The Alpha’s mansion trembled with life, with music, with wolves’ howls that rose like thunder under the chandeliers. Every corner of the grand hall glittered, polished marble catching light like pools of moonlight. The air was thick with the scents of roasted boar, spiced wine, and the wild musk of wolves dressed in silks and furs. Warriors, nobles, even visiting Alphas—every pair of eyes gleamed with reverence for him.
And I—his Luna—hid in the wardrobe of his private chamber, clutching two things in my trembling hands.
The first: a parchment, fresh from the healer, ink still smelling faintly of iron. Two heartbeats. Two heirs. Twins. Proof that I carried Alpha Lucien’s legacy within me.
The second: a silver key, the deed to the Moonridge estate. I had bartered and begged for it across sleepless months, believing it would prove my worth as more than just his convenient Luna. Tonight I planned to walk out with both gifts—children and home—and show him my devotion.
Maybe then he would look at me as more than a placeholder. Maybe then he would look at me as his mate.
Three years I had endured: three years of bowed head, of silence, of waiting for scraps of affection. Three years of praying that someday he would choose me.
My pulse hammered. My palms ached from gripping hope too tightly.
And then—voices. Male, amused, carrying from the balcony.
Marcus’s voice, smug as ever: “Alpha Lucien, are you truly not bringing your Luna down? She is your mate, isn’t she?”
“She’ll sour the mood,” Lucien replied, clipped, dismissive.
Laughter followed. Another warrior chimed in: “Selene asked about you. She’ll be devastated if she learns you’ve shackled yourself to her foster sister. Everyone knows who the true jewel is.”
Selene.
The name split me open like claws. My foster sister. The golden wolf adored by my parents, adored by everyone, while I had been the unwanted shadow in their home.
Lucien’s chuckle was low, cruel. “Liora is nothing but a placeholder. If I told her to slit her own throat, she’d obey. Stray wolves always crawl to the first hand that offers shelter.”
The words tore through the bond like silver blades.
The parchment slipped from my fingers. My breath hitched, choking on sobs I fought to silence.
“When will you discard her?” Marcus pressed.
“Why rush?” Lucien’s voice was a dark purr. “Ever pity a limping wolf in the rain? That’s Liora. Pitiful. Naïve. Trusting. It amuses me to keep her.”
Their laughter roared.
I collapsed to my knees, hands pressed to my mouth to hold back the cry clawing its way out of me. My wolf keened inside me, a mournful howl that rattled my chest.
And then—suspicion. “What was that noise?”
Panic flared. I stumbled from the wardrobe, clutching my stomach, and fled the chamber. The revelry of the hall swelled around me as I hurled the silver key into a waste bin, the clang echoing like a death knell.
“I’m sorry, my little ones,” I whispered to my womb. “I thought I could give you a father’s love. I was wrong.”
And I ran.
---
The riverbank lay still under the moon, silver light spilling across restless waters. I stepped into the current, its icy teeth biting my legs.
“My pups,” I whispered, holding my belly. “Forgive me. I thought I could bind him with love. But he never wanted us.”
The water pulled at me, promising silence.
Then—a flutter. A kick.
I froze, sobbing as I staggered back to shore. “No… no, I can’t. I can’t take you with me. You deserve more than this broken Luna.”
My sobs echoed across the night as I clutched the only lives anchoring me to this world.
---
By the time I returned, the mansion blazed brighter than ever. Lucien waited in the foyer, tall and golden-eyed.
“You’re late,” he said, displeasure curling his tone. “On my birthday.”
I swallowed the bile in my throat. “How was your celebration?”
“Enjoyable.” His lips twisted. “Odd, though. Someone discarded a silver key to the Moonridge estate. A rare treasure. Can you imagine?”
My blood froze.
“And,” he added smoothly, “Selene is back. She’s hosting a feast tomorrow. You’ll attend.”
I hesitated. His eyes hardened with Alpha command.
“You’ll be there.”
My voice cracked. “I will.”
His smile returned, false and smooth. He kissed my cheek. His arm pinned me in bed that night like iron shackles.
“You should be grateful,” he murmured against my hair. “Everyone tolerates your flaws.”
And in the dark, with his weight crushing me, I understood at last.
His love was never mine.
His heart had always belonged to another.
