And then the very thing I had always dreaded came true—just as I had once overheard in a hushed conversation between Alpha Chester and Beta Julian.
The cool night air carried the mingled aromas of pine and sweetened wine, while the grand banquet hall buzzed with laughter, music, and the gentle clinks of goblets. Wolves from every corner of the kingdom had assembled for a festive gathering. The Alpha King, in a gesture of goodwill, had extended the invitation to all the packs—including mine, the Nightingale Pack. It should have been a night of joy and unity. Instead, it became the evening that shattered everything I believed in.
I had barely taken a sip from my glass when I heard a spoon tapping gently against crystal. The sound silenced the room. At the center stood Alpha Chester Crosby—the man I had known since childhood, the one who had pulled me out of my darkest days. His piercing blue eyes scanned the hall with calm confidence.
“I would like to make an announcement,” Chester said, his voice deep, commanding, and familiar to me in ways I could never forget.
That voice had once soothed my anxieties, a constant presence during the nights we spent at the shelter that raised us. My fingers clenched the goblet tighter as anxiety twisted in my chest. I couldn't tear my eyes away.
Chester shifted his gaze to Princess Stella. Her golden locks shimmered under the chandelier, her lilac dress making her look like a vision from a dream. She was my stepsister. The Alpha King’s daughter.
Then Chester dropped to one knee.
It was as if all the air had been sucked from the room.
“Princess Stella,” he said, his voice unwavering, “Will you do me the honor of becoming my mate, my Luna, and ruling beside me over the Nightingale Pack?”
Thunderous applause erupted. Gasps of surprise and delight filled the room as Stella covered her mouth in shock before breathlessly replying, “Yes! Yes, I will!”
I was paralyzed. My grip loosened, and red wine spilled over the rim of my goblet. My heart pounded so violently it drowned out the roar of celebration around me.
It happened. The thing I prayed would never come to pass—was now real.
And then, eyes turned to me. I could feel them, the stares full of sympathy—or was it pity?—and I knew they believed I couldn’t hear. So they whispered freely.
“Poor thing,” someone murmured.
“She’s been in love with him since they were kids.”
“Did she really think an Alpha would choose a deaf Omega as his Luna?”
“Of course, he’d pick Princess Stella. Everett’s just a nobody. A powerless Omega. Not fit to be anyone’s Luna.”
Every word stabbed like a dagger. I wanted to cry out, to scream that they were wrong, that their words were cruel lies. I wanted to shout at Chester, at all of them. But I was frozen. My body wouldn’t move, and my throat couldn’t form a sound.
My wolf stirred within me, tense and furious. We don’t belong here anymore, Everett. Leave.
Without meaning to, my legs moved, carrying me toward the tall doors of the hall. As I passed through the crowd, I caught a glimpse of my mother—my real mother—now Queen Luna Vanessa. She was crying tears of joy, clapping with pride for Stella.
Her joy wasn’t for me.
She saw me and tried to say something, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. The pain in my chest was too much. It felt like my entire soul had splintered.
When I turned eighteen, she had appeared and told me the truth—that I was her daughter. At first, I didn’t believe her.
She was the Queen Luna of the Western Wolf Territory. And that meant Stella was my stepsister.
But Stella had no idea. The only ones who knew were my mother and her current mate, Alpha King Nathaniel.
Why wait so long to tell me? Why only after I had spent years in that awful facility? Why not save me sooner?
She never gave a clear answer. Just said she hadn’t been ready. The only thing she revealed was that she and my birth father had separated a long time ago.
As for why I ended up in the organization? She claimed my biological father had hidden me there and that she hadn’t known. I had endless questions, but asking them made her look at me like I was being difficult.
“You can’t come live with me in the palace, Everett,” she told me once. “My husband is the reigning Alpha King. Can you imagine the scandal if people, or Stella, found out the truth? Just stay in the background. Let them believe you're an Omega—for everyone’s peace of mind.”
From that day forward, I kept my secret. Even Chester, the one person I truly trusted, didn’t know who I really was.
What my mother did make clear—repeatedly—was that my father was a dangerous man. A tyrant. Wicked beyond redemption. If he ever reached out to me, I was not to believe anything he said.
And then, about a month later, he did.
He began calling, messaging, claiming to be my father.
The Alpha King of the Eastern Territory. The man known far and wide as a ruthless tyrant. A villain. A monster.
And when the terrible accident happened three years ago that took my hearing, my mother’s coldness deepened. She didn’t even try to hide her indifference. I told myself she was just busy, that being Queen Luna came with its own burdens. I kept making excuses for her.
But after Chester’s betrayal… it felt like every part of my life had been built on lies. Lies from my mother. From Chester. From everyone.
