Unwanted By The Alpha Heir, Marked By The Northern King

Elois POV:

I never imagined that the man I had loved for so long, the one I was ready to pledge my life to, only wanted to unite with me for such a sickening purpose...

Standing outside the half-open door of Alston's private greenhouse, my heart turned into a block of ice. Inside, Alston-the Alpha heir of the Silver Moon Pack and my publicly acknowledged fiancé-was holding my cousin, Carson, in his arms.

Carson. Ever since we were children, she had a twisted obsession with snatching away everything that was mine. From my favorite toys to my finest dresses, she always had to take what belonged to me. And now, it seemed, she was taking my soon-to-be husband.

"Are you sure about this, Alston?" Carson giggled, her voice laced with greed. "Elois spent a fortune buying that noble title for herself. If you give it to me, what if she gets angry and takes her wealthy merchant mother's money away?"

"She won't go anywhere," Alston sneered, his voice dripping with shameless malice. "I need her massive wealth to secure my throne, but her human blood is too lowly for a Luna. I have put a powerful aphrodisiac in her Earl Grey tea. Once I claim her body today, she will be completely submissive. She will gladly accept being my secondary mate and hand over the entire Lara Consortium's fortune to fund our reign."

My blood ran cold. The sheer disgust nearly made me vomit. Under his solemn promises, I had convinced my mother-a wealthy human merchant without a wolf-to donate most of her liquid funds to the kingdom. It was all for a vain, powerless hereditary title that I desperately needed to wash away my lowly merchant background. Everyone, including Alston, believed I was just a weak, wolfless human. Only I knew the truth: I possessed a dormant inner wolf, its pure lineage hidden deep within my blood, unable to shift but ever-present. I kept it a carefully guarded secret, so I could finally marry him and become his official Luna. Yet, he just wanted to steal my wealth for this pureblood bitch and drug me into submission!

I waited until Carson slipped out the back door, then forced my face into a calm mask and walked in.

"Elois, my love," Alston smiled hypocritically, handing me the steaming cup of tea. "Drink this. You look tired."

Knowing exactly what poison lurked within, I took the cup, my fingers grazing the warm porcelain. I brought it halfway to my lips, letting him watch with bated breath, and then simply relaxed my grip.

Crash.

The delicate teacup shattered against the stone floor, the drugged Earl Grey tea pooling into the dirt.

"Oh dear, my hand slipped," I said smoothly, stepping back. My voice held no apology, only a chilling calm.

Alston stared at the ruined tea, a flash of disappointment crossing his eyes. Since the drug was gone, he immediately shifted to his fallback plan. He let out a long, heavy sigh, his face twisting into a mask of profound helplessness.

"Elois," he murmured, his voice trembling with feigned pain. "Perhaps it's for the best. There is something I must tell you, something that has been tearing my heart apart."

He looked at me with those deep, pleading eyes. "Do you know how much pressure I am under? The pack elders are forcing me to take a pureblood mate. If I refuse, they will strip me of my title. I have no choice but to agree to Carson's demands. But it is you I truly love!"

"Making you my secondary mate is the only way I can protect you. I can't bear to see you crushed by the grueling duties of a Luna. Can't you just pity me, Elois? Step aside, let Carson have the title and the dowry fund, and we can still be together, safe in my love."

I stared at him, forcing my eyes to widen in feigned shock and devastation, playing the part of a woman hearing this cruel news for the very first time. My stomach churned with disgust, but I knew I couldn't tear off his mask now. I was alone in his territory. To destroy him, I needed to walk out of here safely and gather the full power of the Lara Consortium.

"Secondary mate? Give Carson my title and dowry?" I whispered, letting my voice tremble perfectly. "This is... this is too sudden, Alston. I don't know what to say."

"I know it's hard, my love," he said softly, his tense shoulders relaxing. A flicker of smug satisfaction crossed his eyes. He genuinely believed his emotional manipulation had worked, and that my hesitation was just a girl's natural reluctance before giving in.

Drunk on his own perceived victory, his gaze darkened with lust. He had always coveted my body. Thinking I was already his submissive bird in a cage, he stepped forward, his hands reaching for my waist, leaning in to capture my lips. "You will see it's for the best. Let me comfort you..."

Suppressing the urge to vomit, I took a swift, graceful step backward, making it look like a startled, shy retreat.

"Oh, Alston, mind the tea," I said, hastily pulling my silk dress away from the puddle of drugged tea on the floor. I looked up at him with teary, conflicted eyes. "My dress is nearly stained, and my mind is such a mess right now. Please... give me some time to process this. Let me go back and think about it."

Alston's hands grasped empty air. A brief flash of annoyance crossed his face, but seeing my 'fragile' state, he quickly smoothed it over with a magnanimous smile. He didn't want to break the illusion of his perfect love, nor did he want to push too hard and ruin his easy victory.

"Of course, my love," he said softly, putting his hands behind his back. "I will not force you today. Go home and think it over. I will await your good news."

Without another word, I turned and walked out of the greenhouse, keeping my steps deliberately slow and hesitant.

Outside, his aide, Timothy, bowed hypocritically. "Have a safe trip back, Miss Elois."

I ignored him and walked into the blinding sunlight. It stung my eyes, but I refused to let a single tear fall.

"My lady," my maid Gwyneth whispered anxiously as I approached my waiting carriage. "Are you truly going to be his secondary mate? Are you really going to consider it?"

A cold, ruthless sneer escaped my lips, my amber eyes flashing with a dangerous light. "Consider it? Oh, I will consider it-I will consider exactly how to rip out every single coin the Lara Consortium has ever invested in him, with interest. Tell my mother to cut off all funding to the Silver Moon Pack immediately. They are about to learn what happens when you cross us."

Elois POV:

The carriage ride back to Rowe Manor was a blur of silent fury. The plush velvet cushions that had felt so luxurious on the way to Alston's residence now seemed to mock me. I leaned my head against the cool glass of the window, watching the city pass by, but seeing nothing. My inner wolf was restless, clawing at my chest with every passing mile.

The warmth of my hope had curdled into a cold, heavy knot in my stomach.

"My lady, you look pale," my maid, Gwyneth, said softly, her voice laced with concern. She offered me a glass of water.

I opened my eyes. The reflection in the window showed a stranger with hard, amber eyes. My own. I took the glass, my fingers steady. "Gwyneth," I said, my voice even, "I need you to do something for me. Check the Lara Consortium's accounts. I want to know if my mother made another large transfer to the Pack recently."

Gwyneth's eyes widened in understanding, but she simply nodded. "Of course, my lady." She knew better than to question me when I used that tone.

My fingers tapped a restless rhythm against the windowpane. I replayed every word, every smile, every touch from Alston. The signs had all been there, hiding in plain sight. I had just been too blind with love to see them.

The carriage slowed as we approached the imposing gates of Rowe Manor. The estate was brightly lit, and I could hear the faint sounds of lively music and clinking glasses drifting through the night air. They were already celebrating the theft of my future.

As I stepped down, my aunt, Belia Rowe, a woman whose greed was only matched by her lack of taste, emerged from the main doors. Beside her was my cousin, Carson. Carson was preening in a new gown of lake blue silk, the latest design from the most exclusive couturier in the city, a couturier owned by the Lara Consortium. She even wore a matching set of pearls that I recognized from my mother's private collection. They always went to my mother's boutiques, picked whatever they desired, and shamelessly left the bill for my mother to pay. They sneered at our wolfless merchant blood behind our backs, yet they felt fully entitled to gorge themselves on our wealth to maintain their noble facade.

"Elois, you are back!" Carson chirped, her smile sickeningly sweet. Her scent, a sickly sweet mix of vanilla and greed, hit my sensitive nose. She always masked her ruthless ambition beneath a sweet, obedient facade. She moved to link her arm with mine, acting like an innocent, docile younger sister. "Did you hear the good news? We are just preparing a toast for my new title!"

I pulled my arm away before she could touch me. The gesture was small, but sharp. Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second. I looked at her innocent, feigned expression and felt a wave of nausea.

Her eyes flicked down to my dress, a simple dove gray day dress, understated and modest, but undeniably fine. I saw the familiar flicker of covetous resentment in her gaze, the same look she had worn since childhood whenever I received something she wanted. She was already calculating how to make it hers. The couturier who designed it was, after all, a Lara Consortium asset. In her mind, that meant it was rightfully hers.

Belia's sharp eyes raked over me, her lips curling in disgust when she saw my cold expression. Her eyes flashed with the yellow hue of her wolf for a brief second. "Such a gloomy face on a day of joy. It is truly bad luck. We have been waiting for you to join the celebration, but it seems you are too selfish to be happy for your own cousin. Still spending your mother's money on frivolities, I see," she sneered, conveniently forgetting that she herself was wearing Lara silk and drinking Lara wine. "Some of us have actual responsibilities to the Pack. Carson has pure wolf blood, she is destined for greatness. You should learn to be a supportive stepping stone instead of being a jealous merchant's brat."

I ignored her, sweeping past them and into the main house.

The drawing room was heavy with a festive yet tense atmosphere. My grandmother, the Matriarch Cydney Rowe, a cruel woman who despised my mother's weak, human like merchant blood but happily drained her wealth, sat enthroned in her high backed chair, her gnarled hand gripping her ebony cane. My mother, Adriene Lara, sat in a smaller chair to the side, looking anxious and small.

Cydney's cane thumped hard against the marble floor the moment I entered. Her oppressive Matriarch aura rolled over me, a heavy pressure designed to make weaker wolves submit. "So, you deign to return with that sour look. Keeping the entire family waiting. What kind of behavior is that?"

My mother stood, her expression fraught with worry. "Mother Rowe, she was..."

"Silence, Adriene," Cydney snapped, and my mother flinched, sinking back into her seat.

Carson and Belia swept in behind me. Carson immediately rushed to Cydney's side, fussing over her and massaging her shoulders like a devoted servant.

Cydney's harsh expression softened as she looked at Carson. She patted her hand affectionately. "Carson is always so thoughtful."

Then, her cold eyes fixed on me. "We have been informed of the Alpha heir's decision," she said, her voice dripping with condescension. "Carson becoming the heir's Luna brings tremendous glory to the entire Rowe family. You should be thrilled. A merchant's daughter like you, elevated to the status of secondary mate to the future Alpha King? It is far more than your dirty blood deserves. You should be on your knees thanking Carson for allowing you to serve her."

"Indeed," Belia chimed in, a smug smirk on her face. "You are too selfish, Elois. Even if a merchant's daughter like you managed to become Luna, you would only be a laughingstock among the nobles. Carson, on the other hand, has pure blood. She will make a proper Luna. You should be grateful that Alston is willing to keep you at all."

My mother's face went white. She stared at me, her eyes wide with shock and pain. They had not even bothered to tell her. She was hearing this for the first time, just like I had.

So Alston was telling the truth. My entire family had known about his despicable plan to replace me with Carson, and they had shamelessly and wholeheartedly accepted it. They had conspired with him to steal my title, my dowry, and my future, all while greedily sucking my mother's blood. Seeing them gleefully flaunt their betrayal without a single ounce of guilt finally shattered my last illusion. My mother had always compromised, believing we were one family. She felt inferior because of her merchant background, constantly yielding to their demands. But if they were going to despise us anyway, why should I suffer in silence? They were nothing but parasites. I had kept a low profile and swallowed my pride for the sake of family harmony, but since they chose to be ruthless, I decided right then and there to make them pay. I would tear down their gilded world and take back everything they had stolen.

A cold, bitter laugh threatened to bubble up from my chest. They were all in on it. A conspiracy of vipers.

They expected tears. They expected a breakdown. I gave them neither.

Instead, I met the Matriarch's gaze, my voice calm and sharp as a blade. I stood my ground, my own amber eyes flashing, refusing to bare my throat to her. "Then I assume the two thousand gold marks for Carson's title will be paid by the second house? Since you despise my dirty merchant blood so much, surely you will not stoop so low as to use my dirty money to buy her a crown?"

The room fell silent. They stared at me as if I had sprouted a second head.

Belia was the first to find her voice, her tone a shrill shriek. "What nonsense are you talking about? That money was a donation from your mother to the Pack!"

My gaze shifted to my mother. Her lips trembled, but no words came out. She could not deny it. My heart sank. She had compromised again, sacrificing her own wealth for a moment of peace in this wretched family.

Cydney's voice was like cracking ice. "Insolence! The Lara fortune belongs to the Rowe Pack through marriage! I, as Matriarch, will decide how it is used!"

For the first time in my life, I did not shrink from her glare. I looked directly into her sharp, cruel eyes. "Oh? I was unaware that federal law had changed. A wife's personal assets are her own, are they not?"

I raised a delicate eyebrow, a smirk playing on my lips. "Or has the Rowe Pack's authority grown to surpass that of the Alpha King's laws?"

Cydney was speechless. Her face turned a mottled, ugly purple, the veins in her neck bulging against her wrinkled skin. Her inner wolf, a mangy and ill tempered creature I had only glimpsed once as a child, flashed behind her eyes, a snarl of pure, possessive greed. She wanted to shift. She wanted to tear me apart with her claws. But she could not. Not here. Not without proving me right. Her hand trembled so violently on her cane that the ebony wood rattled against the marble floor. Belia and Carson gaped at me, stunned by my audacity. They had never seen this Elois before. The compliant, quiet girl was gone.

I saw a flicker of something in my mother's eyes, surprise, fear, but also a tiny spark of pride.

I had said enough. I turned to my mother, my voice softening. "Mother, I am tired. Let us go to our rooms."

For the first time, I walked out of a family meeting before being dismissed. I would let them see exactly what kind of life they were about to live without me. But before that, there was one even more important thing I had to do.

Elois POV:

To make those despicable robbers get their retribution, the very first thing I had to do was get my mother on my side.

"Elois, you were too reckless," my mother, Adriene, whispered, her hands fluttering nervously as she clutched my arm. Her fingers were like ice. "You shouldn't have provoked the Matriarch."

I turned and took her hands in mine, forcing her to meet my gaze. Her beautiful face was etched with years of worry, lines of sadness I had never truly seen until now. "Mother," I said, my voice low and intense, "how much longer can we endure this? How much more will we let them take?"

I repeated Alston's words to her, every honeyed, poisonous syllable. I told her how he planned to use her money to buy my cousin a title so she could take my place as his Luna, while I was to be relegated to the shadows as a secondary mate.

With each word, the color drained from her face. When I finished, she swayed on her feet, a soft, wounded sound escaping her lips. Tears, the tears I had refused to shed, streamed down her cheeks. "How could he... after everything... how could he do this to you?"

I held her steady, my own heart aching at her pain. "Because they see us as a vault to be plundered, not as family. That ends today."

A sharp knock on the door made us both jump. A maid's voice, muffled by the wood, announced, "The Alpha has returned. He requests everyone's presence in the dining hall."

My mother stiffened instantly. Her hands flew to her hair, a subconscious gesture of a wife preparing to meet her husband. A flicker of hope, of foolish, desperate hope, crossed her face. She still believed my father, Alpha Craig Rowe, would protect us.

I sighed internally. That last illusion was about to be shattered.

The atmosphere in the dining hall was glacial. My father, Craig Rowe, the Alpha of the Rowe Pack and a man who cared more about his fragile ego than his own family, sat at the head of the table. His handsome face was grim, his military uniform immaculate. He looked every bit the powerful Alpha, but his eyes were filled with a familiar impatience.

Cydney, Belia, and Carson were clustered around him, their voices a venomous symphony as they painted me as a jealous, disrespectful shrew who had lost her mind.

Craig's jaw tightened with every word. He slammed his metal fork down onto his plate, the clang echoing in the tense silence. He loved the wealth my mother provided, but he hated being reminded of where it came from. He always acted as if our money was his birthright, while simultaneously detesting my mother for sullying his noble bloodline with her merchant origins.

That was the moment my mother and I entered.

His furious gaze landed on me. "I return home to hear of this spectacle!" he boomed, his voice laced with the authority of an Alpha. "You dare to disrespect your grandmother? To question a decision that benefits this Pack? Who gave you the audacity!"

"Craig, it is not what you think," my mother began, rushing to my defense. "Elois is..."

"You be silent!" he snarled, cutting her off without a second thought. "This is your fault! You raised her to be this willful!"

Just then, Carson rose from her seat. She glided towards me, her face a mask of sorrowful apology, but I could see the greedy ambition dancing in her eyes. I could smell the lack of genuine sorrow in her scent, it was entirely masked by deceit. She loved Alston's power and status, and she loved the feeling of using this opportunity to trample me completely under her feet even more.

"Sister, please do not be angry," she said, her voice trembling as she reached out to gently touch my sleeve. "It is all my fault. If you really want the title so badly, if you want to be with the Alpha heir... I will go beg Alston. I will give it all back to you. Even if he only wants to marry me, I will force him to accept you. I just want our family to be happy."

Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She looked like a heartbroken angel, a martyr sacrificing her own happiness for the sake of peace.

"Carson, you are too kind!" Belia cried, rushing to comfort her daughter. "The heir chose you! You cannot refuse such an honor for the sake of a jealous sister!"

Cydney nodded in approval, her gaze on Carson full of warmth before turning to me with icy contempt. "Look at your cousin's grace. And then look at yourself."

All eyes were on me, waiting for me to be shamed into submission by Carson's flawless performance.

But I did not feel shame. I felt a profound, almost comical sense of absurdity. Carson, the snake who had spent years dripping poison into our grandmother's ear, was performing the role of the selfless martyr. And they were all applauding.

A laugh, low and bitter, escaped my lips.

My father's face contorted with rage. He slammed his palm on the table, making the fine china jump. "What are you laughing at? Apologize to your cousin! Now!"

I stopped laughing. I lifted my head and met his furious gaze directly, the air around me turning frigid. "Apologize? For what? For refusing to celebrate a robbery?"

I pointed at Carson, who was still dabbing at her crocodile tears. "You want me to apologize to her? She pretends to be so filial and obedient, yet she has been wearing gowns paid for by the Lara Consortium since she was a toddler. The jewels in her ears, the roof over her head, the very food on this table, all of it came from my mother's coffers. You all look down on us, yet you gorge yourselves on our wealth with absolute shamelessness! And now she wants to take my place as Luna, funded by the very gold she and her mother have been bleeding from us for eighteen years. And you expect me to be grateful? You are all pathetic."

Carson's tears stopped. For one brief, unguarded moment, her mask slipped, and I saw the cold, calculating creature beneath.

I turned to my mother, my voice laced with a sorrow that was all for her. "Do you see now, Mother? In this house, your sacrifices, your children... we are worthless."

Adriene looked at her husband's cold, unforgiving face, at the smug triumph on the faces of her in laws. The last flicker of hope in her eyes died, leaving behind only desolate ashes.

My father, cornered by a truth he could not deny, resorted to pure rage. "Enough!" he roared, his voice cracking with the Alpha's Command. A wave of oppressive energy rolled from him, the weight of his Alpha authority pressing down on the room. My wolf stirred restlessly inside me, instinctively wanting to submit, to bare my throat. But I clenched my jaw and held my ground. "The matter is settled! The Lara money is the Pack's money! You will accept this arrangement, or you will get out of Rowe Manor!"

Get out.

The words sliced through the air, a final, fatal blow. They struck my mother with the force of a physical assault, shattering the last fragile remnants of her eighteen years of marriage.

I took a deep breath. The moment had come.

"Fine," I said, my voice eerily calm, my eyes locking onto my father's wide gaze. "If our property is so unwelcome here, we will take it all back."

Ignoring their stunned faces, I pulled out my communication device. I dialed a number from memory, my hand perfectly steady.

"Marcus, it is me." I paused, letting the silence in the room stretch. "Initiate the Liquidation protocol. I am formally requesting the return of all assets loaned by the Lara Consortium to Rowe Manor over the past eighteen years. Yes. All of them."

I ended the call and slipped the device back into my pocket.

The dining hall was utterly, deathly silent. Every single person was staring at me, their faces a mixture of shock, disbelief, and for the first time, a glimmer of fear. Belia's jaw had gone slack. Cydney looked as if she had swallowed acid. And Carson, Carson had stopped pretending to cry. She was staring at me with an expression I had never seen before. It looked almost like terror. But they had no idea that this was merely the appetizer.