Chapter 1

“Well, well, if it isn’t the runt of the Delta line,” Fin, the eldest of the Maxwell quad Alpha heirs, drawled.

“What brings you here, pest?” Brent continued.

“Your father, the Alpha, requested me regarding my coming-of-age next week,” I said, looking to the floor, knowing all too well how this was going to go from here.

“Sure, he probably brought you over to cancel it so that we don’t have to waste time on your ugly ass self,” spat the third brother, Kane.

I shrugged and began to move, “To be honest, I’m not big on large parties, so that it wouldn’t upset me at all.”

The youngest of the brothers wasn’t around and probably the least rude towards me, but then I wasn’t exactly the hot Delta’s daughter or sister, for that matter, I was more of a bookworm and well, no one really took the time to get to know me so it was easier to stay out of the way.

I waited for the typical mocking laughter that always followed, and sure enough, it came right on cue.

"Bookworm is probably afraid no one would show up anyway," Fin said, shoving my shoulder as he walked past.

I steadied myself, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing me stumble. "Alpha Maxwell's office is which way again?" I asked, though I knew perfectly well. Sometimes playing dumb was the easiest way to get them to leave me alone.

"Down the hall, third door on the right," Kane answered with an exaggerated eye roll. "Try not to embarrass yourself."

I nodded and moved quickly, eager to escape their presence. The Maxwell mansion always made me feel small with its towering ceilings and pristine white walls adorned with paintings of past pack leaders. My footsteps echoed on the marble floor as I approached the Alpha's office.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the heavy wooden door.

"Enter," came the commanding voice from within.

I pushed open the door and stepped inside, immediately feeling the weight of Alpha Maxwell's presence. Unlike his sons, he didn't need to resort to insults to intimidate. His very existence demanded respect.

"Ah, there you are," he said, looking up from his desk. His silver-streaked hair and sharp eyes gave nothing away about why he'd summoned me. "Please, sit."

I perched on the edge of the chair opposite his desk, my hands fidgeting in my lap. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes." He leaned back, studying me with an intensity that made me want to shrink into the upholstery. "About your coming-of-age ceremony next week."

My stomach clenched. Here it came, the cancellation, just as the brothers had predicted.

“I’d understand if you would prefer to cancel my party, sir. I don’t mind after all, I’m more of an outsider than a member of the pack, so it's fine.” I blurted out without thinking.

Alpha Maxwell's eyebrows shot up, and for a brief moment, I caught a flash of something that looked almost like concern in his eyes before his expression returned to its usual stoic mask.

"Cancel? Quite the contrary," he said, his deep voice filling the room. "I called you here because I want to ensure your ceremony is handled properly."

I blinked, certain I'd misheard him. "Sir?"

"You are a member of this pack, regardless of what some might say," he continued, his gaze direct and unflinching. "And as such, you deserve the same respect and traditions as any other wolf coming of age."

My mouth opened and closed without sound. This wasn't at all what I'd expected.

"I…thank you," I finally managed, wondering if this was some elaborate joke orchestrated by his sons. But Alpha Maxwell wasn't known for his sense of humour.

He pulled a leather-bound folder toward him and opened it. "There's something else we need to discuss. Something about your lineage."

My heart skipped a beat. My lineage was a mystery even to me. I'd been found abandoned at the pack borders as an infant, taken in out of duty rather than compassion. The Delta family had raised me, but I'd never truly belonged.

"What about it?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Recent events have brought certain...information to light." He selected a document from the folder and slid it across the desk toward me. "You may want to read this."

I took the paper with trembling fingers, scanning the formal text. Blood test results. DNA markers. Genetic lineage tracking. The words blurred together until my eyes fixed on a single line that made my breath catch.

"This can't be right," I whispered, looking up at him in disbelief.

"I had the tests run three times," he said gravely. "There's no mistake."

"But this would mean I'm…"

"Yes," he interrupted. "And that changes everything about your position in this pack. Which is why your coming-of-age ceremony must proceed, but not as originally planned."

I stared back at the paper, my mind racing. No wonder the brothers had always sensed something different about me. They'd been right to feel threatened, though for all the wrong reasons.

"Who else knows?" I asked, suddenly aware of how dangerous this information could be.

"No one," Alpha Maxwell answered. "Not even my wife. And it must remain that way until after the ceremony."

I nodded slowly, still processing the revelation that had just turned my world upside down. All these years of feeling like I didn't belong, of accepting my place at the bottom of the pack hierarchy—and now this.

"What happens now?" I asked, folding the paper and handing it back to him.

He took it and returned it to the folder. "Now, you prepare. The ceremony will be more important than you could have imagined."

As I left his office, my heart hammering at what I just read, I had Alpha blood and the daughter of a fallen pack, shit, just what I need. This wasn’t good, and if my tormentors found out, well, all the more fun that they would have.