The Alpha Heir's Unexpected White Wolf Bride

Celeste POV:

I bolted upright on the sweat-soaked mattress, gasping for air as my fingernails dug deep into my palms.

The bloody memories of my past life-of Darrin Fisher draining my fortune and feeding me to a monster-still tore at my nerves. I stared at the frayed linen canopy above my bed. The damp, moldy scent of the Wiggins castle side-wing filled my lungs. I was alive. I had actually returned to the day before my betrothal was finalized.

The wooden door flew open, its rusted hinges screeching. My personal maid, Daisy, rushed in with red-rimmed eyes and a trembling voice.

"My Lady! Something terrible has happened!"

I immediately pressed my index finger to my lips, signaling her to lower her voice and keep off the pack mind-link. Pulling a coarse linen cloak over my shivering shoulders, I kept my tone icy and flat.

"Speak quietly. What happened?"

Daisy dropped to her knees by the bed, gripping the wooden frame as tears spilled onto the footrest.

"Ruby, the maid serving Lady Carlie, just broke into the treasury! She stole the ice-blue wolf pelt token!"

My heart skipped a beat. I quickly lowered my eyelashes to hide the flash of shock in my eyes. In my previous life, my half-sister Carlie had despised that token because it belonged to Darrin, a poor commoner scholar. Why would she steal it now?

An image flashed through my mind: Carlie's mangled body in the Montgomery castle, mauled to death by a vicious bastard hound. A chilling yet thrilling realization settled in my chest.

Carlie making such an abnormal move, completely different from who she was in her previous life... could she have been reborn as well?

Seeing my silence, Daisy stomped her foot in panic.

"My Lady, that pelt is the betrothal pledge from Master Darrin! She is trying to steal your marriage! We must go to Elder Janyce and report her at once!"

I reached out and pressed my hand firmly against Daisy's shaking shoulder. Feeling her tense muscles beneath my palm, I spoke with quiet authority.

"We will do no such thing. If she wants that wolf pelt, consider it a scrap I threw to a begging dog."

Daisy snapped her head up, staring at me in disbelief. She opened her mouth to argue, but the freezing glare in my eyes forced her to swallow her words.

I threw off the covers and stepped onto the stone floor. The cold crept up my bare ankles, sharpening my mind. Walking over to my worn vanity, I pulled open a hidden bottom compartment and took out a small silver pouch carved with Moon Goddess blossoms. A heavy, bitter herbal scent instantly filled the room.

In our werewolf kingdom, a wolf's rank and scent are determined by bloodline at birth, and a Royal Healer with White Wolf blood is a priceless treasure the crown would kill to control. To survive as a motherless daughter under my greedy father's roof, I had used secret herbs since childhood to mask my noble White Wolf aura, disguising myself as a weak, scentless Omega.

I scooped a dab of black ointment from the silver pouch and rubbed it behind my ears and along the pulse on my neck. The paste stung my skin, locking away my natural frost-lily scent. Picking up a wooden comb, I smoothed my silver-white curls until I looked every bit the frail, harmless Omega.

Turning back to the stunned maid, I gave my order.

"Help me dress in my plainest gray gown, Daisy. We are going to the Great Hall to watch a show."

I walked down the dark, damp corridor, my hem brushing against rough stone walls as the morning fog drifted through the arrow slits. The loud voices from the main building grew clearer with every step.

Reaching the Great Hall, I pushed open the heavy oak double doors. The groaning hinges drew every eye in the room toward me.

In the center of the hall stood Carlie, dressed in a flashy crimson satin gown beside her mother, the concubine Brenda. Wrapped tightly around Carlie's right wrist was the ice-blue wolf pelt token.

Carlie tilted her chin up and deliberately shook her wrist in the air, her voice dripping with arrogance.

"Good morning, Sister. You look terribly pale. Did you lose something precious and toss and turn all night?"

I stopped three paces away from her. My gaze swept calmly over the fur that had once been my death warrant, and a faint smile touched my lips.

"If you like it so much, Sister, you may keep it as a toy. It is only a dead skin."

Carlie's smug smile froze. Clearly, she had expected me to weep and fight her. Gritting her teeth, she sneered.

"Stop pretending you don't care! Once Master Darrin passes the Royal Scholar examination, this pelt will be my ticket to becoming a High Lady at court!"

Watching her cling to the illusions of our past life made my stomach twist with cold amusement. In the previous timeline, Darrin had only passed that exam because I spent my mother's entire fortune bribing the chief examiner. Without my gold, he was nothing. Lowering my head to feign sorrow, I stepped back into the shadows.

At the head of the hall, Clan Elder Arthur slammed his walking stick against the stone floor, his brows furrowed in anger as he glared at Carlie.

"Outrageous! A betrothal token is not a trinket you can snatch at will! Return it to your elder sister immediately!"

Carlie instantly threw herself at Elder Arthur's knees, squeezing out a few crocodile tears.

"Elder Arthur, I truly admire Master Darrin! My sister is sickly and weak-how could a frail Omega like her ever support a future Royal Scholar?"

Her mother, Brenda, dropped to her knees beside her, dabbing her eyes with a silk handkerchief.

"Please, Elder! Carlie's heart is set on him. Have mercy and fulfill her wish!"

Elder Arthur's beard trembled with rage. He raised his stick to strike them, but I stepped forward, my voice soft yet clear enough to cut through the noise.

"Please calm your wrath, Elder."

Under the shocked gazes of the clan members, I sank into a standard court curtsy.

"Since my sister and Master Darrin share such deep affection, I am willing to step aside and bless their union. I would never let our pack suffer embarrassment over a marriage dispute."

Elder Arthur stared at my pale, composed face and let out a heavy sigh.

"You have suffered a grave wrong, good child."

Carlie scrambled up from the floor, her eyes gleaming with wild triumph and undisguised contempt.

I ignored her gloating stare and turned toward the tall stained-glass windows overlooking the winding driveway outside the castle.

Just then, an armored guard sprinted into the hall and dropped to one knee, his iron plates clanking against the stone.

"Report to the Elder! Master Darrin's carriage has arrived at the castle gates!"