All Chapters of My Cards Declined, My Alpha Mate's Crown Denied: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

I had just paid the full year’s fee for my parents at the Moonlight Sanctuary. Then I walked into the best pup supply store in the city.A soft baby blanket was embroidered with silver thread. A traditional pattern, for blessing a newborn wolf.I traced the pattern, wondering if Cain would be like other fathers. If he would whisper his bloodline’s oath to the moonlight on the day our pup was born.I handed the black and gold card to the clerk.The machine beeped twice. A harsh, rejecting sound.“Sorry, ma’am. This card was declined.”I frowned. Before I could try again, my phone vibrated in my pocket.The caller ID: Jasmine.I answered. Her sharp voice exploded in my ear.“Aurora, I’ve suspended your cards.” Her tone was dripping with glee. “Do you have any idea how hard Cain has worked these last six months? Fighting to secure this pack’s foothold in the North, fighting for the mines? And you? You just buy useless things all day.”“From now on, every dollar you spend needs my approv

Silas walked to my bedside. No small talk.He pulled a card from his suit jacket. Solid black, with a tiny silver wolf’s head on the edge. He handed it to the nurse with a sharp, clean motion.“All expenses on this,” he said. “And book the entire top floor. For security.”The nurse stared at the card for a second, then hurried out.Silas turned to me and handed me a tablet.“Princess, all your personal belongings from the villa have been moved. As for what you wanted to look into, it’s all here.”I took the tablet. My finger swiped across the screen.Luxury resorts in human territory. Private hunting grounds reserved for top predators. Transaction records for illegal silver and wolfsbane on the black market.Along with the photos were endless bank statements.“Over the last six months, Mr. Cain misappropriated over four million dollars under the guise of pack expansion,” Silas’s cold voice echoed in the quiet room. “It was all spent on private vacations and luxury goods for him and Jas

The vibration buzzed silently against my hip. No one else heard it.I glanced down at my screen.I had forwarded the Alliance’s number to my phone three days ago.I didn’t answer.I just silenced the vibration, put the phone back in my pocket, and turned toward the elevator.Silas followed close behind, never once looking back at the sea of stunned faces. The cold aura of a high-level guard radiated from him, making the lower-ranking wolves who thought about stopping me instinctively flinch away.I knew that in that moment, our backs were more powerful than any words.Just before the elevator doors closed, I heard Jasmine’s trembling voice. “Why isn’t anyone picking up…”Thirty seconds later, she came running after us, her face a mess of panic.“Cain, the Alliance isn’t answering,” she shrieked. “Do you think there’s a problem with the line?”Cain’s expression froze for a second before he forced a strained smile. “The representative is probably driving. Bad signal. Don’t panic.”From i

“Put them in the car,” I said.Silas nodded. Two guards grabbed Cain’s arms, dragging him like a piece of luggage.Jasmine struggled, her high heels slipping on the carpet, her dress a wrinkled mess.“You can’t do this to me!” she screamed, her voice cracking. “I’m Cain’s Mate!”No one paid her any attention.A black, armored SUV was waiting at the back exit. The windows were tinted dark.As they shoved Cain inside, he was still uselessly screaming my name.“Aurora, let me explain! It was all a misunderstanding! Our mate bond is still there, you can’t be this cruel—”The door slammed shut, cutting him off.I sat in the car ahead, watching the escort vehicle in my rearview mirror, saying nothing. The broken bond was still there, yes, but the wolf inside me just felt disgusted by it, slowly freezing it over.The drive was over an hour. The city skyline gave way to vast pine forests, then to the steep ridges of the Pacific Northwest.The car finally stopped before a massive gate made of b

“The Ancient Pack Laws,” my father said, turning a page in the heavy, vellum-bound book he was holding. His voice was deep and solemn. “‘A pure bloodline is not tarnished by lies. The names of betrayers shall turn to dust in the wilderness.’”My mother put her spoon down on the tray with a clatter. “Rowan, she’s only three days old. Do you have to read her bloody wolf histories by her bedside?”“She needs to know the legends of her family,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Not have her mind softened by human fairy tales.”I leaned back against the pillows on my bed and laughed, watching them argue.These last three months had been the calmest of my life.The family’s private medical center took up the entire top floor. My parents’ suite was right next to mine, with just a connecting door between us. A team of the best wolf birthing specialists in the world was on call 24/7.I no longer had to worry about a declined card. I no longer had to suppress my wolf.My mother b