The White Wolf They Caged Awakened the True Alpha

On the day I am supposed to become Damon's mate, he walks into the mating ceremony with his pregnant fated mate. The entire hall falls silent. Everyone who has come today knows that Damon, future Alpha of Blackthorn, is supposed to meet me at the altar. He is supposed to take my hand before the Blackthorn and the allied packs, and claim me as his chosen mate—his future Luna. Instead, Lila is tucked against his side. Her pale gold dress clings to a softly rounded belly. The pup inside her already carries Damon's scent. My chosen mate is having a pup with another she-wolf. Every wolf turns and looks at me. I feel their shock first. Then their pity and the cruel little flashes of interest they do not hide fast enough. Lila keeps one hand on her stomach. Her other hand rests on Damon's arm, delicate and trembling, like she is the one being dragged through this humiliation. Then I see what hangs at her throat. My whole body goes cold. A wolf fang pendant lies against her skin. Damon's first adult fang. In the Blackthorn Pack, a wolf's first shed fang is not a trinket. It is a vow—a promise of loyalty, protection, and choice. Three years ago, a few highborn wolves had laughed at me during a feast. They said a White Wolf like me, without my own pack's protection, was merely a tool and a toy— kept alive just because my blood was useful. They would never accept me as a pack member, let alone as their Luna. Damon broke one wolf's wrist for repeating their words. That night, he fastened the fang around my neck and said, "Selene, as long as I breathe, no one in this pack will ever hurt you." Seven days ago, Lila came to my room. She told me Damon wanted the pendant cleaned and blessed for our ceremony. Lila has lived beside me for years. She knows where I hide when I cry, how long I have loved Damon. I trusted her. Now she stands in front of me, carrying my mate's pup and wearing my pendant. Lila touches the fang with her fingertips. "Damon asked me to wear it," she says softly. Tears gather in her eyes, perfect and bright. "Selene, you don't mind, do you?" My nails bite into my palms. I look at Damon. I wait for him to show shame or regret, anything that proves the man I loved is still in there. He gives me nothing. He wears the black ceremonial coat, gold stitching sharp across his shoulders. He looks strong, calm, untouchable. But also unfamiliar, cold and distant. His hand stays on Lila's waist. "Give it back," I say. Lila flinches and hides half a step behind him. Damon frowns. "Don't make this ugly." "That fang is mine." "It was mine first." The words strike harder than a slap.

He glances at the pendant, then back at me. "Lila needs it more than you do now." Lila lowers her head and cups her belly again. I know that fragile look too well. In the past, whenever other she-wolves bullied her, she would come to me with this look. Whenever her wolf grew too weak, it was this look that soften me—enough to make me use my blood and power to strengthen her wolf. I still remember the first time she met Damon as a pup. She stood behind me and whispered his name as if she were afraid to breathe too loudly. I was the one who protected her. Now she hides behind the man who promised to protect me. The room is so quiet I can hear the candles crackle. Damon finally walks toward me. "Selene," he says, as if I am a problem he has to manage. "Today's ceremony will continue, but I won't complete a true mate bond with you." A low wave of whispers moves through the room. My veil suddenly feels too heavy. The tiny pearls sewn into it brush my cheeks with every breath. "Lila is my fated mate," he says. "She carries my pup. If he is born safely, he will be the future of Blackthorn Pack." "So what am I supposed to be?" I ask. His expression hardens, like he expected gratitude instead of a question. "When I become Alpha, I will let you stand beside me as my Luna." "In name." "Yes." He reaches toward my face, the same way he has done a hundred times before. I step back. His hand pauses in the air. His eyes flash gold for one sharp second. "But my mate mark will only go to Lila," he says. "The true bond too." The floor seems to tilt beneath me. Now I understand the shape of his plan. Damon wants the power my blood brings to his pack. He wants the rare White Wolf beside his throne so every allied Alpha will envy him. He wants my title, my healing, and my obedience. But his wolf chose Lila. His pup grows inside Lila. His mark belongs to Lila. Damon keeps talking as if he has not just gutted me in front of everyone. "Lila's body is struggling with the pup. The White Wolf blood can stabilize him." "After today, she'll move into the cottage with you. You can care for her there." A laugh rises in my throat, "You want me to care for her?" "Once a month," he says. "A little healer blood. Enough to keep the pup strong until birth." Lila sniffles. "The pup is innocent, Selene." Damon's voice softens, which makes it worse. "If you behave, I'll protect you. I'll let you keep your place in Blackthorn Pack. You'll have the title and respect." Respect. I love this man for years. I stand at the altar for him. In the end, I will never be his mate. I am just his fated mate's medicine.

For a moment, the pain disappears. It should hurt more. It should tear me open. Instead, my chest goes numb, like my heart has finally decided it is done begging. Damon betrays me. Lila steals from me. Now they both expect me to bleed for their pup. "You won't mark me," I say. "You won't give me a true mate bond. But you still want my blood?" Damon's jaw tightens. "This isn't about what I want. It's about the pack." "The pack," I repeat. That word has been used on me since I was a pup. "The pack needs your healing, Selene." "The pack gave you a home, Selene." "The pack must come first, Selene." I turn to Lila. "And you? What is this about for you?" Her eyes turn wet at once. "Selene, I never wanted to hurt you," she whispers. "But fated mates can't be denied. You know that." She leans closer to Damon. "And the pup is innocent." Her voice is soft. "You have the gentlest heart," she says. "You save wounded pups, sick omegas, even birds with broken wings." "You wouldn't let an unborn pup die because you hate me, would you?" The eyes shift back to me. Some wolves feel sorry for me. Some are enjoying this. But most of them are just waiting for me to give in, because that is what I am supposed to do. They all know I have no birth pack left. Blackthorn took me in after my family died. If Damon casts me out now, I have nowhere safe to go. But they expect Damon to offer me scraps, and for me to still kneel willingly for them? I won't. Slowly, I lift my hands and remove my veil. The pearls slide through my fingers. Damon's expression eases. He thinks I am calming down, that I have looked at the room, counted my enemies, and chosen to survive. He has never understood the difference between surviving and surrendering. I walk past him. Straight to Lila. Her eyes widen. "Selene?" I stop in front of her and look at the fang pendant. Damon's voice cuts across the altar. "Don't." I grab the leather cord and snap it from her neck. Lila gasps and stumbles back, both hands flying to her belly. "You scared me!" she cries. I do not answer. The fang lies in my palm, smooth from years against my skin. I know the tiny crack near the root. Damon once told me it made the fang special, because even strong things carry scars. I believed every word. I walk to the Altar. Damon watches me with disbelief and anger. I throw the fang at his feet. It strikes the stone with a small, hard click. "Your promise is dead," I say. "So is this mating." Damon's face changes. For the first time today, he looks truly furious. "Selene," he warns. Someone clears his throat. "It's not so simple." "It is," I say. "Did Damon mark me?" The man hesitates. "No." "Did I accept his bond?" "No, but—" "Then under pack old law, the mating is not sealed." His face drains of color. He glances at Damon, then at the empty seat where Luna Seraphine, Damon's mother, should be. Finally, he says, "Under old law, that is correct." The hall erupts. Damon steps toward me. "Do you understand what you're doing?" His eyes flash gold. His wolf presses close to the surface, offended and possessive. I turn to face the gathered wolves. Below the altar, the allied packs' Alphas stand with their heirs. "If Damon Blackthorn refuses to take me as his mate," I say, "then I won't force him." Damon goes still. I raise my voice. "Any unmated wolf here who is willing to accept me now, step forward." The room goes wild. Damon stares at me like he has never seen me before. "You wouldn't dare," he says. I glance at the fang lying by his boots. Then I look him in the eye. "I just did."

A hundred voices rise at once. Wolves turn to each other, whispering fast. Several Alphas look at me with hunger they do not bother to hide. I know what they see. White Wolves are almost extinct. True healers are even rarer. My blood can pull silver poisoning from a wound, calm a dying wolf, and keep a weak pup alive long enough to take its first breath. To the males watching me, I am not a heartbroken bride. I am power without a mark on her neck. For one wild second, I think someone may step forward. The Stone Creek heir shifts his weight. The second Alpha's son of Red Hollow pack looks at my throat. Then Damon laughs. The sound cuts through the hall. "Go on," he says, spreading his arms. "Take her." No one moves. His smile turns cruel. "Let's see which one of you has the spine to mess up with the Blackthorn Pack." Alphas lower their eyes and look away. Damon walks toward me slowly, sure of himself again. "You forgot something, Selene." His voice drops low, "Your name is tied to mine, to the Blackthorn Pack." I stand still. He leans closer. "Any wolf who accepts you right now challenges the Blackthorn, challenge me." His gaze sweeps the room. "And no one here is stupid enough to risk war for a she-wolf with no pack behind her." "Not even you are a White wolf." Damon hardened his tone, "You are precious, but you also bring danger." "Only the Blackthorn pack is powerful enough to protect you from those who wanted to abuse your power." No pack behind me. The words land exactly where he wants them to. Blackthorn raised me, and Blackthorn can cage me if it chooses. Damon reaches for my hand. "Enough," he says. "Stop embarrassing yourself." That voice used to make me feel safe. Now it feels like a rope closing around my throat. "If you apologize to Lila and the guests now, I'll pretend this never happened." Behind him, Lila wipes her cheeks. When Damon's back turns, her mouth curves just slightly. I do not take his hand. But… to be honest, I do not know where to go either. The doors suddenly slam open. Cold air rushes inside, carrying the scent of rain and pine. Luna Seraphine enters with six Blackthorn warriors behind her. Every step makes lower-ranked wolves drop their eyes. She sees Lila first. Then she crosses the altar and slaps her. The crack echoes off the stone walls. Lila falls to the floor with a cry, clutching her belly. Damon snarls. "Mother!" Seraphine turns on him. "You bring a nobody to your mating ceremony?" His jaw works, but he says nothing. Then Seraphine looks at me. Her face softens so quickly it almost seems real. "Selene," she says. "Poor child. Damon has shamed you today."