Chapter 1
I was once the beloved daughter of the powerful Alpha and Luna of The Midnight Ridge Pack. I thought I had everything—a loving family, a protective brother, and a perfect fated mate—Steve Dolton, the strongest Beta of The Midnight Ridge Pack and the man I had loved for eighteen years.
But when I turned eighteen, my world shattered.
I discovered that I had been switched at birth and that Penny was the true heir of the pack.
In an instant, I became the most awkward existence within The Midnight Ridge Pack.
Though my parents promised I would always be their daughter, when Penny offended The Rogue King, they didn’t hesitate to make me take the blame and threw me into the infamous rogue den.
I endured torture from silver chains and wolfsbane, my body covered in scars, becoming the lowest slave in the rogue den.
It wasn’t until the fifth year that my brother-Alpha Joe and my former fiancé- Steve, came to the rogue den to take me back to The Midnight Ridge Pack.
I overheard the casual chatter of the servants.
"Does she seriously think she can come back?"
"She made Miss Penny suffer outside for over a decade, stole ten years of happiness from her, and now she has the audacity to return and keep taking what belongs to Miss Penny. Shameless."
"I heard that bringing her back this time is to help Miss Penny..."
My throat tightened, and my palms grew cold.
"Julia, come back home with us. We were wrong about you!"
"Steve and I will treat you twice as well. You're still our precious little princess!"
Amid their urging and apologies, I loosened my hand grip on the tattered hem of my dress.
I had already promised to marry the son of The Rogue King. Our wedding was just around the corner.
Chapter 1
Alpha Joe stood before me, his towering presence as commanding as ever. his jaw clenched in barely suppressed anger.
“Slave?” he barked, his voice echoing through the dilapidated walls of the rogue den.
I flinched, but only a little. “Yes, that’s what I am now. A rogue slave. Isn’t that what everyone’s been calling me?”
His amber eyes flared, his wolf not far from the surface. “Julia, you’re our sister! Who told you to call yourself a slave?”
“You sent me to the Rogue Den to atone for Penny’s sins, didn’t you? Did you really think a sinner would be treated well?”
Joe’s fists curled at his sides, and for a moment, I thought he might punch me.
“You were just about to agree to come home with us—you even got into the car!” he snapped, his frustration finally breaking through. “Why did you suddenly change your mind?”
My lips curved into a bitter smile. “ Perhaps this is where I truly belong.You were the ones who sent me here, remember?"”
Beta Steve, my former fiancé, stepped forward. “Julia, don’t say such things in anger. We’ve investigated what happened five years ago. You didn’t harm Penny on purpose that day.”
I scoffed. “Wow, five years to figure that out? Must’ve been a really tough case for you.”
Steve winced but pressed on. “We wronged you, Julia. And we regret it deeply. That’s why we came all the way from the Midnight Ridge Pack to take you home from this... this rogue den.”
“This place is too desolate,” Alpha Joe cut in, his tone softer now, almost pleading. “Too broken. It’s no place for someone like you—a young lady who was raised in comfort and love for over a decade.”
Comfort and love? I nearly laughed out loud. The only love I’d felt in that house was from my wolf, and even she had grown quiet after years of being suppressed by silver chains and wolfsbane.
Steve’s gaze flicked to my hands, and I caught the flash of pity in his eyes as he saw the rough, misshapen fingers I’d earned from years of hard labor. He spoke gently, as if trying to soothe a pup. “Julia, you don’t belong here. Come back with us, and we’ll make things right.”
My vision blurred for a moment, but I forced the tears back.
Five years. Five years of endless torment, of dreaming about the day my family would come for me. And when they finally did, when I climbed into that car with my heart pounding in hope...
I heard the whispers.
“She’s just a backup for Penny. Don’t know why Alpha Joe is wasting time on her.”
“She should be grateful we’re even bringing her back. After all, rogues don’t get second chances.”
The joy that had bloomed in my chest froze into something cold and brittle. Shock gave way to disappointment, and disappointment twisted into something darker.
My heart ached, but not from longing. No, this was the sting of betrayal.
The family I had waited so long to see again wasn’t truly remorseful. They didn’t want me back because they loved me or missed me. They wanted me because Penny had screwed up—again.
Chapter 2
I jumped out of the Bugatti’s back seat, the cold air biting through the thin fabric of my dress.
My voice, no longer trembling with emotion, had settled into a dead calm. “Alpha Joe, Beta Steve, you must have had a hard time traveling all this way.” My gaze dropped to the filthy hem of my dress, stained with the dirt of this rogue den.
“Five years is a long time. I’ve gotten used to it.”
“This place suits me just fine. I don’t miss home anymore.”
Joe’s lips pressed into a thin line, his wolf’s energy crackling faintly in the air.
“And besides,” I continued, glancing at the sleek, spotless car beside us, “I’m covered in dirt and filth. Wouldn’t want to stain your precious Bugatti.”
Alpha Joe’s chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath, trying to leash his growing anger.
“Julia Barrett,” he growled, his voice low and threatening, “what exactly are you trying to say?”
“I think I’m saying it pretty clearly,” I replied, crossing my arms.
Joe’s composure finally snapped. “Are you still blaming us? We came all this way to bring you home, and you’re still throwing a tantrum? How much longer are you going to act like this?”
His wolf flared just beneath his skin, his tone harsh and unrelenting. “Yes, we made mistakes five years ago, but were you completely innocent? Penny spent years wandering outside before finally returning to Midnight Ridge Pack. If you hadn’t constantly bullied her, gone against her in secret—”
“Would we have ever suspected you?”
A loud bang echoed as Joe slammed his fist against the car door. His voice turned icy, each word cutting like a blade.
“If you don’t want to come back, then don’t!” he snapped. “I no longer thought of you as my sister.”
My heart should have cracked at his words, but all I felt was a distant numbness.
“I’ll tell Mom and Dad you died in the rogue den,” Joe added coldly. Without waiting for my response, he got into the car and slammed the door.
The Bugatti roared to life, leaving me standing in the cold.
The winter wind wasn’t nearly as frigid as Joe’s words.
Even after five years of false accusations, exile, and suffering, they still couldn’t see past Penny’s inveracious mask. It didn’t matter anymore. Five years had hardened me. My heart was little more than a calloused wound, so numb that even a blade wouldn’t cut deep enough to hurt.
Beta Steve lingered, sighing softly like a man forced to deal with an unruly child. He reached into a bag they had brought from Midnight Ridge Pack and pulled out an ornate gift box.
“Your parents still care about you, Julia. Blood ties don’t break so easily,” he said, holding the box out to me like some peace offering.
I stared at it, unimpressed.
Steve’s voice softened. “Julia, don’t be stubborn. These pastries—Luna Felicia made them for you herself. And inside this bag is a dress they picked out just for you.”
A small laugh escaped me, sharp and bitter. My mate—Beta Steve Dolton—was Midnight Ridge Pack’s most talented warrior, the future Beta, and, once upon a time, my fated mate.
The memory of my first shift at eighteen surfaced unbidden. The strong scent of mint and pine had filled my senses, and my wolf had howled with joy in my mind. Mate.
Steve had always been the golden boy of Midnight Ridge Pack, a prince among wolves. And for a short, fleeting moment, I had thanked the Moon Goddess for blessing me with him as my partner.
But everything changed when Penny appeared.
The day she collapsed, coughing up blood, Steve had cradled her in his arms, glaring at me like I’d personally poisoned her. The bond we shared—the one I thought was unbreakable—frayed and snapped in that single moment.
I swallowed hard, forcing the memory away as my gaze fell on the box of pastries. Inside were dainty little macarons, each molded into the shape of a kitten.
Cute. Except I hated macarons. They were too sweet, too perfect. Penny’s favorite, not mine.
Then there was the dress—a soft pink monstrosity made of the finest silk. Penny’s favorite color. Mine love was midnight blue, the color of the sky just before it gave way to the stars.
Noticing my lack of gratitude, Steve’s expression turned cold, tinged with impatience.
“Julia, don’t be greedy,” he said, his tone sharper now. “Alpha Kenelm and the others have done their best to make it up to you. Penny was their real daughter!”
I stared at him, incredulous. “Greedy? I never asked you for anything."?”
His jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
“You have two days to think about it,” Steve continued, his tone dismissive. “After that, Joe and I are leaving. It’s your last chance, Julia.”
Chance. That was rich coming from him.
As Steve turned and walked away, I stood there in the cold, the box of unwanted pastries still in my hands.
They all thought I was ungrateful. That I was insatiable.
Chapter 3
When I returned to my drafty little shack, it felt even emptier than usual—probably because all my belongings were gone.
The rogue overseeing my work leaned against the doorframe with a grin wide enough to show off his crooked fangs. “Miss Julia, no more mucking stalls for you. Fancy servants from Midnight Ridge Pack came by and cleared out your things. They’ve sent it all to the Allison Hotel.”
“You should go stay there.”
I glanced around the tiny shack one last time, taking in the broken window patched with cloth, the battered cot, and the faint stench of damp hay. This place had been my home for five long years.
I whispered under my breath, “Good riddance.”
As I walked through the cold, snow-covered streets of Rogue Den, memories of my life here replayed in my mind. For five years, I had woken up before dawn, shackled with silver chains like the lowest slave, braving the knife-sharp winter wind to cut grass and feed the Rogue King’s livestock. After an entire day of herding, I had to go to the mines to dig for ore.
Rogue Den was nothing like Midnight Ridge Pack’s perpetual spring. For most of the year, it was battered by icy winds and covered in snow.
These hands of mine—once soft, perfect for painting delicate strokes—were now a map of scars, callouses, and broken nails. Even my wolf, stayed quiet in the back of my mind, too weary from years of suppression to comfort me.
Alpha Joe wasn’t wrong.
The pampered princess of Midnight Ridge Pack had long since died.
Not in the cold of Rogue Den, but the day Penny was brought back.
From that moment on, she took everything that had once belonged to me—my parents, my brother, the love and affection that had once been mine. Whatever she wanted, I had to give up.
Because I wasn’t really their daughter.
I was just the greedy maid’s child. My mother had switched us at birth, leaving Penny to suffer in poverty for over a decade.
When I finally reached the Allison Hotel, its warmth hit me like a slap in the face. The scent of lavender and vanilla incense made me wrinkle my nose. Everything about this place screamed luxury—a world I’d been forcibly ripped out of and left to dream about from the depths of Rogue Den.
That’s when I saw her.
Penny.
She stood at the top of the grand staircase, a vision of delicate beauty in a soft cream robe, her silky brown hair tumbling over her shoulders like some kind of goddess.
My chest tightened. Not with envy—I’d been too broken for that—but with the stark reminder of how easily she’d taken everything from me.
She wobbled slightly, clearly about to step down barefoot. Before I could even process what was happening, Joe shot forward, scooping her into his arms like she weighed nothing.
“Are you out of your mind?” he growled, his tone soft but firm. “Why aren’t you wearing shoes? Rogue Den isn’t Midnight Ridge Pack—it’s freezing here. What if you catch a cold? You’re always so frail.”
Beta Steve—my ex-fiancé —appeared out of nowhere, holding plush slippers. He knelt down, gently cradling her ankle as he slipped them on.
Penny giggled, her voice light as air. “I didn’t think anyone would notice. You’re both too much.”
I stood at the bottom of the staircase, watching this nauseating display unfold.
My lips curled into a bitter smile.
Neither Joe nor Steve had mentioned she’d be here. Of course, they’d hidden her away, worried that the harsh winds of Rogue Den might harm her precious skin. Or worse, worried I might trouble her.
My wolf stirred in the back of my mind, her growl low and dangerous. You’re better than this, Julia. Don’t let them see you crumble.
I clenched my fists. “Crumble? Please. I’m practically a rock at this point.”
My heart had long since gone numb, but at this moment, it was like a fishhook had pierced into my flesh, dragging out a sharp, tearing pain.
My entire body trembled.
The one person who owed me an apology the most—I hadn’t even had the chance to see her.
Five years ago, Penny had been found and brought back to Midnight Ridge Pack.
That was when everyone realized the mistake.
Seeing her malnourished and frail from years in the slums, my family couldn’t wait to make up for lost time, showering her with everything they had.
Penny didn’t like me.
She deliberately tore her own clothes, then looked at me with hesitant, tear-filled eyes.
She didn’t have to say anything.
Everyone already knew what to believe.
My brother forced me to yield to Penny, claiming she was timid and pitiful.
My parents silently bought her designer clothes and let her choose as she pleased.
My fiancé, Beta Steve, personally taught her combat techniques and grew closer to her.
Penny and I shared the same birthday.
On that day, she suddenly said she wanted almond tea, brewed by me.
But after a single sip, her face turned deathly pale, and she vomited blood.
Joe, in his fury, struck me across the face.
His words were the cruelest curses I had ever heard.
“A bitched girl born of a bitch—just as vile!”
“You switched the almonds for peach kernels, knowing she’s allergic! Did you want her dead so you could keep playing princess?”
“I’m telling you now—Penny is my real sister. If anything happens to her, you’ll pay for it with your life!”
Because of that slap, I lost hearing in my left ear forever.
My fiancé had held Penny in his arms, flustered and panicked.
He didn’t say a word.
But his accusing eyes cut me deeper than any blade, slicing me into a thousand pieces.
Chapter 4
I still remember the day Penny decided to become the poster child for ridiculous bravery. She stood before the Rogue King, her chin tilted in that defiant way that could only mean one thing—she was about to make a colossal mistake. And boy, did she deliver.
She called him a "barbaric mongrel," publicly scorning him in front of his own rogues. I swear, even the wolves watching from the shadows flinched at her audacity.
The Rogue King’s golden eyes glowed with fury. "If Penny isn’t sent to Rogue Den to answer for her insolence, Midnight Ridge Pack will face my wrath. My wolves will raze your lands until nothing remains but ashes and regrets."
That was the first time I saw Penny lose her composure. Her face went pale, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I don’t afraid going," she whispered, her voice trembling in just the right way to tug at heartstrings. "But… I can’t bear to leave my brother, my father, and my mother."
Cue the dramatic silence as everyone looked at me like I was the answer to all their problems.
Alpha Joe, who had been standing as still as a statue, finally spoke, his tone cold and detached. "Julia, you’ll go in Penny’s place."
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
"Rogue Den is harsh and far away," Joe continued, as though justifying the decision. "Penny’s body is too fragile to endure it. Midnight Ridge Pack raised you for over a decade—isn’t it time you repaid the pack?"
Repay the pack? For what? Being a glorified punching bag and unpaid servant?
My father and mother said nothing, their silence heavier than any words they could have spoken. My mother eventually sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Julia… we can’t bear to send you away, but Penny is our real daughter."
And there it was. The dagger twisted in my chest.
Beta Steve, my former fiancé, chimed in. "Julia, you’ve done too much wrong. You’ve hurt Penny time and time again. It’s only right that you go to Rogue Den and make amends."
I wanted to cry, but my throat was too tight. Penny cast me a triumphant look from behind her delicate mask of tears. She didn’t have to say a word—her victory was written all over her face.
And so, I was shipped off to Rogue Den, a desolate wasteland where even the wolves looked more feral than civilized.
The rogue overseers wasted no time reminding me of my new reality. "You think they sent you here to teach you a lesson? Nah, sweetheart. This isn’t punishment—it’s exile. They never wanted you to begin with."
He wasn’t wrong.
For five years, I labored under the harshest conditions imaginable. My hands, once soft, became rough and calloused, every scar a testament to the endless work. Feeding livestock, shoveling waste, mining for ore—each task more grueling than the last.
The winters in Rogue Den were unforgiving, the cold biting through even the thickest layers. My wolf, was my only companion in the long, silent nights.
But now, after five years, they had the audacity to send word that it was all a mistake. That the almond tea incident had been an error. That I was innocent.
They wanted me to come home.
Home.
The word felt foreign, like a language I no longer understood. What home did I have left?
Chapter 5
Penny descended the staircase , her mink-trimmed shawl bouncing with each step. Her feet were tucked into plush slippers, and the scent of something outrageously expensive perfume wafted toward me before she even reached the bottom step.
When her gaze landed on me, her doe-like eyes widened in startled fear, the corners of her mouth trembling.
“Big sister…” she said softly.
I said nothing, my eyes trailing over her perfectly polished appearance—manicured nails, flawless skin, and the kind of Jewelrys that screamed privilege.
Meanwhile, my own cracked, frostbitten fingers curled into fists at my sides. The bitter cold of Rogue Den hadn’t just bitten at my skin; it had left marks that no amount of Skin care products could cover.
Penny’s eyes glistened, her nose reddening . A single crystalline tear rolled down her cheek.
“Sister,” she whispered, her voice shaking just enough to sound vulnerable, “are you still angry with me? You haven’t forgiven me?”
I raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.
“It was my fault,” she continued, her hands clutching each other like a penitent saint. “The Rogue King… he was supposed to punish me. You suffered for five years because of me.” She paused . “We’re here to take you home.”
Home? I let out a sharp laugh under my breath.
Penny approached me with a cup of tea. “If you drink this,” she said, her voice soft , “it means you’ve forgiven me. Okay?”
Her hands trembled as she extended the cup toward me.
Then,The tea spilled.
The hot liquid splashed over my frostbitten hands, seeping into the cracks in my skin. The sting was immediate and sharp, an agony that triggered an instinctive reaction.
Before I could think, I shoved Penny back.
She didn’t hit the floor.
Beta Steve—my former fiancé—was suddenly there, his arms wrapped around her like a protective cocoon. His glare burned into me as if I were some feral animal who had lost all reason.
Then came my brother. His boot collided with my side before I could even brace myself, sending me sprawling to the floor. My head struck the ground with a dull thud, and warm blood trickled down my temple.
“She didn’t mean to spill the tea!” Penny cried, her voice trembling as she clung to Steve’s arm. “She’s hurt… Please, don’t blame her!”
But her words, of course, were drowned out by Alpha Joe’s thunderous voice.
“Julia, after five years, you’ve learned nothing! You still dare to bully Penny?”
I bit down hard on my lip, willing myself to stay silent. What was the point of speaking? No matter what I said, I would always be the villain in their eyes.
Joe’s face twisted into a mask of rage, and Beta Steve tightened his hold on Penny as if I might leap at her again.
Slowly, I sat up, ignoring the ache in my ribs and the sticky warmth of blood on my forehead. I wiped the blood away with the back of my hand and bowed deeply toward Penny.
“I was careless,” I said, my voice calm and measured. “I apologize for pushing Miss Penny.”
Steve’s brows furrowed, a flicker of guilt passing over his face. Penny, looked horrified, on the verge of tears.
“Sister!” she cried, her voice high and wavering. “How could you bow to me? You’re not my servant—there’s no need for this!”
Alpha Joe with a cold, dismissive tone. “If she wants to act like a servant, so be it. Let her stay here and suffer. We’re leaving.”
I stayed frozen in my bow as their footsteps receded, my wolf growling softly in the back of my mind. Good riddance, she snarled. They don’t deserve to call themselves your family.
She was right, of course.
For a moment, when I’d first seen them, I’d felt a flicker of hope—a stupid, naive hope that maybe they’d changed. That maybe they’d come to take me home because they finally cared.
Good thing I overheard the servants talking.
Good thing I had already given up on going back with them.
Returning to Midnight Ridge Pack would mean returning to a place where I had no place.
Returning to be mocked, humiliated.
For just a moment, when I first saw them in Rogue Den, I had been happy.
For just a moment, I had wanted to tell them.
That I was getting married.
That I wasn’t a slave anymore.
That soon, the future Rogue King of Rogue Den would give me a home.
Chapter 6
That night, Beta Steve came looking for me, carrying a small bottle of medicine in his hand .
I smelled him before I saw him—the mint and pine of his musk still clinging to my memories from years ago. It used to make my heart race. Now, it just made my wolf growl low and annoyed.
When he finally stood before me, his brows knit, he sighed.
“Julia, must you always be so stubborn? A simple apology would have ended all of this. Why make things so difficult?”
“You’re acting like a slave on purpose, aren’t you? Just to stab Joe and Penny in the heart?”
I curved my lips into the faintest hint of a smile.
Did they even have a heart when it came to me?
Back in Midnight Ridge Pack, I used to love listening to Beta Steve’s patient guidance. I had trusted him completely, relied on him.
I had called him “Steve” with warmth and sincerity.
Until the day he held a bloodied Penny in his arms, his expression filled with frantic worry, while his gaze toward me was as cold and sharp as a blade stripping me of every last drop of my blood.
That was when I finally realized—any kindness toward me had always been conditional. As long as I was the Midnight Ridge Pack princess, they would smile at me.
I tilted my head, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “You really think they have hearts, Steve? ”
His jaw tightened at my words, and for a moment, I saw something flicker in his eyes—guilt, maybe? Or irritation?
“When you return to Midnight Ridge Pack,” he continued, his voice firmer, “you must let go of these grudges. Don’t entertain any schemes. Julia, even if you hold resentment, you must never harm Penny.”
I didn’t bother suppressing the laugh this time. My wolf, Luna, joined in with a snort. Harm Penny? As if her precious tears wouldn’t drown us all before I even got the chance.
Steve’s eyes narrowed at my laughter. “Julia,” he said, more quietly this time,“I’ve waited for you these past five years. Our engagement was never annulled. I will still marry you.”
Steve stepped closer, his eyes locking onto mine, his voice softening. “As long as you return to Midnight Ridge Pack, live in harmony with Penny, and stop hurting her—”
“Stop right there.” My voice was firm, my wolf stirring at the back of my mind with irritation. She didn’t like this tone now, and frankly, neither did I.
“Let me get this straight,” I said, folding my arms. “You’re offering me the chance to marry you, on the condition that I play nice with the sister who’s spent her life making mine miserable? ”
He flinched at the sarcasm, and I saw his composure waver, just for a second. “Julia, you know it’s not like that. I’m doing this for you.”
“Ah, yes. For me.” I stepped closer, my wolf’s growl rumbling softly in my chest. “Tell me, Beta Steve, when did my ‘happiness’ become so synonymous with Penny’s safety?”
He had no answer for that, of course. He just stood there, his lips pressed into a thin line, looking like he wanted to say something but didn’t know what.
I let the silence stretch out before finally speaking, my voice calm and clear.
“Beta Steve,” I said, meeting his gaze with steady eyes, “you don’t need to trouble yourself.”
His brows furrowed slightly, confusion flickering across his face.
“I won’t be returning to Midnight Ridge Pack, And I certainly won’t be marrying you.”
Then I delivered the final blow, the words that severed the last, tattered thread between us:
“I, Julia Barrett, reject you, Steve Dolton, as my mate.”
For a second, I thought he might argue, but then his shoulders slumped, and his face twisted in something that might have been pain.
Steve stood frozen for a moment, his Beta pride no doubt struggling to process what had just happened.
“I’ve found someone better—I’m getting married soon.”