Whispers buzzed through the classroom like angry hornets.

"Did you hear? The King's son."

"He broke the bathroom door with his bare hands."

"I heard he threatened Chloe."

I kept my chin tucked to my chest, staring at the scratches on my wooden desk. My knuckles still throbbed from where Chloe had crushed them yesterday.

Mr. Harrison clapped his hands, cutting through the noise. "Settle down. We are adjusting the seating chart today. Julian, take the empty desk by the window."

Footsteps echoed against the linoleum. Julian bypassed the window entirely. He dropped his heavy canvas bag onto the desk right next to mine.

A collective gasp rippled through the room.

Chloe leaned across the aisle, whispering loudly to Maya. "Look at her. She totally planned this."

"Playing the poor, helpless victim to get a royal Alpha's attention," Maya snickered. "Disgusting."

I pressed my pen into my notebook until the plastic tip snapped. Ink bled across the lined paper. I didn't dare look at him. Julian had only stepped in yesterday because of royal duty. He saved a weak pack member from a beating. I wasn't going to flatter myself into thinking it meant anything else.

"Ignore them," Julian said.

His voice was a low rumble, meant only for my ears.

"I'm used to it," I replied, keeping my eyes firmly on the ruined page.

***

The cafeteria clattered with plastic trays and overlapping shouts. I sat at my usual corner table near the trash cans, picking at a bruised apple.

A tray slapped the table across from me.

I flinched, instinctively raising my arms to shield my face from whatever garbage was about to rain down.

Nothing hit me.

Julian sat down. He didn't ask for permission. He just pushed a foil-wrapped chocolate tart onto my tray.

"Eat," he instructed.

I lowered my arms, staring at the pastry. "I didn't ask for this."

"You haven't touched your food." Julian crossed his arms, leaning back in the rigid plastic chair. He ignored the hundreds of eyes drilling into our table. "Why do you always act like you belong under someone's boot?"

"You heard Chloe," I muttered, pushing the tart back toward him. "I don't have a wolf."

Julian stopped my hand. His fingers brushed my knuckles, his skin radiating an unnatural heat.

"Not having a wolf doesn't mean you lack value," he said.

I pulled my hand away, my chest tightening. "Easy for the future King to say. You don't know what it's like to be invisible."

"You aren't invisible to me."

My throat closed up. I grabbed my backpack and stood. "I have to go to the library."

I practically ran out of the cafeteria, desperate to escape the intense, unblinking focus of his ice-blue eyes.

***

The final bell rang. I hurried out the double doors, wanting to beat the crowd to the parking lot.

Footsteps matched my pace. Julian walked beside me, his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets.

"You don't have to follow me," I said, quickening my steps.

"I'm walking to the gate," he replied flatly. "Unless you own the pavement?"

A sleek black sedan idled by the curb. The tinted window rolled down. Liam Mercer drummed his fingers against the leather steering wheel. His family had sponsored my education and housing ever since my mother passed away.

Liam's eyes darted from me to Julian. His jaw tightened, a muscle ticking in his cheek.

"Get in," Liam snapped.

I hurried around the front of the car and slipped into the passenger seat.

Liam slammed his foot on the gas before I even buckled my seatbelt. The tires screeched against the asphalt.

"Seems you're quite good at getting male attention," Liam sneered. His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel.

"We were just walking the same way," I said, staring straight ahead at the passing trees.

Liam slammed the brakes at a red light. He reached over and grabbed my chin, jerking my face toward him. His nails dug into my jawline.

"Don't play dumb with me," Liam hissed. "You're a stray. Don't forget my parents put a roof over your head. Without the Mercer family, you are absolutely nothing. Stay away from him."

"Let go of me," I managed to say, prying his fingers off my skin.

He released me with a scoff, hitting the gas again. We drove the rest of the way in suffocating silence.

***

The front door opened before I even turned the brass knob.

Mrs. Mercer rushed onto the porch. She pulled me into a tight hug, smelling of expensive perfume and anxiety.

"We got a call from the school administration," she said, pulling back to inspect my face. "Are you hurt? Did those awful girls do anything else to you?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Mercer," I said, stepping back awkwardly. "Really."

Mr. Mercer stood in the hallway, glaring at his son. "Liam, why didn't you step in yesterday? You go to the same school. You should be watching out for her."

"I have my own classes," Liam shot back, his face flushing dark red. "I'm not her babysitter."

"Watch your tone," Mr. Mercer warned, his Alpha aura flaring briefly. "She is part of this household."

Liam scoffed. He shot me a venomous glare before stomping up the stairs. The hardwood groaned under his heavy boots.

"Ignore him," Mrs. Mercer sighed, patting my shoulder. "Go wash up for dinner."

I nodded and headed toward my small room at the end of the hall, Liam's angry words still echoing in my ears. *Without us, you are nothing.*

***

Julian sat in the back of his armored SUV, staring at the glowing tablet screen.

His royal guard, Marcus, handed over a thick manila folder from the front seat. "That's the last of it, Your Highness. Three years of incident reports."

Julian flipped through the pages. Photos of vandalized lockers. Medical records detailing bruised ribs and sprained wrists. Dozens of ignored complaints filed by a girl with no wolf.

"The school administration did nothing?" Julian asked. His voice dropped dangerously low.

"They swept it under the rug," Marcus replied, keeping his eyes on the road. "Because she's wolf-less. The Alpha King's mandate states all pack members are treated equally, but local officials tend to look the other way when it involves defects."

Julian closed the folder. The thick paper crumpled in his fist.

His father always boasted about the perfect balance and absolute justice of the Blood Moon Pack. But looking at the documented torment of the girl who had trembled in his arms yesterday, Julian realized something terrifying.

The King's justice was a complete lie.

Julian pulled out the final document in the stack. It was a suppression order, legally barring the school from investigating the bullying.

He stared at the signature at the bottom of the page.

It belonged to Chloe's father. The Beta of the Blood Moon Pack.

Julian pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Marcus," Julian said, his eyes turning entirely black as his wolf pushed to the surface. "Turn the car around. We're paying the Beta a visit."

"Are you actually wearing that to the Crown Prince's eighteenth birthday?" Liam asked, leaning against the foyer wall.

I ignored him, clutching the small velvet box in my coat pocket. Three months of diner tips paid for the platinum-plated cufflinks inside. They weren't solid gold, but they were the only way I could think to thank Julian for pulling me out of that bathroom.

"Don't embarrass my family tonight," Liam warned, stepping out the front door.

I followed him to the car in silence.

The royal banquet hall buzzed with hundreds of elite wolves. Crystal chandeliers cast harsh light over silk gowns and tailored suits. I stayed glued to the back wall, near the kitchen doors, wishing I could disappear.

"Well, well. The stray dog actually showed up."

Chloe Thorne blocked my path to the appetizer table. She wore a crimson dress that swept the marble floor. Maya flanked her right side, smirking.

"I was invited," I said, keeping my voice flat.

"Julian was just being polite." Chloe leaned in, her perfume thick and suffocating. "I saw you drop that pathetic little blue box on the gift table. Did you really think a cheap trinket would impress a royal?"

I tightened my grip on my empty water glass. "It's just a thank you."

"Oh, it's going to be memorable." Chloe's lips curled into a nasty smile. "I did you a favor. I swapped your cheap trash for something a male actually wants. A jumbo pack of lubricated condoms."

My stomach dropped. The glass slipped from my fingers, shattering against the marble.

"What did you do?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"I made sure everyone will know exactly what kind of desperate freak you are," Chloe whispered. "Let's see how the Alpha King reacts when his son pulls rubbers out of your box in front of the entire pack."

She spun around and marched toward the center of the room.

Panic seized my chest. I pushed through the crowd, desperate to reach the gift table. I had to steal the box back. I had to leave before Julian opened it.

A sharp chime rang through the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the head butler announced. "His Highness will now open a few select gifts to honor the evening."

Julian stood on the raised dais. He wore a tailored black suit that made his shoulders look impossibly broad. His ice-blue eyes scanned the crowd, stopping briefly when they found me near the back.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I tried to push forward, but a wall of tall Alphas blocked my path.

Chloe shoved her way to the front row.

"Future Alpha!" Chloe called out, her voice echoing across the silent hall. "Why don't you open your desk-mate's gift first? I'm sure it's very... special."

Laughter rippled through the elite guests. Dozens of heads turned in my direction. Their mocking stares pinned me in place.

Julian didn't smile. He turned to the mountain of presents and picked up the small blue box wrapped in silver ribbon.

I squeezed my eyes shut. *Please, no. Don't open it.*

Up on the stage, Julian ran his thumb over the edge of the wrapping paper. He paused. The clear tape holding the flap down was slightly wrinkled, overlapping an older tear.

He lifted his chin and caught the eye of Marcus, his royal guard, standing by the velvet curtains.

Earlier that evening, Julian had checked the security monitors in the west wing. He had watched Chloe sneak into the designated gift room, her hands clutching a blue box identical to mine.

Julian gave Marcus a microscopic nod.

"A moment, Your Highness," Marcus said smoothly, stepping onto the dais. He held a silver tray. "You dropped the card for this one."

Marcus expertly passed his hand over the blue box. In a fraction of a second, the tampered gift vanished into his jacket, replaced by the original box I had placed on the table an hour ago.

Julian took the real box. He pulled the ribbon loose.

I forced my eyes open, bracing for the humiliation. I waited for the gasps. I waited for the King's guards to drag me out by my hair.

Julian lifted the lid.

He reached inside and pulled out two gleaming, platinum-plated cufflinks. The silver metal caught the chandelier light, shining brilliantly.

Silence blanketed the room.

Chloe's nasty grin vanished. Her jaw dropped open. "Wait, that's not—"

Julian unbuttoned his cuffs right there on the stage. He tossed his expensive diamond links onto the table and slid the silver ones I bought into his sleeves.

He looked directly at me over the sea of guests.

"This is the most thoughtful gift tonight," Julian said, his voice carrying perfectly through the microphone. "Thank you."

A few Betas started clapping. Within seconds, the entire hall erupted into polite applause.

Chloe stood frozen, her face turning a mottled, ugly purple. She glared at me, pure hatred burning in her eyes, before turning on her heel and storming out of the ballroom.

I exhaled a shaky breath, my knees nearly giving out.

An hour later, the formal banquet ended, shifting into a loud dance party. I slipped out the side doors, eager to escape the suffocating heat of the crowd.

The night air bit at my bare arms. I hurried down the stone path toward the gates, wanting to catch a bus before Liam realized I was gone.

"Running away again?"

I spun around.

Julian stood under the glow of a wrought-iron streetlamp. He had ditched his suit jacket. His sleeves were rolled up, displaying the silver cufflinks against his tanned skin.

"I wasn't running," I said, wrapping my arms around my waist.

He closed the distance between us in three long strides. "You left without saying goodbye."

I stared at the silver metal on his wrists. The panic from the ballroom flared up again.

"Julian, I need to explain," I blurted out, my words tumbling over each other. "Chloe told me what she did. She swapped my box. I swear to you, I didn't try to give you... I really didn't send that kind of thing."

Julian stopped a few inches from me. The corner of his mouth twitched upward.

"I know," he said softly.

I blinked, totally confused. "You know? But the box..."

"I saw her on the security feeds before the party started," Julian explained, his tone casual. "She's not as clever as she thinks. I had Marcus retrieve your actual gift from the trash bin and swap it back before I opened it."

My chest tightened. "You went through the trash for my gift?"

"I wasn't going to let her ruin your night."

I looked down at my worn shoes. "Why? I'm just a wolf-less stray. Chloe's father is your Beta. You shouldn't make enemies out of her family just for me."

Julian reached out. His knuckles brushed against my chin, tilting my face up so I had to meet his gaze.

"I don't care about her father," Julian stated, his ice-blue eyes darkening. "And I already told you. You aren't a stray to me."

"I don't understand you," I whispered.

"You will." Julian stepped back, dropping his hand. "Go home. It's late."

I nodded, my mind spinning, and turned toward the massive iron gates.

Just as I reached the sidewalk, a black SUV pulled up to the curb. The tinted window rolled down, revealing Liam's furious face.

"Get in," Liam barked.

I climbed into the passenger seat. The heavy door slammed shut.

Liam didn't drive. He gripped the steering wheel, staring straight out the windshield.

"My father got a call during the banquet," Liam said, his voice eerily calm.

"About what?" I asked.

Liam turned his head. A dark, twisted smile stretched across his face.

"About you. The pack council just voted. Since you don't have a wolf, they decided you're a liability to the Blood Moon territory."

My blood ran cold. "What does that mean?"

"It means," Liam sneered, "you're being exiled tomorrow morning."