Four Alphas Took My Moon Crown To My Adopted Sister Chapter 01
The gavel cracked loud inside Wildmoon Territory’s premier auction hall. The Moonlight Crown, left behind by my late mother, soared to a bid of a billion dollars.
The two parties competing were Cedric, my future mate and an Alpha, along with three other Alphas who had sworn to protect me since childhood.
I stared at the crown on the stage. It was the proof that I carried the true bloodline of the Silvermoon Pack.
Cedric wrapped an arm around my adopted sister Teresa’s waist. He raised his bidding paddle for everyone to see. “Teresa says her gown’s too plain tonight. She needs an accessory. Eleven billion!”
Laughter rippled through the crowd. The crowd jeered at me—the Thorne family’s long-recognized blood heir—for letting my mother’s heirloom slip away.
“Stella, don’t fight this. You can’t beat Teresa.” The three Alphas jeered at me from the audience floor.
The whole room watched to see me make a fool of myself. Yet Kevin Thorne, my father and the Alpha of Silvermoon Pack, darkened his expression.
None of them knew this auction was a test set by my father.
If I dipped into my personal funds for the crown, or begged Cedric for money, I would lose all rights to manage the Silvermoon Pack’s assets forever.
I glanced at the four Alphas, all determined to win favor for Teresa tonight. I set down my bidding device.
Only wearing this crown could prove I was the rightful heir of the Thorne family, the one meant to rule Silvermoon Pack.
I had lived outside the Wildmoon Territory for twenty-two years. The pack had taken me back just three years prior.
This was my first official appearance at a formal gathering representing Silvermoon Pack. My grandfather had told me I had to bring my mother’s heirloom home.
He was the former Alpha of Silvermoon Pack, an elder even my father dared not cross lightly.
Cedric knew exactly what this crown meant to me.
Still, he lifted his bidding number plate. Not once did his eyes drift toward me.
Bright lights flooded the auction hall.
I sat in my seat and watched Cedric take the crown. He placed it gently atop Teresa’s hair.
The wolf inside me thrashed wildly, begging to break free and demand why he had broken his word.
Whispers flooded my ears.
“Alpha Cedric’s clearly naming that adopted girl his future Luna.”
“The Thorne family’s real daughter has such a tragic fate. She can’t even hold onto her own mate.”
Cedric leaned down to brush strands of hair from Teresa’s face. His gaze held nothing but warmth and patience.
I had known him for three years. All I ever saw from him was the authority and coldness of an Alpha.
In his eyes, I was just an outsider werewolf scheming to seize the pack’s wealth.
He believed every tear and every moment of sorrow was just an act to draw attention.
Rose walked over to me with a glass of champagne in hand.
She was my aunt. A group of high-ranking werewolves stood behind her as she spoke, her tone thick with contempt.
“Stella, Alpha Cedric obviously cares nothing for you. You’d better accept your fate. Teresa grew up within Silvermoon Pack. She is the one who deserves to be his future Luna.”
Her words sliced straight through my pride. My fingers shook hard around the champagne flute.
Before the auction began, Cedric had spoken to me in the private lounge.
He promised he would win the crown for me, a gift to mark our third anniversary as betrothed mates.
I had believed him.
To stand by his side, I even turned down offers of help from Alphas of allied packs.
Yet one minute before the crown was brought onstage, Teresa had whispered and cried in his ear.
Cedric cast aside his promise without a second thought.
He did not just refuse to help me. He became Teresa’s sharpest weapon to claim what was mine.
He knew full well about my father’s test.
If I lost my composure tonight, or failed to retrieve the crown, control over Silvermoon Pack’s assets would shift straight to Teresa.
He was not ignorant. He simply thought I was strong enough to stand on my own without that security.
Teresa, however, was fragile. She needed the crown to solidify her place within the pack.
Applause echoed endlessly. The charity auction night finally came to an end.
