Chapter 1

My wolf—I call her Stella—is one of a kind.

She’s been with me since I was four, but she made me promise never to tell a soul.

What’s even crazier is that even the fiercest Alpha wolves fear her. No one can ever lie to her.

When I was eight, Peterson, the director of the Silver Creek Pack orphanage, stood in front of us shivering kids.

"Pack funds are tight!" he announced. "Starting this month, we only get meat once every three months."

Stella growled in my mind: *He’s lying. He just embezzled the funds approved by the Alpha last week.*

I pointed right at his face and sneered.

"Bullshit! You embezzled the pack money to buy your mate a diamond necklace! Who do you think you're fooling?"

Peterson was banished by the Alpha soon after, turning into a rogue.

Years later, my biological parents finally tracked me down and brought me home.

Chloe, the girl they adopted in my absence, ran up with tears welling in her eyes.

"Rose! You’re finally home! This is amazing!"

Stella snorted: *She wishes we died in a ditch.*

I arched an eyebrow and looked her up and down.

"Are you sure you're happy to see me?"

Chloe’s face flushed red, then drained of color, turning an ugly shade of gray.

"Rose... how could you say that?"

She put on her best puppy-dog eyes.

"I truly welcome you back."

Mom immediately stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Chloe’s trembling shoulders and glaring at me.

"Rose, watch your tone! Chloe is only being sweet. Stop being so paranoid!"

Dad’s expression darkened as he scolded me.

"The hospital mix-up twenty years ago wasn’t Chloe’s fault."

"She’s been our devoted, gentle daughter all these years. She represents the best of the Anderson Pack."

"You’re our blood, but she’s the one we raised."

"We love both of you equally. We’re not throwing her out just because you returned."

"Learn some grace. Be the bigger person."

I scoffed, looking at these two strangers who claimed to be my parents.

"My return ruins Chloe's perfect life. It’s human nature to hate it, and nobody beats human nature."

"Excessive kindness always hides an agenda."

"Drop the fake act. It honestly makes me sick."

Mom and Dad looked appalled, their disgust barely concealed beneath their polite masks.

To them, their real daughter was nothing more than an uneducated, feral brat raised in the gutter.

Beta Thomas Gray walked over, bowing politely.

"Welcome back, Rose. Your room is ready. Brand-new sheets, fresh decor—I made sure everything is perfect for your comfort."

I didn't move.

Stella whispered: *He’s lying. Chloe told him to install hidden cameras.*

I marched straight into the bedroom. A minute later, I walked out holding three hidden bugs and a pinhole camera in my palm.

"This is your idea of 'comfortable'? Who told you to spy on me?"

Beta Thomas fell to his knees with a thud, his face pale as he looked desperately at Chloe.

"Chloe, please tell her! You were the one who asked me to—"

"Liar!"

Chloe shrieked, cutting him off instantly.

"Mom! Dad! He’s framing me!"

"Rose just got home, why would I ever do something so vile?"

Mom instantly cradled Chloe to her chest, whispering soothing words, while Dad frowned at me.

"Rose, maybe Thomas was just concerned for your safety? He wanted to protect you."

"Thomas has served the Anderson family for decades. He’s worked hard for this pack."

"It’s a minor misunderstanding. Don't make a scene."

"A minor misunderstanding?"

I barked out a laugh.

"Violating my privacy is a minor issue?"

"Either you fire him, or banish him from pack territory. Pick one."

Afraid of pack gossip, Mom and Dad had no choice but to make Beta Thomas pack his bags and leave.

After that, the household staff walked on eggshells around me. Nobody dared play games to my face.

Still, the way my parents looked at me grew colder by the day.

"You're both cursing me in your heads, thinking I'm a nightmare daughter, right?"

I smiled, completely unbothered.

"That’s who I am. Deal with it."