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I Became Another Man’s Luna, and My Ex Lost His Mind
NovelShort
Completed
“I accept your offer.”My voice was cold as frost,the words cutting through the dense night air like a blade.“I will disappear from Alpha Alexander’s life forever…and marry the dying heir of the Stone Pack instead.” The silver-banded mate mark token clattered onto the oak table,echoing like a death knell. Across the High Alpha’s council chamber,Alpha Frederick Winslet—my biological father—froze mid-sip of his wolfsbane tea. “You…what did you say?”he rasped,his tone trembling with disbelief. “I said I will marry the Stone heir—the one on his deathbed,”I repeated,meeting his stunned gaze without flinching.“The alliance bond meant for your precious daughter,Stephanie?I’ll take it instead.” Three years I had served Alpha Alexander Hamilton as his Beta assistant. Three years I had been his hidden mate. And a month ago,my entire world collapsed. On my way back from the trading border,rogues ambushed me.I was taken to a scent-masked den,chained and left without light for four nights,my wrists torn raw by silver ropes.I screamed his name—Alexander—twenty-seven times. He never came. One of the rogues finally laughed,pressing a communicator to my ear.A woman’s voice came through,silky and cruel. “The Alpha has better things to worry about.Try someone who cares.”
Chapters (7)
Chapter 1
“I accept your offer.”My voice was cold as frost,the words cutting through the dense night air like a blade.“I will disappear from Alpha Alexander’s life forever…and marry the dying heir of the Stone Pack instead.”
The silver-banded mate mark token clattered onto the oak table,echoing like a death knell.
Across the High Alpha’s council chamber,Alpha Frederick Winslet—my biological father—froze mid-sip of his wolfsbane tea.
“You…what did you say?”he rasped,his tone trembling with disbelief.
“I said I will marry the Stone heir—the one on his deathbed,”I repeated,meeting his stunned gaze without flinching.“The alliance bond meant for your precious daughter,Stephanie?I’ll take it instead.”
Three years I had served Alpha Alexander Hamilton as his Beta assistant.
Three years I had been his hidden mate.
And a month ago,my entire world collapsed.
On my way back from the trading border,rogues ambushed me.I was taken to a scent-masked den,chained and left without light for four nights,my wrists torn raw by silver ropes.I screamed his name—Alexander—twenty-seven times.
He never came.
One of the rogues finally laughed,pressing a communicator to my ear.A woman’s voice came through,silky and cruel.
“The Alpha has better things to worry about.Try someone who cares.”
They left me bleeding in the dirt after that.
I don’t remember who found me—only that I woke up in the healers’ward,half-starved and barely breathing.
But when I opened my eyes,he wasn’t there.
Instead,I saw the morning’s Pack Gazette headline:
[Alpha Alexander Hamilton and childhood sweetheart Stephanie Winslet spotted leaving the Moonlight Hot Springs together.]
While I was trapped in darkness,my mate was with his secret lover—my so-called“sister,”Stephanie.
The she-wolf who had been swapped with me at birth.
After sixteen years of living among the poor mountain clans,the Winslets discovered I was their real daughter.Yet from the moment I arrived at the Alpha’s mansion,their smiles froze.
“We can’t abandon the daughter we raised for sixteen years,”my father had said.“Stephanie is delicate,Lavina.Don’t covet what isn’t meant for you.”
That was my welcome home.
Now I stood before them again.“You need the Stone Pack’s alliance to keep your territory afloat.You don’t want Stephanie to marry a dying wolf?Fine.Your unwanted daughter will do it instead.”
The chamber went silent.My mother’s face paled;my father’s hands trembled around his cup.
I rose slowly,my pride the only thing keeping me standing.
“In return,”I said flatly,“erase my name from the Winslet lineage.No crest,no inheritance.Pretend I was never born.”
A pause.Then,quietly,“Tell Alpha Alexander this is my last gift to him—freedom.”
The Alpha’s manor was eerily silent when I stepped inside.
Moonlight poured through the high windows,glinting off silver candlesticks and two plates laid for dinner.For one wild second,I thought—perhaps—this was for me.
Then his voice shattered the illusion.
“I get it,Stephanie.It’s fine if you can’t come tonight.”
A low chuckle followed.“Don’t worry,sweetheart.I ruined most of the dishes anyway.Lavina will be home soon;the food won’t go to waste.”
My heart froze.
I moved forward quietly,my wolf howling within but I forced her down.
Alexander turned,startled,before his expression hardened into a scowl.
“Lavina,why so late?If anyone sees their Luna working like a common pack clerk,they’ll think I mistreat you.”
“Just…finishing reports.”
“Right,”he said,exhaling.“You always said I don’t try enough.So I wanted to surprise you this time with a dinner.”
The scent of roses hit me—pure,white,and cruelly familiar.They were identical to my mating-day bouquet.My hand trembled as I reached for them.
Slap.
Pain shot up my wrist as he struck my hand away.Red marks bloomed instantly.
Alexander’s eyes widened,guilt flickering across his face.
“Lavina…I didn’t mean to.You know I don’t like anyone touching my things.”
He fetched the healer’s salve,murmuring hollow apologies as he dabbed my bruises.
“I just didn’t want you to ruin the arrangement I spent hours on.”
When he finished,he thrust the bouquet toward me.“Here.Take them.”
“It’s alright,”I said weakly.
He forced a smile.“Didn’t you always say you wanted a dinner with me?Today’s your day.”
He loaded my plate carelessly,as if feeding a stray wolf.I ate nothing.
“I’m not hungry,”I whispered.“I just want to rest.”
His smile vanished.“I did all this for you,and you’re throwing a tantrum?Spirits,Lavina,it was an accident—”
“And I’ll forgive you,”I cut him off softly,sliding a folder across the table,“if you sign these.”
His brows knit.“What is this?”
“Just formalities,”I murmured.“For the future.”
He sighed,bored.“Can’t my Luna handle this herself?You’re ruining my mood.”
Then his communicator buzzed.
Stephanie.
His eyes lit up.“Yes,I’m still at the manor.Give me five minutes.”
I watched silently as he grabbed the pen.
“I’ll sign whatever you want,”he said without even reading.“Just don’t stay mad,alright?”
His signature slashed across the parchment like the final cut of a blade.
He reached for his coat.“We’ll talk later,Lavina.Be good and rest.I’ll be home late.”
Then he left.
No questions.
No goodbyes.
Only the soft click of the door sealing everything between us.
My gaze fell to the document.
[Final Dissolution of Mate Bond]
He hadn’t even read the title.
And I…hadn’t stopped him.
When I sent a photo of the signed decree,a message flashed instantly on my crystal communicator:
[Alpha Damien Stone:Now that you’ve agreed to be mine,one moon from today,I will come to claim what belongs to me.]
Chapter 2
The next morning,when I arrived at the Hamilton Pack Council Hall,the air felt sharper—colder—than usual.
“Lavina.”
Alpha Alexander’s commanding tone rolled from inside our shared glass chamber,clipped and distant—as if he were addressing a subordinate,not his mate.
When I stepped inside,he didn’t glance up from the scroll he was reading.
“Close the door.”
Only then did his ice-blue eyes lift to meet mine.The chill in them could have frozen fire.
“Lavina,I’ll keep this brief,”he said,standing tall,his Alpha aura pressing down on the room.“Rumors are spreading,and I can’t afford to have my reputation dragged through the mud because of you.As of now,you’re relieved of your duties as my Beta assistant.Starting tomorrow,you’ll report to another division—far from this territory.”
He paused,eyes glinting with distant authority.
“Stephanie will take over your position.”
The words sliced through me like silver through flesh.
This was the Pack Administration I had helped Alexander build from nothing—his empire,his pride.
When the Elders had mocked his proposal for independence,I had spent a year serving under their command to earn him another hearing.I ran errands for them like a servant,even knelt before their council chambers through one freezing night,begging for a second chance for his dream.
I had never asked for acknowledgment.Never claimed any shares of the success when the Hamilton Pack rose to power.For three years,I worked without rest—even when fever burned through me,I still handled his correspondence,all to lessen his burdens.
And yet,he cast me aside as though I were no more than a broken tool.
For a long time,I believed he kept our bond secret to protect me from jealous packs and gossiping wolves.But now I understood—Alexander never loved me.His heart had always belonged to Stephanie Winslet.
“Lavina…you have enough experience to serve anywhere.But think of your sister.Stephanie’s mate just died.She’s fragile,she needs comfort.In return,I will—”
“Alright.”
The word fell softly,cutting off his rehearsed reasoning.
He blinked,surprised.“That’s all?Aren’t you angry?”
His hand tightened around the velvet box he had prepared—a trinket meant to ease guilt.A silver pendant engraved with our initials,like tossing a bone to a loyal wolf.
“If that’s all,Alpha,I’ll take my leave.”
“Lavina,what do you mean?Aren’t you going to ask me anything?”
He had expected tears.Rage.Pleading.But my silence unnerved him.
Just then,the door burst open.
“Alex!I sorted your reports,do you need me to—oh!Sister Lavina?”
Stephanie’s voice dripped with false sweetness as she stepped inside,clutching a delicate satchel of moonlit silk.
CRASH.
A small music orb that rested on my desk fell,shattering against the stone floor.A faint melody bled into the silence before dying altogether.
My heart seized.It was the porcelain wolf figurine Alexander and I had shaped together at the Luna’s crafting festival—after I lost our pup.It held a secret compartment with the tiny sonogram crystal of the child we never met.
“Sister,I’m so sorry,”Stephanie gasped,her eyes shimmering with feigned tears.“It was an accident—please don’t be mad—”
“Why would she be mad at all?”Alexander cut in sharply.“Lavina,why do you keep useless trinkets like that lying around?What if Stephanie got hurt?”
Useless trinkets.
The last memory I had of my unborn child—dismissed like nothing.
My knees weakened.I crouched,hands trembling,to gather the shattered pieces.A jagged shard sliced deep into my finger,crimson drops staining the floor.
Alexander didn’t even notice.
“Steph,you’re bleeding,”he murmured,lifting her hand to inspect a small scratch.“Come,let’s get you cleaned up.”
He guided her out,hand at her back,protective and gentle—the way he used to touch me once.The door clicked shut behind them,and I was left in silence.
I sat there on the cold marble floor,the broken orb pressed to my chest,my blood mixing with the dust.Then slowly,methodically,I packed away everything.
The old flight parchment to the Southern Isles,where he first said I love you—ripped in half.
The timepiece I gifted him during our first winter solstice—left behind.
Every trace of warmth—gone.
When Alexander returned fifteen minutes later,the chamber was hollow.
No faint scent of my perfume.No scattered notes across the desk.
Even the little cactus he used to tease me about had vanished.
Only one thing remained:a smear of blood near the leg of his desk.
He stared at it,silent.Something flickered—briefly—in his expression,then died.
As he turned to leave,I opened the door again to retrieve the last document.
“Lavina,wait!”
I stopped,glancing back.
“This is temporary,”he said.“When the rumors fade,I’ll bring you back.”
I smiled faintly.“I waited long enough.It doesn’t matter anymore.”
To my parents,Stephanie was their cherished daughter.
To Alexander,she was his destiny.
No matter how I fought,I was always the replacement.
I turned to go,but his voice halted me once more.
“Lavina—there’s an Alpha gathering tonight.I was invited.”
“I’m not—”
“You’re still under my command,”he cut in sharply.“I can’t appear without my Beta.”
The pressure in his tone left no room for refusal.
I thought of the message from Alpha Damien Stone the night before.
A month from now,I would no longer belong here.
“Of course,”I said calmly,my voice empty.“One last task.”
Chapter 3
The Moon Auction Hall gleamed beneath gilded chandeliers carved from enchanted crystal.
As the Beta in charge of logistics,I had arrived an hour early to register the“rare relics”the Hamilton Pack would offer in tonight’s charity auction for orphaned pups.
But as I neared the curtained section marked“High Alpha Access Only,”familiar voices drifted from the crack in the door.
Alexander—and his old pack brothers.
The same wolves I once welcomed into our den,poured wine for,laughed with.
Now their laughter echoed through the chamber,sharp and predatory.
“Now that Stephanie’s back in your life,you’re finally free,Alexander,”one of them drawled.
Another snorted.“What about Lavina?She’s decent,sure,but come on.Between her and Stephanie?One’s the Winslet Pack’s prized daughter—and the other…”He chuckled.“Just a no-name she-wolf from a forgotten valley who got lucky.”
The words hit harder than claws.
I remembered that night years ago,when Alexander had introduced me to them as‘a humble wolf from the outer territories’,saying his friends disliked arrogance.
But now I saw the truth.
He wasn’t protecting me.
He was hiding me—so that Stephanie could shine.
“And infertile too,isn’t she?”someone added,laughing cruelly.“Didn’t she miscarry once?I heard she failed her Healer’s treatments four times.You’d be a fool to bet your legacy on a barren female.”
A chilling silence followed.
Then Alexander spoke.
“It’s not Lavina’s fault,”he said evenly.“She’s been a good placeholder.But that’s all she’ll ever be.I can’t let a substitute carry my bloodline.”
My breath caught.
“The first pregnancy was a mistake,”he continued,voice low and cruelly steady.“When she lost it,I felt bad,sure—but I never meant for her to bear my pup.After that,I made sure she couldn’t.I’ve been giving her suppressants in her tonics for years.She never noticed.”
My world fractured.
The bitter tablets I used to choke down—the ones he claimed would“stabilize my wolf energy.”
Every failed fertility ritual,every moon I wept believing I was broken—
It had all been his doing.
‘We’ll try again when you’re stronger,’he’d said each time,arms around me while his lies dripped like poison.
“Spirits,Alexander,”one of the men muttered.“Your mother despised Lavina enough already.Making her suffer through false hope just for Stephanie’s sake?That’s cold—even for you.”
“I only married Lavina because my grandfather insisted,”Alexander said with a low,bitter laugh.“He liked her purity.I didn’t have a choice.”
He paused,and his tone softened into longing.
“Stephanie is everything I’ve ever wanted.”
That was it.
That was the moment I stopped breathing.
I turned and fled down the corridor.The world blurred into streaks of gold and shadow.My hand pressed against my mouth to stifle the sob threatening to break free.
When my communicator buzzed,I glanced down.
[ALEXANDER:Where are you?Get back here.Now.]
A bitter smile touched my lips.
Even now,he summoned me like an obedient wolf on a leash.
I called the steward of the Hamilton estate.
“Bring me everything from my vault.Now.”
Then,I wiped my tears and straightened my back before reentering the hall—masking the ruin inside with calm precision.
The Grand Auction was filled with Alphas and Betas from every major pack.Flashing orbs of press crystals lit the hall when Alexander appeared—with Stephanie clinging to his arm.
“Lavina,there you are.”
I turned toward them silently as the press surged forward.
“Alpha Hamilton!”a reporter shouted from behind the velvet rope.“Is it true you dismissed your Beta assistant today?”
“Alpha,are the rumors about your assistant being your secret mate true?”
Questions flew like arrows.
Stephanie’s grip tightened around his arm,her eyes blazing with false innocence.
Before Alexander could speak,I stepped forward.
“There has been a misunderstanding,”I said evenly,my voice slicing through the chaos like a blade.“There is absolutely no personal bond between Alpha Hamilton and me.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
“Alpha Hamilton is the leader of this pack,”I continued,tone composed.“And I was merely a subordinate wolf serving under his command.Nothing more,nothing less.I have already accepted an offer from another Alpha to transfer packs.”
The words hit like thunder.Alexander froze,his jaw tightening.
But he couldn’t refute me—not without confirming the truth.
A bold journalist stepped forward,holding up a photo crystal displaying matching rings forged by a Parisian mage.
“Are you saying there’s no secret bond?Because the pair of rings you both wear were enchanted as mating tokens—the male version is still seen on Alpha Hamilton’s hand—”
I raised my hand calmly.My finger was bare.
“No ring,”I said softly.
The silence that followed was absolute.
Alexander stared at me,shock flickering in his eyes.He remembered my vow beneath the Blood Moon—that I would never remove the ring sealing our bond.
I reached into my bag,withdrew a sealed scroll,and handed it to the nearest reporter.
“Here’s a certified record from the Council of Elders.No mating bond ever registered between Lavina and Alpha Hamilton.In fact,”I said,letting my eyes meet Alexander’s,“I am already promised to another Alpha.”
The crowd erupted in stunned whispers.
Alexander took a step forward,lips parting—but before he could speak,the great bronze bell tolled three times.
The auction had begun.
Perfect timing.
Chapter 4
The grand hall of the Lunar Auction Gala shimmered beneath golden chandeliers shaped like crescent moons.
When the master of ceremony took the stage,the murmurs stilled instantly.
“Ladies and gentlemen,”he announced proudly,“we begin tonight’s event with a priceless relic donated by the Hamilton Pack.”
Under the spotlight,a velvet box opened.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Inside lay an emerald pendant,deep green and alive—like the heart of an ancient forest after rain.Its glow caught the silver in every wolf’s eyes.
Alexander’s expression faltered.He recognized it instantly.
He had chosen those gems himself,saying they matched my eyes—eyes that once looked at him as if he were the whole world.
Now they reflected nothing but cold light under the moon.
Stephanie leaned closer to him eagerly.“It’s stunning!Who owned it,Alex?I want it.”
Before he could reply,she raised her bidding paddle,her voice dripping with entitlement.
Sold.
Next came the second relic:a diamond wristband,a limited Alpha-edition model.I had gifted it to him on his thirtieth name-moon—the first year he forgot mine.I’d smiled through the ache and clasped it on his wrist anyway.
Sold.
Then came the third.
A vintage brooch inlaid with blood-rubies—a gift from his grandmother when I became his Luna.
The only heirloom I’d ever been given.
Sold.
Each memory-laden piece,stripped and auctioned as though it were scrap.
I stood beside him—composed,silent,exactly as he’d trained me to be.
Alexander turned suddenly,ignoring the murmurs,the stares,the flashing crystals.
“Lavina…”His voice cracked with disbelief.“That necklace was your favorite—you cried when it got scratched once.How could you just give it away?Don’t you remember?It was my gift to you…on our mating night.”
His voice trembled as the pendant was clasped around Stephanie’s throat.
He had given her rarer treasures before,but this—this single token—looked wrong on her skin.
“All I did,”I said quietly,“was strengthen your public image.Kept your reputation spotless,without costing you a single coin.Isn’t that what you always wanted,Alpha Hamilton?”
I reached for a glass of red wine,lifted it high.
“To Alpha Hamilton.”
The crowd echoed the toast in polite applause.
Alexander didn’t move.His eyes stayed locked on mine—haunted,uncertain.
Then he turned away,swallowed by a tide of powerful Alphas and hollow laughter.
I drained the glass in one sharp gulp and walked out,the applause behind me echoing like distant mockery.
The corridor was dim.
And then—she appeared.
Stephanie.
Her lips curled into the same cruel smile she’d worn as a child—
the one she had when she pushed me into the pond till I nearly drowned,
when she framed me for theft before the Winslet elders.
Then came the shove.
I stumbled backward,crashing into a cold-storage chamber.The iron door slammed shut.
“Tonight was mine!”she hissed,voice dripping venom.“You stole my spotlight,sister?Then enjoy your moment—alone,in the dark—while I toast champagne with our Alpha.”
“Stephanie,you’re insane!”I shouted,pounding the door.“Let me out!”
“No one’s coming,bitch.You thought selling off those trinkets would make Alex pity you?Feel guilty?”
“I don’t care about Alexander!You can have him!”
“Oh,I will,”she purred.“But really—thank you.While I was moaning beneath silk sheets in Paris territory,you were busy playing housemaid,polishing his boots and building his empire.”
“You vile serpent!You were the mistress—nothing more!”
“Mistress?”she laughed,the sound slicing through the air.“I was his first,Lavina.His everything.When you were miscarrying,I told him I was ill.He left you bleeding in the healers’ward to hold me in his arms.”
My body went still.Tears burned behind my eyes,but none fell.
She smirked,turning away.
“Enjoy the cold,sis.”
The door clanged shut,sealing me in darkness.
Later that night,when the auction ended,Alexander seethed.
“Alex,”Stephanie said,feigning guilt,“your sister was upset.I didn’t mean to—”
“You didn’t mean to?She’s throwing a tantrum because I dismissed her.Let her!Let’s see how long she lasts without me!”
And with that,he left with her—arm around her waist.
I fumbled for my communicator—no signal.
The air grew thin.My limbs went numb.The world tilted.
Just before my vision went black,I heard a crash.
The door burst open.
“Make way!Move!”
Strong hands wrapped a cloak around me.Deep voices issued crisp orders as medics swarmed.
“Miss Winslet,stay awake!You’re safe!”
Then darkness.
When I woke again,a healer stood beside my bed,my wrist connected to an IV of shimmering moon-infused serum.
It was the same healer who had overseen my fertility treatments for years.
“Miss Lavina,”she said gently,“you’re incredibly lucky.Lord Damien was gravely ill last night,but when you didn’t answer his calls,he forced us to halt his treatment and ordered a search party.Another hour and both your lives could’ve been lost.”
My lips trembled.“Both…?”
The healer smiled softly.
“Yes.You and your pup.Congratulations,Luna—your conception ritual finally succeeded.You’re five moons along.”
Chapter 5
After being released from the healers’ward,I took a carriage back to the Hamilton Pack Estate.
The moon was waning,its pale light spilling over the grand manor that had once felt like home.
I entered quietly,heading straight to my chamber to gather what little still belonged to me—when I heard the faint rustle of silk,followed by a soft giggle.
Stephanie.
She stood before the mirror wearing my Luna gown.
The pearl-laced dress that my grandmother had hand-stitched on her deathbed—her final blessing to me after realizing that the Winslet Pack never cared for her true-born granddaughter.
I had worked five shifts across pack borders to buy that silk.
And now?
It hung loose on Stephanie’s frame,the front torn open,her claws gripping the fabric like a predator playing with its prey.
“Oh,sister,”she beamed,twirling.“You’re alive.Pity.I was hoping you’d die.But guess what happened last night?”
My chest tightened.I already knew.
She stepped closer,the shredded hem dragging across the marble floor.
“Alexander took me to the Moonspire Suite—you know,your favorite?The one where you spent your last birthday alone?”
Her voice dripped with false sweetness.
“He said he wanted to see the same view you adored.The same balcony where you and he first marked each other.”
My stomach twisted.That had been our place—the place where he’d first whispered“mine.”
“We left the curtains open,”she smirked.“I howled his name loud enough for the staff to hear.”
I tried not to flinch.
“Alexander said I taste sweeter,”she added,tugging at the ripped neckline.Red-purple bite marks shimmered across her skin.
“When I told him I wanted to start a family,he didn’t hesitate.Who knows?Maybe I’ll bear his heir soon.”
My hands trembled,claws threatening to unsheathe.
“You’re vile,”I whispered.
She tilted her head,feigning sympathy.
“Funny.That’s not what your husband says when he’s inside me,growling my name.Maybe I’ll give him what you couldn’t.”
Something inside me snapped.
Slap.
The sound cracked like thunder.Stephanie staggered,falling backward in shock.
“You—!”
“Lavina?”
Alexander’s voice boomed from the doorway.
He stopped dead,eyes flicking between us—Stephanie half-naked in my ruined gown,me standing rigid and furious.
Stephanie’s tears came instantly.
“I’m sorry,sister!”she sobbed.“I was just trying on your gown for a modeling campaign!It ripped—I didn’t mean it!I already stole your parents’love,but please forgive me!I can’t bear this guilt—I’ll just die!”
Before I could react,she grabbed a fruit knife from the table.
“Stop,”Alexander barked,snatching it away.She twisted dramatically in his arms,then darted toward the wall as if to smash her head open.
He caught her mid-lunge,arms circling her waist.She collapsed against his chest,crying as if she were some fragile creature deserving rescue.
“Stephanie,”he murmured firmly,“I invited you here as my guest.If anyone dares harm you—they’ll answer to me.”
I stared,numb.Stephanie weeping in his arms.Alexander shielding her like a wounded pup.
A bitter smile curved my lips.
When he turned to me,his voice was colder than steel.
“Lavina,apologize to her.”
“Apologize?”I asked quietly.“Alexander,aren’t you even curious where I was last night?”
“I don’t care!”he snapped.“You don’t lay a hand on her!If you don’t apologize right now,I’ll cut off your access to pack funds and move you to the servants’quarters!”
My heart lurched.
Our pup had nearly died.
And all he cared about was her.
“That should humble you,”he sneered.“Maybe I’ve spoiled you too long.”
I said nothing.
Because I finally understood.
To him,I was never a mate—just a pet.A servant.
He thought taking away comfort would break me.
But I’d already known hunger,loneliness,and humiliation long before I met him.
He turned to the guards.
“Move her things.She’ll stay in the servants’quarters until she apologizes.”
And just like that,I became the villainess in their love story.
After Alexander and Stephanie left the manor,my communicator buzzed.
An unfamiliar number flashed on the crystal display.
“Where was he,”the voice thundered,low and furious,“while you were locked in that cold chamber,barely breathing,Miss Winslet?”
I froze.I knew that voice.
Alpha Damien Stone.
“He was…with her,”I whispered.
“I can’t stay away anymore,”he said,his tone trembling with restrained fury.
“How long?”
“One week,”he vowed.“After that,I’ll come to take you home.”
My fingers tightened around the crystal.
“Alright,”I breathed.
Chapter 6
For days I was a prisoner inside the Alpha’s den.
No locks—just silence and walls that felt like stone around a caged wolf.
Three times a day,a servant knocked.Her voice grew smaller each time.
“Luna…”she whispered once through the door,trembling,“I know you did nothing wrong.Please eat something—your hands are turning blue.”
But the head housekeeper snapped behind her,fangs half-bared.
“You are not to defy Alpha Alexander’s orders!No meals until she apologizes.”
I never replied.
A few bruised apples found their way under my door,smuggled in secret.
I ate them without complaint—for the sake of the tiny heartbeat inside me.
I sat by the window,wrapped in the same wool cloak I had worn since that night,counting backward.
Three days gone.Four to go.
When the Council seal approved the bond-severance decree,I would leave—burn every trace of this life behind.
My communicator never stopped buzzing.
Stephanie.
Her messages dripped like venom wrapped in perfume.
[Stephanie:You never won our mothers,and you’ll never win Alex.One word from me,and he forgets you exist.]
She was right.
Alexander never returned.
Not that night.Not the next.
But she made sure I saw him.
Every hour—new vision-crystals.
Him helping her into my favorite fur robe.
Him tying her hair by the hearth in his farmhouse lodge.
Him kissing her shoulder in bed.
Others were quieter—and crueller.
Her wearing his shirt,mouthing“I love you”at the lens before flipping it off with a wink.
Or his off-screen murmur:
“Steph,if we have a daughter,we’ll name her Hope.If a son—Xavier.”
Once,I would have curled into the blankets and sobbed.
Now I only stared at my reflection in the frosted glass,calm and pale,rubbing my belly while another wave of sickness passed.
Then my communicator chimed.
[PACK ATTORNEY:Congratulations,Miss Lavina.The Council has approved your severance.Alpha Alexander Hamilton is stripped of all paternal rights.He has no claim over the pup in your womb.]
I wanted to smile—but tears came instead.
Three years of bond and blood,dissolved into dust.
Cold wind bit through my sleeves as I stepped onto the balcony.
Each breath fogged in the night air.
My body ached from hunger;my legs shook;the world tilted.
Still,I needed air—anything but the suffocating stillness of that house.
Then—
A sudden crack split the sky.
Fireworks—loud,violent—burst right above the estate.
I flinched,stumbled;my heel caught on uneven stone.
Pain tore through my abdomen.
A scream escaped my throat.
Warm liquid spread fast between my thighs.
Guards rushed forward,faces shifting from indifference to alarm.
“Get the healer—now!”
One grabbed his crystal communicator.
“Alpha!It’s the Luna—she fell from the balcony!She’s bleeding badly—please—”
Alexander’s voice cut through,cold and sharp.
“I know her tricks.She’s faking again to escape punishment.Lavina is not to leave the manor until she learns her place.”
The line went dead.
The guard stared at the device,pale with shame.
I looked up at the surveillance rune carved into the balcony pillar,tears blurring my vision.
“I apologize,”I rasped,clutching my belly.“I’m sorry—for meeting you,for loving a heartless man like you,Alpha Hamilton.”
Another firework exploded—pink,then gold,then white.
Thousands of drones shaped words across the heavens:
[HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE]
A single tear slid down my cheek.
So today…the day I was switched at birth…was also my own birthday.
“My baby…just save my baby,”I whispered—the only gift I begged for before darkness claimed me.
“Luna!Luna?!”
“Her body’s going cold!”another voice cried.
“We didn’t know—while everyone starved her,she was already pregnant!”
Chapter 7
I regained consciousness three days later.
The healer told me the entire Western Territory had been thrown into chaos,the best pack healers and foreign shamans summoned to save me and my unborn pup.
After eight hours of rituals and transfusions,we both survived.
Tears welled,but I blinked them away.
While I lay motionless beneath the glow-stones,Alexander burst into the infirmary.
He stopped at the threshold,breathless,his cloak damp from drizzle,hair tousled from the wind.
Behind him,a guard hovered,guilt twisting his features.
“Alpha,”the guard began softly,“the Luna lost too much blood—”
“I fainted,”I interrupted,my voice hoarse but steady.“From exhaustion and malnutrition.”
Alexander’s gaze dropped to the IV feeding rune on my arm,to the hollowness beneath my eyes,the faint bluish tint on my fingertips.
“You haven’t been eating?”his voice softened.
“I wasn’t hungry.”
“Lavina,you only had to say sorry once.How was I supposed to know it wasn’t another tantrum?”he muttered,frustration edging his tone.
“You should’ve called me.I was in the Eastern Isles—it took two days to fly back.”
“It doesn’t matter,”I said quietly.“You were busy.I wouldn’t dare disturb you.”
Something flickered—guilt,perhaps—but it faded fast.
On the bedside table sat a small bunch of wildflowers,tied awkwardly with a ribbon.
A maid had left them earlier with a note:Belated Happy Birth-Moon,Luna.
Alexander followed my gaze.Realization dawned.
He’d forgotten my birth-moon.
Within the hour,gifts arrived—heavy with guilt,not love.
A chest of antique brushes for painting,a velvet case with a sapphire pendant,a rare signed novel from my favorite author.
All unopened.
Alexander said nothing,only poured soup from a flask and lifted a spoon to my lips.
“Eat.You need strength.”
Then his communicator buzzed—Stephanie’s name glowing across the rune.
“What?I’m coming.”
He set the bowl aside.
“Stephanie’s wolf-hound can’t breathe.I need to go.Eat something and rest,Lavina.”
I caught his sleeve with trembling fingers.
“For the sake of three years as mates…just this once,can you stay?”
“Lavina,I…”He hesitated—until another message flashed.His tone hardened.
“This is important.Rest and recover.”
He pulled free and left without a backward glance.
A faint,miserable smile touched my lips.
In the end,he would always choose her.
Hours later my communicator buzzed again.
[Damien Stone:Lavina,this is Alexander Hamilton’s true face.]
I opened the file.
A vision-crystal flickered to life—inside Jules Selection,the most luxurious bridal atelier in the Capital.
Stephanie stood before a mirror,twirling in a gown of white lace and moon-crystals.
Alexander stood beside her.
“Alex,I want this one,”she said,beaming.
“Of course.Choose whatever you love.We’re announcing our mating tomorrow at grandfather’s banquet.”
My pulse went still.
So the sick wolf-hound had been nothing but an excuse.
“But Alex…what about sister Lavina?”
He flinched,jaw tightening.
“She’ll cry,obviously.But I’m done playing house with her.Thinking about her tears already gives me a headache.Stephanie—the she-wolf I truly love—is you.”
I didn’t sleep that night.
Not because of the monitors’hum,but because the silence inside me was louder.
I had loved Alpha Alexander Hamilton with everything in me.
And he had left me…for her.
When dawn crept through the blinds,I was already dressed,movements mechanical.
The healer entered with my discharge parchment,smiling softly.
I had no smile left to give.
“Could you do something for me?”I asked,handing him a cream-colored envelope.
He frowned.“What is this?”
“My last gift to Alpha Hamilton.”
He opened it slightly—and froze at the bold heading:Bond Dissolution Decree.Signed.Final.
“Lavina…what about the pup?You don’t need to rush—”
“My child deserves better,”I whispered.“From this moment,we stop waiting for a man who never chose us.”
My communicator chimed again.
[Damien Stone:Waiting for you.It’s time we meet.]
I walked outside,the air sharp against my skin.
One by one,I dropped every gift Alexander had sent into the trash bin.
Then I snapped my crystal link in two and tossed it after them.
“Let’s never meet again,Alpha Hamilton.”
