A cold laugh escaped my lips.
The humiliating brand on my face burned like fire.
And there stood my mate, comforting another she-wolf, leaving me on the verge of shattering.

Seeing my silence, Zane let go of Dahlia and walked toward me.
"Here, let me help you with that," he said, raising a hand to wipe the mark from my face. "But you were the one who said she was pitiful. You asked me to take her in when I started the pack, remember? She just lost her parents and her pack too young..."
I stood frozen as his fingers touched my cheek.
Yes. I remembered.
That rainy night two years ago.
I was patrolling the border when I found Dahlia, half-dead, being attacked by a group of rogue wolves.

She told me her pack had been slaughtered, that she had never been respected, forced to wander just to survive.
She was so fragile then, her eyes full of despair.
My heart went out to her.
I brought her back to our pack and gave her sanctuary.

Zane had complained about it at the time.
"Cassia, you're too soft," he'd said with a frown. "This omega doesn't even know basic pack etiquette. She's useless with magic. She'll just be a burden."
Now, that "burden" was the treasure of his heart.
And the omega I personally saved had just plunged a knife in my back.
Zane’s fingers wiped gently at my face, but instead of fading, the mark began to spread.
His touch activated the special ink. The stain bled across my skin like a disease, stretching from my right cheek down to my jaw.
"Damn it," he cursed. "This mark is more stubborn than I thought."
I must have looked pathetic.
I knew it for sure when I heard Dahlia’s unconcealed giggle from behind him.
My humiliation was her greatest pleasure.
"Alpha," she said suddenly. "It's almost time. The Alliance's Full Moon Gala is about to start."
Zane glanced at his watch and grew anxious.
"You're right," he said, turning back to me. His tone became all business. "Cassia, your face... you can't be seen like this. Go back to the manor and wait for me. I'll come back after I'm done."
He was taking Dahlia to the Full Moon Gala.
The most important celebration in the entire wolf kingdom, an event only the highest-ranking members were invited to.
And I, the Wolf King’s daughter, his official mate, was being told to go home and wait?
Because of this damned, humiliating mark?
"I understand," I said, my voice unnervingly calm.
Zane nodded and reached for Dahlia's hand.
Just as they turned to leave, Dahlia glanced back at me.
I will never forget that look.
She gave me a triumphant, taunting smile. Her eyes screamed, See? He chose me.
I watched Zane's back as he walked away without a second thought, and the last bit of warmth in my heart died.
"Zane, if this is how you choose to handle this, then don't blame me for what comes next..."
I hadn't even finished my sentence before he waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder.
"Don't overthink it, Cassia. Just get some rest. I'll see you at the manor."
They left the office.
But with my sharp hearing, I heard Zane’s soft voice drifting down the hall.
"Don't worry about what just happened," he said gently. "Cassia is just having a hard time adjusting. She'll get over it."
"But Zane, I'm scared..." Dahlia's voice trembled. "She's the Wolf King's daughter. What if she really tries to hurt me..."
"She won't," Zane cut her off with his Alpha authority. "I'm here. No one will touch you. I promise."
Listening to them, something inside my chest shattered completely.
Five years.
Five years as mates, five years of devotion, five years of sacred promises.
In that single moment, it all turned to dust.
Their footsteps faded away.
I stood alone in the empty office, the mark still burning my skin.
The young pack members at the door had long since fled in terror. Now, only a single attendant remained, trembling in the hallway.
"Get me a veil," I said calmly.
The attendant scrambled to hand me a black veil.
I covered my face and walked away from the place that had shattered my heart.
Outside the building, I pulled out my phone and made the first call.
"Elder Foster? It's me, Cassia." My voice was terrifyingly calm. "I need you to do something for me. There's an omega at the Full Moon Gala named Dahlia. I need you to 'escort' her to me."
The Elder on the other end seemed to sense something was wrong. His voice turned serious. "Your Highness, what's happened?"
"Nothing serious," I said with a cold smile. "I just need to have a little chat with her."
"I understand. It will be done."
I hung up and immediately dialed a second number.
"Magical Supplies?" My voice was laced with deadly cold. "I need to order one hundred custom seals. Engraved with 'Blackmoon Pack's Slut.'"
"And I'll need your special enchanted ink. The kind that carries the permanent stench of shame and exile. And I need it immediately."