Melissa's POV

Age 10

I pressed my ear against the oak door, trying to make myself smaller, invisible. Inside the council chamber, voices rose and fell, angry, insistent, and demanding

"She's a liability, Alexander!" That was Lord Thornwood, his voice sharp with disdain. "A female heir? In this political climate? The other packs will see it as a weakness."

"Melissa is my daughter." My father's voice was calm, but I heard the steel underneath. "And she will be Alpha after me."

"That's exactly the problem," another voice chimed in. Elder Marcus, I thought. "Pack law allows it, technically, but tradition..."

"Tradition," my father interrupted, "once demanded we kill cubs born with defects. Tradition said rogues deserved death on sight. Tradition changes, Marcus, when it no longer serves us."

I felt my chest swell with pride, even as shame burned my cheeks. They were arguing about me. Because of what I was, or rather, what I wasn't.

The door opened suddenly, and I stumbled backward, caught. My father stood there, tall and commanding in his formal Alpha attire, but his expression softened when he saw me.

"Listening at doors again, little wolf?" he asked, but there was no anger in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Father. I just..." my voice cracked. "They hate me. Because I'm a girl. Because I can't..."

"Come." He gestured, and I followed him through corridors I had known all my life, past portraits of stern-faced Alphas who seemed to judge me with painted eyes. We climbed to the highest tower, where the wind whipped my hair, and the whole territory spread below us like a patchwork quilt.

"Do you know why I named you Melissa?" Father asked, leaning against the stone parapet.

I shook my head. I had never asked.

"It means 'honeybee' in the old language. Small, often underestimated, but crucial to survival. Bees build complex societies, communicate, and protect their queen fiercely. And they can sting when threatened, sometimes fatally." He smiled at me. "Your mother chose it. She said you would need a name that reminded you that size and softness don't equal weakness."

"But the council..."

"The council is afraid," Father said simply. "Change terrifies people, Mel. They have had centuries of male Alphas, of certain ways of doing things. You represent something new, something they don't understand. That makes you dangerous to them."

"I don't want to be dangerous," I whispered. "I just want to belong."

Father knelt so we were eye level, his hands on my shoulders. "You belong by birthright and by spirit. You have Alpha blood, Melissa. I have watched you with the young pups, seen how they follow you. I have seen you settle disputes between older wolves with wisdom beyond your years. You have everything you need to lead except one thing."

"What?" I asked desperately.

"Belief in yourself." His grip tightened. "The world is going to tell you that you are not enough. That you are too soft, weak, and female. They will try to make you hide who you are, try to make you smaller to fit their expectations. Don't let them."

"But how?" Tears spilled over now, all the frustration and fear I had been holding inside. "How do I stay myself when everyone wants me to be different?"

"By remembering this moment," Father said. "By remembering that an Alpha's strength isn't just physical. It's moral. It's choosing justice over convenience, mercy over vengeance, growth over stagnation. Those qualities don't require muscles or aggression. They require courage. And Mel," he wiped my tears with rough, gentle fingers, "you have more courage in your little finger than most wolves have in their entire bodies."

We stood there as the sun set, turning Eden's territory copper and gold. I wanted to freeze this moment, hold it forever, my father's faith, the peace of twilight, the feeling that maybe, just maybe, I could be enough.

"Promise me something," Father said as we prepared to descend.

"Anything."

"When you are Alpha, not if, when, promise me you will be brave enough to change what's broken. Don't lead because that's what I want. Lead because you see something worth protecting, fighting for, and transforming. Lead because you believe Eden can be better than it is."

"I promise," I said, meaning it with every fiber of my being.

Father smiled, sad and proud at once. "Good. Because, Mel, the world is changing whether the council likes it or not. And you are going to be at the front of that change. It won't be easy. In fact, it will probably be the hardest thing you ever do."

"Will I be alone?" I asked, voicing my deepest fear.

"Sometimes," he admitted. "Leadership is lonely, especially when you are pioneering new paths. But remember, every wolf who follows you, every reform you implement, every injustice you correct, you are building something. Legacy isn't about being perfect. It's about being purposeful."

He took my hand as we descended the tower stairs, and I held on tight, trying to memorize the feel of his calloused palm, his steady presence.

"I love you, Melissa," he said at my chamber door. "Never doubt that. And never doubt yourself. You are exactly who Eden needs."

I didn't know then that I would lose him within the year. Didn't know about Leon's poison, about the betrayals and wars and impossible choices ahead. Didn't know I'd face cursed marks and assassination attempts and battles that would test everything he'd tried to teach me.

But I knew, standing in that doorway, that my father believed in me.

And sometimes, belief is the seed from which everything else grows.

Even Alphas.

Especially Alphas who dare to be different.

MELLISSA'S POV

“Breathe, Melissa, just breathe,” I tell myself as I take in a sharp breath before stepping into the royal courtroom.

I have always hated the courtyard because it always reeked of power, control, and dangerous ambition. I scan the room quickly before taking a seat at the center of the courtroom and try to remain composed as I unconsciously dig my fingers into the armrest of my chair. I force my spine to sit up straight with the intention of projecting the elegance the elders and pack members expect of the Alpha’s daughter. But inside, my heart beats wildly, desperate to break free.

“This is it,” I mutter. The moment I have bled for, and schemed for. Today, I either claim my crown… or lose everything.

Across the room, Marcel was standing at the podium, my mate, my partner, my chosen Alpha. His black and gold robes catch the chandelier’s glow, the silver clasp having a life of its own. He’s everything I molded him to be: tall, proud, and commanding. My lips curve into a tight smile as I watch him. I can almost hear my late father’s voice echoing in my skull: If they won’t accept a female Alpha, give them a male they can’t refuse. You’ll rule through him. It had been a bitter pill, but I swallowed it for Marcel, for us. I would do anything to keep my uncle Beta Leon, that venomous snake, from stealing my pack and my birthright.

The crowd’s murmur swells as the elders settle into their seats. Some nod at me, their smiles warm but fleeting. Others sneer, their eyes dripping with condescension, like I’m lucky even to be here. Let them stare- I sneer. After today, they will have no choice but to bow to me.

Marcel clears his throat, and the hall falls into silence. My pulse quickens in anticipation. “Here we go,” I mutter, barely audible.

“Today,” his voice booms, “I, Alpha Marcel of the Eden Pack, name my Luna, the one who will stand beside me to lead us into a new era.”

I lean forward, my chest tight with excitement. Every sacrifice, every secret plan, every sleepless night, it’s all for this. My hands are clammy, and I rub them together.

“I choose…”

I hold my breath, waiting for my name.

“…Linda Winters.”

The world tilts around me. My vision blurs, and I blink hard, certain I had misheard him. Linda! My cousin? That scheming, vulture-eyed traitor who’s been circling Marcel like prey? The hall explodes in applause, elders rising, their cheers a deafening roar. I am completely frozen in place, my smile cracks, splintering into nothing.

Linda steps forward, her blonde curls bouncing, with a smirk across her face. My stomach lurches. “No,” I whisper. “This is wrong, more like a sick joke.”

I am on my feet before I know it, my legs trembling with rage. “What the hell did you just say?” My voice slices through the noise, raw and shaking.

The clapping subsides as heads turn toward me. Marcel’s eyes, those eyes I have loved and trusted, flick to me, then slide away like I’m nothing. “You heard me, Melissa,” he says, smooth and cold, like he’s scolding a child. “Linda Winters is my chosen Luna.”

My knees nearly buckle. “Chosen Luna?” The words burn my throat. “I’m your mate, Marcel! The Alpha’s daughter who made you! You promised…”

“Melissa.” Leon’s voice cuts through, cold and final. My uncle is already standing, his face a mask of irritation. “You’re making a scene. Guards.”

Two warriors in gleaming armor step forward, the sight of them made my body coil instinctively, every muscle tightening, my wolf rising to the surface with a guttural snarl that vibrates through my chest. My hands curl into fists, nails digging into my palms until I nearly break skin.

They advance with caution, not the blind obedience of soldiers, but the wary steps of men who know exactly who I am. Their eyes flicker, not just to Marcel but to me, lingering for a fraction too long. Respect and recognition of my father’s bloodline burns between us. They know I am no ordinary Luna-to-be, no discarded lover. I am the Alpha’s daughter, born to rule.

And for a brief, fragile moment, they hesitate. Their shoulders stiffen, their grips tightening on their weapons, but their movements stall as if some invisible hand pulls them back. They’re waiting, not for Leon, not for the elders, but for Marcel. They want his word before they dare to lay a hand on me.

That pause is everything. It tells me I still matter, that I still command a sliver of fear and reverence in this hall. My wolf surges against the thin leash of my control, snarling in my mind: Fight! make them bleed before they touch us.

But all I can do is stand there, trembling with rage, staring at the man I built into an Alpha, the man whose voice alone can decide if these warriors will treat me like royalty… or drag me out like a criminal.

My eyes meet and lock with Marcels', pleading silently. Fix this. Tell me this isn’t real. But his jaw tightens, and in a voice like ice, he says, “Remove her.”

It feels like my gut is punched, almost stealing my breath. “You coward,” I spit, my voice quivering with fury. “You think you can toss me aside? After everything I…”

A guard’s hand clamps my arm. My wolf roars, and I jerk free, snarling, “Don’t touch me!” My shout echoes off the marble, but the crowd just stares, silent, and complicit. The second guard grabs me, harder. I twist, almost breaking loose, but they’re stronger, dragging me back. Linda’s smirk burns into me, her fake modesty a slap in the face as she sidles up to Marcel.

“Get off me!” My voice cracks as I scream and plead at the same time, which I absolutely hated. I swore I would never sound weak, not here, not now, and never in front of my uncle. But Marcel didn’t flinch as he watched me struggle; rather, he lifted Linda’s hand like a trophy, letting the elders cheer as if I were already erased.

Something in me breaks. If they want a fight, I’ll give them one. “You think this is over, Marcel?” I roar, my throat raw, my breathing ragged. “You think you can steal my father’s legacy and hand it to her? I swear on the moon, I’ll take it back, and when I do…”

“Enough!” Leon’s bellow drowns me out. “Take her away before she shames us further.”

The guards yank me toward the towering double doors, my boots scraping the polished floor. The sound drills into my skull, each step pulling me from the throne and life that was mine. "The room spins around me, the banners melting into faceless shadows, Linda’s smug smile burning in my vision, and yet all I can truly see is Marcel’s back, turned away from me, shutting me out as if I were nothing.

I dig my heels in one last time, wrenching my head toward him. “Look at me!” I scream. But he doesn't look at me, not even a glance.

The doors slam behind me, cutting me off from the life I was supposed to have.

MELLISSA'S POV

My chest heaved with burning rage, as if I had been running from something I couldn’t outrun. Marcel’s face wouldn’t leave me, the way his mouth curved into a smile when he looked at Linda, the way his fingers tangled with hers as if they had always belonged there. That smile used to be mine. That touch used to mean something. Now it was nothing but a knife twisting deeper every time I replayed it.

The corridor blurred around me as I stumbled forward, the chill of the stone walls biting into my palm when I reached out to steady myself. My wolf thrashed inside me, furious and wild, demanding I turn back. Insisting I tear down those doors, rip apart their lies, and remind them who I was.

But what was the point? The elders and pack members had picked their side. My uncle had played his game like a damn chess master. And Marcel…the fool had betrayed me.

My throat closed up, choking on what had just transpired and the pain it left me with.

The man I had fought for. The man I had dragged from the dirt and built into an alpha. The scumbag I had trusted with my heart has stabbed me in the back.

I thought I’d never see him again, not after he gutted my pride in front of the whole pack. But as the corridors emptied, and the servants and warriors slipping away into the night, I felt him before I saw him. Marcel stepped out of the shadows, his black robe carrying the faint musk of the throne room.

“Melissa,” he said, his voice low, almost tender.

That one word lit a fuse in me. All the rage I had been swallowing roared to life. I didn’t think; my hand flew, cracking across his face so hard my palm burned.

The slap echoed off the stone walls, but Marcel didn’t flinch; he didn’t growl. He just stood there, his cheek blooming red, his eyes locked on mine like he had been expecting it.

“I deserved that,” he said quietly.

His calm stopped me cold. My anger flickered, just for a second, my chest was still heaving, my eyes stinging as I searched his face. “What… what did you just say?”

“I deserved it,” he said again, slower this time. “For what I did to you.”

His words hit me and almost doused the fire burning within me. If he wasn’t fighting back and was not snapping at me… maybe this wasn’t his choice.

I swallowed, my throat dry. “Then tell me, Marcel. Why? Why her? Why, Linda, when you knew it was supposed to be me? I made you, Marcel. Without me, you’d still be a nobody, scrounging in the pack grounds. I put you on that throne. My father and I gave you everything.” My voice broke, jagged and raw. “So why did you throw me away like I was nothing?”

Marcel’s jaw tightened, his throat bobbing like he was choking on his own words. He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a rough whisper. “Because Leon forced me.”

I stumbled back, shaking my head. “No. Don’t you dare pin this on him. You’re the alpha now, Marcel. You swore you’d never bow to him. You swore to my father and me.”

“You think I wanted this?” His voice cracked, desperate, almost pleading. “You think I wanted to stand there, look you in the eyes, and break you in front of everyone? Melissa, I had no choice. Leon gave me an ultimatum. If I didn’t obey, he’d turn the elders against us. The whole pack would have come for our throats. I did lose everything…and you… You would be left defenseless.”

The walls felt like they were closing in. My nails bit into my palms, drawing blood, the sharp sting grounding me. I wanted to believe him, I wanted to so bad it hurt.

“Leon,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “It’s always Leon.” My uncle had been a shadow over my life, poisoning every chance I had to rise. And now… even my mate wasn’t strong enough to stand against him.

Marcel reached for me, his hand shaking as it hovered near mine. “I swear, Melissa, I’ll make this right. I can’t undo what happened in that hall, but I’ll give you back what you’re owed.”

“Give me back?” I gave a bitter and sharp laugh, jerking my hand away. Tears pricked my eyes, but I would be damned if I let them fall. “How? You stood there, Marcel, in front of the entire pack, and put a crown on her head. You made me look like a fool; there’s no fixing that.”

“There is,” he said, his voice urgent, stepping closer. His hands gripped my shoulders, firm but not rough. “Not the way we planned, not the way you wanted… but there’s a way. You can still be with me, Melissa. Not as Luna, but…”

I shoved him, hard. His back hit the wall with a dull thud. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” I hissed, my voice shaking with fury.

But he did. His eyes dropped, filled with shame, and his voice broke as he whispered, “Be mine anyway. Be my… mistress.”

The word was a white hot brand, burning straight through me. Mistress! Hidden away, a dirty secret, while Linda played queen. My heart pounded so hard I thought it’d burst, rage and heartbreak tearing me apart.

“Are you serious?” I choked out, my voice barely holding together. “After everything I’ve done, fighting for you, bleeding for you, building you into what you are, you’re offering me…scraps?”

“I’m trying to keep you safe!” he snapped, his voice raw, almost wild. “I love you, Melissa. I don’t love her. I never will. I only did this to keep Leon’s claws off you.”

My breath caught, a sob I refused to let out. For one stupid, fleeting moment, I wanted to believe him, wanted his words to fix the pieces of me he had broken. But then a sharp, mocking laugh cut through the air like a whip.

“Safe?” Linda’s voice echoed with pure venom, dripping with smug satisfaction. She glided into the corridor, her silk gown swishing, her curls bouncing like she was born to rule. That smirk on her face, she’d been waiting for this, savoring every second.

“Melissa, poor Melissa,” she purred, tilting her head like she pitied me. “Still falling for his lies?”

I went rigid, glaring at her. “Get out, Linda.” I shouted

She ignored me, sauntering closer to Marcel, her fingers brushing his sleeve like she owned him. “He doesn’t love you, never did. He chose me because he wanted me, because he loves me.”

“You’re full of it,” I snapped, but my voice wavered, betraying me.

Her smirk grew sharper, crueler. “Am I? Tell me, Melissa, has he mentioned where he’s been sneaking off to these past few moons? No? That’s because he’s been in my bed. With me.” She leaned closer, her eyes glinting like knives. “And now… I’m three weeks pregnant with his pup.”

The words hit me, taking my breath away. My vision blurred, my ears rang, and the floor tilted under me.

“No…” My voice was a broken whisper. I turned to Marcel, my hands shaking so hard I could barely breathe. “Tell me she’s lying, Marcel, please tell me she’s lying.”

He didn’t say a word. His lips were pressed tight, his eyes drowning in guilt he couldn’t hide. That silence, it was louder than any confession, heavier than any betrayal.

My chest caved in. My heart splintered, each piece cutting deeper than the last.

“You…” I stepped back, shaking my head, tears spilling now, hot and unstoppable. “You let me fight for you, bleed for you, make you everything you are, and you were with her? All this time?”

“Melissa, please…” Marcel’s voice broke as he reached for me, desperate.

“Don’t you touch me!” I screamed, my wolf surging, claws itching under my skin. “You don’t get to say my name. You don’t get to beg while you crown her, sleep with her, and…” I choked, the words too raw to finish. “...and give her what was supposed to be mine.”

Linda’s smirk was blinding, her hand curling around Marcel’s arm, claiming him. “You should have seen this coming, cousin. The pack needs strength, not your whining. And Marcel chose strength… and me”

I shook my head, my whole body trembling. My voice came out low, broken but steady. “No. He chose weakness and a whore. He chose to be a coward.”