They Exiled Me Now I’m Their Queen

My fated mate, Riven, was the Alpha of a pathetic pack on the brink of collapse.

For five years, I was his shadow, his strategist. I built his pack from nothing until the Alliance finally recognized us, and we were set to move to the fertile lands.

Riven promised we'd have our mating ceremony once we settled in the new territory.

But at the celebration feast, the night before the move, he threw me in a cell.

He publicly announced that Jenna—the she-wolf carrying his pup—would be the pack's Luna.

I couldn't believe it. I screamed at him, but he just sneered and pointed to a crystal pulsing with dark magic.

"Jenna already has proof of your betrayal! Sleeping with Alphas for their support. You make me sick!"

I begged him. But he just sliced my cheek with the silver-edged rejection letter, formally casting me aside.

But he didn't know who I really was.

I am the Alpha King's daughter.

The strategies, the power, the alliances—they weren't his. They were mine.

So I took it all back.

Alpha Riven was my fated mate. I had forged his failing pack into a powerhouse. Our victory was supposed to be a new beginning. Instead, at the celebration feast, he rejected me for another she-wolf—one carrying his pup.

"Tonight, we celebrate the glory of the Blackmoon Pack!"

The bonfire roared. Riven stood on a high platform, raising his silver goblet.

His handsome face glowed in the firelight, his deep eyes sweeping over every pack member.

"Tomorrow, we leave this barren, snowy wasteland and move to the rich lands at the heart of the Alliance!"

A thunderous cheer erupted.

Pack members raised their goblets, a primal energy crackled through the camp.

I stood in the shadows, watching my creation. The Alpha I had built from nothing.

Five years. I’d taken a pathetic pack of a dozen wolves and forged them into a force worthy of the Alliance’s heartlands.

I had made this happen.

But my father’s warnings about the treachery of power always echoed in my mind.

With every alliance I forged, with every strategy I devised, I created a shadow copy, a hidden ledger of proof.

I called it my “dowry insurance,” praying to the Goddess I would never need it.

But yes, I still held one secret close to my heart.

Once we were in the Alliance, I would reveal my true self.

And I would offer him a throne.

"Mark, give the moonstones to our warriors," Riven's voice called out.

I looked eagerly at the Beta, Mark.

My heart hammered. Moonstones. The highest honor in the pack, reserved for its greatest heroes.

Mark held a silver platter loaded with the glowing stones and began to hand them out.

"Erik, for your bravery at Ice Bear Valley."

"Lisa, for your work during the food crisis."

"Tom, for your brilliant negotiations."

One by one, pack members received their honor.

Mark walked up to me… and then walked right past me, handing a moonstone