The Alpha's Hidden White Wolf Mate

Danielle Phelps POV:

The silence in the grand ballroom stretched until the only sound was the uneven scrape of my canvas sneakers across the polished marble.

Camryn took a hurried step backward, his ash-blond hair falling over his forehead. "Danielle... you were released today?"

I ignored his stammering voice. My gaze dropped directly to the crook of Kacey's neck.

Just beneath her collarbone was a fresh, raised scar shaped like a jagged crescent—the puncture marks of a permanent mating bite. In our culture, the Marking was an unbreakable biological claim. An Alpha could only bite one true mate, fusing their souls and scents forever.

"You marked her."

Camryn's jaw clenched, his eyes darting toward the surrounding guests. He tried to puff out his chest, hiding behind his Alpha status. "Danielle, look, the pack board decided this months ago. A corporate merger between Knox and Savage requires two high-ranking wolves. You don't even have an inner wolf. You couldn't carry an Alpha pup."

"Oh, sister!" Kacey suddenly cried out, rushing forward with her skirts gathered in her hands.

She threw herself in front of Camryn, her eyes swimming with theatrical tears. She released a heavy wave of sweet, milky vanilla scent—the classic pheromone of a vulnerable Omega designed to trigger protective instincts in every male in the room.

"Please don't blame Camryn!" Kacey sobbed, pressing a trembling hand to her chest. "It was all my fault! I was so lonely while you were away, and Camryn was only trying to comfort me... one thing led to another... I couldn't help falling in love with him!"

Murmurs rippled through the crowd like wildfire.

"Look at that convict, glaring at poor Kacey."

"She spends five years in a cage for vehicular assault, and the first thing she does is ruin her sister's celebration?"

"Disgraceful. A wolfless cripple trying to hold onto an Alpha heir."

I stared down at Kacey's tear-streaked face. My stomach churned with pure disgust. "Save your pathetic performance, Kacey. You stole my life, you stole my freedom, and now you took my fiancé. Do you really expect me to applaud?"

"Sister, how can you say that?" Kacey shrieked, reaching out to grab my sleeve with both hands.

I didn't want her dirty fingers on me. I jerked my arm back to shake off her grip. My sleeve barely brushed the air between us—I hadn't even made contact with her skin.

Suddenly, Kacey gasped as if struck by lightning. She threw her entire body backward onto the marble floor.

Crack!

Before anyone could move, Kacey raised her own right hand and slapped herself across the cheek with terrifying force. The sound echoed off the vaulted ceiling.

She curled up on the hard stone, whimpering in agony as a bright red welt bloomed across her pale face.

"Danielle! You vicious bitch!"

A deafening roar rattled the crystal chandeliers above. A massive black shadow charged from the side terrace like an enraged freight train.

Bryant.

His Beta aura expanded with violent, suffocating pressure, hitting me like a wall of solid brick. Before I could brace myself on my good leg, his heavy palm slammed into my left shoulder.

The force launched me backward off my feet.

I crashed straight into the twelve-tier champagne tower.

The glass structure collapsed with a thunderous roar. Hundreds of crystal flutes shattered, raining down sharp shards and freezing alcohol over my head, neck, and arms.

My right knee struck the sharp corner of the raised marble dais.

Snap!

An agonizing crunch echoed deep inside my joint. The five-year-old broken silver pin embedded in my knee snapped in half under the impact, its jagged metallic edges tearing outward through muscle and tendon.

A searing, toxic burn exploded through my lower leg. Silver poisoned the bloodstream instantly, sending shockwaves of agony straight to my central nervous system. Dark spots danced across my vision. I bit down on my bottom lip until warm, metallic blood filled my mouth, forcing myself not to scream.

"Kacey! Are you hurt?" Camryn and Bryant dropped to their knees beside the sobbing Omega, crowding around her like loyal attack dogs.

Kacey buried her face in Camryn's designer lapel, trembling uncontrollably. But over his shoulder, her eyes met mine. The tears in her eyes vanished for half a second, replaced by a cold, triumphant smirk.

"Don't hurt Danielle, please," Kacey whispered weakly into Camryn's neck. "She's just angry because the prison ruined her..."

Bryant stood up, his face twisted in pure fury as he pointed at me among the broken glass. "You ungrateful parasite! You come into this house and strike the pack's treasure? You aren't fit to lick the mud off her designer heels!"

I planted my bleeding palms into the carpet of shattered crystal. Shards dug into my skin, but the physical pain in my hands was nothing compared to the fiery poison eating my knee.

Camryn looked over at me. Seeing the blood soaking through my torn jeans, a flicker of hesitation crossed his features. He stepped toward me, extending an open hand. "Danielle... let the medics look at that."

I stared at his outstretched hand. The hand that had worn our promise ring. The hand that had marked another woman.

"Don't touch me," I said.

My voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the room like a frozen blade.

I ignored his hand, dug my fingers into the edge of the stone platform, and forced my broken leg under my torso. With a sickening grind of bone against metal, I dragged myself upright.

Blood dripped from my forehead, running into my left eye and painting the grand hall in shades of crimson. I didn't offer a single word of defense. When a family has already decided you are guilty, innocence is just a waste of breath.

"You two deserve each other," I spat, wiping the blood from my chin with the back of my bruised hand. "A match made in hell."

Without looking back, I turned away from the bright lights and the sneering crowd. I dragged my shattered leg across the ruined floor, leaving a thick trail of dark red blood leading down the dark corridor toward the basement stairs.