Rejected by My Brother's Claws, Chosen by the Alpha King

On the day of the alliance ceremony, my supposed brother, Julian Jacobs, the Beta of the Silver Moon Pack, arrived with a heavily armed force to stop the proceedings.

He claimed he couldn’t bear to see me sent to the New Dawn Pack’s territory, a place he described as harsh and unforgiving, and was willing to risk everything to take me away.

But the moment I stepped out of the ceremonial car, he pressed his claw against my throat, using me as leverage to force my father, Marcellus Reed, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, to step down.

His laughter was wild and triumphant. "Avianna, you’ve been infatuated with me for years. Out of respect for your devotion, I’ll make your end quick when this is over!"

The warriors behind him erupted into mocking laughter.

They all believed I had been hopelessly in love with Julian for over a decade, willing to sacrifice everything for him.

What they didn’t know was that this alliance was nothing more than a carefully laid trap.

......

When Julian took me back to his camp, the faint metallic scent of blood still lingered in the air.

The grand procession that had accompanied me that morning was now reduced to a single, broken figure—me.

Julian’s Gammas glanced at me, their faces already lit with amusement.

"Hahaha, our Beta is truly brilliant. With the Lycan Princess as our hostage, we’ll march straight into the Silver Moon’s council chamber tomorrow!"

"Does the Princess really think our Beta came here to rescue her?"

"Beta, out of respect for her devotion, why not make her your chosen mate once this is all over?"

Their jeers echoed in my ears, but my expression remained unchanged.

Then Julian’s voice, laced with disdain, cut through the noise.

"Take her as my chosen mate? A fallen Lycan Princess? She’s not even worthy of that."

The laughter that followed was deafening.

I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging into my palms.

But I felt no pain.

A year ago, I would have been mortified.

I would have lashed out at them, demanding an explanation from Julian.

But now, I simply looked at him calmly and asked, "Julian, are you using me to threaten my father?"

He seemed momentarily taken aback by my composure, but his sneer quickly returned.

"Princess, you’ve grown wiser in the past year."

With that, he handed me over to the guards and followed his Gammas into the command tent.

He was busy.

Tomorrow was the culmination of his plans.

Even with me as a hostage, his meticulous nature demanded he leave nothing to chance.

I was locked in an empty tent, surrounded by guards.

Just when I thought I would be forgotten for the night, I heard the guards outside greet someone.

"Gamma Veronica!"

I looked up to see a woman in a white dress step inside.

Unlike my disheveled state, she looked as pristine as a lily.

"Veronica greets the Princess," she said with a graceful bow, though her eyes gleamed with triumph.

I lowered my gaze, refusing to acknowledge her.

But she continued, undeterred.

"Princess, did you ever imagine you’d end up like this?"

"Julian’s victory is inevitable. If I were you, I’d convince your father to surrender tomorrow. Who knows? Julian might show mercy and spare you both."

"Are you telling me what to do?"

I finally looked at her and uttered the name she once went by when she served me. "Fluffy."

The name was a slap to her pride, a reminder of her humble beginnings as my attendant.

Her face twisted momentarily, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Avianna, how long do you think you can keep up this act?"

"After tomorrow, you’ll be nothing but a fallen Lycan Princess, and I’ll have the freedom to do whatever I want with you!"

She leaned in close and whispered, "Here’s a little secret. Julian and I are already mated."

"Once he takes your father’s place, I’ll be his Luna."

She thought this would provoke me.

But she was wrong.

I had known about their bond for a month.

==============================

Julian and I had always been close, though we weren’t related by blood.

I loved him and dreamed of becoming his Luna.

But my father had always opposed it.

A month ago, after much pleading, he finally relented.

Eager to share the news with Julian, I secretly traveled to his territory.

But what I witnessed shattered my world.

I saw him and Veronica exchanging vows, sealing their bond.

I wanted to confront him, but then I overheard his conversation with his Gammas.

"Beta, by next month, we’ll be ready to move against the Silver Moon Pack."

"Good. I’ll have Avianna play her part, and we’ll march straight into Marcellus’s council chamber."

One of them asked, "Beta, are you sure you can go through with this?"

"After all, we’ve seen how close you and the Princess are. We thought you might actually love her."

Julian’s response was cold.

"Love her? Never."

"Pretending to care for her all these years has been nothing but a burden."

"The only one I’ve ever loved is Veronica. Don’t speak of this in front of her again. It would only upset her."

I realized then that all his promises, all his affection, had been nothing but a lie.

As I looked at Veronica now, a bitter smile tugged at my lips.

"Well, as your former chosen mate, I must congratulate you."

"But, Fluffy, you’re still as foolish and self-absorbed as ever."

Though she tried to maintain her composure, her face twisted with anger.

"Avianna, do you know what I hate most about you? It’s your arrogance!"

"But now you’re just a prisoner. Let’s see how long you can keep up this act!"

She raised her hand to strike me, but footsteps outside interrupted her.

In the next moment, Veronica’s slap landed on her own face.

She fell to the ground, tears welling in her eyes as she looked up at the newcomer.

"Julian, I only came to check on the Princess, but she attacked me!"

Julian helped her up gently, then turned to me.

A sharp crack echoed through the tent as his hand struck my face.

The taste of blood filled my mouth, and my heart ached as much as my cheek.

He gripped my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.

"Apologize to Veronica," he commanded.

The pain made my eyes water, but I refused to let the tears fall.

I spoke through gritted teeth.

"I’d sooner die than apologize to a servant."

Julian studied me for a moment, then chuckled.

"Die, is it? I’ll grant your wish tomorrow."

He turned to leave, taking Veronica’s hand, but I called out to him.

"Julian."

He stopped but didn’t turn around.

"So, everything you’ve ever said or done for me was just an act, wasn’t it?"

"Of course. Did you really think I could love the daughter of my enemy?"

Even though I had already known the truth, hearing it from his lips still made my heart tremble.

The love I had once felt for him shattered completely.

I closed my eyes, forcing back the tears.

When I opened them again, there was only cold detachment.

"Julian, are you certain you won’t regret this?"

"Never."

With that, he walked away, leaving me alone in the silence.