The Betrayed Princess Reborn As His Wolfless Mate

Adelaide POV:

I was the undefeated Princess Regent of the Kingdom of Solaris, and now I was locked in an enemy dungeon.

Just moments ago, I had strangled a guard with the chain around my wrists when he tried to force himself on me.

And the woman standing outside my cell was my half-sister. The news she brought was deadlier than imprisonment or silver poison--my betrothed, Darian, was the one behind the rebellion.

I glanced down at the corpse in the puddle, my chest still heaving.

When the guard had lunged for my collar, I'd stumbled half a step on purpose, using his own momentum to drive my knee into his gut. As soon as his grip loosened, I looped the chain around his neck, turned my back, and pulled until he went limp.

The wound on my shoulder was still bleeding. He had slammed me into the stone wall while he thrashed.

I lifted my head.

Cece Kensington stood outside the cell. She wore a lavish dark red court gown, its hem glittering with blood diamonds from the southern mines. She held a silk handkerchief over her nose and mouth, as if even the air in here made her sick.

She glanced at the corpse on the floor, and her lips twisted into a venomous smile.

"Sister, you look like a stray dog fighting over scraps." Her voice was sharp and grating. "Every commoner in the capital should see you like this."

I ignored the insult and stared straight into her eyes.

"Where is Darian? Tell him to come see me."

At the mention of my betrothed's name, Cece threw her head back and laughed, the ruby crown on her head trembling with the sound.

"You think he'll come save you?" She stepped closer and lowered her voice through the bars. "Six months ago, while you were bleeding on the border for him, he was warming my bed every night!"

My heart dropped.

I had thought Darian was just caught up in the rebellion. But the open triumph on Cece's face made it impossible to lie to myself anymore.

She drew a blood-jade pendant from her wide sleeve.

My pupils shrank the instant I saw the wolf totem carved into it.

It was the pendant Darian had carved himself and infused with his spiritual mark. Six months ago, when he asked me to be his Luna, he had fastened it around my neck with his own hands.

Cece tossed it into the filthy water inside the cell and ground her heel down on it.

"Darian said anything carrying your scent makes him sick."

The jade cracked with a harsh, grating sound.

I stared at the broken red fragments in the mud. It felt as if an invisible hand had closed around my chest and squeezed. The vows, the promises, my trust in him--all of it had become a joke in that instant.

I clenched my teeth, forced down the lump in my throat, and refused to let a single tear fall.

Cece seemed unsatisfied with my reaction.

She hated me.

She hated that I was the undefeated Princess Regent, admired by thousands, while she could only ever live in my shadow.

She pulled a dark red leather whip covered in metal barbs from her waist and cracked it through the open cell door.

"You think you're still the high and mighty Princess Regent?" she hissed through clenched teeth. "Today I'm going to break every bone in your body!"

I met her gaze and let out a cold laugh.

"With what? That inner wolf of yours that's already rotting from dark magic?"

The smile vanished from Cece's face.

I had hit the wound she most wanted buried. A second later, her expression twisted completely. She raised the whip and lashed it straight at me.

I was chained to the wall with nowhere to dodge. I could only tilt my head to protect my eyes, tense my body, and brace for the blow.

Outside the cell, a heavy body suddenly hit the stone floor with a thud. Then a set of familiar, quick footsteps rushed toward us.