Fated To The Alpha Princes

ARIANTHE

The diamond chandelier glittered mockingly above me as I stood frozen in the hallway outside the grand dining room, my heart hammering against my ribs. Tonight was no ordinary dinner, it was the first official meeting between our kingdoms in over fifty years. The Silvercliff Pack, the most powerful werewolf royal family in the northern territories, had finally agreed to peace talks.

And I, Princess Arianthe Moonvale, the shameful secret of the Moonvale royal family, was about to be paraded before them like damaged goods.

"There you are, little sister. Still hiding in corners, I see."

My eldest sister Isolde's voice sliced through my thoughts. I didn't need to turn around to know my other sisters were with her; they traveled in a pack, unlike me, the wolfless wonder.

"I'm not hiding," I said, smoothing down the silver silk of my gown. "I was just…"

"Just what? Practicing your excuses for when you embarrass us all tonight?" Isolde stepped closer, her perfect face twisted with contempt. She was resplendent in deep crimson, her silver-blonde hair, a Moonvale trademark, arranged in an elaborate updo that emphasized her regal bearing.

My sisters formed a half-circle around me, their identical silver-blonde hair and azure eyes a stark reminder of everything I both shared and lacked with them. I had the Moonvale beauty, some whispered I had more than my fair share, but none of the power.

"Maybe we should keep you hidden away," Cassandra, the second eldest, suggested with a cruel smile. "What use is a princess who can't even shift? A wolfless beauty is just a human with a title."

"Father insists all six daughters be present," I said quietly, fighting to keep my voice steady. Twenty-two years of their torment had taught me that showing weakness only encouraged them.

"Yes, all six disappointments," Isolde laughed, reaching out to touch my face. I flinched away instinctively. "Such a shame. All this beauty wasted on the broken one."

"Maybe we should fix that," whispered Elysia, the twin terror with Daphne. "Make the outside match the inside."

My breath caught as Elysia's claws extended. I backed against the wall, the cool marble pressing against my spine. This was nothing new, their threats, their taunts, but tonight something felt different. There was a dangerous edge to their cruelty.

"Perhaps a little scar?" Elysia suggested, her claw moving toward my cheek. "No one would notice your pretty face then."

Inside me, something stirred, a warmth I'd never felt before, like magma shifting deep beneath the earth. For a wild second, I thought it might be my wolf, finally waking after all these years of silence. But the sensation faded as quickly as it had come, leaving me defenseless as always.

"Stop."

The voice cut through the hallway like a blade of ice. Deep, commanding, with the unmistakable power of an Alpha heir. My sisters froze, their expressions shifting from cruelty to courtly charm with practiced ease as they turned toward the sound.

I remained pressed