Chapter 1

As the spoiled daughter of the Shadowfang Pack's Alpha, I'd never had a bad day in my life.

I wore the most expensive custom outfits, ate fresh meat that was flown in, and even had three guardians taking turns watching me nap.

Then a human girl of unknown background showed up out of nowhere.

She didn't care about fashion and didn't ask for protection. She stayed in the back hill, growing her own food, living her own quiet life.

Slowly, my first guardian, Cameron, started looking down on me. "Besides spending money, what else can you do?"

The day he moved into that cabin in the back hill, the other two guardians spoke up for me.

"Cameron, are you crazy? Leave the estate, and you'll never come near Selena again," one of them warned.

But not long after, the second guardian asked to be reassigned, saying my temper was "too much."

I looked at Logan, the only guardian I had left. My eyes were red.

"Logan, do you think I'm a useless parasite, too?" I asked.

He gently wiped away my tears. "Don't listen to them. You'll always be my princess."

Then one day, I saw him shift into his wolf form and curl his body around the girl.

That was the ultimate sign of submission, the kind a werewolf only showed to his fated mate.

I let out a cold laugh and tore up the mating contract I'd been saving for him.

Then I called the vampire royalty in Ethoria.

"I accept the alliance. Send a helicopter to come get me tonight," I said.

*****

"What are you doing?" I called out.

I stood behind the bushes, my eyes glued to what was happening in front of me.

Logan Hart had shifted into his enormous silver wolf form and was crouched low in the mud.

Lily Brooks's small body was curled up right underneath him, tucked against his belly.

His tail was wrapped all the way around her, covering her completely.

That pose was the highest form of courtship and submission in the Shadowfang Pack.

Logan heard my voice and shifted back to human immediately.

He wasn't wearing a shirt, and the first thing he did was throw his jacket over Lily.

"Selena, what are you doing out here?" he asked.

He walked straight toward me, blocking my view of her.

"There are poisonous snakes in the woods. Lily got scared," he explained.

I pointed at the girl behind him.

"So you showed her the submission pose that should only be shown to your fated mate to protect her?" I asked.

Logan wiped the rain off his face, looking irritated. The huge shadow of a silver wolf flickered behind him, which was a huge warning sign that he was barely holding his temper together.

"Selena, that's enough. Would you stop acting like you're better than everyone? Lily is a vulnerable human. She doesn't have an entire pack watching her back the way you do," he snapped.

I gave a cold laugh.

I said, "The attendants spray snake repellent on the back hill of Shadowvale Manor every single day.

"So where were the so-called venomous snakes coming from?"

Lily peeked out timidly from behind Logan.

Her shoulders were all hunched up, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

She whispered, her voice shaky, "I'm sorry, Selena.

"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have gone up to the back hill to look for mushrooms.

"Logan was only trying to be nice to me. Please don't be angry at him."

The more she backed down, the tighter Logan's muscles got.

He spun around and pulled her into his arms like he was protecting her from me.

He barked, "Why are you taking this out on her?

"Not everyone can sit around in an air-conditioned room all day picking out jewelry as you do.

"Lily has to work to earn her own money."

A sharp pain went straight through my chest.

Three months ago, Logan had been down on his knees right in front of me.

He'd kissed my hand and promised he'd always be my most loyal knight.

And now, he was yelling at me over a human girl he hadn't known for a month.

Footsteps came through the trees.

Cameron Reed and Silas Morgan showed up.

They'd been my first and second guardians before.

Cameron grabbed a first aid kit and ran straight to Lily.

"Lily, are you hurt?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

Silas sneered at me as he pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up his nose. Then, he used his tall frame to block my way.

"Selena, all Lily did was pick a few mushrooms. She wasn't raiding your vault. Maybe you should find a better place to aim all that controlling energy of yours," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

I looked at the three of them who'd grown up with me.

They'd used to beat each other up to get a single compliment out of me.

Now, they were standing shoulder to shoulder, staring at me like I was some kind of monster.

I shot back, "Me? You think I'm bullying her?

"I haven't even laid a finger on her."

Cameron snorted while he dabbed ointment onto Lily's hand.

"You don't have to touch her. You standing there is enough to crush her.

"What you are wearing right then could pay for her whole life.

"You don't have the slightest clue what real struggle looks like. All you do is throw your weight around," he said.

Lily tugged on his sleeve.

"Please stop, Cameron.

"Selena was born into privilege. It's okay if I get treated a little unfairly," she said softly.

Logan turned to face me and locked eyes with me, his stare cold enough to cut glass.

"Apologize," he said.

I froze.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"I said apologize to Lily," Logan yelled, his voice so loud that the leaves started rattling in the trees.

"You scared her," he added.

I lifted my chin and forced the tears back down.

"I'm not apologizing," I said.

Logan stepped forward and grabbed me by the wrist.

He was squeezing so hard that I could feel it in my bones.

He said, his voice like ice, "Selena, you need to fix your attitude.

"If you keep being this nasty, no one at the manor is going to like you again."

I yanked my hand out of his grip.

"I don't need any of you to like me," I shot back.

I turned around and walked fast toward the manor without looking back.

Logan didn't follow me.

From behind me, I could hear him talking to Lily in that soft, gentle voice of his, trying to calm her down.

Once I got back to my room, I pulled out my phone.

I dialed that encrypted number from Ethoria.

"Hello, Prince Vincent," I said.

While I was on the phone, my door suddenly swung open.

Logan was standing there in the doorway, holding a cup of hot milk.