I press my forehead against his cold, damp skin. “Do not leave me alone. I cannot do this without you. I am the weak one, remember? You are the strong one. You are the hero.”

Reeve gives a faint smile, a smile that hurts more than anything. The hand gripping my wrist slowly loosens.

“You are… stronger… than you think, sister…”

The words leave him with his final breath.

And then, silence.

His chest, which had been rising and falling so roughly, is now still. The bright golden eyes that always looked at me with warmth now stare blankly at the ceiling.

Reeve, my twin brother, the pride of the kingdom, dies in my arms.

A scream is trapped in my throat. Half of my soul is torn from my body. The bond between us as twins snaps, leaving a gaping emptiness inside me.

Outside, the great palace bell begins to ring, and it is not a sound of mourning. It is welcoming the envoys from Lycan Spirit Academy, who have come to escort Nightwhisper’s Alpha.

Uncle Garson calculated the timing perfectly. He wants the envoys to find Reeve’s body while it is still warm. If Reeve is discovered now, Uncle Garson will declare that there is no rightful heir from my father’s bloodline.

And then he can take the throne for himself.

Rage explodes in my chest. I rise to my feet, trembling, and stare at my reflection in Reeve’s mirror. I look like a shattered bride drenched in my brother’s blood.

“No,” I whisper fiercely. “I will not let you win, Uncle Garson.”

I grab the silk wedding gown, the symbol of my captivity. With a single rough motion, I rip it apart until it hangs in tattered pieces.

I take Reeve’s dagger and, without hesitation, cut off my long hair with uneven strokes. Strand after strand falls to the floor, mixing with the torn fabric.

I bind my chest tightly with the remaining strips of the gown until my ribs nearly ache from the pressure. My shaking hands take Reeve’s academy uniform and put it on.

When I look at my reflection again, I no longer see Maeve or Reeve Nightwhisper. I see a false Alpha forced to rise so the entire kingdom will not fall.

Suddenly, I hear the sound of footsteps stopping right outside the door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Reeve? The academy envoys are here.”

Uncle Garson’s voice seeps through the door, thick with sickening anticipation. “Come on out. We do not want to keep them waiting, do we?”

Panic grips me. I cannot let Uncle Garson see my twin brother’s body.

The doorknob slowly begins to turn from the outside…