After My Mate’s Betrayal, I Became the Lycan Princess

Three years. One thousand and ninety-five days of fighting, scavenging, and surviving in the Rogue Lands. Three years of dirt, blood, and the hollow ache where my wolf once lived.

I stumbled forward, my legs trembling with exhaustion. The border of Blood Moon Pack territory was just ahead—a line I'd once crossed willingly, never imagining I'd return as a broken shell of myself.

"Just a little further," I whispered to myself, though there was no one to hear. My wolf remained silent, buried so deep I sometimes wondered if she'd ever return.

The morning mist clung to my skin, mixing with the grime that had become my constant companion. My once-fitted clothes hung loose on my frame, torn and patched with whatever I could find. The scent of home—pine and wild jasmine—grew stronger with each step.

I allowed myself a moment of hope. Maybe Nolan would listen. Maybe he'd remember our bond, the way his eyes once looked at mine. Maybe Victoria's influence hadn't completely poisoned him against me.

Then the mind-link hit.

"*Attention all pack members of Blood Moon and neighboring territories. This is Alpha Nolan speaking.*"

His voice slammed into my consciousness with the force of a physical blow. I froze mid-step, my breath catching painfully in my throat.

"*Today marks a new chapter for our pack. I hereby officially declare my rejection of Sophie Dixon, former member of this pack.*"

The words echoed through my mind like thunder. Each syllable hammered against my chest until I couldn't breathe.

"*The mate bond between us is formally severed by my will and before witnesses. Furthermore, I announce the immediate coronation of Victoria Sterling as my chosen Luna. The ceremony will commence at moonrise. All allied packs are invited to witness our union.*"

Something inside me shattered. The last fragile thread of hope I'd been clinging to snapped, and I collapsed to my knees in the mud. The rejection wasn't new—it had happened three years ago—but this public declaration, this finality, was a fresh wound tearing open scars that had barely begun to heal.

Pain radiated through every cell of my body as the mate bond officially dissolved. I gasped, clutching at my chest, feeling as though my heart was being ripped out.

"Sophie," I heard Nolan's voice soften in the mind-link, as if speaking to me directly. "You were never worthy of being my Luna."

A cruel laugh followed—Victoria's—before the link closed.

I remained on my knees, trembling, tears mixing with mud on my face. I was nothing now. Not even an exile—just a nobody.

A low growl pulled me from my spiral of despair.

I looked up to see five pairs of yellow eyes watching me from the treeline. Rogues—the same ones who'd been tracking me since I left the Rogue Lands. They'd sensed my weakness, my wolflessness.

"Look what we have here," the largest one sneered, his scarred face contorting with hunger. "A rejected mate. No pack. No wolf."

They circled me slowly, their movements predatory and