Five Years as My Mate's Stand-In

I'm sprawled on my couch, phone pressed to my ear, when Brooke's voice bursts through like a wildfire. "Lauren, you won't believe this! My stoic-as-a-rock brother's been sneaking around, all moony-eyed and bound to some she-wolf!"

My grip on the phone falters, just for a second. Because I'm the she-wolf in this juicy gossip. Me and Cole, Brooke's younger brother, have been secretly bound for five years now. It started quietly-partly because of Brooke being my best friend, partly because Cole was fresh out of college when we got together. I never quite found the right moment to spill the beans to her.

But now? Cole's fresh out of college, and apparently, he's decided to let the whole pack know.

A smile tugs at my lips. "He told you?" I ask, trying to sound casual.

"Hell no!" Brooke's practically vibrating with excitement. "His little mate just got back to the pack today, and he threw her this big welcome feast at the lodge. You should've seen it!"

I cut her off, my voice sharper . "You sure you've got this right?"

"No mistake, Lauren. That wolf's usually cold as ice with everyone, but tonight? He was shielding her from drinks, showering her with gifts, and his eyes-God, they never left her. So soft it gave me goosebumps."

Brooke's still yammering on, but her words fade into static. My ears ring, and my chest tightens like I've been sucker-punched. Did I hear that right?

I force my voice to stay steady, even as it shakes at the edges. "How long have they been. bound?"

"No clue," Brooke says, oblivious to the storm brewing in me. "But from what I've heard, he's been chasing her for ages. Get this-he was so smitten in high school, he could've gone to an Ivy League pack, but he switched his plans for her. And you know what happened next?"

My throat's dry, but I manage a weak, "What?"

"She had her eyes on some other wolf, followed her crush other packs. Cole was a mess for a while. Then, when she got into some trouble abroad, he heard about it and flew out that same night. He's racked up a stack of plane tickets chasing her these past few years."

Brooke's words hit like a sledgehammer. "I heard all this from my mom," she goes on. "I've been dying to know what kind of she-wolf could keep Cole, the untouchable lone wolf, so hung up for years. And tonight, I finally saw her. Guess what I noticed?"

I'm silent for a beat, "No idea."

"She looks so much like you, Lauren! Especially her eyes. I swear, I did a double-take. You sure you don't have a long-lost sister or something?"

A sickening suspicion claws at my gut, spreading like wildfire. My blood feels like it's frozen in my veins, my limbs cold as death.

My mind flashes back to Cole's graduation. He was at a karaoke bar, drunk out of his mind. Brooke was off traveling, so she asked me to pick him up. I dragged him home, barely managing his stumbling weight. The second we stepped through the door, he pinned me against the wall, his lips crashing into mine-fierce, unrelenting, impossible to escape.

His breath, sharp with the cool edge of whiskey, wrapped around me. I was dizzy, my head spinning from the heat of his scent, my legs barely holding me up. Then he laughed, loose and teasing, his voice low. "Lauren, never been kissed before?"

I snapped out of it, shoving him back. "Cole, open your damn eyes and see who I am."

He didn't flinch, just leaned closer, his body burning against mine. "Oh, I see you, Lauren. And I know you're into me."

His tone was so sure, like he'd already won. My cheeks burned, my gaze dropping. "No."

"Don't deny it yet." He tipped my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes. In them, I saw my reflection-like stars scattered across a midnight sky. "Your eyes don't lie, Lauren."

"Push me away," he challenged, his voice a low growl. "Go on."

The sharp tang of alcohol clouded my head, but something else shifted. My racing heart stilled, and I met his gaze head-on. Then his lips brushed mine, soft at first, then deeper, pulling me under. I drowned in that kiss, in him, unable to pull away.

That night was my first-wild, reckless, endless. Cole was relentless, like he couldn't get enough. At one point, he leaned down, kissing my eyelids, his voice lazy and warm. "Keep those eyes open, Lauren. They're. beautiful."

But now, Brooke's words twist the memory like a knife. He didn't say "beautiful." He meant "they're like hers."

The she-wolf he couldn't have, the one who chased another wolf across the ocean. He was drunk that night, heartbroken over his white-hot moon, and I was just. there. A stand-in. Every time he looked into my eyes, every time he kissed me, he was seeing her.

Tears I've been holding back finally break free, spilling down my cheeks. I choke down a sob and hang up on Brooke without a word.

A knock at the door snaps me out of it. I wipe my face, pull myself together, and open it.

"Lauren, Cole's trashed," Dylan, one of Cole's packmates, says, propping Cole's limp form against the doorframe.

"Figured I'd bring him to you."

"Thanks," I mutter, guiding Cole inside.

He's pliant for once, nuzzling into my shoulder, his breath warm against my skin. Then he mumbles, slurred and soft, "Don't go. Alexis."

The name hits like a silver bullet. The whole room goes silent, the air heavy with it.

Dylan shifts awkwardly. "Uh, don't read into it, Lauren. One of the pack had a birthday tonight. Cole's just drunk and clingy, didn't want anyone leaving the party."

I nod, my face blank, but my heart's splintering. Dylan seems relieved, helping Cole to the bed before bolting like he's dodging a trap.

I sit on the edge of the mattress, staring at Cole's phone on the nightstand. five years together, and I've never once snooped. But now? I need to know. I need to know if Brooke's right-if I've been nothing but a shadow of his real mate all along.