Betrayed by My Alpha Mate

The packhouse buzzed with activity as I rushed through the hallway, clipboard in hand. Three years of pretending to be wolfless had taught me how to move like a human—keeping my steps measured, my posture slightly hunched to appear weaker than I truly was. The irony wasn't lost on me; a Lycan Princess playing the part of a powerless nobody.

"Camille, the Alpha's chambers still need fresh linens," Elena, our head Omega, called out as I passed the laundry room.

"Already on it," I replied with a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes.

She gave me a knowing look. Elena was one of the few who suspected there was more to me than met the eye. "You've been working since dawn. Are you sure you don't want to rest before tonight's welcome feast?"

"I'm fine," I assured her, though my back ached from repairing the packhouse roof earlier that morning.

I slipped into Jonas's office when I knew no one would be looking. The leather-bound ledger lay hidden beneath a stack of trade agreements—my secret ledger, where I carefully tracked every penny of my royal dowry that had been funneled into saving this pack.

"Let's see... roof repairs, fifty thousand. New medical supplies, twenty thousand. Winter storage provisions, thirty thousand." My finger traced down the columns of numbers, each one representing a piece of my freedom bought at exorbitant cost.

Three years ago, I'd severed my mind-link with my brother Axel and fled the Royal Territory, desperate for something real. Something that wasn't dictated by bloodline or obligation. Jonas had promised me that something when he found me during a rogue attack.

"You saved me," he'd whispered that night, rain soaking us both. "I don't care that you don't have a wolf. You're my miracle."

And now, after three years of sacrifice, he was finally coming home from the Southern Summit. Home to me.

"He promised," I whispered to myself, closing the ledger with trembling fingers. "He promised when he returned, we'd announce our official mating."

I tucked the book away just as voices echoed from outside.

"The Alpha's convoy! They're back!"

My heart leapt. Jonas was home.

---

The driveway was already lined with pack members when I arrived, their excited chatter filling the air. I pushed my way through, ignoring the sneers and whispers that followed me.

"There she is—the little human who thinks she's Luna."

"Alpha Jonas won't even look at her once Leilani's in the picture."

I blocked them out, focusing only on the approaching vehicles. The lead SUV door opened, and Jonas stepped out—tall, broad-shouldered, his dark hair longer than when he'd left. My breath caught.

Then a second figure emerged beside him.

Leilani Jenkins was everything I wasn't—tall, voluptuous, with flowing auburn hair and an aura that screamed power. Her hand was intertwined with Jonas's as they approached the crowd.

"River Claw Pack!" Jonas's voice boomed with newfound confidence. "I've returned with great news and a special guest!"

The crowd erupted in cheers