Chapter 1
I am Princess Astra of the Northern
Territories, the only daughter of Alpha
King Aldric Hale–and the last White Wolf
of our bloodline.
When I was seven, my father selected
four exceptional young men from the four
most powerful packs under his rule-
each an Alpha heir possessing both
commanding presence and keen intellect
-to be groomed as my potential mates.
For years, he carefully trained them to
one day stand beside me as I inherited
dominion over all the territories.
The packs called them “The Four Alpha
Heirs.”
But none of them ever truly wanted to be
bound to me.
Not even Damon Reed of the Shadowpine
Pack, the one my heart had always been
drawn to, who had already claimed
another as his mate.
When my father’s strength began to fail,
he asked which of the four Alphas I
wished to take as my mate. Unable to
choose with my heart so conflicted, I left
the decision to the Moon Goddess herself,
drawing sacred stones to select my
destined partner.
The Goddess, it seemed, had her own
plans–I drew Rhett Blackthorn’s stone,
the wild and unpredictable Alpha of the
Ironwood Pack.
But on the day the mating bond was to be
announced, it was Damon who shifted to
his knees before me, begging me not to
“seal our fates.
“Father, I choose Rhett.”
I stared down at the sacred stone in my
palm and couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
Maybe this was the Moon Goddess telling
me what I’d always known deep down-
Damon and I were never going to happen.
Father’s brow furrowed as he watched
- me. “Astra, you sure about this?”
“Once I announce it, there’s no going
back.”
Trust me, I knew that better than anyone.
But if Damon didn’t want me, why drag
him through hell? Besides him, it really
didn’t matter which Alpha I ended up
with.
Being Princess Astra meant I had
responsibilities that came before my
heart.
I dropped to one knee before my father.
“I’ve made my choice, and I won’t regret
it.”
Father let out a heavy sigh and wrote
Rhett’s name on the official decree.
“Three days from now, I’ll announce to all
the packs that Rhett Blackthorn is your
chosen mate.”
I nodded and got to my feet.
The moment I stepped out of Father’s
study, I spotted four ridiculously good-
looking guys heading my way–my four
potential mates.
Rowan was my cousin and one of the
Alpha heirs. He shot me a curious look.
“Hey Princess, heard the King made you
pick one of us. So who’s the lucky guy?”
Without thinking, my eyes went straight
to Damon.
Leo caught on immediately and smacked
Damon’s shoulder with a grin. “Come on,
do you even have to ask? Obviously it’s
our boy Damon here. Everyone knows
Princess Astra’s got it bad for our
Shadowpine Alpha.”
Damon’s face went stone cold, and when
he looked at me, I saw pure resentment
burning in his eyes.
That look hit me like a punch to the gut.
For a second, I wanted to blurt out that I
hadn’t picked him—to make him stop
looking at me like I’d just ruined his life.
But then I stopped myself. After years of
throwing myself at him only to get the
cold shoulder, maybe it was time he
sweated it out for a few days.
When I didn’t answer, Rowan poked my
arm. “Come on, Princess, quit being so
mysterious. Just tell us who you picked.”
I glanced over at Rhett, who was just
standing there with his usual laid–back
attitude, fanning himself like he didn’t
have a care in the world.
You’ll find out in three days.”
Rhett caught me looking and raised an
eyebrow with that signature smirk of his.
I turned my back on all of them and
headed to my room.
Leo wasn’t wrong–everyone knew I was
crazy about Damon Reed.
But he was too proud for his own good.
The idea of getting power through a
woman made him sick, and he hated
being told what to do with his life,
especially when it came to who he’d
spend forever with.
Plus, he was already in love with someone
else–some she–wolf he couldn’t be with
because of his obligation to me.
All my attempts to get close to him? He
couldn’t care less.
What he didn’t get was that my marriage
wasn’t about love–it was politics.
Father was getting weaker, and even
though he had alliances with tons of
packs, I was his only kid. To keep
everything stable and make sure the four
major packs stayed in line, he came up
with this whole arranged mate thing.
My mate had to be one of them.
Whether we liked it or not.
I was still lost in thought when someone
called out behind me.
“Princess Astra, hold up.”
Chapter 2
