My Alpha Left Me for a Fake Princess

The bell above the door of *The Gilded Claw* chimed softly as I stepped inside, the scent of sage and old parchment washing over me. It was a stark contrast to the sterile, modern smell of the Silver Lake Pack House, and for a moment, I let my shoulders drop. Here, amidst the dusty relics and enchanted trinkets, I didn't have to be the trembling, wolfless Omega everyone thought I was.

"Miss Hayes," the shopkeeper, an elderly warlock named Elias, greeted me with a bow that was far too deep for a girl in faded jeans and a thrift-store sweater. His milky eyes lingered on me, seeing something no one else in this town bothered to look for. "Your commission is ready."

He placed a velvet box on the counter. I opened it, my breath hitching. Inside lay a dagger forged from pure moonstone, the blade shimmering with an iridescent glow that seemed to pulse in time with my own heartbeat. It was a courting gift. A promise. Tonight was our three-year anniversary, and I was finally going to tell Leo the truth. I was going to tell him that the weak girl he’d been protecting was actually the daughter of the Lycan King.

"It hums when you touch it," Elias whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "Only a wolf of... significant lineage could make moonstone sing like that."

I quickly snapped the box shut, sliding a stack of cash—saved from my secret allowance—across the glass. "Thank you, Elias. Keep the change."

I hurried out before he could say more, clutching the box against my chest like a lifeline. My wolf, usually dormant under layers of suppressants and sheer willpower, stirred uneasily. *He isn't worth this,* she growled in the back of my mind. *He treats us like a pet.*

*He protects us,* I countered silently, unlocking my beat-up sedan. *He loves me for me, not my title.*

But as I drove back to the Silver Lake territory, the knot in my stomach tightened. Leo had been distant lately. No, not distant—cold. He stopped holding my hand in public weeks ago. He stopped calling me 'babe.' I told myself it was just the stress of his Alpha training, the pressure from his parents. Tonight would fix everything. Once he knew I was a Royal, his parents would have to accept me. The pack would have to respect me.

I parked around the back of the massive Pack House, avoiding the main entrance as usual. I was allowed in the kitchen and the servant’s quarters, but the main foyer was reserved for "ranked members." I slipped through the service door, the heavy velvet box hidden deep in my tote bag.

The kitchen was bustling with Omegas prepping for the Alpha’s dinner, but the moment I walked in, the chatter died. It wasn't out of respect. It was fear.

Standing by the granite island, arms crossed over her designer silk blouse, was Luna Austin. Leo’s mother.

She didn't look at me. She was inspecting a manicured fingernail, as if my presence was a smudge of dirt she was trying to ignore.

"Everyone out," she commanded. Her voice was soft, but it carried the weight of her Luna aura. The kitchen staff scrambled for the exits, leaving me alone with the woman who had made my life a living hell for three years.

"Luna Austin," I said, bowing my head slightly. "I was just going to start Leo's—"

"Don't," she interrupted, finally turning her icy blue gaze on me. She reached into her purse and tossed a thick, heavy envelope onto the counter. It landed with a dull thud. "Fifty thousand dollars."

I stared at the envelope, confusion wrinkling my brow. "I... I don't understand."

"It's a severance package, Katherine," she said, her lip curling in distaste. "Take it. Leave the pack. Tonight."

My heart hammered against my ribs. "Leave? But... Leo and I—"

"Leo is an Alpha," she snapped, stepping closer. Her aura flared, a suffocating wave of heat meant to make me cower. I had to dig my nails into my palms to keep my own Royal aura from lashing out and crushing her into the floor tiles. "He needs a Luna. A strong bitch who can give him powerful heirs and secure our borders. Not a charity case who can't even shift."

"I love him," I said, my voice shaking not with fear, but with suppressed rage. "And he loves me. We're fated."

Luna Austin laughed, a harsh, brittle sound. "Fate is a suggestion, dear. Power is a necessity. Leo knows this. Why do you think he hasn't marked you after three years?"

The door swung open behind me. I spun around, relief flooding my chest. "Leo!"

He stood in the doorway, looking devastatingly handsome in his training gear, sweat glistening on his forehead. But he didn't smile when he saw me. He didn't rush to my side to defend me from his mother's cruelty.

He looked at the floor.

"Leo?" I took a step toward him, but he flinched.

"Take the money, Kat," he muttered, his voice hollow.

The air left my lungs. The velvet box in my bag felt suddenly heavy, like a stone dragging me underwater. "What?"

"My mother is right," Leo said, finally looking up. His eyes were hard, devoid of the warmth I had clung to for so long. "The pack is weak. We're losing territory to the rogues in the north. I need an alliance. I need a mate who can fight beside me."

"I can fight," I whispered, the secret burning on the tip of my tongue. *Tell him,* my wolf screamed. *Show him who we are!*

"You can't even shift!" Leo exploded, his Alpha tone rolling over me, commanding me to submit. It was a slap in the face. He used the voice on me. "I can't wait for a wolf that might never show up, Katherine. I have responsibilities."

He walked past me, moving to stand beside his mother. The image of them together—united in their disdain—shattered something inside me.

"There's someone else," Leo said, his voice dropping to a murmur. "Someone worthy of the Alpha title. She's strong, Kat. She's... everything the pack needs."

I looked at the envelope of cash, then at the man I had lowered myself for. I had dimmed my light to make him shine, and he was discarding me for being too dark.

"You're making a mistake, Leo," I said quietly. My voice didn't tremble this time.

Luna Austin scoffed. "The only mistake was letting a stray dog sleep in the master's bed. Take the money and go, or I'll have the enforcers drag you out."

I gripped the strap of my bag, feeling the sharp edge of the moonstone box through the canvas. I didn't take the envelope. I turned my back on them, walking toward the door with a spine of steel I didn't know I still possessed.

"Happy anniversary, Leo," I said, pushing through the swinging doors, leaving the money—and my heart—on the kitchen counter.