The Girl the Pack Treated as a Joke Was Actually a Powerful White Wolf Chapter 03

The Girl the Pack Treated as a Joke Was Actually a Powerful White Wolf Chapter 03

I signed for the delivery and brought the box inside.

The gold ribbon slipped loose across the floor as I peeled open the packaging. Resting on black velvet was an ancient quill pen.

A sacred pack relic.

It held the latent power of a revered elder.

Months ago, on a date at the pack archives, I had stood glued to the glass display for twenty straight minutes, mesmerized by the ancient hum within the feather.

Nolan had wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close against his chest.

“Like it?” he had murmured.

“Ace the Wolf Rank Assessment, bring home that RCA acceptance, and I’ll claim it for you as Alpha. Trust me, Lyra. It’s yours.”

So… was this Nolan keeping his word?

I flipped open the card tucked inside.

The joke was on me.

Nolan’s familiar, arrogant scrawl glared back:

[Serena, don’t let one bad test shake you. This elder’s quill will bring you victory next time. You’ll always be the brightest she-wolf in Ravenbrook.]

His promises no longer belonged to me.

And my wolf refused to play backup.

I grabbed my suitcase, walked out the door, and checked into a rundown motel on the pack’s border.

I had never stepped foot outside our lands before.

Breaking the pack bond out here invited violent recoil.

My wolf was defenseless in the dark, and we both needed time to adjust.

Three days later, my phone pinged. It was Ethan Brooks, my high school combat team captain.

“Top cadet! You can’t skip the graduation party! The whole squad is dying to bask in your glory!”

My wolf was lethargic, still aching from the severed tether.

But the memory of the squad fighting side by side in the trenches softened my defenses.

I said yes.

The party took over a private lakeside villa.

Heavy bass and the stench of liquor rolled over me before I even hit the porch steps. The noisy, familiar buzz of pack life.

I pushed the front door open.

My feet froze on the hardwood.

My dad. My mom. Nolan. Serena.

They were all there.

Wasn’t this supposed to be a squad reunion?

Ethan rushed over, scratching his neck, unable to meet my eyes.

“Lyra, I swear I didn’t mean to bait you. Your parents tracked me down. They swore they wanted to throw you a surprise party.”

A “surprise party” for me.

Yet Serena was parked dead center in the room, wearing that demure, practiced blush she always pulled out for an audience.

Alpha Nolan hovered beside her like a bodyguard, while my parents worked the crowd, playing gracious hosts.

Up on the massive projector screen, bold letters beamed across the wall:

[Congratulations to Ms. Bennett—Royal Crescent Academy’s Elite 99!]

Ms. Bennett.

They sure as hell weren’t talking about me.

My mother caught my eye from across the room and dragged me into the hallway shadows.

“Where the hell have you been hiding?” she hissed, keeping her voice low.

“No calls. No texts. Not even a whisper through the mindlink!”

I looked at her face. Was she worried?

If she cared, she would have felt the real reason behind the silence—the bloodline bond was ripping apart at the seams.

Her eyes flicked back toward the crowded room with smug pride.

“See that? We gave you your acceptance party after all,” she whispered.

“You owe Serena for this party. She wanted to play the RCA cadet tonight, so keep your mouth shut and don’t steal her thunder.”

I didn’t utter a single syllable. My gaze slid past her shoulder, straight to Serena.

She was wearing a custom white couture gown.

My gown.

Nolan had it tailored to me.

He promised I’d be his Luna. When I joked about failing, he laughed and swore he’d drown my tears in silk.

Now that very dress hung off Serena, held together by cheap safety pins and bunched fabric.

Cheap theft. It never fits right.

I gave my mother a small, blank smile. “Whatever makes Serena happy.”

It didn’t matter.

I was the one holding the acceptance letter.

The future was mine, not hers.