Thea’s POV
As Dad stepped forward, everyone fell silent, hundreds of eyes focusing on him. Mom stood beside him in her stunning purple gown, her gaze finding me through the crowd and giving me a warm, encouraging smile.
My heart hammered against my ribcage as I moved closer to the front, feeling my palms begin to sweat. The strange dizziness I’d been experiencing was getting worse, but I pushed it aside. This was too important.
“Thank you all for being here tonight,” Dad’s voice carried across the entire forest clearing, powerful and authoritative. “The Kincaid Pack has been one of the strongest packs in North America for generations. Tonight, we celebrate not only our heritage, but our future.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping the assembled crowd before finally settling on me. The pride in his eyes made my throat tighten with emotion.
I’m pleased to formally introduce to you all the future Alpha of the Kincaid Pack,” he continued. “My daughter, Thea Kincaid.”
The clearing erupted in chaos. Shocked gasps and exclamations rippled through the crowd as people turned to look at each other, clearly trying to process this sudden announcement. I could see confused expressions spreading across the faces of various Pack members.
“Wait, what?”
“Thea Kincaid? Isn’t she a Sterling?”
“I thought the Kincaid heir was a boy?”
Yeah, except now he’s in prison. I thought sarcastically to myself. I still felt weird about it all. Before the ball, they’d told me they wouldn’t mention Phoenix at this stage, obviously not knowing how to explain that whole situation with Kane and me.
The murmurs grew louder, and the crowd began to stir restlessly. Dad raised his hand, signaling for quiet.
‘I know this comes as a surprise to many of you,” he continued, his voice remaining steady and strong. “Thea is the bloodline my wife and I searched for years to find. Many years ago, due to an accident, she was forced to be separated from us. During our search for her, we adopted a boy.”
His gaze turned toward where Margaret stood, his tone becoming neutral: “We want to thank the Sterling family for taking in and raising Thea all these years.”
It was a subtle way of putting it. Everyone here knew I’d had a rough time at the Sterlings, that I wasn’t valued or welcomed. I resisted the urge to look in their direction.
While the guests were still digesting this shocking revelation, a second wave of questioning began to emerge.
I saw someone step forward, his voice carrying clearly: “Wait, isn’t Thea wolfless?”
His words hit like a stone thrown into water, creating even bigger ripples. Immediately, another person stepped out, her voice carrying obvious doubt: ‘How can someone without a wolf lead a pack as powerful as the Kincaids?”
“This is impossible!” came another voice from the back of the crowd. “Werewolves must have wolves–that’s basic! How can she possibly be an Alpha?
More voices began joining in, forming a wave of skepticism. I watched some people start whispering among themselves, some even beginning to shake their heads. That familiar feeling of rejection surrounded me again, just like every Pack gathering where I wasn’t welcome.
My chest instantly tightened, as if invisible hands were squeezing my lungs. Of course, I knew I wasn’t wolfless anymore—I had Diana–but hearing these familiar accusations, those scars buried deep in my heart were torn open again. I’d heard similar words for too many years. The shadows they’d cast on me couldn’t be erased overnight. They lurked in my heart like poisonous snakes, ready to strike at my confidence at any moment.
“We both know their words are ridiculous,” Diana comforted me.
I nodded unconsciously, but undeniably still felt a conditioned reflex of pain, I even began contemplating a terrible question: could prejudice truly destroy i person completely? If I really didn’t have a wolf, if I was still that wolfless woman today, would I still be able to stand here so calmly? Would I have completely collapsed under these endless doubts?
