Chapter 1

I was the dirty secret of the Silver Creek Pack—an illegitimate daughter Alpha Harold kept in the shadows. My only value to them was to act as a substitute, forced to marry Alpha Victor of the Iron Crest Pack, a man rumored to be cruel, ruthless, and crippled from the waist down.

But at the mate ceremony, in front of hundreds of high-profile guests, I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"I reject you as my mate!"

The crowd gasped. Harold was shaking with rage, pointing a finger at my face and calling me insane.

But they didn't know. A voice had echoed in my mind.

*Don’t let him mark you. Once marked, you will lose me forever. The power running through your veins is far greater than this.*

That was the very first time I heard my wolf's voice.

"Clara! Don't you dare say that again!"

Alpha Harold’s roar almost shook the ceiling of the grand hall.

Next to me, Wendy, wearing her maid-of-honor dress, lowered her voice and hissed, "Are you crazy? If you ruin this wedding, Harold and Helen will beat you to death!"

I looked at her calmly, then at the stunned guests, and finally, my eyes landed on Alpha Victor sitting in his wheelchair.

The supreme ruler of the Iron Crest Pack. A battle six months ago had left him paralyzed, making him even more cold and tyrannical than before.

Everyone said the Silver Creek Pack was throwing me, the useless bastard, into a pit of fire.

But they didn't know that crawling into bed with the Iron Crest Pack was a golden ticket Harold and Helen had begged on their knees for.

Alpha Victor had no expression on his face. His dark, deep eyes locked onto me from a few yards away, as if he were watching a joke that had nothing to do with him.

Behind him, his Beta’s face turned grim, stepping forward to handle the situation.

"I said, I don't want this," I repeated. My voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the silent hall clearly.

*Slap!*

A hard strike stung my cheek. It was my stepmother, Luna Helen.

She rushed onto the stage, trembling with fury.

"You ungrateful brat! Have you lost your mind? You’ve humiliated the Silver Creek Pack! Apologize to Alpha Victor right now!"

I licked the taste of blood from the corner of my mouth and smiled.

"Apologize? For what? It's my life. If I don't want to get married, who has the right to force me?"

Harold’s lips trembled with rage. "You... you curse! You are marrying him today, whether you like it or not!"

He stepped forward, reaching out to grab me.

"Enough."

Victor navigated his electric wheelchair forward slowly. He stared at me with cold, calculating eyes. "Give me a reason."

I looked at him. This supposedly monstrous Alpha had no anger in his eyes right now—only curiosity.

I took a deep breath and gave him the excuse I had prepared. "I don't like you. And I sure as hell don't want to spend my life with a... cripple."

The words were toxic and sharp. Even I flinched at how cruel they sounded.

As expected, a collective gasp echoed through the room.

Harold’s face went entirely pale. He looked like he was about to pass out.

Wendy was looking at me as if I were already a corpse.

Victor’s eyes finally darkened.

His Beta, Ryan, stepped forward and said coldly, "Miss Miller, watch your tongue. The Iron Crest Pack is not something you can insult."

The temperature in the room dropped to freezing. But in my mind, I whispered.

*Shadow, I did it.*

Shadow let out a low rumble in my chest, a vibration that shook my soul. *Good job. Now, leave this place.*

The voice echoed, bringing a wave of power I had never felt before.

I didn't know what was hidden inside me, but I knew this voice wouldn't hurt me.

I threw my shoulders back and met Victor's icy gaze.

"I’m just speaking the truth. You can't force a mate bond, Victor. This wedding is over."

With that, I grabbed the skirt of my wedding dress, turned around, and walked away under everyone's disbelief.

I didn't make it out of the hall. Two guards in black suits blocked my path.

Harold shook as he spoke to Victor, "Alpha Victor, please don't be angry! This girl is out of her mind. I’ll lock her up and bring her to you myself..."

"Harold!"

Wendy quickly pulled him back, her eyes darting toward Victor.

"Alpha Victor, Clara is just immature. Please don't hold it against our pack."

Victor ignored their pathetic acting. He just kept his eyes on me.

"Miss Miller, you agreed to this wedding. Now you call it off in front of everyone? Are you playing games with me?"

I clenched my fists. "I'm not playing games. I just realized that I don't want to depend on anyone else for the rest of my life."

"Is that so?" Victor let out a dark chuckle. "I admire your quest for independence, Miss Miller. However, everything comes with a price."

The moment he finished, Beta Ryan stepped toward Harold. "Alpha Miller, according to our contract, since the alliance failed, the Silver Creek Pack will pay for all damages. Furthermore, the Iron Crest Pack is cutting off all financial and military support immediately."