I Was His Luna for Seven Years, But Never His True Mate

At that moment, Ethan reached out and tilted Sophia’s chin upward, his fingers cool against her skin as he quietly studied her face. His expression was not severe, and his voice remained controlled, but Sophia had spent twenty-seven years beside him and understood him too well to mistake gentleness for softness. “Sophie,” he said, looking into her eyes, “tell me where you went. Are you trying to make me punish you again?” Years ago, hearing those words would only have made her feel guilty. Ethan had always been this way. He worried easily, became anxious whenever she disappeared, and hated being left outside her decisions. Everyone in Ashford Territory envied her for having an Alpha who loved her so completely, but only she understood how deep his possessiveness ran. When she was younger, she believed his control came from devotion. Now, standing in front of him after learning the truth, she suddenly found herself unable to tell where love ended and ownership began. A brief panic rose in her chest. If Ethan discovered she already knew about the Moon Registry, about Vanessa, about the inheritance transfer, and most of all that she intended to leave him entirely, she did not know what he might do. Ethan had never accepted losing anything he considered his. So she lowered her eyes and answered quietly, “I went to the healer’s hall.” As she spoke, her hand unconsciously rested over her abdomen beneath her cloak. Two moons. She had only learned it earlier that day. There was already a small life inside her. The moment the words left her mouth, Ethan’s gaze changed. Something dark flickered across his eyes and disappeared so quickly she almost thought she imagined it. He stepped forward instead and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Sophie,” he said softly, “you still haven’t given up.” His voice carried familiar helplessness, the same tone he had used countless times before whenever this subject arose. “You’ve exhausted yourself for years.” His hand slid through her hair. “You’ve visited healer clans in the northern mountains, accepted fertility blessings under the full moon, worn moonstones blessed by priestesses, and swallowed more medicinal brews than anyone should. We’ve tried everything.” He paused and looked at her quietly. “That’s enough.” His expression softened further. “The healers already said your fertility path is closed. Stop hurting yourself.” His thumb brushed against her temple. “I don’t need pups. As long as I have you, my life is already complete.” Sophia looked at him. She remembered believing those words. Every failed blessing had ended with Ethan comforting her. Every time another healer lowered their head apologetically and told her there was no hope, Ethan would bring her home and tell her they could live without heirs. Whenever she cried and apologized for disappointing him, he would hold her and say she mattered more than any future child. For years she thought she was fortunate. Now she suddenly wondered whether he had been comforting her because he already knew she would never conceive. At that moment, the moon crystal hanging from Ethan’s waist emitted a faint glow. Someone was calling him through mindlink. His expression shifted so subtly most people would never notice it, but Sophia did. She saw the slight relaxation in his shoulders and the softness that appeared in his eyes before he accepted the connection. He reached out and lightly touched her head. “No more thinking about this.” Then he smiled. “I have something to deal with outside. Stay home tonight.” His voice became lower. “And don’t disappear without telling me. You know I don’t like worrying.” He left shortly afterward. Sophia remained standing where she was and let out a quiet laugh. Someone had obviously been waiting for him. He had returned only to make sure she was still home. Half an hour later, one of the servants delivered a memory crystal and said it had been left anonymously. Sophia stared at it for a while before activating it. A conversation began immediately. A man’s voice asked casually, “Vanessa is really carrying your pup?” Ethan answered without hesitation. “Yes.” The man laughed. “So the old Alpha finally got what he wanted.” Sophia frowned. Then she heard the next sentence. “You insisted on staying with Sophia back then, and the old Alpha only agreed after making you give her moonbane and forbidding you from registering her as your true mate. Now Vanessa has conceived. What are you planning to do?” Sophia’s entire body went cold. Moonbane. Her fingers tightened. Moonbane was forbidden among werewolves because it did not kill. It simply destroyed the possibility of children and made the victim believe their own body had failed them. Her thoughts returned instantly to seven years ago. Their mating night. She remembered Ethan entering their chambers carrying a bowl of herbal medicine. He sat beside her and smiled. “The elders prepared this.” She had asked curiously what it was. He stroked her hair and said gently, “A fertility tonic. They say if you drink it tonight, the Moon Goddess will bless us with strong pups.” She remembered feeling embarrassed. Remembered Ethan feeding her patiently because she complained it was bitter. She remembered trusting him completely. After that night she never conceived. Years passed. Years of trying. Years of rituals. Years of disappointment. Years of believing she was incomplete. Sophia slowly covered her mouth. She had never failed. Someone had decided for her. The recording continued. The man asked, “But didn’t you say Sophia was the one you loved?” Ethan answered quietly. “I do love her.” Sophia closed her eyes. Then she heard him continue. “My parents died because of conflict with the Carter Bloodline. I chose to overlook that.” His voice remained calm. “I’ve treated her well all these years. Aside from status and heirs, I’ve given her everything.” The man asked, “And Vanessa?” This time Ethan did not answer immediately. After a while he finally said, “Vanessa makes me feel peaceful.” His voice became softer. “She gives me something Sophie never did.” Sophia turned off the crystal. The room became silent. She sat there for a long time before lowering her hand to her abdomen. Inside her— there was a child. Not impossible. Not a miracle. Simply a child who survived despite everything. After a long time, Sophia opened a mindlink. Adrian answered quickly. “Sophia?” She looked out at the moon. “Senior Brother.” His tone became concerned. “What happened?” Sophia was silent for several moments before she finally asked, “Can the healer’s hall prepare a severing rite tomorrow?” Adrian sounded startled. “What are you severing?” Sophia closed her eyes. Then she answered quietly. “The pup bond.” The next morning, she went alone to the healer’s hall before sunrise. But the moment she entered, she saw Ethan standing beneath the white stone corridor with Vanessa in his arms. His hand rested protectively around her waist. His expression was gentle. The same expression Sophia once thought belonged only to her. Vanessa smiled and looked up at him. “It’s only a blessing ceremony. There’s no need to worry.” Ethan frowned. “I told you to use the private chambers.” Vanessa lowered her head. “I’m not someone important. I don’t want to waste your resources.” Ethan smiled. “You’re different from Sophie.” His eyes softened. “She likes the finest things. You don’t ask for anything.” Then he lowered his head and kissed her hair. Sophia stood quietly in the crowd. For the first time, she realized that perhaps she had never been difficult to love. She had simply been loved conditionally.

On the night before their mating ceremony, Ethan transferred part of the Lawson inheritance rights into Sophia’s name. At the time, the entire territory talked about it for months. Among werewolves, inheritance was not measured only in wealth. Territory rights, moonstone reserves, ancestral estates, and voting authority within pack councils all passed through blood and recognition. Even among mated Alphas and Lunas, few people divided such things so freely. Yet Ethan had done it before the ceremony had even taken place. Sophia still remembered that night clearly. Moonlight poured through the windows of the western tower while servants quietly withdrew and left the two of them alone. Ethan stood beside her with the transfer scroll open between them and smiled when she stared at it in disbelief. He reached over and pinched her cheek lightly. “Sophie,” he said, sounding almost amused by her reaction, “my princess should only have the rarest and best things.” Back then she had thought he meant that she was precious. Now, remembering it years later, she suddenly wondered whether Ethan had always been better at giving things than giving himself. Her thoughts were interrupted by familiar voices drifting through the stone corridor outside the healer’s hall. Sophia had no intention of listening, but once she recognized Ethan’s voice she found herself unable to walk away. She heard him speaking in a low, patient tone. “Rosewood Manor is ready.” Sophia’s steps slowed. Rosewood Manor had belonged to Ethan’s parents. Years ago, Ethan once held her hand while walking through its gardens and told her that one day she would live there and raise their children beneath the old cedar trees. She remembered laughing and asking how many children he wanted. Ethan had answered that however many they had, they would all look like her. Now she heard him continue quietly— “You’ll stay there after the pup is born.” His tone softened further. “And the moon emerald from Monroe has already been recut into a ring.” Sophia’s fingers stiffened. She knew that stone. Years ago, she had once told Ethan an old legend she heard as a child. According to the stories, moon emeralds only appeared once every few generations and symbolized a bond that could never be replaced. She remembered teasing him then and saying that if she ever wore another ceremonial ring, she wanted one made from moon emerald. Ethan had laughed and promised he would remember. She had forgotten that conversation. He had not. Only she had never imagined the promise would belong to someone else. Vanessa’s voice sounded next. “Did Lady Carter like the gifts?” She sounded hesitant and careful, almost guilty. Ethan answered naturally. “She’ll like them.” There was a brief pause before he added, “You spent hours choosing them.” Sophia lowered her eyes. Vanessa spoke again after a moment. “Lady Carter wants a child so much.” Her voice became quieter. “If she’s willing… I’ll try my best.” Sophia frowned faintly, not understanding. Then Vanessa finished softly— “I’ll try to become someone she can accept.” There was silence. When Ethan spoke again, there was warmth in his voice that Sophia had once believed belonged only to her. “Thank you.” He sounded sincere. “You’re willing to let Sophie raise our child.” Sophia stood motionless. Ethan continued quietly, as though discussing something ordinary. “With Sophie as the mother in name, the child will inherit everything smoothly.” His voice became softer. “Everything I’ve done is for the future heir.” Sophia looked down at her own hands. For a long time she had believed Ethan betrayed her because he wanted a child. But now she understood. He had never planned to leave her. He had planned to keep her. To let her remain in the Lawson estate, continue being loved, continue being cherished, continue believing she was the center of his world while another woman gave him the family he truly wanted. The realization made her feel strangely calm. She turned and continued walking toward the inner chambers of the healer’s hall. The attendants prepared the severing room quietly. Moonstones embedded in the walls glowed softly while bowls of medicinal herbs released a faint scent into the air. Sophia changed into ceremonial white robes and tied the final sash around her waist. Just then, the moon crystal at her wrist lit up. Ethan. She looked at the connection for a long moment before accepting. His voice entered her mind immediately. “Sophie.” He sounded relaxed. “Are you still upset?” She remained silent. He continued as though nothing had changed. “I prepared ninety-nine moon roses for you. They should arrive at the estate soon, along with breakfast from Wellington Hall.” His voice softened. “You still want a pup, don’t you?” Sophia lowered her gaze. Ethan sighed lightly. “If you really want to be a mother, we can choose an orphan from one of the outer territories. You can raise them yourself.” Then, in the same affectionate voice she had once trusted completely, he added— “I’ll make sure you have everything you want.” Sophia placed her hand over her abdomen. After a while she answered quietly. “I don’t want a child anymore.” There was silence on the other side. Then Ethan laughed softly in relief. “That’s my Sophie.” His tone warmed. “Our seventh mating anniversary is in three days.” He sounded almost excited. “I prepared a surprise.” Sophia closed the connection. She had prepared one too. Inside the severing chamber, Adrian entered wearing healer robes and sat beside her. His expression became serious after reading the examination records. “With your condition,” he said carefully, “if we perform the severing rite now, you may never conceive again.” He looked at her quietly. “Do you want more time?” Sophia stared upward for a long time before smiling faintly. “No.” Her voice remained calm. “I already decided.” This child had survived despite everything. But Ethan would never know. The ritual began. Moonlight flowed through the engraved stone circles and gathered around her body. The pain came slowly at first and then deepened until it felt as though something invisible was being separated from her bone by bone. Sophia did not cry. She only closed her eyes and waited. When it ended, she placed her hand over her abdomen and realized there was only silence. The last thing connecting her to Ethan was gone. When she woke, an anonymous location crystal had been left beside her bed. She followed it. It led to a bridal hall. Sophia remained inside her carriage after arriving. Then she saw Ethan step out. He turned and extended his hand. Vanessa placed hers into his. He pulled her close and smiled. “You’re already my wife.” Sophia forgot to breathe. Ethan continued quietly. “I couldn’t give you a public ceremony.” His eyes softened. “But at least once, I want to see you wear wedding robes.” Vanessa lowered her head and smiled helplessly. Ethan reached out and touched her face. “I can’t give you recognition.” His voice became gentler. “But I can still make you happy.” Sophia watched silently. Then she remembered. He had said the same things to her. Done the same things. Touched her with the same tenderness. And suddenly she realized that perhaps she had never lost anything unique at all. Outside, Ethan’s friends arrived and began talking casually. Someone laughed and said Ethan was finally giving his wife a proper surprise. Another asked whether he was afraid Sophia would find out. Someone answered dismissively that she never would. Then another voice added carelessly that it hardly mattered anymore because she could not bear children and had never been recognized anyway. Someone else immediately told them to stop talking nonsense and reminded everyone that Ethan treasured Sophia. Sophia sat quietly in the carriage. For the first time, she understood that being treasured and being chosen were never the same thing.

So they had all known. That thought did not arrive with anger at first. It came quietly, almost gently, until Sophia realized she could no longer hear anything else. From where she stood outside the bridal hall, she watched familiar faces move beneath the moonstone lamps. People she had grown up with. Children of old pack families who had watched her and Ethan grow together from cubhood into adulthood. Friends who once laughed and said no one in Ashford Territory would ever separate the two of them. Yet none of them looked surprised to see Ethan standing beside another woman in ceremonial robes. They smiled, talked, applauded, and moved about with complete ease, as though everything unfolding tonight had already become ordinary. Sophia finally understood. This had never been a secret. She had simply been the only person left outside of it. After everyone entered, she walked around to the rear entrance and entered quietly. The bridal hall belonged to her. Years ago, while she and Ethan were still studying in the central territory, she became interested in traditional mating ceremonies and ceremonial robes. What started as idle sketches eventually became something larger. She designed robes in her spare time, studied old records of pack customs, and opened the hall simply because she enjoyed creating things. She never cared to attach her name to it and left all management to trusted people. Aside from the manager, nobody knew the owner. Every ceremonial robe displayed inside had once passed through her hands. Including the one Vanessa was wearing. Sophia climbed to the third-floor gallery and stood where the shadows concealed her. From above, she could see the entire ceremony. Moonstones embedded into the vaulted ceiling cast soft silver light over the hall. White silk drifted between carved pillars while guests gathered around the central platform. There was laughter. Casual conversation. The comfortable atmosphere of people attending an ordinary celebration. At the center stood Ethan. Vanessa stood beside him dressed in white. Sophia recognized the robe immediately. Her eyes lingered on it before memory returned. That design was called First Love. She had created it years ago after her first serious fight with Ethan. Back then, an Alpha named Shane Cross had given her a birthday gift and Ethan became irrationally jealous over it. He waited for her after classes and cornered her inside an empty lecture room, demanding explanations she thought made no sense. She remembered becoming angry and refusing to give in until the argument turned into silence and Ethan suddenly kissed her. It had not been elegant. It had not been practiced. It had been young, possessive, jealous, and painfully earnest. She remembered returning to her room afterward and staying awake through the night sketching. She designed First Love to feel exactly like that moment—beautiful but imperfect, overwhelming but sincere. Now another woman stood wearing it. Sophia looked away. Below the platform, voices rose naturally. Someone praised the bride. Someone congratulated Ethan. Someone called for the ring exchange. No one hesitated. No one questioned anything. Ethan accepted the ceremonial ring box and opened it. From her position above, Sophia could see clearly. His ring remained unchanged. The women’s ring beside it matched hers exactly. For a moment she thought she was mistaken. Then she looked again. Same shape. Same engraving. Same stone. Sophia suddenly remembered how Ethan used to remember everything she said. Every passing wish. Every story. Every preference. She once believed that kind of memory only came from love. Now she wondered whether remembering was simply something Ethan happened to be good at. At that moment, the lighting inside the hall shifted. The room darkened briefly before a beam of moonlight illuminated the gallery. People turned. Ethan looked up. Their eyes met. Sophia watched recognition appear instantly on his face. His expression froze. Then changed. Without a word, he left the stage. Vanessa remained standing alone while Ethan crossed the hall and climbed upstairs. When he reached her, his hands closed around her shoulders. He looked unsettled in a way she had never seen before. “Sophie.” His voice came quickly. “This isn’t what you think.” He searched her expression as if trying to determine how much she had already seen. “It’s a promotional ceremony.” His explanation continued immediately. “You know the S Ring was designed for you. You never liked appearing publicly, so Secretary Lynn stood in for the presentation.” He reached for the ring box. “I planned to show everything to you on our anniversary.” His expression softened. “It was supposed to be a surprise.” Then he took her hand. And tried to slide the ring onto her finger. It stopped. Sophia lowered her eyes. The size was wrong. A strange feeling rose inside her. For years Ethan remembered every small thing about her. But somehow— this ring had never been made for her hand. Downstairs, Vanessa remained where she stood. She looked upward. Her face gradually lost color. Ethan noticed. When he spoke again, his tone cooled noticeably. “Secretary Lynn.” Vanessa lowered her head. Her smile looked tired. “This was only for Lady Carter.” She spoke softly. “Mr. Lawson prepared everything himself.” Her hand rested unconsciously over her abdomen. “I only helped.” Ethan immediately turned back to Sophia and pulled her into his arms. His voice became warm again. “Sophie.” He smiled. “You heard her.” His hand brushed through her hair. “Everything I do is for you.” Then he looked at her and said with complete certainty— “You’re still the person I love most.” Sophia stood there quietly. Twenty-seven years. She had believed every word Ethan ever said. What frightened her now was not discovering that people could lie. It was discovering that someone could betray another person completely and still speak of love as though they believed it themselves. Then Vanessa smiled. She looked up at them and said softly, “I wish Alpha and Luna Lawson happiness.” After a brief pause, she added— “And many pups.” Sophia’s fingers unconsciously moved toward her abdomen. There was nothing there anymore. For one brief moment she met Vanessa’s eyes. Vanessa looked at her quietly. Then turned and walked away. Ethan watched her leave. And then— without thinking— he followed. Sophia remained standing on the third-floor gallery. She watched him disappear after another woman. And suddenly understood something she had never allowed herself to see. Ethan had always feared losing Vanessa. He had only ever assumed Sophia would stay.

Vanessa was brought to the healer’s hall before the smell of blood had even faded from the night air. Sophia followed with the others, not because she still wanted answers and not because she expected anything to change, but because after everything that had happened, she found herself unable to leave immediately. Twenty-seven years of habit could not be severed in a single evening. Even after deciding to leave Ethan, some part of her still moved in the direction he was in. Vanessa was quickly taken into the inner healing chambers while Ethan remained outside. His injuries were minor—scrapes along his arms and bruising from the collision—but he refused examination and brushed away every healer who approached him. He stood near the chamber doors with blood staining his robes, insisting that no one touch him until Vanessa’s surgery was over. Sophia stood at the far end of the corridor beneath the moonstone lamps and watched. For most of her life, she had believed she understood Ethan better than anyone. She knew the meaning behind the slightest shift in his expression and could distinguish between his anger, possessiveness, concern, and disappointment before he even spoke. She once believed that because she knew him so well, she also understood his heart. Tonight, for the first time, she realized she had been wrong. Ethan looked frightened. Not irritated, not guilty, not anxious in the way she had seen countless times before, but genuinely frightened. He paced the corridor restlessly and questioned every healer who emerged. Sometimes he sat for a moment, only to stand again before settling. His eyes never left the chamber doors. Sophia watched him and suddenly remembered all the times she had been ill, all the times she returned crying after another failed fertility treatment, all the times she sat silently waiting for him to comfort her. Ethan had always remained calm. Only now did she understand. His calmness had never been strength. He had simply never believed she could truly leave. After what felt like hours, the chamber doors finally opened. The chief healer walked out and lowered his head before speaking. “The patient survived.” Ethan immediately stepped forward. The healer hesitated before continuing. “The pup could not be saved.” The corridor fell silent. Then came the final sentence. “The bleeding was severe. We had no choice but to remove her womb.” Sophia watched Ethan go still. He did not collapse dramatically. He did not lose control. Instead, he stood there in silence as though something inside him had quietly broken. Then he entered the room. Sophia remained outside for a while before eventually walking closer. Vanessa lay unconscious beneath white blankets. Her face had lost all color. Ethan sat beside her bed and took her hand. For a long time he said nothing. Then he lowered his head and spoke softly. “Vanessa, I’m sorry.” His voice was rough. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have sent you away all those years. I shouldn’t have ignored you.” His hand tightened slightly around hers. “And I especially shouldn’t have mistaken the things you did for me as things Sophie did.” Sophia’s expression froze. Ethan continued speaking quietly. “I always thought it was her.” He let out a bitter laugh. “I loved the wrong person.” Sophia stared at him. For a moment she genuinely thought she had misunderstood. Vanessa did things for him? And Ethan thought she was the one? She wanted to laugh. Instead, tears suddenly filled her eyes. Because she remembered. When they were children, Ethan’s health had been poor. His blood condition required regular support, and she still remembered overhearing frightened conversations among the adults. She had been five years old when she learned there was a possibility Ethan might die. She remembered crying all night. After that, she insisted on becoming his donor. Her parents tried to stop her countless times. They argued with her. They begged her. But she continued. Again and again. As Ethan gradually became healthier, she became weaker. She was always sick. Always catching colds. Always exhausted. Years later, when her parents finally decided they had to take her away and protect her from sacrificing herself further, Ethan believed his seven days kneeling outside the Carter estate changed their minds. But that was never true. It had been Sophia. Sophia who cried. Sophia who refused. Sophia who threatened to hurt herself if they separated her from him. Her parents relented because they could not bear her pain. And now she stood in a healer’s hall listening to Ethan regret loving her. Sophia looked at him quietly. Then she thought that if she had known this was how everything would end, she would never have started at all. She turned and walked toward the lift. Behind her she heard sudden movement. People rushed forward. Ethan had collapsed. Sophia paused. Then she continued walking. This time she did not go back. By the time she returned to the villa, the territory was already celebrating. Messages flowed endlessly across communication moonstones. Everyone she and Ethan knew was sharing the same recording. In the video, the bride’s face remained hidden beneath ceremonial veils while the groom placed a ring on her finger. The title appeared again and again. Celebrating Alpha and Luna Lawson’s Seventh Mating Anniversary. Sophia looked at it for a long time. Then she smiled. Seven years. Her false marriage had lasted seven years. Vanessa’s hidden place in Ethan’s life had also lasted seven years. People congratulated her. People envied her. People called it eternal love. The whole territory believed they were celebrating Sophia. At that moment, her communication moonstone lit. She accepted. Victor Lawson spoke immediately. “Sophia. Ethan needs blood.” She said nothing. His tone became more urgent. “You need to come.” Sophia looked out the window before answering. “I’m sorry.” Her voice remained calm. “I’m not Ethan’s mate.” She closed her eyes. “I’m not his family.” Then she said quietly, “I have no obligation to save him.” There was silence. Then Victor asked, “You know?” Sophia smiled faintly. “Yes.” She paused. “And thank you.” He did not respond. She continued. “Thank you for what happened seven years ago.” Her voice stayed gentle. “At least I don’t have to end a marriage now.” Then she added, “If Ethan dies tonight, I won’t attend his funeral.” Victor ended the connection. Sophia stayed awake until morning. She took down every portrait. She broke every frame. She packed every robe Ethan had given her, every jewel, every keepsake. Then she opened old storage chests. A rabbit doll. Old study scrolls. Childhood gifts. Things she once thought she would keep forever. She carried everything into the courtyard and burned them slowly. Not out of hatred. Only because she no longer wanted to carry them. Near dawn, her moonstone lit again. A message appeared. I never knew he loved me this much. The kind of love that makes someone risk his life. Sophia looked at the words for a long time. Then she replied. Vanessa, congratulations. You finally learned how to treasure something I already decided to throw away.