All Chapters of Rise of the Switched Alpha Queen: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

“Is the Gilbert family the richest pack in the entire territory or something?”I lean back against my desk in the Whitlock Moon Suite, letting my voice drop into a slow, cold drawl. I hold the phone two inches from my ear, staring down at a freshly sealed vial of moon-herb concentrate. The green liquid glows faintly under my desk lamp, humming with raw, suppressed magic.Across the line, Maureen Gilbert lets out a sharp, hysterical gasp. “How dare you speak to me with that tone, Joxie! You were born a scentless, heavy-built human. You don't have a wolf, you don't have an alpha lineage, and you have zero rank in this valley! If you think walking into Mooncrest Academy under our name is going to elevate your status, you are completely delusional. Your presence alone is an insult to Tuesday’s reputation!”“I never asked for your name, Maureen,” I reply, my voice deadpan. My fingers twirl the glass vial with effortless precision. “And I sure as hell don't need your pack money. Keep your s

"Is the Whitlock vault actually empty, or are you just trying to test my blood pressure?" I ask, my fingers tightening over the smooth surface of the black-and-gold pack card Sterling handed me five minutes ago.We are standing in the silver-reinforced steel lift of the Whitlock Moon Suite, descending into the main courtyard of the pack house. My thick canvas work pants rub together with every step, my broad, heavy-set frame filling out my dark wool coat. I do not look like a delicate alpha's daughter. I look like what I am—a scentless, human-born girl built to survive a raw wolf's jaws.Sterling Whitlock lets out a low, gravelly sigh that vibrates right through the floorboards. "We are not destitute, Joxie. Your father spent thirty years running border logistics for the Hawkridge Enforcer Corps. We might not flaunt our assets like the Gilbert Pack Household, but no child of mine goes into Silverpine City without full territory backing."I tilt my head, my lips curving into a dry, ske

"She is a scentless human who scored a hundred percent on the supreme alpha entrance exam, and you handed her to my wing like she is damaged goods?" Miss Birdsong’s voice cuts through the quiet corridor of the Academy Administration House, sharp enough to sever steel.I am Joxie Whitlock, a broad-framed, heavy-set human born without a drop of wolf blood in my veins. My thick canvas work pants chafe against my thighs, my heavy shoulders filling out my dark wool coat as I stand three feet away, watching two high-ranked pack instructors argue over my body like a piece of dead game.Mr. Booker leans against his dark mahogany desk, his gold scholar pins gleaming under the low aura lights as he snorts with pure disgust. "I do not care if she memorized every silver toxicity formula in Silverpine City, Annette. The Prodigy Class is reserved for pureblood alphas, the heirs of the Gilbert Pack Household and the Davis Pack Household. We do not put a human girl with wide hips and no wolf-soul on

"Miss Birdsong says your clearance scroll was recovered from the security station at the Mooncrest Iron Gate," Miss Birdsong’s voice echoes through the cold stone archway of the Wolf Biology Wing as she hands me a brass registration token. "The beta guard at the turnstile claimed he had a sudden wolf-fever and left his shift without logging your arrival. Do not let it disrupt your study schedule, Joxie."I take the heavy brass token, my thick fingers closing over the cold metal. "Understood, Miss Birdsong."Miss Birdsong looks at my broad frame, my dark wool coat, and the complete lack of a wolf scent around my skin. Her expression softens just a fraction. "I know you are newly arrived from Whitlock Hollow, and the teaching pace in Silverpine City is far more grueling than the border settlements. Senior year in the Wolf Biology Wing is vital for pack placement. If the advanced formulas confuse your human mind, ask for assistance. Do you understand?"I curl my lips into a dry, confiden

"You need to let go of the delusional idea that she considers you family," Sterling Whitlock says, his thick, scarred fingers tightening around his wooden goblet of spiced mead until the oak groans. "When Joxie stepped back into the Whitlock Cottage after seventeen years in the borderlands, you stood right there in the courtyard and treated Tuesday Gilbert like a high-born pack guest. You asked her to call you Lady Lorelei. Do you honestly believe a child with an alpha’s sharp instincts didn't smell the cold distance in your voice?"Lorelei Whitlock drops her eyes, a bitter, painful grimace twisting her lips as she stirs the dying embers of the hearth. "The truth is, Sterling, I was furious at how Tuesday spoke to her. Tuesday made sure to emphasize three times in front of the pack elders that Joxie was born scentless in the dirt of Whitlock Hollow. If any of the Hawkridge enforcers had been listening, they would have treated my girl like a common human stray. How could I not snap? Ho