In their eyes, I was lazy. Weak. A Luna who had forsaken her duties.
Not because I lacked strength—but because I no longer had power in this house.
I numbly placed the last dish into the wooden cabinet, the clang of porcelain sounding louder than the hollow throb in my chest. The grand kitchen of the Sharp Fang Pack House gleamed with imported marble and enchanted lighting crystals, yet I felt like a stranger in it.
This wasn’t my home.
Not anymore.
“She’s sulking again,” came a silken voice from the other room. It was my daughter—in—law.
I stilled.
“Jealousy,” Elder Aric, said with a low chuckle. “She’s always been that way. She thinks staying beside the Alpha of the Sharp Fang Pack gives her the right to be worshipped. But she forgets—Heidy earned her status here. Claire just married into it.”
Heidy… Heidy Black.
The name hit like a lash across my wolf skin.
A beat of silence followed.
Then they started talking again.
“She always wanted both—power and affection. But in this world, you can’t have it all,” Alpha Lucas, my husband said flatly. “She chose the bond, so she must bear the consequences.”
Their words dug deep.
What they didn’t know… was that I never truly had either.
The sound of the front gates unlocking echoed through the manor— it was sharp, mechanized magic clicking in place.
Then, came the confident click of high-heeled boots.
Heidy.
Her scent arrived before she did—crisp moon flowers laced with burning sage. A dominant she-wolf’s perfume. She strode in, her long coat of Alpha fur trailing behind her like she was already the Luna.
“Alpha Lucas, I’ve brought the border reports and the alliance agreements from Moonfall territory,” she said, bowing respectfully. Her voice, warm as honey, grated against my raw nerves.
Lucas rose instantly, removing his reading glasses. “Heidy, thank you for your hard work. Stay for the evening meal. We’ve missed your presence.”
Heidy smiled modestly, brushing nonexistent dust from her flawless black coat.
“Only if it’s not an inconvenience.”
My daughter-in-law, Jasmine, clutched Heidy’s arm affectionately. “You look radiant. Your aura has strengthened again. What are you eating these days?”
Elder Alpha Aric chuckled warmly. “You’ve grown even thinner. That’s the mark of a true leader—burning energy to protect the pack.”
As always, Heidy Black responded to their praises with grace, then finally glanced around.
“Where is Claire? I haven’t seen her since the last full moon council.”
Lucas’s expression instantly soured.
“She’s brooding in the kitchen again. Honestly, she still fantasizes about holding a wedding ceremony as if she’s some fairy-tale Luna. She forgets she’s nearing forty-one. As if we have time to entertain her delusions.”
Elder Aric answered.
I clenched the edge of the sink so hard, that the veins in my hand bulged. My claws itched beneath my skin, begging to extend, but I retracted them forcefully. This wasn’t the time to lose control.
Heidy’s voice floated in again, too sweet to be sincere.
“Well, Alpha Lucas is already a legend in the Lycan halls. Claire just wants to feel relevant, perhaps. But it’s true—she should be more considerate of your duties. If I had her life—mated to a powerful Alpha, shielded from all war—I’d dedicate my entire existence to the household. She’s lucky she even gets to stay in this Pack House.”
Elder Aric nodded. “You speak with wisdom, as always… Claire, have you made dinner? We have guests. Don’t make them wait. How many times must I remind you—you’re so poor at handling things.”
I wiped my eyes with the back of my sleeve. The scent of meat and herbs filled the kitchen, but it no longer stirred hunger—just nausea. Still, I brought out the dishes and placed them gently on the long obsidian table. No one even looked up.
My son and his mate were flirting across the table. My mate—Alpha Lucas—was laughing with his father and pouring Heidy a drink.
Such a gesture he never offered me, even once.
My apron reeked of grease. My braid was loose, and my face felt tight from dried tears.
They sat like a family.
And I stood like a ghost.
It felt like I was watching someone else’s life. Like I had fallen out of the timeline where I was Luna, beloved and radiant, and into this strange parallel where I was a forgotten relic, only remembered when something needed cleaning.
After the meal, I gathered the empty dishes in a daze. The enchanted table shimmered beneath the oil stains, reflecting my disheveled face.
Next to Heidy—who was now leaning confidently against the table, speaking animatedly about military strategies and trade routes—I looked like a servant girl from a lower pack, not the daughter of the great Alpha Marcus of the Wildfang Pack.
Heidy and I were best friends since we’re little, like me, she was also in her forties, yet still breathtaking. Her skin glowed. Her posture was commanding. Her wolf aura pulsed strong with every word she spoke.
And me?
I got married early. Given up the Wildfang legacy. Given up training, given up my title as the only daughter of a powerful pack, and my ambitions.
I thought love would be enough.
I was wrong.
The laughter from the living room reached the kitchen once again. It was loud and vibrant.
The cold water stung as I washed the last plate. I looked down at my fingers—calloused and red from years of toil.
Then I heard it.
“Didn’t she buy some lunar tonic last week?”
Elder Aric asked casually.
My heart leaped.
Maybe he remembered I was unwell.
“I think Claire doesn’t need it,” he continued. “Give it to Heidy. She’s under pressure, balancing negotiations and patrols. She needs her strength.”
I dropped the ladle in the sink.
“That tonic was… for me,” I whispered. “I went to the healer last week. She said I was burning out. That I—”
Alpha Lucas turned, his face like stone. “You’re being petty. You can always buy more. Or do you not understand how shared wealth works? That money comes from our house—my house. And Heidy is your best friend. Or is even that too much generosity to expect from you?”
I froze.
Best friend?
She was the blade. And he handed her the hilt.
Heily was the she-wolf who would replace me the moment I collapsed. I could see it in the way Lucas looked at her now, not like a threat, but like an option.
Like a future.
My wolf stirred deep within, groaning beneath years of forced suppression.
They had all chosen Heidy. Over and over again.
And I let them.
