Chapter 1

After I went missing, my so-called parents filled my spot with Danae. And when they found me?

Left me behind. Again.

Now, ten years later, they show up like they've got some claim on me.

Newsflash: I've already got new parents.

The second our eyes met, she froze—probably caught the frost in mine. Didn't last, though. That fake smile kicked in fast. She reached out like a pat on the head.

"Wow. Still got that temper after all this time in the sticks."

I stepped back. Her hand hovered, then dropped.

"Nyra, Mommy knows you're upset we didn't come sooner. But Danae's sensitive. If you came back too early, she might've felt... unloved. I just didn't want her hurt. Can't you see Mommy meant well?"

'Meant well?' Please.

She twisted herself in knots for Danae. Not once for me.

The wolf standing behind her gave me a look like I reeked of trash.

"You might be my sister by blood," he said, "but if you make Danae cry, I'm not letting it slide."

The she-wolf claiming to be my mom didn't miss a beat. "When you come home, drop the attitude. Don't start drama about who's 'real' in front of Danae.

"You're both my pups. As the older sister, you should be keeping the peace—not picking fights."

And that's when it hit me.

That wasn't just any wolf. That was Ember—Luna of Northcrest. My so-called mother.

And the wolf next to her? Derek. My so-called brother. Future Alpha.

Ten years gone, and they felt like strangers.

"Luna Ember, I'm not going with you. I've already got a new family."

She laughed like I'd just barked a joke. "You? A dirty little country mutt? Who'd want you?

"You've been rotting in this dump since you were ten. Can't read. No education. Acting like a rogue. Who'd adopt trash like you?

"I'm the Luna of Northcrest—who'd dare steal my pup? Just come home. Or are you planning to die out here?"

She tore into me like I needed her to breathe.

Back then, I got lost during the Lunara Faire. They gave up. Replaced me with Danae.

A year later, they found me. Cried. Said they missed me every day.

That same night, Danae threw a meltdown—screamed, sobbed, threatened to end it all.

So they dumped me in the borderlands.

"Nyra, if you came back now, the pack would start questioning Danae's rank. She's too fragile for that kind of pressure. Once she's eighteen, once she's stronger... we'll bring you home."

That's when I stopped wishing they'd ever love me.

I walked into that broken-down shack and never looked back.

What they didn't know? The Alpha King—still pup-less—went to the witch for answers.

She gave him a vision.

It led him to me.

He brought me home.

A few months later, the Luna Queen gave birth to a perfect little prince.

By then, I was already family.

Even the newborn clung to me.

That's how I became the Alpha King's adopted daughter.