Mated to the Crused Alpha King

Anastasia's POV

They say every princess is born to shine.

But I was born in the shadows.

Tonight, the entire kingdom is gathered in the grand palace, basking in candlelight and celebration—for my twin sister, Raven. It's her Night of Awakening, the moment she shifts into her wolf for the first time.

And I am watching it all from the dark.

From the narrow window of the servant's quarters, I see the lights flicker across the marble towers, hear distant laughter and the echo of music swelling through the courtyard. The scent of roasted meat and sugar-dusted pastries drifts to me on the breeze, cruel in its reminder that I do not belong.

They celebrate her, the jewel of Moongrave.

But no one celebrates me.

"Hurry or we'll be late!"

"But the event doesn't start for another hour." The second voice was breathless, panting.

I scrambled to my feet and crept to the small window of my room, just in time to hear the first girl say, "I can't wait to see the palace decorations!"

"Who cares about decorations?" her friend replied. "I heard Princess Raven's dress has real diamonds sewn into it!"

A sudden scream pierced the air as the first girl caught sight of me.

"It's just her," she spat.

Both girls stared at me with identical expressions of disgust. I didn't need a mirror to know what they saw—my pale face pressed against the cracked windowpane, framed by the shadows of a room too small and too broken for anyone of noble blood.

The taller girl grabbed her friend's hand, and they hurried off, as though lingering in my presence might tarnish their fancy clothes. I waited in silence, listening until their footsteps faded completely before I slipped outside.

The night was cloaked in silver moonlight, and the air buzzed with anticipation. Up ahead, the royal palace shimmered in a sea of lights, draped along columns and balconies like fallen stars. The scent of roasted meats and spiced pastries drifted on the wind, making my stomach ache with longing. If I was lucky, I'd get a few scraps after the celebration was over.

"Out of the way, you!" someone barked behind me.

I jumped aside as a red-faced man carrying trays lumbered past, muttering curses under his breath. He didn't recognize me. Most people didn't.

Their ignorance was a shield I had learned to cherish.

I looked back toward the glowing palace, where a grand banquet would soon begin—one held in honor of my sister, Princess Raven, and her first shift. Her transformation marked the beginning of her true journey as a royal werewolf.

But I wouldn't be joining her celebration.

I ran my fingers over the fabric of my worn dress—frayed at the sleeves and faded from too many washings. It was hard to believe Raven and I were twins. In fact, it was laughable. She was the kingdom's golden child, while I… I had been hidden from the world.

Everything changed the day we were born.

An ancient prophecy had haunted the Moongrave Kingdom for generations:

"Let the prince and peasant, the highborn and lowborn beware. Twin children shall be born. One will embody light, laughter, and unity. The other will seek to destroy—to bring ruin and despair. Darkness shall grow in her shadow, and Moongrave shall fall to ash."

To protect us, my mother made a choice no mother should have to make. She hid me away, fearing that the people—driven by superstition and fear—would try to kill one of us before our paths were revealed. For a time, I was safe. Loved. Tucked away in a cottage on the palace grounds.

But everything fell apart when my mother died under mysterious circumstances. My father, once kind, turned cold. Raven, too, withdrew from me. Rumors spread like wildfire, and soon I was branded the cursed twin—the harbinger of ruin.

I was stripped of my title, forced to live as a servant in my own kingdom. I washed my own clothes. I waited in line for food with the palace workers, usually ending up with scraps or nothing at all. No one dared speak of who I truly was. And so, the hidden princess faded further into shadow.

Until the day I turned sixteen.

That was the day I met Evelyn—my wolf.

She wasn't like the others. Evelyn was ancient, wise, and carried the memories of every Montgomery wolf before her. When I first shifted, I felt a glimmer of hope, of strength. But Evelyn's first words to me were a warning:

"Don't let them know you've shifted," she said. "Hide your wolf, or they will make your life worse than it already is."

I listened. I had no choice.

Tonight, however, something shifted in the air.

Evelyn stirred inside me. "Do you smell that?" she whispered.

It was a scent I couldn't place. My feet moved before I could stop them, carrying me past my crumbling home, down the moonlit path, and into the palace gardens.

There, beneath the arching roses and starlit sky, stood two figures locked in a kiss.

My breath caught in my throat.

One of them was Raven.

The man kissing her… was my mate.

Anastasia's POV

A broken sound escaped me—half groan, half gasp.

The couple sprang apart. My eyes locked on the tall, broad-shouldered man now staring at me in disbelief. His nostrils flared.

He smelled it too.

"Mate," Evelyn purred.

My heart raced. For a moment, hope fluttered in my chest.

Then he spoke.

"You?" His voice dropped, sharp and incredulous, like a blade slicing through my hope. "This has to be a mistake."

He took a step back, as if my presence physically repulsed him.

"How the hell are you also my mate?" he spat, eyes narrowing. "Of all the damn people in this world… why you?"

I blinked as I tried to process his words. What did he mean by me also being his mate. Did he have another? My eyes flickered to Raven who was arranging her clothes. The man was also quickly zipping up his trousers. I felt my cheeks burn when I realized that they had been up to more than kissing.

Raven's eyes burned and flashed as