Melissa
I did not cry.
Not when Alpha Warren introduced Arabella as if she were the most precious thing in the world. Not when the pack members looked at her with admiration and me with something close to pity.
I did not cry.
Instead, I moved like a ghost inside the packhouse I had once believed would be my home forever.
Five years. Five years of loving him without reservation. Five years of enduring the elders’ cold glances, the warriors’ silent judgment, the maids’ whispers. I swallowed every insult because I thought love was worth it. I convinced myself that status did not matter, that being born a maid did not define my future.
He chose me, I used to tell myself.
But now I understood. He never chose me. He mistook me for her.
And when he realized I was not Arabella, he kept me anyway. Not because he loved me for who I was, but because I resembled the ghost he could not let go of.
Who was I to Alpha Warren? Not his Luna. Not his equal. Just a replacement.
Arabella and Hunter were heirs of Evergreen Pack in the south. Everyone spoke about it with admiration. Evergreen was powerful, wealthy, respected among allied packs. Their visit was called a “vacation,” but I knew better. Alphas did not simply vacation inside another Alpha’s territory without purpose.
Perhaps… engagements to restore.
The morning after their arrival, I searched for Alpha Warren. I needed to speak to him. I needed to hear something from him, even if it was a lie. Anything would be better than this silence swallowing me whole.
I stopped one of the maids near the kitchen.
“Have you seen the Alpha?” I asked, keeping my voice steady.
She avoided my eyes. “He’s probably busy, Miss Melissa.”
Probably.
“He usually informs me when he has meetings.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “He’s with important guests.”
Important guests. I nodded slowly and stepped back. The air felt heavier than usual. Before, whenever he left the packhouse, he would tell me first. Even if it was something trivial. A patrol. A council meeting. A hunting trip.
Now, I had to ask like an outsider.
I walked toward his office anyway.
The door was slightly ajar. I could hear voices inside. Hers.
I pushed the door open gently. Alpha Warren stood near his desk, sleeves rolled up, expression serious. Arabella sat on the sofa, legs crossed elegantly, flipping through some documents as if she already belonged there.
Both of them looked up when I entered. For a second, his eyes softened out of habit. Then his expression darkened.
“Melissa,” he said, his tone clipped. “Don’t disturb me. I’m busy.”
The words hit harder than I expected.
I glanced at Arabella. She held my gaze calmly, almost sweetly, as if she had every right to be there.
Warren noticed where I was looking.
“I need Arabella here,” he added quickly. “She’s from Evergreen Pack. We’re discussing matters between our territories.”
Of course. Political matters. Important matters.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. What was I supposed to say? Why didn’t you tell me she’s been back for two years?
Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing her? Why did you let me believe I was your future?
None of those questions could pass my lips.
“I see,” I murmured instead.
I stepped back and closed the door quietly behind me. The corridor felt suffocating.
As I walked away, I heard whispers. Soft at first. Then clearer.
“Did she really think Alpha Warren loved her?”
A small giggle followed.
“She didn’t even know he’s been head over heels for Miss Arabella ever since she came back two years ago.”
Two years. Two. The number echoed inside my skull. Arabella had returned two years ago.
And that was exactly when Warren postponed our wedding indefinitely. When he became distant. When he stopped looking at me the way he used to.
Everyone knew. The warriors who bowed to her with respect. The elders who suddenly approved of “alliances.” The maids who looked at me like I was something fragile and foolish.
Everyone knew. And no one told me.
Not a single person warned me to run. Not a single soul pulled me aside and said, “You deserve better.”
They watched me prepare for a wedding that would never happen. They watched me smile at a man who was already falling for someone else.
They let me remain stupid. Oblivious. Pathetic.
I forced myself to keep walking, even though my legs felt weak. At the turn of the corridor, I nearly collided with someone.
Hunter. He leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, eyes roaming over me slowly. Not respectfully. Not politely.
Slowly. From my hair down to my waist. Then lower. He let out a low whistle.
“Well,” he drawled. “Aren’t too attractive for a maid?”
My skin crawled.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I replied stiffly, stepping aside.
He smirked. “You look like my sister. It must have been convenient for Warren.”
The way he said it made my stomach twist.
His gaze lingered on my chest before sliding back to my face. “If things don’t work out for you here, Melissa, Evergreen Pack welcomes pretty things.”
I walked away immediately, heart pounding. His presence felt wrong. Predatory. My wolf bristled, but even she seemed weakened lately, as if my emotional turmoil had dulled her instincts.
By afternoon, I tried to distract myself with work.
Old habits were hard to break. Before Warren chose me, I had been nothing more than a maid. Cleaning, cooking, scrubbing floors until my fingers cracked in winter.
So I cleaned.
I carried a bucket of water into the garden and began wiping down the stone benches. The sky was clear. The air was warm. Everything looked peaceful.
Too peaceful. My head throbbed from lack of sleep, but I ignored it.
I bent down to scrub a stain near the fountain.
And then—
Something heavy struck the back of my head.
The world exploded into white.
Pain shot through my skull as I fell forward onto the stone path. I tasted blood immediately.
For a moment, I couldn’t hear anything but ringing.
My vision blurred, but I forced myself to look up. Above me, from the second-floor balcony of the Alpha’s wing, stood Arabella.
She was looking down. Our eyes met. Her expression was unreadable.
Then everything went dark.
When I woke up, the scent of antiseptic filled my nose.
I was in one of the guest rooms, lying on a bed. My head was bandaged tightly. The dull ache had settled into a persistent throb.
Voices echoed nearby.
“She didn’t mean it,” Warren was saying urgently. “Calm down, Arabella.”
I turned my head slightly. Alpha Warren stood near the window, holding Arabella’s shoulders as she cried into her hands.
The moment she noticed I was awake, she rushed toward me.
“Melissa!” she sobbed, grabbing my hand. “I’m so sorry! The pot slipped from my hands. I didn’t know you were below. I swear I didn’t mean to hit you.”
Her tears fell onto the blanket.
I stared at her silently.
A pot. My memory flashed back. There were no plants along the balcony railings. The Alpha’s wing was kept minimal and clean. Decorative, yes, but not cluttered.
No flower pots were displayed there. Unless someone carried one up.
“You caused me serious injury,” I said quietly.
The words felt strange coming from my mouth.
Absurd.
That was what this entire situation was.
Warren stepped forward immediately, his expression hardening.
“Can’t you just forgive her?” he snapped. “She didn’t mean to do it. Don’t make things hard, Melissa.”
I blinked at him. “But—”
“No buts.” His voice was sharp enough to slice through skin. “I didn’t know you were this ungrateful.”
Ungrateful. The word struck deeper than the pot had. Knives seemed to pierce my chest all at once.
This was the man I loved. The man who once held my face gently and said I saved him. Now he looked at me as if I were an inconvenience.
Arabella leaned forward suddenly and wrapped her arms around me.
“I’m really sorry, Melissa!” she wailed loudly. “I won’t do it again!”
Her body trembled against mine. Then her crying stopped. Her lips brushed near my ear. Her voice dropped into a whisper only I could hear.
“It could have been something heavier,” she murmured softly. “But I only saw a pot.”
A pause.
“Too bad, maid.”
My blood ran cold. She pulled back instantly, tears streaming down her face again as if nothing had changed.
I stared at her, shock freezing me in place.
Warren rubbed her back soothingly. “It’s okay. She understands.”
