I stood frozen in the hallway for what felt like hours. The words echoed in my mind, not even a question. Not even a moment's hesitation. Just an immediate decision to displace me for her comfort.
I packed my belongings in silence, each item a reminder of how little I had ever truly belonged in this house. Three years of trying to belong, reduced to so little.
The basement room was cold and damp, with stone walls that seemed to mock my new status in this house. I stared at the bare walls, wondering how I had fallen so far from the woman who once had a real room upstairs.
But there was one thing that still belonged to me - the picture frames lining the walls of our... Kai's house. Three years of memories captured in silver frames, moments when I had foolishly believed we were building something real together.
I climbed the stairs to find Sophia sitting at our kitchen table, my kitchen table, wearing one of Kai's oversized shirts. She looked perfectly at home, her long legs curled underneath her as she sipped coffee from my favorite mug.
"Hi, Elena," she said brightly, as if we were old friends having a pleasant chat. "I hope you are well. I know the basement can be a bit... rustic."
Kai emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of perfectly scrambled eggs and fresh fruit. He set it down in front of Sophia with such gentle care that my heart clenched.
I couldn't bear to look at them anymore.
I walked slowly, my injured foot still throbbing from the glass incident. The main hallway was lined with our wedding photos, vacation pictures, and formal pack portraits. All of them showed me trying so hard to look like I belonged beside Kai, while he looked like he was enduring some unpleasant duty.
I started with the largest frame - our official mating ceremony portrait. As I lifted it from the wall, my hands shook with more than just the weight. The heavy frame slipped from my trembling fingers.
"Careful!" I gasped, trying to catch it, but my weak wolf reflexes failed me. The frame crashed to the marble floor, glass exploding in all directions.
I lunged forward, trying to save the photograph itself, but my foot landed wrong on the scattered glass. Sharp pain shot through my leg as I tumbled forward, my knee slamming hard against the broken frame. More glass embedded itself in my palms as I tried to break my fall.
Blood began pooling beneath me, mixing with the shattered glass and the torn photograph of what used to be my wedding day.
"What the hell are you doing?" Kai's voice boomed from the stairway.
I looked up at him through tears, my hands and knees bleeding, surrounded by the destroyed remnants of our fake happiness. "I was just... removing the pictures. I thought Sophia wouldn't want to see them."
Kai's face darkened with annoyance. "This is exactly why I need you to focus. Stop being clumsy and useless. We have the Alpha Council meeting tonight, and I need you to be prepared."
"Prepared for what?" I whispered, still sitting in the glass.
"You're my secretary for the evening. The other Alphas will expect to see some level of competence from my staff." He looked down at me with disgust. "Clean this mess up and get yourself together. The meeting starts in two hours."
I nodded, carefully pulling glass shards from my palms. "What should I wear?"
"Doesn't matter. Just look professional." He turned to leave, then paused. "Actually, Sophia will need your formal Luna dress. The one with the silver embroidery. She's attending as my plus-one."
My heart stopped. "My Luna dress?"
"It's the only one appropriate for a formal pack gathering. She can't attend in casual clothes." His tone suggested I was being unreasonable for even questioning it.
That dress had taken me six months to save for. It was the most beautiful thing I owned, custom-made with silver thread that caught the light like moonbeams. I had worn it to exactly three events, and each time I felt like I finally looked worthy of standing beside an Alpha.
"Of course," I managed to say. "I'll have it ready for her."
Kai nodded and walked away, leaving me bleeding alone in the hallway.
An hour later, I stood outside Sophia's door - my former room - holding the dress bag. She opened the door looking radiant, her hair already styled in elegant waves.
"Oh, Elena! You look..." She paused, taking in my bandaged hands and the simple black dress I'd chosen. "Well, you look like you tried. Is that my dress?"
My dress, I wanted to scream. Instead, I handed over the bag. "It should fit you perfectly."
She held it up against herself in the mirror. The silver embroidery caught the light, making her skin glow. On her tall, graceful frame, it looked like it had been made for her.
"It's gorgeous! I'll take such good care of it." She smiled at me with false sweetness. "You don't mind, do you? I know how much you love pretty things."
I shook my head, not trusting my voice.
Two hours later, we arrived at the Alpha Council meeting. The grand hall was filled with the most powerful wolves in the region. Five Alphas sat at the head table, their Lunas beside them in elegant gowns and glittering jewelry.
Kai strode in confidently, Sophia on his arm in my silver dress. She looked every inch the Luna she was pretending to be.
I followed behind them, invisible in my simple black dress.
"Alpha Kai," the Council Leader announced. "Please, take your seat at the head table."
Kai guided Sophia to the Luna's chair without hesitation. She settled into it gracefully, smiling at the other Lunas as if she belonged there.
I stood awkwardly near the back, unsure where I was supposed to sit.
"And your secretary can sit at the staff table," the Council Leader added, pointing to a small table in the corner where the other Alphas' assistants sat.
The staff table. Not even close to the main gathering.
As I walked toward my designated spot, I heard one of the Lunas whisper to Sophia, "What a lovely dress. The silver embroidery is exquisite."
"Thank you," Sophia replied smoothly. "It's a family heirloom."
Kai and Sophia took their seats while I stayed behind them, standing like a forgotten shadow.
The meeting began with formal introductions, but I could barely focus. A strange metallic taste was filling my mouth, and my hands had started trembling uncontrollably. The bandages on my palms were seeping through, dark red stains spreading across the white gauze.
I tried to ignore it, pulling out my notepad to record the meeting minutes. But when I lifted my pen, my vision blurred so severely that I couldn't make out the words on the page.
Then the scent hit me—something sharp and medicinal that made my wolf recoil in terror deep inside my chest.
My blood turned to ice.
Wolfsbane.
