Runaway Heiress: Alpha King's Fated Sweetheart | Read Free Preview
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Chapter 1 — The Lost Princess
Natalia's POV:
My name is Natalia Easterlin. Three years ago, the Bryant family of the Crescent Pack in White Plains recognized me as their true-born daughter.
I was born on the same day as the housekeeper's daughter—both of us born omega-ranked. Hoping her newborn would live in luxury, the housekeeper wrapped her own child, Lillian Bryant, in a pelt imbued with my scent. She then used a scent-grafting serum to carry out the deception.
After that, she heartlessly abandoned me at the edge of the Dark Forest.
Since ancient times, the werewolf continent of Marevia has been divided into two realms: the Dark Forest and White Plains. White Plains was home to werewolf packs, while the Dark Forest was practically forbidden—a place of traffickers, crawlers, fallen elves, and witches. Most weaker werewolves who ventured in never returned alive.
Convinced I would surely die, the housekeeper stayed on with the Crescent Pack, remaining close to her own daughter.
But fate had a way of turning the tables. The year Lillian turned eighteen, the scent-grafting serum suddenly failed, exposing her impure bloodline.
The housekeeper was banished from the pack. Before leaving, she begged my parents to let Lillian stay.
Faced with Lillian's tearful eyes, my parents hesitated—so much so that they delayed their search for me.
Werewolves valued blood ties. Under pressure from the pack elders, my father, the alpha of the Crescent Pack, eventually brought me back.
Yet after bringing me home, they made no effort to make up for my lost eighteen years. Instead, they kept favoring Lillian—the impostor who stole my place.
If I were some poor soul who had struggled on the brink of death for years, deprived of love and family, perhaps I would have confronted them, broken down, or drowned in misery.
But the truth was, I couldn't care less about their shallow affection. During all those years of abandonment, I had already received the most precious love in the world.
Thank God! Twenty-two years ago, I was lucky enough to be found in a witch's cauldron in the Dark Forest by my brother, Fidel Easterlin—the current alpha king of the Marevia Royal Court. From then on, I was raised as the most cherished princess of the Court.
Rare moonstones were no more than pebbles to me; expensive firefox pelts were nothing but rugs under my feet; the century-spanning wolfbloom was just a hair ornament I swapped out at will. Even the things I used would rise in value.
Across the Marevia werewolf continent, every subject knew me as the Jewel of the Royal Court.
For twenty-two years, the Court spoiled me endlessly. The old alpha and Luna of the Marevia Court were often busy with affairs of state, so I was largely raised by Fidel himself.
Fidel had been a constant presence throughout my entire upbringing. When I was little, no matter how busy he was, he would rush back to feed me himself—because I refused to let anyone else near me.
As I grew into a young woman, he took charge of everything in my life. My first bleeding, how to dress, combat training... he taught me all of it personally.
Under his careful guidance, I not only mastered every etiquette expected of an alpha princess, but also broke through my natural omega rank, rising to alpha rank and becoming a true, capable royal.
Through all those days and nights together, I didn't know when it started—but I began to harbor forbidden feelings for my own brother.
During that time, agony filled my mind.
I loved him in confusion, yet feared getting close.
I was terrified that our bond would be destroyed by foolish desire.
In the depths of night, I would dream of Fidel looking at me with disgust.
Even knowing it wasn't real, I would tremble with fear.
So when that person came to me with a grave warning, I made up my mind to leave the Royal Court without telling anyone.
To hide my tracks, I took nothing from the Court and drank a witch's potion—one that concealed my alpha aura, making me appear as an omega to everyone.
But the cost was this: my wolf, Chloe, would be weakened, and I might even lose the ability to sense my fated mate.
Why did I do it? Because I know Fidel all too well.
Along with his deep love for me comes an obsessive need for control.
If he found me, he would drag me back to the Royal Court and keep me imprisoned by his side forever.
But if I stayed beside him, how could I ever suppress the forbidden feelings running rampant in my heart?
Sooner or later, this secret affection would come to light.
Yet that wasn't even the worst of it.
The most terrifying part was what that person told me: if I remained near Fidel, he—and even his family—would die because of me...
How could I stand by and let him suffer for my sake?
And so, pretending to be a docile omega, I returned to the home of my birth parents—the alpha family of the Crescent Pack, the Bryants.
Chapter 2 — The Shattered Wedding Dress
I stood before the mirror in a pristine white wedding dress, its full skirt shimmering like captured moonlight, the fitted bodice accentuating my waist. The boutique manager fussing over my gown couldn't stop gushing about me with compliments.
Out of habit, I curved my lips into a polite, practiced smile.
"Ms. Easterlin," the manager ventured, "shouldn't your alpha, Mayson Moss from the Winterfang Pack, be here to see this? A male's perspective can be quite different."
"He's busy," I replied offhandedly, my fingers tracing the delicate lace of the sleeve.
In one week, I would marry Mayson, alpha of the Winterfang Pack.
This union was my parents' ardent endeavor. They insisted it would solidify the alliance between our packs, a mutually beneficial arrangement.
To me, it mattered little. Three years ago, when I left Fidel and returned to the Crescent Pack, I had already resolved to marry someone—anyone—to sever the forbidden feelings sprouting in my heart.
I understood perfectly. Fidel had raised me as his true sister. If our relationship were to warp, it would become the Royal Court's greatest scandal.
I dared not dwell on it. Marriage was my escape.
My phone vibrated abruptly. Seeing "Margery" on the screen, the tension in my nerves eased slightly. I answered, "Margery."
Margery Williamson—the youngest daughter of the Thornwood Pack's alpha, and my closest friend since my return to the Crescent Pack.
"Nat, I just saw Lillian and Alpha Mayson at the Werewolf Hospital's obstetrics ward!" Her voice was sharp with fury, like a stone hurled into still water. "What alpha accompanies a female to OB/GYN for no reason? Those two together mean nothing good! They're probably already involved, making fools of everyone!"
My smile froze. My heart sank, inch by inch.
Lillian. The one who stole my life now wanted to steal my mate as well?
I felt nothing for Mayson, but that didn't mean she could just take what was mine.
I gave the manager a look, and she immediately understood, ushering everyone else out of the room. Alone, I ran a finger over my meticulously manicured nails, my voice cold. "What were they doing there?"
"Couldn't get the details, but timing it right before your bonding ceremony? Clearly up to no good!" Margery's anger grew. "She's a conniving little actress, and he's a scoundrel. You shouldn't go through with this wedding!"
I picked up a glass of water from the table and took a sip. The cold liquid slid down my throat, dousing the fire rising within. "Every time she stirs trouble, I'm the one who pays the price. What good does your anger do me now?"
I remembered it too well. Back then, she had wept, claiming she'd lived my life for too long and would leave the Crescent Pack. Then, at the recognition ceremony, she had someone lace my food with silver dust. If not for my wolf Chloe sensing danger and warning me, I would have swallowed the entire silver-tainted venison loin.
Even that half-mouthful was enough. The silver corroded me from the inside out.
That icy, searing pain, that blood-red night—it still haunted my dreams.
Back then, I truly believed my parents—the Alpha and Luna who prized pack harmony above all—would punish Lillian severely.
But what happened? As I lay suffering in a hospital bed, all I learned was that Lillian had been sent to another pack!
The Jewel of the Royal Court, stripped of her dazzling halo and Fidel's protection, had been reduced to a pitiful target for bullies to pick on.
A boiling fury filled my chest, making calm impossible. The dignity of a princess made further endurance unthinkable. My wolf, the proud Chloe, began to snarl low in my mind, yearning to tear our enemy apart.
On the phone, Margery was still raging on my behalf. I took a deep breath, my voice dropping to an icy tone. "I have to go."
"Nat, what are you going to do?"
"She's putting on such a performance. Shouldn't I go applaud?" I said with biting sarcasm before hanging up.
I dropped the phone and looked at my reflection—the bride in white. A scornful, cold smile touched my lips.
I once thought this marriage would finally free me from the past. Now, it seemed nothing but a farce.
I raised my hand. My fingers swiftly twisted, morphing into razor-sharp claws. I seized the dress's bodice and ripped—
Shrrrrrip—
The white gown tore clean in two. I let the pieces fall to the floor.
Whether I remained a princess of the Marevian Royal Court or not, its teachings were etched deep within me.
Humiliation was not the true danger. The true danger was yielding to adversity.
Before, I lived sheltered under Fidel's wing, pampered and proud, never needing to think for myself.
Now, I would use the claws honed by the Royal Court to shred any who dared invade.
If Lillian wanted to take what was mine, she would have to get through me first.
Chapter 3 — The Ultimatum
Natalia's POV:
The aura of pressure I exuded had the staff by the door bowing their heads in fear. Silence and dread hung thick in the air.
Just as I had changed back into my own clothes, my phone buzzed again. "Mayson" flashed across the screen.
The moment I answered, the man's cold, stern voice came through. "After you're done with the dress fitting, come to the company."
For three years, Alpha Mayson had been nothing but gentle and attentive toward me. Now, the moment Lillian returned, his true colors showed again. Was he already nostalgic for his childhood sweetheart?
A deep, cutting sarcasm flashed through my eyes. I didn't even bother to reply, simply hanging up the call.
Half an hour later, my shoes crunching on icy slush, I pushed open the carved wooden door of his office.
He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, on the phone. Snowflakes drifted inside and caught in his hair, framing his sharp, handsome features. As the alpha of the Winterfang Pack, he was objectively good-looking. But to me now, he was nothing but hypocrisy.
Seeing me enter, he hurriedly spoke into the phone. "Have lunch on your own today. I'll have my beta, David, bring you something. Gotta go."
Hanging up, he walked to the sofa and sat down. The tenderness from a moment ago vanished without a trace, replaced by icy coldness in his expression. Even his alpha scent carried a pressuring weight.
"Come here." He looked up at me, his tone leaving no room for argument.
I merely curled my lip and casually took a seat on the opposite sofa.
Perhaps sensing my resistance, the chill in Mayson's eyes deepened.
A lighter flicked open. He held a cigar between his fingers. The faint smell of smoke drifted into the air. I disliked it and instinctively waved a hand to dispel it.
He ignored my obvious discomfort, took a drag, and slowly said, "Lillian is back. She's seriously ill. Our bonding ceremony will have to be postponed."
So it was true.
A bitter laugh bubbled up in my chest. Margery's information was correct. The moment Lillian returned, I became someone who could be set aside at will.
"What do you mean?" I asked, feigning confusion.
"She needs someone to take care of her. I'm the one she's always relied on since we were kids. I can't just leave her to face this illness alone."
As he spoke, Mayson took out a file folder and handed it to me. "This is an enrollment slot for advanced studies with the Nightfall Pack. It's a rare opportunity. Go study for six months. Once Lillian's condition stabilizes, I'll give you a grand bonding ceremony."
The Nightfall Pack was the top-ranked pack in Marevia. It was also where the Royal Court was located.
As a princess of the Court, the question wasn't whether I needed so-called "advanced studies." If I wanted to go, all I had to do was—
I closed my eyes, stopping the train of thought.
Then, I raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at my lips. "Send me to the Nightfall Pack? To clear the way for her?"
Mayson's face darkened instantly. "It's the most suitable place for you. If you want to become the Luna of the Winterfang Pack, you need to learn more—knowledge, etiquette. Besides, they have the most ancient werewolf archives there. It will benefit your omega abilities."
"Mayson!" I cut him off sharply, the suppressed fury finally boiling over.
He was insulting me. Insulting the Royal Court. Insulting my brother!
My etiquette, my knowledge—every bit was taught to me by Fidel himself. What further "advanced studies" did I need?
As for my abilities... As a princess of the Marevian Royal Court, I had undergone every form of werewolf training since childhood. I had long since reached alpha rank.
When I first returned to the Crescent Pack, I had concealed my alpha aura to avoid anyone uncovering my royal identity. I never imagined it would lead them to look down on me like this!
I snatched the file folder from Mayson's hand and ripped it to shreds. Scraps of paper fluttered down, littering the entire office.
Mayson looked at me, the last trace of warmth in his eyes completely extinguished. His alpha pressure surged forth instantly. "Natalia. Don't be ungrateful."
"There's no need to postpone the ceremony," I met his gaze without a flicker of fear, enunciating each word clearly. "Cancel it outright."
Postpone? What for?
An alpha like this, a marriage like this—it was better not to happen at all. It would save future trouble.
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