Werewolf

He Recognized My Worth After I Was Gone

by Noorie

"I’ve agreed to marry Alpha Valerian."My father, Alpha Nathaniel, remained bent over his war table for three full seconds before slowly raising his head. His dark eyes, hard as flint, locked onto mine. "You can't be serious." "I have never been more serious."Alpha Valerian—heir to the northern territories. Rumors are he hasn't opened his eyes since birth. A sleeping corpse with a beating heart."They want a Luna from our pack to stabilize their territory and our alliance.""They demanded Nora," my father said stiffly, his jaw tightening at the mention of his illegitimate, favored daughter."But you wouldn't like to tie your favourite daughter’s wolf to a cursed, motionless mate, would you?” I replied, keeping my tone entirely flat."It settles the northern line," he murmured, his forehead muscles finally relaxing. "Very well. I’ll send word to their elders tonight. We’ll arrange the transport, the ceremony—""I want payment."He paused. "What?""I am selling my life to buy your peace and cover for Nora’s cowardice," I said, my voice cutting through the quiet room like steel. "I want half the pack’s treasury transferred to my personal lineage vault before I set foot outside our borders."His nostrils flared. "That would empty half our reserves.""Then I suggest you start counting.""And one more thing," I added, reaching for the door's brass handle. "Reassign Commander Lucian. Strip him of his oath to guard me and place him on Nora’s personal detail."He blinked, genuinely thrown. "Lucian? You spent three years fighting the council to make him your shadow. You intended to choose him as your mate."My hand tightened on the brass handle until my knuckles turned white. He didn't know. He didn't know that just an hour ago, I found my shadow guard—the man who swore to bleed for me—wrapped around Nora in the tactical room, whispering the same vows he once swore to me. Lucian had already chosen her. I was giving him the title

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