“I, Zalia, decline the position of Gamma of Moon Stone Pack.” After I find out that my friends, the future Alpha and Beta are hypocrites, that they never want me, a female, to be their Gamma, I reject the position immediately and leave the Pack. Soon, I find out my true bloodline and build my own Pack. Within a year, my Pack becomes the Strongest Pack ever. A year later, I make my stunning appearance at the Royal Pack Competition. My former friends, who have been stripped of their titles due to their poor leadership of the Pack, fall on their knees to me. “Zalia, please come back. We are sorry to reject you as our Gamma.”“Too late.” I sneer. “Now I am the Alpha of the largest pack!”** Trained to take over from her Father, Zalia is shocked when her best friends turn against her, but Zalia has found the perfect way to get back at them. She will humiliate every male that thinks a female shouldn’t be in a Pack’s leadership and she will show her best friends what they will be missing in their leadership. She gets help from her team to get her sweet revenge, the further she gets with her sweet revenge the more secrets she uncovers and with determination she unravels them all. And to top it all off, she finds something along the way that is very hard to resist. Who will still be standing after Zalia has revealed all the secrets she has uncovered?

Chapter 1 The Unknown Future Gamma <b>Zalia</b> My name is Zalia, I am a twenty-six-year-old Lycan and the future Gamma of the Moon Stone Pack. Our Pack is the largest Pack after Mystic Moon Pack, the King’s Pack. Also, our Pack is one of the few Packs in our Kingdom that is a mix of Werewolves and Lycans, with my family being one of the Lycan families that live in our Pack. Our current leadership each has a male and female Pup, but unlike what everyone seems to think, our future leadership will have two males and one female. Because I am the first born Pup of our Pack’s Gamma, it means that I will be taking over from my Father when they step down, something I have been training for since I turned fifteen. As the future Gamma, I am smart enough to know how to take every precaution to counter any attack. Our Alpha has seen it happen over and over again during our training, that I have been putting the future Alpha and Beta on their asses more than once and I can see that our Alpha always had to hide his laughter at the embarrassment his Son faced. Luckily every Pup in his Pack was raised the same way, and no one got angry when they got their asses kicked by me. No one ever treated me differently because I am a female; they always listened if I pointed out where they made a mistake and most of our Warriors have grown because of it. I am very contented with my position and my Pack. The only thing that annoys me is the Pack Visits we have to conduct every now and then: I need to tag along but no one in other Packs even realize that I am my Pack’s future Gamma. When we arrive at Sundown Pack, the Alpha and Luna are looking down on me, and they act as if I am the help. This has been going on for a few years now and each time it gets more difficult to bite my tongue during Pack visits, but Alpha Brad had been very clear in his warning towards me: I am not allowed to harm anyone, just because I am better trained than most Pups I meet. “You, get me some coffee.” Layla, Alpha Mike’s Daughter, is pointing me. “Why don’t you get off your lazy ass and do it yourself?” I growls at her. Donovan, our future Alpha, and Gibson, our future Beta, start laughing their asses off. I doubt anyone has ever spoken to her like that and the dumbfounded look on her face is priceless. Her high-pitched cry for her Daddy has me rolling down the aisles with Twilight, my Lycan. She is a fucking adult and she should be able to fend for herself. Donovan stops laughing the moment Alpha Mike steps into the room, but there is no way in hell I can stop laughing and I don’t even try to hide it. Alpha Brad tries to talk to Alpha Mike in a normal fashion, but Alpha Mike is demanding an apology from us for making his Daughter cry, and we just stare at him in surprise. Donovan actually does apologize to her, but I flat out refuse to do it and Alpha Brad knows better than to try and force me. Alpha Mike is unaware of my temper and gets into my face, yelling at me to apologize to his Daughter. “Why the fuck would I apologize to her? She acts like a spoiled six-year-old, maybe you should have raised her better.” I yell back at him and my Lycan Twilight nearly takes over control when he raises his hand. He is lucky that Alpha Brad steps between the two of us. I would have kicked Alpha Mike’s ass if he had tried to hit me. Alpha Brad is very aware of the fact that I would have been able to take him down. This is why I hate Pack visits so much. Some act like everyone owes them something and as if they're so much better than the rest of us. On top of that there is the way they talk to anyone who isn't of an Alpha bloodline. Would it hurt them to treat someone with some respect? Other than that accident, some even thought I was there because I was Alpha Brad’s mistress, and some thought I was sleeping with Donovan or Gibson. None of them even thought I was there because I am Donovan’s Gamma. I was surprised when Donovan didn’t correct them, but I blamed it on their Daughter who was ogling Donovan and her relentless attempts to get him to go with her. I am grateful that Alpha Brad instilled a great respect for the Mate-bond in all of us at an early age: you don’t sleep with everyone that is willing and you certainly don’t sleep with someone from your own Pack. I never slept with a male, even though many have offered but I shot each and every one of them down and I might have punched a handful of them for not taking a hint. If Donovan or Gibson get agitated with females who can’t take No for an answer, they go for a run or spar at the training grounds of the Pack we visit. I can’t do that because no one knows that I am the future Gamma of Moon Stone Pack and that means that they don’t allow me to train with the members of the Packs we visit. I don’t have an outlet for my frustrations during a visit. I always envy them because I can’t even go for a run without a Luna or Alpha talking down to me. No one questions Donovan and Gibson when they take off for a run or some training. That's why I chose to keep to myself during the visit—it causes trouble if I interact too much with those bimbos and assholes. Aside from my run-in with Alpha Mike, I stayed quiet the entire time, and he nearly paid the price for all the crap I heard during the visit. Another thing I hate about these visits is the fact that everyone tells me to eat less. I need the food to keep up my stamina and I need a lot of stamina for the patrols I run every day. I am a Lycan, it isn’t as if I will become fat and even if some of it sticks to my bones I don’t care. Every Luna would tell me that I needed to watch what I was eating, that my Mate wouldn’t appreciate a Mate that ate so much, and that my Mate wouldn’t like a Mate with a size more. Damn, a size more. I have a size six and damn proud of it, I don’t need to look like a stick. Most of the Lunas are so thin I fear they would be blown away during a storm and still they complain about being overweight. During this visit though it was almost every female that made remarks about my food consumption and from the corner of my eye, I had seen Donovan and Gibson laughing, but I thought they were just commenting on the females through their mind-link. I am just glad that this visit is over, but unfortunately we have to attend to another grand meeting next: a meeting between the Alphas of all the Packs in the Kingdom and the Alpha King. For over a decade I have been forced to come to this meeting. I didn’t have a choice though, our King demands that the future leadership of a Pack start attending after the future Alpha turns sixteen. “Calm down, Zalia. You have two months of peace and quiet.” Donovan says teasingly. “Okay, was it necessary to remind me of that? As if I am looking forward to spending four days with them and no way to get out of it or to get rid of the frustration by running border patrol.” I growl.

Chapter 2 The All Alphas Meeting <b>Zalia</b> The day is finally here, note the sarcasm. The annual All Alphas Meeting has arrived and I have been training or running border patrol most of the time. Anything to keep my mind off the next four days. We were taught that we needed to come to this meeting to learn how to get along with other Packs, but I think most Alphas use it to find a suitable Mate with a high rank for the future leadership of their Pack. Because every Pup of the Alpha, Beta and Gamma that is fifteen or older tags along, just to make sure they get noticed by other Packs, and maybe a male or female takes an interest. For our Pack it means that right now, our Alpha and his two Pups, Donovan and his baby sister Elinor are present, our Beta’s two Pups, Gibson and his baby sister Kali are also here, and then there is me and my baby Brother Slater. As usual, we are the first Pack to arrive, and a Warrior escorts us to our table in the largest meeting room. More Alphas walk in right behind them and each of them has the Pups of their leadership with them. The males are dressed properly, but the females… I am not sure how to describe it. Some are wearing a skirt and top, but it looks as if they bought them a size or two too small as it barely covers their ass and breasts. I wonder why their parents allow them to dress like that, my Father would kick my ass back up the stairs to my room to change. <i>“What is so funny, Gamma?”</i> Donovan asks through the mind-link and when I tell him my train of thought, Dad nearly chokes on the sip of water he took. <i>“You’re damn straight I would kick you back up the stairs. I don’t understand their parents either</i><i>.</i> <i>W</i><i>hy would they allow their Daughters to degrade themselves like that</i><i>?</i><i>” </i>Dad growls through the mind-link and we are all laughing as we see another female walk in, wearing a dress that leaves almost all of her skin exposed. I scrunch my nose as I smell so many males and females covered in the scent of sex and I nearly vomit when a future Gamma sits down at the table behind us. <i>“Fuck, couldn’t he have showered</i><i>?</i><i>”</i> Kali shouts over the mind-link as a male sits down behind us, the scent of sex drifting our way and I ask her how he is supposed to do that if it happened only a few minutes ago. <i>“Can you imagine that you would be able to smell almost all of them covered in a scent of sex?</i> <i>A</i><i>nd not all of them had sex with their Mate.</i><i>”</i> I ask her and every head snaps in my direction. Our Alpha tells us that he feels sorry for us as we as Lycans, are more affected by it than Werewolves. <i>“Yeah, right. How often have you asked Dad if someone smelled of sex that wasn’t his Mate?”</i> I ask him. Dad starts laughing out loud and I know I hit the bullseye with my question. Kali and Elinor giggle as our Alpha turns slightly red. By the time everyone is seated, my Brother, my Father and I are breathing through our mouths and even the others have trouble breathing normally. Today is for the King to welcome everyone to the venue and for everyone to mingle before the Pack meetings begin tomorrow, something I really hate to be a part of. Most of these Alphas have outdated ideas about females or twisted ideas about fated Mates and I hate the way they always stare at me or ignore my presence. We all stand when the Royal Family finally enters the room and I see each of them scrunching their noses. <i>“Looks like they smell it too.”</i> Elinor says and I just nod my head. I had already seen the barely dressed female saunter over to a table near the stage and I felt sorry for whoever she came for. She sits down next to Mavka, Mother of the future Royal Gamma, and both of them are talking softly as the female’s eyes keep wandering towards the stage. Whoever she is after doesn’t respond and the scowl on her face becomes worse by the minute and I hope that none of the males in this room are her fated Mate. I hear Twilight, my Lycan, giggle at my thoughts. <i>“What about females?”</i> She asks and I am so thankful for the training Dad gave me or I would have been rolling down the aisles here. The Royal Family allows everyone their five minutes of gossip. I never understood the meaning of it and I doubt I ever will. Why would you want to discuss which male could be your Mate? But then again only the future Royal Gamma is unmated and I actually feel sorry for him. <i>“That is why she is sitting with Mavka.”</i> Twilight states, <i>“She must be after her son.”</i> <b>Deimos</b> Four days of dealing with Alphas and Lunas that want to shove their Daughter in my bed, four days of my Mother Mavka trying to help those Alphas and Lunas. I am wishing I could just disappear while Goliath, my Lycan, is growling in my head at the prospect of the next four days and I know he will snap at our Mother eventually. No matter what either one of us says to her, she keeps bringing females with her and I am glad the King told her she was no longer allowed to bring a guest when she comes over for dinner, but now she tries to force me to come home for dinner. Which I refuse to do and luckily I have my duties as the future Royal Gamma as an excuse. My parents were chosen Mates and I know Dad regrets that he didn’t wait for his fated Mate. Mother started cheating on him almost immediately and when she was pregnant with me he refused to believe her until Doc could prove that I was his Son. After that he went to see the King and he was allowed to reject her on the grounds of infidelity. Dad raised me on his own, but Mother stayed in the picture hoping that I would get her back into the Palace. It was my eighth birthday when I decided I didn’t want her there and she tried to persuade me by telling me that she was my Mother and that she loved me. “Mother, you don’t love me. You just love the fact that I will be the next Royal Gamma and you want to take advantage of that status. The only time I see you is when you know that a lot of important Wolves and Lycans will be around, hoping you can find another chosen Mate to give you status and to cheat on.” Even Goliath hates her and her Wolf for putting their own needs before those of their Pup. Yes, even my Mother’s Wolf had been neglecting us, which is rare as a Wolf or Lycan’s instinct will always be to put their Pup first. Ammon, our future King, pulls me from my thoughts as we walk towards the meeting room and we both stick our noses in the air, “Fuck, this is going to be one hell of a day.” He says as we both smell the scent of sex and I know it will hit us full force the moment we step into the room. <i>“Why is it necessary for them to screw around just before these meetings?” </i>Asha, Ammon’s Mate, asks over the mind-link and Ammon decides to give her multiple reasons for it to distract her from the smell, unlike us, she has more trouble hiding her disgust with these Wolves and Lycans, and as the future Queen she can’t show those emotions outward. I keep my eyes on our seats, but as every year, I am surprised to see the females of Moon Stone Pack. They are the only ones that actually dress like leaders, and I smile as I see all three of them doing the same thing I am. <i>“Asha, I see at least a few females know how to behave themselves.”</i> I say with a chuckle. I nearly lose my shit when I see Mavka, my so-called Mother, at a table near the stage, and besides her is a female dressed in… well, I am not sure what it is supposed to be. If that is meant to turn a male on, then I am probably broken and when I say that through our mind-link, Asha nearly trips up. It is a good thing Ammon always has a good grip on her.

Chapter 3 Food <b>Deimos</b> We sit down in our seats as the King motions everyone to quiet down and it takes a few minutes before everyone is quiet, except of course for a few females that think talking about whatever is more important. The King keeps quiet until a few of the Alphas finally realize it is because of the females with them that the King isn’t speaking. Goliath points out that everyone at the table of Moon Stone Pack has a smirk on their faces and I have to stifle a smile as I look at each of them, <i>“The females are better at hiding what they are looking at than the males.”</i> I say to Goliath and we both chuckle as one of the females shoves her elbow into the side of the future Alpha. I see the brunette smiling as she looks past us for a second and I wonder what the hell is so damn funny, <i>“Someone is trying to get your attention, Son.”</i> Dad says through the mind-link and I already know what he is talking about, probably also the reason why the brunette is smiling. The King’s speech is something we all worked on and we tried to get as many words in without actually saying a damn thing, it was good fun making this speech. Our Queen had made the start of the speech in which he welcomes the Alphas and Lunas for attending and Asha was the one to put in the Pups that were accompanying their parents. We had laughed our asses off when she tried to find subtle ways to tell them to stop fucking around, but in the end she had managed to find a rather romantic way of putting the message out there. “Alphas and Lunas, your brought along the Pups of your current leadership and they will be our future. A future we as the Royal Family have been granted already, we found a Daughter in your future Queen and our Son’s fated Mate. Something we all are longing for, something we are all waiting for and when we find our fated Mate we will become stronger and better. Prince Ammon and Princess Asha had both been waiting for their fated Mate to step into their lives, and both of them want to express to all of you how grateful they are that they waited for the other to start their life’s journey, to have all the firsts as adults with one another.” He says. I know he had struggled with that last sentence and he had thrown a few things my way every time I laughed my ass off, he had choked on the words every single time. I hear Ammon laughing in our mind-link as the King looks from Ammon to Asha and we all see the look he gives Asha. Eryx, the future Royal Beta, and I had taken it upon ourselves to put the meetings into the speech, but like Asha, we struggled to put down a lot of words that meant absolutely nothing and we needed help from the others to get anything on the paper. The King had said it was never easy to say a lot without actually saying anything. At least we got the chance to practice, because in the future we have to do this for ourselves and it is not something I am looking forward to. “In the next few days, we all hope to have good and meaningful discussions about a variety of subjects, from training to security and from Balls to meetings. We all hope that by the time each and every one of you goes home, that it will have been a fruitful event in one way or another and that we all can look back on a successful meeting.” He says as we see a lot of the Wolves and Lycans smile, but Asha points out that the members from Moon Stone Pack look as if they know that the King actually said nothing at all. “Lunch has been served in the main dining room. I ask you kindly to stay seated until a Warrior comes to your table and he will guide you to your table in the dining room. It will be the table you will be seated at during every meal for the next few days.” He says before we all get up and follow him out of the meeting room. We get some food from the buffet before we sit down and the Queen nods her head at her assistant, giving the unspoken order to let the others join us for lunch. The first Pack to be seated is Moon Stone Pack and they are at the table closest to ours. The Alpha and Gamma sit down while the Pups walk over to the buffet and the brunette is joggling three plates with ease. I know everyone is watching her as she fills each plate with food, before she heads back to their table and places a plate in front of the Alpha and the Gamma and both of them thank her with a smile. Many females look at their table with anger or envy in their eyes, but I know it is an unspoken rule that Moon Stone Pack gets seated near the Royal Family and I know they will not cause any problems with us. They like to keep to themselves just like we do. Every female that walks to the buffet looks at our table for as long as they can, but none of us respond to it and I can feel their anger growing more and more. I see them walking in their high heels and it doesn’t look very steady to me, but with a plate of food they sway even more on their legs. I keep my eyes on my plate as I hear Eryx chuckle when a blond nearly loses her balance. <i>“Who the hell let her walk off without a guard?”</i> Asha snarls through our mind-link and Sila, Eryx’s Mate, asks her why she is so concerned. <i>“What will happen if that plate of food flies out of her hand and onto another Alpha’s Daughter?”</i> Asha asks. <b>Zalia</b> This food is amazing and I can’t wait for everyone to have had their first serving. I need to get to that buffet again. Twilight agrees with me as a blond walks past us swaying on her high heels. <i>“Why would you wear those if you can’t even walk on them?”</i> I ask over the mind-link and as expected the males call out in unison, <i>“Because they think it is sexy.”</i> I stare at each of them before I ask over the mind-link, <i>“They really think it is sexy that they look drunk?”</i> Kali and Elinor burst out in laughter with me. Slater just chuckles as Dad shakes his head and Donovan just stares at me. And as always Gibson thinks my question is sincere and answers that they meant the high heels. <i>“Okay, you did notice that the Queen is also wearing high heels, but she doesn’t walk around as if she is drunk.”</i> I say as I look at him and he finally realizes I had been pulling their chains. “Zalia, how did patrol go last night?” our Alpha asks to change the topic we are discussing. “When I got there at eleven there was nothing to report, but about an hour into my shift, we had two Rogues at our eastern border. When they saw me they thought I was ripe for the picking, but Twilight decided to show them that we don’t back down from anyone and both were dead in a minute or so. We didn’t have any other problems during the rest of our shift and before we left, I checked in with morning patrol, but between six and eight there had been nothing to report.” I answer him as I ask Kali through the mind-link if the buffet is finally free again. She tells me that everyone has gotten their plate of food, but before I can get up my Dad growls at me, “Zalia, you are telling me you stayed out on patrol all night, that you haven’t slept at all?” He says and as I get up to head for the buffet I say, “Just like always, Dad. Why would going to this meeting need to change my routine? I didn’t ask to be dragged down here. I didn’t ask anyone to make up this stupid rule that the Pups of our leaderships need to be paraded in front of everyone and I sure as hell didn’t ask anyone to force the future leaderships to be present at every damn boring meeting. Now, if you’ll excuse me or not for that matter, I need some more food before Twilight decides she is going to eat and then it won’t be from a plate.” I walk away knowing full well that everyone in the dining room heard his question and my answer and I know that is what Dad was going for. I keep my eyes on the buffet, but I can see a lot of males staring at me and I know I will get a lot of questions during our mingling session after lunch. Yippie, already looking forward to it, Not. At least now all of them will know that I am a Gamma’s Daughter and that means that their attentions will most likely be far from sexual. “You run border patrol often?” I hear the King’s voice ask as the entire room goes quiet and I turn towards him as I answer him, “Yes, Your Majesty. I run border patrol in the same shift as my team, just because I am the Daughter of our Pack’s Gamma doesn’t mean I have to act like a spoiled little brat. I can take care of myself as I have been training since I turned seven and I started running border patrol when I was forced to come to these meetings. I told our Alpha if I was old enough to be dragged down here, I sure as hell was old enough to run border patrol. Just between you and me, Your Majesty. I think running border patrol is a lot safer than coming here.” I make a little bow before I head back to our table and I can hear the King chuckle behind me, everyone at the Royal table is chuckling and giggling. <b>Deimos</b> How the hell does she look so good after missing a good night’s sleep? I always feel like crap after running patrol at night and I always need most of the day to sleep it off. Goliath is rolling down the aisles when she answers her Father and I hear Ammon laughing through our mind-link. <i>“Dad, can we keep her?”</i> He asks and I know exactly why he is asking, she isn’t shy with her opinions.

Chapter 4 Dirty Looks <b>Deimos</b> The Royal Family can’t talk like that, but luckily for them, we can and having her around would be so refreshing. The only answer he gets is in the form of the King getting up to walk towards the buffet. She is joggling three plates again and from watching her the first time, I know which plate is hers, it is filled more than that of her Alpha or her Father. <i>“She needs it if she runs border patrol on a regular basis.”</i> Goliath says and the moment I hear her say that running patrol is safer, I know that I want to get to know her a whole of a lot better. Maybe I can even convince her to stick to my side and chase away all the females that want the last spot within the Royal ranks. “Deimos.” Our queen calls out to me and as I turn my head towards her I know I am in trouble, “How is it that a Gamma’s Daughter from a Pack almost as large as Mystic Moon Pack can still function? I mean, whenever you return from border patrol at night you need the rest of the day to sleep it off and she is walking around as if she just returned from a day at a spa.” Our Queen says loud enough for everyone to hear and I hear Zalia laughing at my expense, but I also take it as an opportunity. “Your Majesty, I have no idea. Maybe Zalia is willing to keep me company for a while after lunch, see if I can figure out what her secret is or find out if she wants to become Prince Ammon’s baby Sister. After all he did ask if he could keep her.” I answer and Asha is in stitches as Ammon tries to object. “Deimos, that is an excellent idea. If Zalia is willing to, of course.” The Queen says as she walks over to the buffet, she likes to get her own food whenever she can. “Of course I am willing to talk to the future Royal Gamma, Your Majesty. If I can help him figure out what he does wrong, we might be able to keep Prince Ammon from finding a replacement.” She answers. My jaw drops while Ammon spits out the sip of coffee he took, and I can see that the King has trouble keeping a straight face. “Your Majesty.” I hear Zalia say to our Queen, and we all look at her, “I think you need to check on your Mate, he looks a bit bloated.” She says with a straight face. This time none of us can stop it as we burst out in laughter and I know that these few days will be very different from other years. I wonder why I never noticed her before. <i>“We were always too busy avoiding Mavka and whatever female she brought along.”</i> Goliath replies and I am afraid that he is correct. Once everyone is finished with lunch, they get escorted back to the meeting room and I see that every table is filled with empty glasses and plates, some of them empty while others are still half full. I look at the table of Moon Stone Pack and not only is every glass and plate empty, they are also neatly stacked near the edge of the table. We make our way over to Moon Stone Pack and it doesn’t take me long to figure out that Zalia is the first born to the Gamma, she will be taking over from her Father when he steps down. However, it doesn’t look like most males figured that out, and for a second born Beta or Gamma she would be a great catch. Goliath growls at my train of thought and I chuckle as I realize he doesn’t like the prospect of her with another male. I step up next to Zalia to offer her my arm and I hear three males standing beside her growl, “Back off.” She growls back. “Do I have to spell out to you three idiots why Deimos asked me to join him?” Everyone stares at her when one of them asks her to please enlighten them. “He is using me as a shield. He is the only one still unmated and that means the only one that might give a female some status. You and Gibson know this better than anyone, Donovan.” She points out and all three males stare at the floor. “Sorry, Sis. It is just strange seeing you on the arm of a male, unless you are ready to smack him dead center to the ground on his ass.” The younger Pup says and Zalia introduces him as Slater, her baby Brother. <i>“Good to know that he is protective of his Sister.”</i> Goliath states. Sila walks up to Slater and asks how serious he was with his statement. “I believe everyone heard her when she said she took out two Rogues last night. My Sister can defeat Donovan and Gibson and she has done so on more than one occasion.” He answers. I stare at the 5”8 brunette by my side, she is wearing straight legged pants with a high waist and a short blazer that reaches her hips. A white tank top with scalloped edge and a V-neck under neath it, but I can’t tell if it is sleeveless or short sleeved and she has finished it off with black laced boots with a block heel. The heels look to be about two or three inches and far better to walk on than the heels most females wear. She is confident as she wraps her arm around mine. “You will get a lot of dirty looks, sorry for that.” I whisper in her ear and she giggles before she tells me she can handle it. <b>Zalia</b> I know I painted a target on my own back when I accepted Deimos’ request, but I am not one to walk away from a fight and it doesn’t matter if it is a physical fight or a verbal fight. Twilight doesn’t object when I wrap my arm around his and she just lies down in the back of my head, keeping an eye on our surroundings. He wasn’t kidding when he said I would get dirty looks and Twilight is on full alert as we walk further into the room. A female walks up to us to get Deimos’ attention which she doesn’t get. We both scrunch our noses at the same time and I wonder how long there had been between her leaving the dining room and us leaving. “Hello, Deimos.” She says as she looks up at him and by holding her hands in front of her she manages to press her breasts together, making them almost jump out of her top. “I was hoping you could tell me a few things about what you do around here.” She continues. <i>“Avoiding females like you.”</i> Twilight responds. She steps forward to try and place herself between Deimos and me, but Twilight makes sure I have a firm grip on his arm and she softly growls at the female. She turns to me with a shocked look on her face. “Sorry, my Lycan doesn’t like it when someone steps into our personal space.” I say loud enough for a few females to hear. “Well, then maybe you should go back to your little Pack and leave the real males to females like me.” She says as she looks me dead in the eye, my Dad warns me over our mind-link to behave myself and I tell him I always behave myself. I turn to Deimos with a serious look on my face before I ask, “What does an unreal male look like?” and I see quite a few Wolves and Lycans turn away. “I have no idea.” He says and he looks as if he is thinking about an answer to give me. “I might have an idea, but I doubt it is a good idea to say it out loud.” He says while he still looks as if he is thinking about something. The moment the female asks him to say what he thought of, I realize he had been setting her up. He leans towards me as he says, “I think she meant her friend on batteries.” I know exactly what he means, but I really can’t help myself. “She has a robot that works on batteries, that is cool.” I say as I look at Deimos and I hear a few Wolves and Lycans choke on their laughter, while Deimos is turning slightly red at my words. At least we got rid of the female as she runs out of the room with a face as red as a lobster. <i>“Is it from embarrassment or from anger?”</i> I ask Twilight, but she is in no state of answering me as she is rolling around in my head. For a moment I think we will have some peace and quiet for a while, but I know it was an idle thought when Mavka approaches us and I feel Deimos stiffen beside me.

Chapter 5 Trouble <b>Zalia</b> “Deimos, there you are. I have been looking all over the place for you.” Mavka says the moment she reaches us and I roll my eyes at Twilight as she growls softly. “Mavka, what do you want?” Deimos asks and suddenly I see the scantily dressed female from earlier step next to Mavka, while Slater steps to Deimos’ other side. “I want you to meet Suzanna, she is the Daughter of an old friend and she is still unmated.” Mavka says and Suzanna takes a step towards Deimos, but Slater takes a step forward at the same time. He makes it impossible for her to get closer to Deimos and I have to stifle a smile when Slater moves his hand up and down in front of Deimos’ face. “What are you doing?” Mavka asks and I know he is going to make some idiotic remark, “I thought he might be blind.” Slater states and I see the confusion on Mavka’s face while Suzanna asks him what he means, “Well, I think everyone can tell that you are unmated, after all there is not enough fabric to cover that up.” He states. Deimos is laughing his ass off while Dad looks at Slater as if he has lost his mind. Suzanna walks off with a pissed off look on her face and Mavka turns to Slater with an angry expression on her face, “Pup, I suggest you keep your mouth shut. This is none of your business.” She growls at him. Before I can open my mouth, Dad steps in front of her and tells her to back off or she will have to deal with him. Mavka wants to say something but movement behind us causes her to clamp her mouth shut. “Mavka, you were not invited to the meeting, I warned you to stay away.” I hear the King say. “You are banned from the Palace for a year, one more stunt like this after that year and you will be banned from the Palace for life.” The rest of the afternoon is spent walking around the room with my Father and Brother close behind me, until my Uncle asked if he could talk to both of them. I see Donovan and Gibson talking to two females from a small Pack not far from Moon Stone Pack, and I smile as I see a lot of females looking at them with envy. A lot of Alphas approach us with their Daughters, but they quickly leave when it is clear that Deimos doesn’t have an interest in their Daughters, and with Mavka banned from the Palace there is no one to keep a conversation going. Sometimes the Alphas ignore me completely, but Deimos keeps pulling me into the conversations and it annoys the hell out of them. It is close to dinner time when I see familiar face in the crowd and she is heading straight for me with a huge, fake smile on her face. I try to walk away but Deimos doesn’t budge. “Zalia?” I turn around at the mention of my name. “Zalia, it is you. It is so good to see you again.” The Bitch from my past says and I see her eyeing Deimos. “Care to introduce us?” Deimos asks and I know it isn’t because he wants to get to know her, he wants to hear why I tried to avoid her. I look from Deimos to the Bitch and back to Deimos and as I am about to answer, I see Ammon and Asha approaching her from behind. “Not really. I mean, why would I want to introduce someone that used to be one of our best friends, until she found out that we didn’t get to talk to Prince Ammon. She apparently thought that we could put her in contact with him after we attended our first meeting and made it very clear that we were of no use to her if we couldn’t connect her with Prince Ammon.” I say and everyone nods their heads as she tries to deny it. I tell them what happened after we returned from our first meeting, that when Donovan told one of our best friends that we never even got close to the Crown Prince, she had said that she knew she shouldn’t have bothered with us, that we couldn’t get her near the most important person in the world. I explain that Gibson’s Father had been sitting in an armchair by the window, but she had not seen him when she walked in the door and had started asking all of her questions. I tell them that he informed the rest of our leadership about what she had said and we had started to avoid her, because that was not the kind of friend we wanted. Dad tells them that when her Mother had confronted our Alpha, he told her that her Daughter might want to be more careful next time when she speaks and our Beta had told her exactly what he heard, they moved to another Pack within a month. I see that Dad and Slater have stepped in front of Prince Ammon. “Thank you, Gamma and Slater. I appreciate you stepping in front of my Son.” The Queen says as four Warriors approach to take the little devil away, but it seems she hasn’t improved herself at all. “Your Majesty, I will be a better Mate for your Son than any fated Mate could be…” She doesn’t get another word out as Princess Asha roars loudly. It is a good thing Dad and Slater were still standing in front of them or she might have gotten the chance to rip the little devil to shreds. Prince Ammon wraps his arms around her to calm her down. As he pulls her closer to him, the Warriors take the little devil away, and I ask Deimos how she even got in. “What do you mean by that?” Eryx asks as he turns around and I tell him that to my knowledge she isn’t a High-ranking Wolf, “I also didn’t see a mark on her, so how did she get in here?” I ask again and in seconds I see a male shuffling his way over to us. The King asks him why he brought the female along, but I already found the answer to my question. It appears in the form of her Mother, his Luna. “Your Majesty, thank you for making some time for us. I would like to introduce…” Her sentence trails off when she sees who else is with the King. This time no one is stopping Princess Asha from making it known how she feels about the little devil, “If you are talking about your Daughter, don’t bother, she was taken away by our Warriors for insulting the Princess. If you ever take her to the Palace again she will be spending the duration of your stay in the dungeons.” She growls. The Alpha tries to apologize for his Step-daughter’s behavior, but like her Daughter, his Luna doesn’t understand when to keep her yap shut. “Just because my Daughter said she would be a better Mate to Prince Ammon than any fated Mate would be? You will find out soon enough that fated Mates are overrated, Princess Asha. When you find your fated Mate you will understand it is better to choose a Mate yourself.” She says. Princess Asha turns to me as I say, “I never said they were smart, but I thought even they would have heard that you are Prince Ammon’s fated Mate. Oh Fuck, did I just let the cat out of the bag?” I exclaim and Princess Asha starts laughing. Prince Ammon taps Dad on his shoulder, “Sir, if you ever want to get rid of your Daughter, please send her to the Palace. I think I can find something useful for her to do.” Everyone starts laughing as Slater asks him if he is sure he is willing to deal with that much trouble.

Chapter 6 Implication <b>Deimos</b> Moon Stone Pack has made the first day of this meeting enjoyable, it is the first time I enjoyed mingling with the Alphas and Lunas. Whenever an Alpha or a Luna was to overstep, one of the members of Moon Stone Pack intervened. I especially liked Slater’s response to Mavka and Suzanna. Goliath still snickers when we remember his antics. I hate that dinner is about to get served and I link the Queen to tell her that I still don’t have an answer from Zalia. “Alpha Brad, I would appreciate it if you and your Pack-members join us in our private wing after dinner. I believe that Zalia still owes Deimos an answer.” She says and with a small bow Alpha Brad accepts the invitation. One of the King’s Guards announces that dinner will be served in fifteen minutes and everyone rushes towards the dining room, except for Moon Stone Pack. They follow behind us as we walk into the dining room, just as they are supposed to do according to protocol and I hear Goliath growl in my head at the disrespect. Moon Stone Pack doesn’t sit down until the King gestures to them that they can and I know the others will get an earful on the disrespect they just showed the Royal Family. The King keeps standing in front of his seat and it takes a while before everyone realizes that he wants to say something, another form of disrespect. “Thank you for granting me your undivided attention.” He sarcastically says, but I doubt any of them has gotten the message. “If I am not mistaken, you all receive a file on the correct protocol with your invitation to this meeting.” He states and every Alpha nods their head. “If you all received it then why is it that none of you, except for Moon Stone Pack, show it? When the announcement is made that a meal is about to be served, you wait until the Royal Family has left for the dining room. If one of you breaks protocol again that person is responsible for the entire Pack to be removed from this meeting. That Pack will also be taken off the invitation list for five years and will only be able to get back on the list five years after taking a test. This is the only warning you get.” The King states before he sits down and I see a lot of Lunas staring daggers at their Mates. Our staff walks in to start serving dinner, and as instructed they serve the Royal Family first, followed by Moon Stone Pack before they move on to the other tables. A few of our Omega servants look a little uncomfortable as they walk around the dining room, as some Pups from other packs keep uttering disrespectful words towards them, but it isn’t until Slater gets up that I realize it is more than just discomfort. “Alpha, I suggest you either teach your Pups some manners before taking them into the big world again, or leave them at home. One more remark from this table to people, I’ll make sure you can all stay on your lazy asses and I will personally kick each of you out of the dining room. Am I making myself clear?” He growls. Eryx is already standing beside Slater and it is clear to the Alpha he better not talk back to Slater. The Omega servant is smiling at Slater, who makes a little bow towards her before he sits down again. It wasn’t a mocking bow, it was a sign of respect from someone that understands that we all need our Omegas to survive. The rest of dinner is spend in silence and from time to time I glance around the room to see that every Alpha is mind-linking, probably warning their Pack-members about protocol. Some might even warn their Pack-members not to treat our Omegas the way they treat their own Omegas and just the thought of it makes Goliath roar in my head. Once dinner is over, one of the King’s Guards opens the doors of the dining room, and after the King has excused everyone, they slowly make their way out of the dining room. Most linger in the hall way or the main living room and I see a lot of people glaring at the members of Moon Stone Pack as they follow us to the Royal Wing of the Palace. <b>Zalia</b> I am grateful that Slater got up to address the issue with the table behind us, I would have lost control to Twilight if I had gotten out of my seat. I still can’t believe the remark the Alpha’s Daughter made and Twilight gets agitated just thinking about it. I was patiently waiting for everyone to be served when I heard the Alpha’s Daughter ask softly, “Who would want a filthy Omega for a Mate? What did you do to get a Mate? Did you trick him by getting pregnant?” I could feel how uncomfortable it made the servant feel and Twilight wanted to slash her claw over the female’s face. She would have if I hadn’t had an iron grip on my control, and if Slater hadn’t gotten up, I might have lost the battle for control. I can feel the eyes staring at my back as I follow Dad, it isn’t just because I spend the afternoon next to Deimos. It isn’t common for an Alpha and his Pack to get invited to the Royal Wing of the Palace. Another thing they will hate me for and Twilight just shrugs her shoulder, neither one of us cares what anyone thinks or how they feel about us. I don’t have to get along with everyone, and most of the larger Packs are Packs I would like to ignore for the rest of my life, but I will have to learn to play nice someday. I know exactly why we were invited by the Queen, and I did find out why Deimos has trouble with staying awake after a night patrol, but I won’t say anything until the Queen asks me about it. Kali and Elinor are walking on either side of me and we take a good look at our surroundings, we don’t get this chance every day. As we enter their private wing, Eryx tells us that the ground floor holds their offices and private meeting room, and we follow him up the stairs to the first floor where their private living room is located. There is enough room for each of us to sit and rest, with couches and armchairs spread across the room. Some seating areas offer a more private setting for a nice one-on-one conversation, and at the back of the room, a couch and a few armchairs are arranged facing a flatscreen mounted on the wall. The Queen excuses herself to get changed into something more comfortable and Asha and Sila follow her out of the living room. I walk towards the window to take a look at the view: the garden next to the Palace has areas of lawn with pavement running through it and every now and then a flowerbed. The further away I look, the more I see flowerbeds taking over until the garden ends near the tree line of the forest that surrounds the Palace. “Enjoying the view, Zalia?” the King asks and I just nod my head as I think about running through that forest, maybe I can ask the King if I can take a run before we have to go home. “Your Majesty…” I get interrupted by a soft growl from the King and I look at him in confusion, “Please, just call me King Alwin in public and Alwin in private.” He says. <i>“Another reason.”</i> Twilight says chuckling and I just shake my head at her. “Alwin, if I can find the time, I would like to take Twilight for a run in the forest. I would like to see it through her eyes instead of my own, I always love how clear everything is when she runs through an area.” I say and Eryx tells me that I can report to one of the Guards whenever I find the time. “Zalia, did you figure out why Deimos needs so much time to recover from night patrol?” The Queen asks and before I can answer she tells me to call her Axelle in private. I smile as I try to find the words to explain what I discovered during the day. “Axelle, I did figure out why it takes him some time to recover and there is a way to improve it, but I am not sure if that is going to work. At least not with the amount of work he does beside running border patrol. I run border patrol every single day, and I rotate shifts just like our Warriors, that is why I have no problem functioning. It is a part of my routine, but I doubt Deimos can fit that into the workload he already has. My Dad runs border patrol with his team at least three times a week, but I know it is never easy for him to function fully after a night patrol and I believe that Deimos has even more on his plate than my Father does.” I answer the Queen. Prince Ammon asks me if there is a way to change that and I nod my head at his question, “I am not going to repeat this out loud in front of anyone else though, he already has enough trouble fighting off the females as it is, and this would just add more pressure to Deimos.” I respond and by the looks on their faces they all know what I meant with my answer. The unmated males however seem to be oblivious to what I was implying with my words.

Chapter 7 Permission <b>Deimos</b> Zalia is right, I have more responsibilities than a normal Gamma and I haven’t even taken over from my Father yet. “Okay, but what is the solution?” I ask her, because I don’t see what it has to do with the attention I get from females and I doubt there is anything that could make it worse. Eryx and Ammon have a smug look on their faces and I doubt I am going to like what Zalia will answer, Goliath is laughing his ass off makes me regret asking the question. Even though I really would like to know what I can do to be able to stay awake during the day after night patrol. “Okay, let me ask you a question. I know your Father is Alwin’s Gamma and you help him out in any way you can, but does your Father need an entire day to recover from a night patrol?” Zalia asks me and I answer her that I never paid much attention to it, but Dad answers her that it also takes him an entire day to recover. Zalia turns to her Father and asks, “Dad, did you always have trouble running night patrol?” He seems confused for a minute, but then I see his eyes widen as he shakes his head. “Can you explain to Deimos when it changed for you, Dad?” She asks and the look in her eyes tells me that a part of the answer won’t be easy for them. “It changed after your Mother died, until that day I had no trouble running night patrol or with getting called out of bed in the middle of the night. Your Mom would always take care of a part of my responsibilities and it gave us time to spend together and with the two of you, but it also allowed me to sleep a few more hours. We would make the schedules for training and border patrol together, it was a way for us to spend time together and it made our bond stronger. No one doubted her if she gave an order, they knew she was very capable of doing the job and they all respected her. Losing your Mom didn’t just mean losing my Mate, our Pack lost a very capable Gamma female and the two of you lost your Mom.” He says and I can tell it wasn’t easy for him to remember what his Mate had meant for him. What is has to do with me I am so sure about it. Until I remember she mentioned more attention from the females that would like a Mate with status. If I had a Mate we would share the responsibilities and that would allow me to sleep a few more hours without me neglecting my duties. My Mate would be able to take care of anything that needs to be done or that would need immediate attention. “Okay, you better not repeat that outside this room. That would be disastrous, especially if Mavka were to get wind of this. No, this stays within this room. No one is to repeat this ever again.” I say as I keep shaking my head, Goliath is laughing even louder in my head as I speak and I hear Ammon laughing his ass off too. Zalia has a smirk on her face as I keep shaking my head. Axelle just looks at me and I know what is going to come. “Looks like you will have to attend a few more Mating Balls, Deimos. Maybe one of these days you will get lucky enough to find your fated Mate.” Axelle says and Zalia bursts out in laughter as I start shaking my head again. We talk about the upcoming Mating Balls and I can tell that Zalia is not looking forward to them either. She tells Axelle that most males treat her like she is made of porcelain, that is until she mentions that she runs border patrol herself. “I have met a lot of these unmated males that attend those Balls, they are full of themselves and they think that they are the Goddess send gift to women. They don’t care who they sleep with, whether it is with a Pack-member or a visitor and their Mates will have to face those females on a daily basis. So I am not that interested in any of them. But there might be another problem that can have more consequences. That is with me being a first born. It means that my Mate will have to move and I doubt anyone of those males can handle that.” Zalia says. I watch Donovan and Gibson closely, but neither one of them moves a muscle or blinks as she speaks. I would have expected them to back her up, but they have been pretty quiet ever since we sat down and I think they are a bit intimidated by being in the presence of King Alwin and Queen Axelle. Eryx and Slater are discussing the meeting we have in the morning and I see Zalia looking rather bored, but when Alwin asks her about, it her answer surprises me. “Alwin, I am forced to sit through those meetings every year and every year the same thing happens. No one listens to us when we speak, if we get the chance to speak that is.” In a matter of minutes Alwin and Zalia are in a heavy discussion about why they have to attend these meetings and the rest of us sit back as we listen to Alwin explain that this is a learning process for them. “What the fuck am I supposed to learn from this? How to parade around like a whore?” Zalia yells at him. This is one of the few times I have seen Alwin speechless and Axelle just watches as Zalia continues her speech, “I have no intention of taking a chosen Mate, I will wait for my fated Mate as long as it takes and with these meetings, you practically approve of them taking a chosen Mate. You can’t tell me that none of you have smelled the sex scent in the room or that it isn’t with their Mate. Nor can you deny that their Pups are acting the same way as their parents, they just follow their parents example and you never correct their behavior during these meeting. If the purpose of these meetings is that we learn how to play nice with one another, I can tell you the visits we pay to other Packs are more than enough practice for me. I have never killed anyone during those visits, no matter how justified it would have been.” <i>“Damn, you better make sure you never piss her off. She will bury you.” </i>Goliath mumbles in my head and I know that she will bury me if I do anything to upset her. It takes Alwin a few seconds to gather his thoughts and asks her to clarify her statement on Pack visits. She tells us about their last Pack visit and how everyone reacts to her eating habits or her requests to go for a run, how she isn’t allowed to train to blow off steam. It makes me understand why she said she wanted to go for a run if she had the time and I really hope that she will find the time to go for that run.

Chapter 8 Get Your Paws Off Her <b>Deimos</b> I wake up in the morning a lot earlier than usual and I know Twilight is responsible for it, she wants to go for a run. I slip on my black leggings with an oversized shirt and step into my sneakers, it is easier to take off before shifting than wearing jeans and boots. I walk down the stairs and ask one of the servants where I can find a Guard, she points me towards the backdoor of the Palace. Within seconds of stepping out of the Palace a Guard shows up and when I tell him I want to let Twilight out for a run he tells me to follow him. He guides me through the gardens I saw last night and I smile when I see that he leads me towards the forest. “You can strip behind that tree and leave your clothes in the basket. The Warriors on border patrol are aware of your presence, they will warn you if you get to close to the border.” He says before he walks back the way we came and I quickly take my clothes of to place them in the basket. I shift into Twilight and let her take off as I retreat to the back of her head. I am grateful that no one was surprised I wanted to go for a run and I will do this as often as I can. I enjoy looking at the scenery through Twilight’s eyes. She runs through the forest as she jumps over tree stumps and straight through bushes without checking if it is clear. She is taking it easy, she wants to see as much of her surroundings as I do and suddenly we see a few of the Warriors that are on patrol. Twilight slows down to a trot as one of them turns his attention to us, “Enjoying your run, Zalia?” He asks and Twilight nods her head as she approaches the males. We can see the markings on the trees that tells every Wolf or Lycan that comes near them, that they are approaching a Pack’s territory. Twilight slows down even more as she looks at the markings and we look through the trees to the outside of the territory. Twilight growls the moment she spots a Rogue close to the border. “Twilight, what do you see?” The same Warrior asks and she just keeps looking at the Rogue, she doesn’t react to the Rogue even though she wants to. This isn’t our territory so we can’t charge at him, unless we get permission to take him down and I believe these males are more than capable to take care of him themselves. Another Warrior steps beside me as I hear from behind me, “Stop, you are approaching the border of Mystic Moon.” The Rogue keeps looking at Twilight and she releases a menacing roar as he takes a step forward, her way of warning him to stay put. The Warrior next to me bends towards us, “You have permission to take him out if he doesn’t leave, Twilight.” He whispers and the moment the Rogue takes another step Twilight is off. I watch as the Rogue looks at Twilight with surprise in his eyes. I doubt he expected her to charge at him. He will be even more surprised the moment she ends his pathetic life. A Rogue isn’t a match for us in whatever form we are and today he will find out that underestimating a female ends your life. He lunges at her but she quickly moves to his left and she jumps up to bite down on his side, taking a chunk of his fur and flesh as he still moves forward. The Rogue turns around in the air and the moment he lands he lunges towards her again, but Twilight lowers herself to the ground. The moment he is above her she raises her hindlegs, digging her claws into his stomach and pushes him out of balance. He flies into a tree which causes him to howl in pain and before he knows what is happening she sinks her canines into his neck, she closes her jaw as she pulls back to rip his throat out. She slowly walks back towards the border and the Warriors are smiling at her as she approaches them. One of the Warriors steps forward with a wet cloth to wipe her snout and she gently pushes against his arm to thank him. “Why don’t you head back, Twilight. You need to take a shower before you go to breakfast, Zalia.” He says as he scratches Twilight behind her ears. She nudges his arm again before she takes off and heads back to the Palace. I link Dad to make sure that no one is in the bathroom when I return. He asks me why I am in such a need of a shower and he chuckles when he hears what Twilight did. After Twilight gives me back control, I shift back into my Human form and I quickly put my clothes on before I run into the Palace and back up the stairs to the suite we are staying in. “Everything is in the bathroom.” Kali yells the moment I open the door and I make a beeline for the bathroom to take a shower, before getting ready for breakfast. We head down the stairs to the main dining room and Deimos is waiting for us with Eryx next to him. “Did Twilight enjoy herself?” Eryx asks with a smile on his face and I tell him she really appreciated the distraction from today’s schedule. “The Warriors were impressed with her skills and I think my baby Brother might have a crush on her.” He says. Eryx explains that the Warrior, that told Twilight she was allowed to take down the Rogue, is his baby Brother Leander. As we walk towards the dining room, I see an Alpha approach, whom I wish I would never have to see again and Deimos steps next to me, placing my arm around his arm. Alpha Mike approaches us with a smirk on his face and I grab Deimos’ arm a little tighter, not liking the look I am getting. “Well, if it isn’t our little troublemaker.” Alpha Mike says. “Make anyone cry, yet?” I look at him before I blurt out, “You might be the first one, Alpha Mike.” I push against Deimos to walk away from Alpha Mike, but it seems that the guy wants to feel my full wrath as he grabs my arm as I try to pass him. A menacing growl rips through the room and I know who let it out, as does Alpha Mike. “Get your paws off her.” I hear an unfamiliar voice say and when I look at Deimos I can see that his Lycan has taken control.

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I, Zalia, decline the position of Gamma of Moon Stone Pack.

The words echo in the silent chamber, hanging like a death sentence. Donovan, my best friend since childhood, stares at me with wide eyes. Gibson, beside him, looks away. Our Alpha, Brad, sits frozen in his chair. They all knew it was coming—but none of them expected me to say it out loud.

"You can’t just walk away," Donovan says, voice tight. "You’ve trained for this your whole life."

"And you’ve spent your whole life pretending I wasn’t a threat," I fire back. "I heard you. Both of you. Talking about how a female Gamma would make you look weak. How the other Packs would laugh."

Gibson opens his mouth, but I cut him off. "Don’t. Not after you laughed when Alpha Mike called me a servant. Not after you let those bimbos at the Mating Ball assume I was your whore."

I turn to the Alpha. "I served this Pack with honor. I ran border patrol when no one else would. I killed Rogues with my bare hands. And for what? To be told I’m not enough because I have a vagina?"

No one speaks.

I unzip my jacket, revealing the insignia of the Gamma—then rip it off and throw it at their feet. "I’m not your Gamma. I’m not your sister. I’m not your friend. From this moment on, I am no one’s shadow."

I walk out, Twilight growling in my mind.

Outside, the wind howls. The forest calls.

And for the first time, I feel free.

A year later, I stand at the gates of the Royal Arena, my new Pack behind me—Omegas, Rogues, outcasts, all loyal to me. The crowd parts. The music stops.

Donovan and Gibson, stripped of their titles, fall to their knees.

"Zalia… please. Come back. We were wrong."

I step forward, my boots echoing on the stone.

"Too late," I sneer. "Now I am the Alpha of the largest pack in history. And you? You’re nothing."

The crowd gasps.

But I’m not done.

Because revenge was just the beginning.