Born One Minute Too Late, But I Was the True Alpha Chapter 03

Born One Minute Too Late, But I Was the True Alpha Chapter 03

I found my stolen design on a screen twenty feet tall.

Westbridge Academy had filled the graduation hall with students, teachers, and families from three Packs.

Brielle stood beneath the image in a white dress.

My wolf crest spread behind her in silver and black.

Every line was mine.

Even the tiny crescent hidden inside the left eye.

My signature.

“First place in the Westbridge Graduation Design Award,” the principal announced, “Brielle Vale.”

The hall erupted.

Father stood first.

Lenora clapped with both hands pressed beneath her chin.

Declan smiled.

I walked toward the stage.

Brielle saw me.

Her smile flickered.

“Arden,” the principal said. “Please return to your seat.”

“That design belongs to me.”

The applause died.

Brielle gripped the award.

“What are you doing?”

I connected my phone to the presentation screen.

My original files appeared behind her.

Draft one.

Draft two.

Time stamps.

Client notes from Nightglass Tattoo.

“Cancel the award,” I said.

I looked directly at the principal.

“Restore the artist’s name.”

Lenora hurried to the stage.

“This is a family misunderstanding.”

“No. It is theft.”

Brielle began to cry.

“I didn’t steal anything. Mom said the design belonged to the Pack.”

“The Pack did not create it.”

“You have everything!” she shouted.

Her tears fell harder when the audience turned toward her.

“You have an Alpha wolf. You have your shop. You win every fight. I only wanted Dad to be proud of me once.”

Father stepped in front of me.

“Enough.”

“Tell her to return my work.”

“You will tell the principal that you gave it to her.”

“I didn’t.”

“You will correct this embarrassment now.”

“The embarrassment is that your daughter stole from me.”

His face changed.

Not because Brielle had stolen.

Because I had said it where people could hear.

Declan came up behind me.

His hand closed over my injured wrist.

“Do what Father said.”

“Take your hand off me.”

His Alpha command struck the room.

“Submit.”

My knees did not bend.

My wolf surged forward.

Power rolled out of me and shattered his command.

Declan stumbled.

Gasps moved through the hall.

No one spoke.

Everyone had felt it.

My Alpha power was stronger than his.

Father looked around at the watching families.

Then he leaned close enough that only I could hear him.

“Nightglass Tattoo operates inside Greyhaven territory.”

Cold spread through me.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Continue humiliating this family and the shop will lose permission to operate by tomorrow morning.”

Lenora touched my shoulder.

“We allowed you to play with that little business because it kept you occupied. Do not mistake our patience for freedom.”

They had taken my rank.

My room.

My work.

Now they were threatening the only path I had left.

I could fight them in the hall.

I could expose everything.

And tomorrow, Father would lock the shop, freeze the Pack account connected to its license, and trap me before North Coast answered.

So I lowered my hand.

Brielle smiled through her tears.

“Fine,” I said.

Father relaxed.

“The design can remain under Brielle’s name.”

“Good.”

“On one condition.”

I removed a folded document from my bag.

“Sign this.”

He barely glanced at the first page.

“What is it?”

“Permission concerning my final school term. Sign it, and I will tell the principal the design was a gift.”

Lenora took the paper from me and pushed it toward him.

“Just sign it. Everyone is waiting.”

Father wrote his name.

Alpha Grant Vale.

He handed the document back without reading the title.

TRANSFER CONSENT FOR NORTH COAST ADVANCED ACADEMY.

I faced the principal.

“The crest was a gift to my sister.”

The lie burned my throat.

Applause returned slowly.

Brielle accepted my award.

My phone vibrated inside my pocket.

I looked down.

APPLICATION APPROVED.

ARRIVAL REQUIRED IN SEVEN DAYS.

Father had signed away the daughter he had never bothered to see.