After My Alpha Rejected Me, I Stole His Pack

The forest blurred past as I ran, my legs burning with each step. Five years of darkness. Five years of pain. And now, finally, freedom—if I could just make it back to Silver Crescent territory before the rogues realized I was gone.

"Mama, are we safe now?" Mabel's small voice came from where she clung to my back, her tiny arms wrapped around my neck.

"Almost, my little moon," I whispered, adjusting her weight. She was so light—too light. Five years of malnutrition had left her fragile, her silver-blonde hair dull and her amber eyes too large in her thin face. "Just a little further."

My wolf, Silver, pushed me forward with what little strength she had left. *We're almost home. Maverick will find us. He'll fix everything.*

I stumbled over roots and rocks, my body still weak from the silver chains they'd used to keep me subdued. The scent markers of Silver Crescent territory grew stronger with each step. My heart pounded against my ribs—not from exertion, but from hope.

"He'll be waiting for us," I promised Mabel, though my voice trembled. "Your father will be so proud of you."

The mate bond pulled at me like a phantom limb—distant but undeniable. Maverick had to feel it too. He had to know I was coming home.

When we finally crossed the border, I collapsed to my knees, setting Mabel gently on the forest floor. The familiar scents of home washed over me—pine, wildflowers, and the distinctive musk of pack wolves.

"We made it," I breathed, pressing my forehead to Mabel's. "We're safe now."

But something was wrong. The territory felt different—the energy, the atmosphere. And where were the patrol guards? Where was the welcoming party that should have been waiting for their Alpha's mate to return?

I gathered Mabel into my arms and followed the main path toward the pack house. The sounds of celebration drifted through the trees—music, laughter, the clinking of glasses. My heart lifted. They were having a party. Maybe they were celebrating my return.

"Mama, what's that noise?" Mabel asked, her eyes wide with apprehension.

"A party," I said, forcing a smile. "For us."

But as we emerged into the pack square, my steps faltered. The celebration wasn't for me.

Hundreds of pack members gathered in a massive circle around an ornate ceremonial platform. Flowers and ribbons hung from every surface, and the air was thick with the scent of jasmine—my scent, or at least, what it used to be.

At the center of it all stood Maverick, magnificent and terrible in his formal Alpha attire. And beside him...

My legs gave out beneath me.

"No," I whispered, clutching Mabel tighter. "No, no, no."

The woman beside Maverick wore a flowing white dress that matched the ceremonial robes he'd commissioned for our own mate ceremony years ago. Her hair was dyed to match my silver-blonde shade, and her scent—she'd somehow altered her scent to mimic mine.

"Today," Maverick's voice boomed across the square through the