The Disguised Princess Burned His House Down

I spent three years begging my father, the Alpha King, for a sacred mating decree.

But the day the scroll finally arrived, Silas, the rising commander of the Northern Pack, chose someone else.

He tossed ten bolts of fine silver-silk and two chests of glowing moon-crystals at my feet.

He called it compensation for the years I spent by his side.

When I demanded an answer, he coldly ordered his guards to throw me out.

"Vivienne, you are nothing but an orphaned wolf with no pack. Did you really think you could be the Luna of my house?"

"Only the daughter of the High Elder is worthy of standing beside me. From now on, we owe each other nothing."

Right now, I am looking at the woman standing next to Silas. She is undeniably beautiful.

She wears a dress of soft pink lace that flutters in the mountain breeze, her stray hairs making her look playful.

Yet, her eyes are filled with fury because her dowry was ruined. Even in her rage, she maintains the air of a noble she-wolf.

Is this the woman he is choosing to mate with?

"Where did this filthy stray come from? How dare she cause a scene in my father's estate?"

She raised her hand, signaling the guards to pin me to the dirt.

Silas quickly stood up and stepped between us.

"She is just a distant cousin from the outskirts. She has no manners and hasn't seen the world. Please, Lady Seraphina, show some mercy."

Silas's words were like silver daggers driven straight into my heart.

I had loved him for years and used my secret influence to push him into his position as Commander.

Now that he has fame and power, he wants to discard me like trash. Life isn't that simple.

"Silas, you promised me that the day you returned to the capital would be the day you claimed me. Are you breaking your oath?"

Seraphina's face darkened, her eyes cold as ice.

"Silas, you told my father you were unbonded and single. That is why I agreed to this union. Are you trying to humiliate the High Elder's family?"

Silas, who had been signaling me to keep quiet, suddenly turned cold. He raised three fingers to the sky to swear an oath.

"There was never a formal bond or a promise between us. I only helped her because I was kind enough to rescue her once."

"If Seraphina allows it, she can stay as a lowly concubine. If not, she will be a slave who washes the floors."

I am the Princess of the Royal Pack, yet in his mouth, I am either a mistress or a slave.

No one has ever dared to insult me to my face like this.

He really is something else.

Seraphina looked at both of us with a wicked smirk.

"Silas, my family has a pure reputation. We do not allow mistresses. She can only be a slave."

Silas nodded in agreement, completely ignoring my feelings.

I stood there like a joke, a source of entertainment for them.

My hidden shadow guards in the trees had already tightened their fists. If I hadn't shaken my head, everyone in this courtyard would be dead.

The moment I saw Silas offering a dowry to another woman, he died in my heart.

Allowing this to continue was simply to let him dig his own grave deeper. I wanted to make sure he would never dare to crawl back to me once he knew who I was.

I squinted at Silas after everyone finished laughing.

"Are you certain you want to marry the Elder's daughter and betray everything we swore to each other?"

Silas frowned and threw a silk handkerchief at my face, waving his hand in annoyance.

"Someone get this slave out of my sight!"

That was the first handkerchief I had ever embroidered for him.

During the Solstice Festival, he saw other warriors receiving gifts from their mates while he had nothing.

To save his pride, I gave him a rare glass lantern from my royal collection.

He rejected it, saying it wasn't personal enough.

To give him something unique, I spent nights learning to sew and made him that handkerchief with twin swans.

For three years, he kept it pressed against his chest. He even took it to the battlefield.

He used to say that every time he touched it, he felt a surge of power and the will to survive.

Now, he threw it at me like a piece of used rag.

I knew then that there was no turning back for us.

I walked toward him slowly, wanting to see clearly why I had ever chosen him among so many noble alphas.

Silas was forced to step back by the sheer intensity in my eyes.

Seraphina didn't expect to lose face in her own home.

In a fit of rage, she swung her hand to slap me.

Unfortunately for her, I caught her wrist mid-air with a grip of steel.

I had been trained in combat by the King's own instructors since I was a pup. She was nothing to me.

"Silas, remember what you said today. From now on, our paths are separate."

A flash of panic crossed Silas's eyes. He leaned in and whispered, "Vivienne, just leave for now. I'll explain everything when I get back, okay?"

I laughed at his cowardice. Suppressing the ache in my chest, I simply said, "No."

He couldn't hide his anger anymore. When he realized everyone was watching, he snapped.

"Fine! We are dead to each other!"

A sharp pain stabbed at my heart, and my eyes blurred for a second.

My pride as a Princess wouldn't let me cry. I gave him one last look and walked away.

Four years ago, I arrived in this territory after ditching my guards to explore the local taverns.

I thought I was just going for a drink and some music.

But I was cornered by rogues the moment I stepped inside.

Silas happened to pass by and saved me. His rugged, heroic image captured my heart instantly.

I had hidden my own strength back then just to be saved by him.

From that day on, he was the only one I saw.

Four years of longing and three years of devotion vanished in a single afternoon.

It's impossible not to feel the sting when you truly loved someone.

On my way back to my villa, I took a detour to look at Silas's house.

I had bought that estate for him as a birthday gift after my business ventures succeeded.

The thought of another woman living there made my blood boil.

I ordered my shadow guards to drag everyone out of the building. Then, I set it on fire.

The flames rose high and fast, quickly catching Silas's attention from across the town.

I knew he was racing back, so I left my lead guard, Shadow One, behind.

"Find out exactly why Silas suddenly decided to mate with Seraphina Montgomery."

After returning home, I wrote a letter to my father and sent it via the fastest messenger.

My maid, Jade, stomped into the room, looking furious.

"My Lady, that brute actually dared to betray you like that!"

Her anger made the lingering sadness in my heart disappear.

I am the Princess. If I wanted to, I could still force him to be my mate.

But I don't want him anymore.

It doesn't matter if he threw me away.

In the end, I won't be the one regretting this.

"It's fine. It was just a waste of time. Pack the bags. We are going back to the Royal City."

Jade's mouth twitched as if she wanted to say more, but she was called away by a guard.

I poured myself a glass of wine and wondered where I had gone wrong.

I didn't even notice the sun going down until it was pitch black outside.

Suddenly, the courtyard became loud and chaotic.

Silas had arrived.

"Vivienne! I told you to stay inside no matter what happened at the estate. Why didn't you listen?"

Silas didn't see the coldness on my face. He started with an accusation.

Yesterday at dawn, his servant had brought me a note.

Silas had promised to take me out of the city once the sun set.

I was so happy. I even picked out my most beautiful dress for the occasion.

I thought we were going to watch the stars, but he had arranged a massive firework display instead.

Under the blooming lights, he told me that once we moved to the Royal City, he would light up the whole sky for me.

He promised the entire world would know how much he cherished me.

I was so moved I cried.

I took every word he said to heart.

If it weren't for my father's letter, I wouldn't have gone to interrupt his ceremony today.

I never imagined that the romantic night he gave me was just a distraction so he could offer a dowry to someone else.

The thought made me smile bitterly.

Silas really was full of surprises.

Seeing his aggressive stance, Jade stepped forward to kick him out.

I raised my hand to stop her. After taking a sip of wine, I sneered.

"So, a few fireworks were supposed to make me okay with being your mistress?"

"No! I would never make you a mistress. That's just... temporary."

Silas stepped forward in a panic, but I kicked him squarely in the chest to keep him back.

"Silas, I'm not an idiot. You trampled my dignity into the dirt today."

"For years, I gave you everything you ever asked for. And yet, you lied to me about something this big."

"I can't reach the Royal City with my current rank. I need the High Elder's influence to go further. I'm doing this for us!"

I had heard those excuses a thousand times in the Royal Court.

Hearing them from him now just made me feel sick.

He didn't want to work hard; he wanted to climb up using a woman's skirt.

He thinks marrying Seraphina will get him a promotion from my father.

If I told him right now that I am the Princess, would he fall to his knees and beg?

The image made me shiver with disgust.

Never mind.

He isn't worth another second of my time.

Silas took my silence as a sign of weakness. He tried to pull me into his arms like he always did.

I flipped him onto the floor before he could even touch my sleeve.

"Keep your distance. You're a married man now. Don't ruin my reputation with your wandering hands."

Silas completely misunderstood my words. He thought I was just jealous.

The panic left his face, replaced by a smug grin.

"Once I've settled in, the position of Luna will be yours."

"But right now, I need you to do me one favor. Otherwise, all my hard work will be for nothing."

I couldn't believe how shameless Silas could be.

He knew I was the one who burned down his house, so he wanted to use the villa I was currently living in as his wedding home.

"Commander, you really love pushing people, don't you?" Jade snapped.

"My Lady burned her own property. If you don't have a place for your wedding, go be a servant in the High Elder's house."

Silas looked embarrassed for a split second, but he brushed it off.

He looked at me with a fake, gentle smile.

"You've always been sharp-tongued, little girl. Vivienne, I'm suggesting this for your own good."

I looked at him as if he were a complete moron.

He was trying to move his new wife into my house, and he claimed it was for my sake.

How did I ever give him the impression that I was this stupid?

Silas didn't think there was anything wrong with his logic. He kept trying to brainwash me.

"Vivienne, I could find another house, but you have to understand. If Seraphina lives here, she won't be able to bully you as easily..."

I eventually nodded, pretending to agree just to get him to leave.

Silas was so happy he opened a box of pastries he brought and told me to drink less wine before he hurried off.

As soon as his back disappeared, Jade started cursing at the shadow guards hiding in the rafters.

Her anger quickly turned into sobbing. she grabbed my arm and cried.

"My Lady, please stop being so kind! You are the Princess of the Great Royal Pack! How dare he treat you like this?"

Her tears warmed my heart.

If she hadn't been by my side all these years, my quest for true love would have ended in disaster long ago.

I wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief.

"Do you really think your Princess is that much of a pushover?"

She nodded immediately, which actually made me feel a bit better.

It wasn't her fault for thinking that way.

When Silas was struggling and depressed years ago, I went to the greatest warrior of our kingdom, Alaric Blackwell.

I begged him to take Silas under his wing and train him.

Alaric was a man who hated royal politics and didn't care about my status. He refused me.

To get Silas a chance at a military career, I worked as a servant in Alaric's manor for three months.

I endured his cold glares and harsh demands for ninety days.

I was about to give up when I took a silver blade meant for Alaric during an assassination attempt. Only then did he agree.

If it weren't for the scar on my chest, Silas would be lucky to be a common guard right now.

My hand instinctively touched the spot where the blade had hit.

I was blind back then. If I could go back, I would stay as far away from him as possible.

But Silas was even more shameless than I imagined.

The next day at noon, he showed up with Seraphina.

They didn't even knock. They just sat down at my dining table while I was eating.

"Jade, bring two more sets of silver plates..."

Before Silas could finish, I slammed my chopsticks onto the table.

Except for my father, no one dared to order my people around.

And they certainly didn't have the right to sit at my table.

The two of them froze. Silas's face turned stormy.

"Vivienne, what is the meaning of this?"

"You know I don't like eating with outsiders. You've crossed the line."

The sheer authority in my voice made Seraphina flinch. She forced a fake smile.

"Vivienne, Silas told me you are the manager of his businesses. We'll be family soon. On the wedding day, you can stand by my side as my personal attendant."

Businesses? That tiny piece of land he thinks he owns?

I looked at Silas. He was hanging his head so low it was almost touching his lap.

I realized then that he had told Seraphina that all my properties belonged to him.

I was livid.

I had allowed the shopkeepers to call him "Master" just to give him some dignity as my future mate.

I didn't expect him to actually pretend he owned everything.

No wonder Seraphina's tone had changed.

She was afraid I would control the money and leave her with no real power as his wife.

Poor girl. She was being scammed.

"Fine. In five days, I will accompany Commander Silas to bring Lady Seraphina home."

My words delighted them both. Seraphina looked at me with calculating eyes.

After they left, Jade was practically vibrating with rage.

"Shadow One, Shadow Two. Transfer all the property titles out of my name. Jade, pack everything. We leave in five days."

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