They didn't exile me. They dragged me to the basement. First, they planned to steal my baby for Harper. Then, when jealousy rotted her mind, they decided to kill it.
My own foster parents held me down, having sold me to clear their debts, while a doctor approached with a silver scalpel.
"It's a Rogue mistake," Gabe said, watching me struggle against the straps. "End it."
With seconds left, I begged for one final phone call. I dialed the number on an old, yellowed card I'd hidden for years.
Gabe laughed, thinking I was calling a friend. But when the voice on the other end spoke, the room shook with an aura that forced the Alpha to his knees.
"I am Antony Dean, the Lycan King," the voice roared through the speaker. "And I am ten minutes away."
Gabe had rejected a nobody. He didn't know he had just declared war on the Princess of the Royal Pack.
Chapter 1
Charlotte POV:
Cedar and rain. It bypassed my brain and went straight to my marrow-fresh wood after a storm, spiked with the sharp tang of ozone.
My Mate.
I stood at the edge of the ballroom, clutching my cheap velvet clutch against my stomach. A secret grew there. A tiny, terrifying secret.
Gabe Sullivan, the Alpha of the Sullivan Pack, was somewhere in this sea of expensive suits and designer dresses. Tonight was the annual gala, a glorified business merger masquerading as a party.
My heart hammered against my ribs. I was an orphan, a nobody. The pack called me 'Wolfless' because I hadn't shifted by eighteen. In this world, that didn't just mean you were weak; it meant you were disposable.
But the Moon Goddess had a sense of humor. She had paired me with the Alpha. Even if he hadn't marked me yet, even if he kept our bond quiet 'for business reasons,' I knew he felt it. The electricity. The pull.
I smoothed down my drab blue dress. I was going to tell him tonight. An heir. This changed the game.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," a voice boomed.
The lights dimmed. A spotlight cut through the darkness, landing on the center stage.
There stood Gabe. He looked like a god in a tuxedo, jawline sharp, shoulders broad. But he wasn't alone.
Harper was clinging to his arm.
My breath hitched. Harper was the daughter of the Nicholson Alpha. Old money, strong bloodline, and a wolf form that was sleek, fast, and vicious. She was everything I wasn't.
"I have a special announcement," Gabe said into the microphone. His voice was deep, amplified by his Alpha aura. "The Sullivan Pack is entering a new era. To secure our place on the Council, we need strength. We need strong alliances."
My wolf, usually dormant, stirred uneasily. Nausea rolled over me, and it wasn't just the morning sickness.
Gabe smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He placed a large hand possessively over Harper's flat stomach.
"I am proud to announce my engagement to Harper Nicholson. And..." He paused for dramatic effect. "We are expecting the future Alpha heir."
The room erupted. Flashes blinded me.
My world didn't stop; it imploded.
Heir? Harper?
I stared at Gabe. He knew. He had to know that we were mates. The bond wasn't something you could ignore. It was biological law.
I tried to reach him. I pushed my thoughts toward him, trying to open the Mind-Link.
Gabe? What are you doing?
Silence. Not just silence-a wall. He'd blocked me.
The applause died down as the couple descended the stairs. I didn't think. I just moved. I cut through the crowd like a ship through ice, people parting way, wrinkling their noses at my distress. I smelled like burnt sugar and panic.
I stopped right in front of them.
Gabe stopped. His eyes flicked to me. There was no love in them. No recognition. Only annoyance.
"Charlotte," he said, voice low. "Not now."
"You're lying," I whispered. "You can't be with her. You're my mate."
Harper let out a delicate, cruel laugh. She leaned into Gabe, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder to mix their scents. "Sweetie, don't be pathetic. Everyone knows you're Wolfless. Gabe needs a real Luna. Someone who can give him strong pups, not... whatever you are."
"I am pregnant!" I screamed.
The ballroom went deathly silent. Even the music died.
Gabe's face turned to stone. He stepped forward, looming over me. The cedar scent turned sour.
"You are confused," Gabe said loudly, for everyone to hear. "You are an orphan charity case my family took in. Do not mistake my kindness for affection."
"I feel the bond!" I cried out, tears streaming. "The Goddess chose us!"
"The Goddess made a mistake!" Gabe roared.
The force of his voice hit me like a physical blow. The Alpha Tone. It forced my knees to buckle.
"You have no wolf," he spat. "You have no lineage. You are nothing. And you dare to ruin my night?"
Rage, hot and blinding, surged through me. It was the instinct of a mother protecting her unborn.
I swung my hand.
Smack!
The sound echoed through the silent hall.
For a second, nobody moved. Touching an Alpha in anger was a crime.
Gabe touched his cheek. His eyes turned pitch black-his wolf surfacing.
"Gabe!" Harper shrieked, faking fear. She released a scent of distress-cloying and sweet. "She's crazy! She's going to hurt the baby!"
Roaring with blind instinct, Gabe shoved me.
He didn't hold back. I flew backward, crashing into a table of champagne flutes. Glass shattered. I hit the floor hard, instinctively curling around my belly.
Pain shot through my shoulder.
Gabe stood over me, chest heaving. He didn't look sorry. He looked at me like I was a stain on his carpet.
"Get her out of here," Gabe commanded. "For the glory of the Sullivan Pack, I acknowledge Harper as my Luna. Remove this trash."
Two pack warriors stepped forward. They grabbed my arms and dragged me across the floor.
"Gabe! Please!" I screamed, heels scraping against the marble. "It's your child! It's your blood!"
He turned his back to comfort Harper.
As the doors slammed shut, I learned my first real lesson about power: The mate bond means nothing to men who worship money.
I was alone.