The Vengeance of a Female Alpha

Adelaide, daughter of the Shadowfang Pack’s Alpha, lived a very happy life until her father and brother died in the battle for the Lycan King. Following the agreement between the packs, she became the Luna of Ulric, the Alpha…

Chapter 1

Adelaide’s POV

The Bloodmoon Pack’s council hall hummed with cedarwood and dampness.

I shed my sweat-soaked silver fox coat, my fingers absently running over the moon goddess pendant at my neck.

The bronze throne beside me sat yawningly empty —Alpha Ulric’s seat.

Boots echoed on the stone steps before the door burst open, and the scent of melted snow and pine flooded in.

I knocked over the mead jug and rose to greet him, the amber liquid spilling across the sheepskin map.

“You’re back at last,” I stated, my voice firm.

A year ago, we’d pledged mates before the pack. Then, the Lycan King called him north.

He hadn’t even marked me.

Looking at him now, my thoughts were a tangled mess.

My wolf let out a low, defiant growl as he caught a jumble of scents on Ulric’s trail, making his hackles rise.

Now, Ulric stood armored and alive, his jaw set in the familiar stubborn stance.

“Adelaide, the Lycan King declared Velda will join the Bloodmoon Pack. I will mark her.”

My wolf gave a low growl in my ribs, catching the scent of another female on him.

“Lycan Luna swore Velda is a warrior through and through. Will she kneel as a breeder?”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Ulric’s cedar scent, mixed with his Alpha aura, washed over me like a tidal wave.

He strode past me toward the throne, the tail of his scabbard scraping the water-soaked stone, scratching at deep red moss.

“I am making her my mate,” he said, a sharp edge of anger in his voice. “She will be my second Luna, just like you—equal in the Bloodmoon Pack.”

The silver chain snapped in my fist. The moonstone pendant clattered into a puddle of rainwater.

“Two Lunas? The Moon Goddess would rage, and the Bloodmoon would grow weaker…” I ground the shattered gem under my heel. Suddenly, the rain outside the packhouse roared in my ears. “Last year, on this very day, you swore before her statue that my eyes were brighter than midsummer’s…”

“Those were pheromones!” he roared, his slit pupils narrowing as lightning flashed.

His sword hissed out, the tip lifting my damp collar. “Look at your neck. Even the temporary mark is fading.”

With a metallic sigh, he withdrew the blade from its scabbard. “Velda and I fought side-by-side in the north. I came to admire her. I used my merits in the campaign to beg the Lycan King for her place here. As my mate. The truth is, I didn’t need your approval.”

I stared at my flushed face reflected in the blade, memories of the east wing collapsing during the dry season resurfacing.

Those sultry nights, hauling basalt in the heat—Ulric’s messengers always claimed the war made replies impossible.

As it turned out, the cornflower seeds in the battle reports were never meant for me.

I let out a soft laugh, but when I spoke again, my voice was laced with sarcasm. “So you ‘admire’ her? What about the promises you made before leaving for the northern tribes? You said if I fulfilled my duties as Bloodmoon’s Luna, you would use your merits to save the Frostfang Pack.”

Ulric’s face grew uneasy.

He looked away, his voice firm. “Let us just forget those words. When we pledged mates, I hadn’t met Velda. You were always suited to be a Luna… and now I need something real.”

I watched him, noting the tenderness in his eyes when he spoke of Velda.

Soon, he turned back to me. “She’s unlike any she-wolf I’ve ever met. I love her.”

I felt as if I’d swallowed a fly—disgusted, but I forced down the lump in my throat.

“And the elder Alpha and Luna—do they approve?”

“Of course. It is the Lycan King’s decree. My father, as a former Alpha, knows what that means. Besides, they adore Velda.”

They actually approved? How ironic.

After all I’d done for Bloodmoon in the past year, this was my reward.

“Is she here yet? Why can’t I sense her?”

I frowned, my wolf snarling in my mind, his tail whipping against my spine.

“No scent of an interloper,” he snarled back.

Ulric’s gaze flickered, then he snorted, “She’ll be my mate soon enough. I’ve already given her a temporary mark.”

My wolf snarled in fury.

While Ulric hadn’t fully marked me, our vow before the Moon Goddess had made us mates.

To give another she-wolf a temporary mark was, quite simply, betrayal.

Sensing my rage, he pulled his sword back with a metallic shriek that startled the starlings nesting outside.

His iron-clad armor struck me, sending me reeling back. The bronze candelabra behind me clattered as I collided with it.

“I know you feel wronged,” he said, backlit, “but it is the Lycan King’s command.” He paused at the stone door. “You are still the nominal Luna—until the pack becomes accustomed to Velda.”

I forced a smile. “Then let Velda come to me. I have questions for her.”

Ulric refused point-blank. “No need. She’s not like the silly she-wolves you know. She is a warrior through and through and too proud for petty jealousy.”

I countered, “What does that make the she-wolves I know? Or in your eyes, what does it make me?”

Chapter 2

Adelaide’s POV

“Alpha Ulric, you seem to forget I am the daughter of Frostfang’s Alpha. Alpha blood flows through my veins…”

Ulric cut me off with a snort. “You grew up in the protection of your parents and your pack. You have never seen the teeth of war, never experienced a real fight. Velda despises soft wolves like you. I am sparing you the humiliation of her tongue.”

I almost laughed. Soft?

He had no idea what I’d been through. What I’ve become.

I was born in Frostfang and had enough brothers that I’d never inherit. Still, father, Alpha Bentley, sent me to train.

At fifteen, I found my wolf and shifted for the first time.

My father sent me to Shadow Peaks, where only warriors came out alive.

In Shadow Peaks, I learned hunting, fighting, and strategy—from the elders of the Shifters themselves.

The scent of iron and sweat pressed into my memory—training camp, year fifteen. I still remembered the boy’s look as I pinned him down, tearing out his throat mid-shift. He was older. Stronger. But I was faster—and hungrier.

The instructors didn’t bat an eye. They just nodded.

That week, I trained until my claws cracked and my lungs bled. I hunted blindfolded in the snow, disarmed full-grown males twice my weight, and stood howling over the shattered bodies of wolves who’d underestimated a girl born last in a bloodline of warriors.

But when I came back, Frostfang was ruined. Alpha Bentley and my brothers all fell in the same damned battle.

Mom’s wolf withered without her mate.

She hugged me and whispered, “Find a strong Alpha. Bear strong pups under the full moon. You are my last moonbeam.”

My heart felt like it had been cut out. No tears—just a howl stuck in my throat.

I trained to be the Luna who watches over the Alpha, who cares for every wolf in the pack.

Then, my mother chose Ulric for me—only because he swore to make me his Luna and to honor our bond.

I was forged for war, not this—to beg for a title before a man who’d already betrayed me. But my mother’s last wish chains me to this farce.

I lifted my chin, letting the cold fire in my chest shape my words.

My voice sliced through the air like a blade etched with frost.

“If she insults me, I will let it pass. Keeping the bigger picture in mind is Luna’s first duty, isn’t it? You yourself said I’m perfect for the role.”

He ran a hand through his rain-soaked hair. “Why cause trouble? The Lycan King’s orders stand. Even as my Luna, Velda won’t interfere in pack management. She despises everything you value.”

“Am I so desperate to be Bloodmoon’s Luna?” I countered, my fingers closing around the comb in my grip.

Ulric was a fearless fighter, but leading a pack? That wasn’t his strong suit.

The former Luna she-wolf was at her end—Digby’s potions were the only thing keeping her alive, and they were expensive.

Running the pack cost a fortune—food, medicine, everything.

Bloodmoon’s accounts were virtually empty.

For the past year, it had been my Frostfang assets keeping them afloat.

And this was the thanks?

Ulric lost his patience. “Forget it. I’m done talking. I just had to inform you—you can agree or not, but it won’t change anything.”

I watched him turn and leave without a backward glance. Bitterness flooded me.

I walked back to my cabin through the storm.

The house, not far from the packhouse, felt even lonelier now. I’d always wondered why Ulric never invited me into his home.

Now I understood.

Beata, my Omega from Frostfang, waited inside.

After showering and shedding my rain-soaked clothes, I sat at the vanity, combing my golden hair.

I told Beata what had happened.

Beata sniffled, her voice trembling with grief and disbelief.

“Luna Adelaide… Alpha Ulric is such an idiot. How could he do this to you? After everything he’s done—after Frostfang opened its gates to him.”

She balled her fists, her eyes burning. “Has he forgotten how he even got you? Back then, every eligible Alpha in the northern provinces fought for your hand—strong, wealthy, respected Alphas. And yet, you chose Ulric. Or rather, Frostfang gave him a chance.”

“I remember him kneeling before Luna Airella, swearing on his wolf’s name that he would cherish you, protect you, and honor the bond. He said you were the key to peace, to strength, and that he would never want another by his side.”

She turned to me, crying and furious.

“And now he dares to replace you with Velda?”

“That woman is nothing more than a nameless stray he dragged from the battlefield. She has no lineage, no name, no clean past. She fought her way through blood and carnage, while you were born an Alpha’s daughter and raised to be Luna for the sake of alliance and legacy!”

Now she was almost screaming.

“How dare he? After Frostfang bled for Bloodmoon? After you held this crumbling pack together with your own hands?!”

I said nothing, but the fire behind my ribs burned hotter.

Beata’s voice broke. “You’re not just anyone. You’re Alpha Bentley’s daughter. Frostfang’s last moonbeam. And he treats you as if you’re expendable?”

“Stop it,” I snapped at her, giving her a glare. “He never marked me. The temporary bite on my neck? It’s just a scratch. He’s not my true mate. Now, get the Frostfang ledger.”

“Why the ledger?” Beata wiped her eyes.

I tapped her ear. “Too stupid, aren’t we? If Bloodmoon’s Alpha treats me like dirt, why do you stay here as their lackey?”

Beata rubbed her ringing ear. “But the alliance—Luna Airella arranged it. Alpha Bentley wanted pureblood pups from you.”

Her name hit me like a slap. Luna Airella. My mother.

The last time she held me in her arms, she smelled of pine smoke and loss.

She braided my hair in silence, always too strong to cry, but I could feel the weight in her hands.

Six months ago, Frostfang was attacked again.

They didn’t just kill us—they massacred us. Elders with snow-white pelts, pups still drinking blood milk. My youngest nephew was nailed to the moonlit altar.

When I returned, all I found were the bodies of my mother and grandmother.

Now, I am all that is left.

The tribal elders laugh behind their hands when I speak of restoring Frostfang. To them, I am just a symbol, an ornament. An unpaired female with no value beyond her womb.

But Velda? She wasn’t like them.

She tore a northern warlord apart, left his blood on her claws, and earned the Bloodclaw Medal—the first female ever.

With her by Ulric’s side, his claim was solidified.

No wonder the Tenar Clan let her be Luna in Bloodmoon.

Let them crown Velda. Let them forget who I am.

I’ve played the dutiful daughter, the patient Luna, and the silent survivor long enough.

Now, it’s time to play myself.

Chapter 3

Adelaide’s POV

Beata brought Frostfang’s asset list. “You’ve spent six million on Bloodmoon’s operating costs this year alone. The mines, houses, and lands? Untouched. All of Luna Airella’s bank accounts and deeds are locked in the vault.”

I stared at the list. Airella had prepared all this to secure my happiness—how heartbreaking the memory of my current situation must be for her.

My wolf howled, and pain shot through me.

“Where can we even go, Adelaide?” Beata asked. “Back to Frostfang?”

The memory of Frostfang’s blood-stained square flashed before my eyes.

My heart constricted. “Anywhere is better than here.”

“But won’t Ulric be delighted if we leave?” Beata grumbled.

“Let him be,” I said simply. “Staying here would mean watching them adore each other for a lifetime. Beata, Frostfang is important to me. I must live well to honor my parents and brothers. The Moon Goddess will watch over us.”

“Adelaide!” Beata sobbed.

I knew her pain—everyone she loved had died in Frostfang’s massacre.

“Is there no other way?”

“Yes, there is,” I said, my voice like a wolf’s.

I brushed over the fading moon mark on my neck. The moonlight from the bronze lamp cast wolf-shaped shadows on the star-stone walls. “I will go to the Lycan King.”

I poked my finger at the temporary mark, and silver-blue blood splattered on my shirt. “I will use my family’s merits to ask him to revoke the decree.”

Beata paled. “Don’t do that! The Lycan King won’t agree—he’ll be furious. He has powers beyond those of Shifters. Don’t risk it.”

“Do you think me so foolish?” I smiled softly. “If the Lycan King allowed Ulric and Velda to bond, he can also allow me to leave Bloodmoon.”

I would not leave as a deserter or an exile.

As the last of Frostfang’s Alpha blood—one of the most powerful packs in the Shifter kingdom—I would leave with my head held high.

A knock sounded at the door. “Luna Adelaide, Luna Rosemary requests your presence,” came the voice from outside.

Adelaide suppressed her wolf and rose gracefully. “Let’s go,” she said.

The sun set over the Bloodmoon Pack’s square, and the rain had stopped. The autumn wind blew towards the nearby packhouse.

Bloodmoon territory, a gift from the last Lycan King, once flourished.

Now it is fading.

The Tenar family had no influence with the current king, nor a seat on the royal council.

Only Alpha Ulric and his brother Simon fought for the Lycan King.

The former Alpha’s brother remained in the pack, refusing to step down.

With dwindling members, Bloodmoon continued to weaken.

Beata and I arrived at Luna Rosemary’s house. She looked robust.

She sat on an obsidian sofa, tapping her claws on the armrest in greeting.

Others were present too: Simon and his mate Tamara, Ulric’s sister Sabrina, and even the elder Alpha’s brother.

“May the moonlight bless you, elders, loyal mates,” I intoned, bowing to reveal the healing mark on my neck.

“Come closer,” Luna Rosemary beckoned, her silver fur gleaming. “The north winds have finally brought your mate back. Frostfang’s blood debt shall be settled.”

I asked calmly, “Have you met Velda today?”

Luna Rosemary’s smile wavered, then she regained it. “Met her? She’s as rough as sandstone, even if her appearance doesn’t compare to yours.”

I held her gaze steadily. “So you don’t approve of her?”

Luna Rosemary forced a smile. “Likes and dislikes come with time. Since the Lycan King has spoken, the matter is settled. Velda will ride with Ulric, and you will lead the pack as Luna. How perfect.”

“Perfect indeed,” I said, smiling sharply. “A warrior like her degraded to a breeder—what a waste.”

Luna Rosemary laughed lightly. “The Lycan King’s decree also makes her a Luna, just like you.”

“Two Lunas? Is that even tradition?”

Luna Rosemarys Ton wurde kühler. „Du hast dich gut geschlagen, Adelaide, aber eine Luna hat die Pflicht, den Alpha zu unterstützen.“

„Wenn Velda hier ist, kann sie das problemlos übernehmen“, erwiderte ich.

„Aber Velda ist immer im Krieg“, sagte Luna Rosemary. „Du bist diejenige, die hier das Rudel führt.“

Ich wandte mich an Tamara. „Du bist die Tochter eines Betas und für diese Rolle ausgebildet. Du kannst das schaffen.“

Tamara wurde blass. „Nein, ich bin nicht geeignet. Alle sind zufrieden damit, wie du die Dinge handhabst. Das sollte auch so bleiben.“

Meine Lippen kräuselten sich. Zufrieden, weil ich das Rudel finanziere.

Aber die Zeiten haben sich geändert. Früher wollte ich wirklich Ulriks perfekte Gefährtin sein.

Und jetzt? Ich würde nicht den Narren spielen.

„Genug“, sagte ich und stand auf. „Ich werde morgen meine Pflichten übergeben. Von da an sind Bloodmoons Probleme deine.“