The all-too-real bite mark burned my eyes.
I stared, the world spinning around me.
"What have you done?"

Zane's eyes followed mine. Panic flashed across his face before he masked it with a calm facade.
But Dahlia beat him to it, her voice dripping honey and venom.
“Oh, Your Highness, don’t get the wrong idea!” She snuggled deeper into Zane’s embrace, looking up with faux innocence. “I just wanted to experience it for myself… The mark is fake, I swear! Nothing happened between us.”
She said it so casually, as if she had no idea what that bite—even a fake one—was supposed to mean.
My stomach clenched, and my wolf howled in my soul.
Zane and I had our commitment ceremony five years ago.

Before the entire wolf population, we signed the Sacred Mating Vow.
But the final step, the sacred marking rite that sealed our eternal bond, he always held back.
His excuses were always so noble. “Cassia, just wait a little longer,” he’d always say. “Wait until our pack is strong enough, worthy of your noble royal blood. Then, I will give you the grandest marking ceremony in front of the entire Alliance.”
I believed his grand speeches. I understood his ambition.

And now, the sacred rite I had waited five years for… had become nothing more than a dress rehearsal, performed on another woman.
I took a deep breath, fighting to control my wolf.
But then I heard excited whispers from outside the door.
"Is our Luna really in there? We've never seen her since the pack was founded. I heard she's a legendary pure-blood Alpha princess!"
"Of course! Don't you remember? When the Alpha was courting her, he summoned a thousand moonlight butterflies on a full moon to spell out her name in the sky!"
"And at the Werewolf Academy!" another voice cut in excitedly. "Their mate bond was so strong even the professors were shocked. Zane would wait for her after every class to go on a moonlight hunt, always holding her favorite moonflower..."
"It was so romantic... Come on, I have to give the Alpha the latest report from the pack meeting anyway. Let's go see!"
The footsteps grew closer.
Three young she-wolves appeared at the open doorway, their faces full of hope.
They probably expected a fairytale scene—a noble princess standing beside her Alpha mate.
But when they saw the bright red "Blackmoon Pack's Slut" branded on my face, their words died in their throats.
The air in the room froze.
"S-Sorry, Your Highness," one of them stammered.
They quickly bowed their heads, desperate to escape the mortifying situation.
Zane finally realized how bad this looked.
His face darkened, his eyes flicking from the brand on my face to the gawking wolves at the door.
After a beat of tense silence, he turned to Dahlia. As if he was afraid I might actually hurt her.
"Dahlia, apologize to Cassia. Now."
At his words, Dahlia shattered.
"What?" Her eyes instantly filled with tears, her voice trembling.
“Zane, you gave me the sigil! You taught me the magic! You said I could play with it however I wanted!”
Tears streamed down her face.
Her cloyingly sweet Omega scent flooded the room, thickening with her distress.
“And now you’re forcing me to apologize? Making me bow?” her voice turned sharp and shrill. “Are you two ganging up on me?”
She looked up at Zane, her wet eyes full of hurt.
"I know I'm just a low-ranking omega. I'm not worthy of being by your side. If you're tired of me, I'll leave right now!"
With that, she spun around and made a break for the door.
That did it. Zane folded completely.
He stepped forward and pulled her tighter against him. Her sickeningly sweet scent billowed out, choking the air.
His gaze softened as he looked at her tear-streaked face. He let out a sigh.
“Shh, stop making a scene,” he murmured. “It’s not a big deal. Look at you.”
Then, he turned to me.
There was no guilt in his eyes—only a flash of impatience.
“Cassia, she’s young and doesn’t know any better. I apologize on her behalf.”
He paused, then added, “But you’re not going to make a big deal out of this, are you?”