Chapter 1

Back at the victory party, Sienna suddenly shot to her feet, pointing an accusing finger at me. "I accuse Head Beta Aurora of stealing pack funds!"

I glanced at this Omega who had joined the pack barely a year ago. Who gave her the nerve?

"Stealing? Where's your proof?"

She slammed a stack of printed financial reports onto the mahogany table. "Just yesterday, you used your authority to transfer a massive sum out of the pack's business account!"

She flipped the report open, jabbing her finger at the glaring numbers. "Five million dollars. Gone!"

Sienna glared down at me, raw ambition flashing in her eyes. "Do you think just because you're the Head Beta, you can go behind the Alpha's back? This is utter disrespect!"

The banquet hall fell dead silent.

I calmly scanned the report. Every transaction was accurate.

But I didn't steal a dime. That five million was money I paid out of my own pocket when the pack was on the verge of bankruptcy years ago. Caleb had mortgaged almost everything back then to buy weapons and merge with neighboring smaller packs. Seeing him so stressed broke my heart, so I used my personal funds to plug the hole.

It wasn't until now, with the pack victorious and the treasury full, that I took my money back.

In fact, it was precisely because of my contributions over the years that the pack expanded so rapidly, allowing us to crush our enemies yesterday and take their territory. I was the one who won this war.

I picked up my crystal glass, gently swirling the golden champagne, ignoring her completely.

Sienna looked even more pissed. She raised her shrill voice. "Look at her arrogant face! Are we going to let a selfish thief control our pack's lifeline? I propose we exile her immediately!"

Exile. The absolute harshest punishment for a traitor.

I ignored Sienna, who was acting like a clown, and looked at the core members of the Iron Moon pack.

Elder David. I dragged him out from under a barrage of silver arrows during an enemy raid. Now, the respected elder stared at his empty glass as if studying its intricate patterns, entirely avoiding my gaze.

Captain Mark. His top-tier combat gear was bought with my money. Mark lowered his head, saying absolutely nothing.

Sarah. The Beta I personally trained. I taught her how to fight, how to negotiate, and treated her like a sister. She crossed her arms, looking away, her lips pressed in a tight line.

All of them chose silence.

A ridiculous, biting chill seeped into my bones.

For these people, I hid my identity as the Alpha King's daughter. I gave up my family's glory to fight in the mud for them like a regular Beta.

Taking a deep breath, I cast my final glance at the man in the head seat. Caleb.

The Alpha of the Iron Moon pack. The man I had loved unreservedly for ten years. For a decade, I helped him grow Iron Moon from a third-rate pack into a regional powerhouse. We were comrades in arms, and unspoken future mates.

And he knew everything about this money. I offered it to help the pack when we were in crisis. He had looked at me, moved to tears, whispering, "I will always remember what you've done for me and Iron Moon."

His exact signature was on every single financial authorization.

If he just opened his mouth right now and said, "I know about this," Sienna's little farce would end instantly.

But he disappointed me.

Caleb stared at me with a condescending, calculating gaze.

"What do you have to say about Sienna's accusations?"