The Stand-in Luna's True Mark

Right before our Mate Ceremony, my older sister Selina ran away with her "true love." Her fated mate, Alpha Dominic of the Shadow Pack, slipped the mating ring onto my finger instead. After we bonded, this notoriously ruthless Alpha spoiled me endlessly. Until three years later, Selina returned, claiming she had been struck by an Eclipse Curse. Everyone pressured me to give Dominic back to her. Even Dominic frowned and pleaded with me: "Selina was betrayed by that bastard, and now she has the Eclipse Curse. She's miserable, Elena. I just want to give her a proper Mate Ceremony and be there for the final stretch of her life." I agreed. I stood by and watched them hold a grand Mate Ceremony, watched them pack for their honeymoon... Until I found out I was pregnant with his pup, and discovered the mark Dominic gave me was completely fake. Selina had always been his true fated mate. When he finally returned from their honeymoon, I didn't scream or make a scene. Because I had already quietly accepted the true mating mark from his bitter rival—Alpha Adrian of the Frostridge Pack. Ever since I became pregnant, I was exhausted all the time. That afternoon, while resting in the Pack Clinic lounge waiting for my nutrient shots, half-asleep, I heard hushed voices coming from the consultation room next door. It was Dominic and the old Pack Healer. "Alpha Dominic, are you sure you want to keep hiding this from her?" the Healer asked anxiously. "That mark was forged using silverleaf sap and a moonlight ritual. It lasts five years at most before it completely fades away. When that happens..." "Enough," Dominic said, his tone chillingly flat. "Five years is more than enough. Selina will come back, and everything will return to how it was supposed to be." "But Luna Elena..." "She is just a temporary placeholder," Dominic cut her off. "When Selina comes back, I'll dissolve our bond and pay Elena a generous settlement. You take this secret to your grave." Footsteps moved toward the door. I froze in my chair, the blood in my veins turning to ice. Silverleaf sap. Moonlight ritual. A fake mark. A placeholder. Every single word tore through my chest like a silver blade. For three years, I believed I was his fated mate. I thought the faintness of the mark was just because of my unique biology... Turns out, from the very beginning, everything was a lie. My hand instinctively moved to shield my lower belly, where his pup was already growing. Just yesterday, he had pressed his face against my stomach and whispered, "I hope it's a little she-wolf." I walked out, hailed a cab, and went straight to his penthouse. As my finger hovered over the scanner, a pathetic realization hit me. Three years as his mate, and I didn't even have access to his private sanctuary. "Luna Elena!" Beta Mark ran up behind me, flustered. "Alpha Dominic is in an important meeting..." "Scan it," I said, my voice eerily calm. "I'll wait for him upstairs." Intimidated by my command, Mark scanned his card. The moment the doors slid open, cold air blasted out, thick with the scent of heavy perfume. I looked up and instantly caught sight of two tangled silhouettes through the frosted glass of the floor-to-ceiling windows. I froze in the doorway. Selina’s voice drifted out: "Alpha Dominic, having me stay here to suppress the curse... if my sister finds out..." She coughed softly into her hand, but her eyes flicked toward the door with unmistakable mockery. "She's been spoiled since she was little. If she finds out you've loved me all these years, I'm afraid she won't be able to handle it." I took a step back. Dominic had held me in his arms last night, whispering that he loved me... Then I heard Dominic's tender voice as he cradled her face: "All right, don't worry about her. Did you take your medicine?" I turned around quietly. Beta Mark rushed over in a panic. "Luna Elena, why are you..." I ignored him and stepped silently into the elevator. Back at the manor, I started packing my bags. While clearing out a drawer, my fingers brushed against a hardcover photo album. I opened the first page, and my breath caught in my throat. Eighteen-year-old Selina, her white dress catching the wind. Twenty-year-old Selina, smiling brightly under her graduation cap. Twenty-five-year-old Selina, standing on a beach, her long hair blowing in the sea breeze. On the back of the very last photo, a line was scribbled in sharp, familiar handwriting: *Selina, it's been three years. You're finally back.* ... Tears ran down my face, and then, suddenly, I laughed out loud. So throughout these three years, he had been hiding away in corners I never saw, gazing at her photos. So when Henry, Margaret, and Daniel begged him to marry Selina, the slight tremor in his hands hadn't been indignation on my behalf—it had been pure excitement. So on the day of their Mate Ceremony, his red, misty eyes as he cupped her face hadn't been grief, but the joy of finally getting what he always wanted. And I was stupid enough to think he was my savior. I snapped the album shut and shoved it back where it belonged. A violent wave of nausea hit my stomach. I rushed into the bathroom and dry-heaved over the sink. Looking up, the mirror showed my pale, ghostly reflection. Now I finally understood why the old Pack Healer couldn't look me in the eye the day we supposedly completed our mark. If you never loved me, why did you mate with me in the first place?The sound of the door unlocking snapped me out of my daze. "Elena?" Dominic walked in, his suit jacket draped over his arm. "Why are the lights off?" "I drove past that bakery and picked up those macarons you like." I looked at the pretty pastries, but my gaze glued itself to his shirt collar. A smear of lipstick sat right on the fabric, mocking me, bright as fresh blood. Taking the box, I let out a soft laugh. "What's funny?" Dominic asked. "Nothing. Just feeling like... I'm pretty redundant right now." He frowned, about to say something, when his phone screen lit up. Without me realizing it, his wallpaper had already been changed to a photo of Selina. It wasn't me. My hand shook, and the pastries crashed to the floor. Dominic quickly locked his phone. Assuming I hadn't seen it, he asked, "Beta Mark told me you went to my penthouse today?" I didn't answer. He continued, "That's where I handle Pack affairs. It's dangerous. I told you before, don't go there. Also, Selina is moving into the manor the day after tomorrow." I gave a bitter smile. I really was pathetic. To think I actually expected him to feel guilty. "The master suite is spacious, which makes it easier to treat her curse," he said casually, adjusting his cufflinks. "You can move to the guest room for now." Seeing my silence, he took it as consent. "Also, there's a charity gala next week. I'm auctioning off a few pieces, and I'll send you the catalog later." "Selina wants to go, and she mentioned wanting to borrow one of your gowns..." "She can have them all," I cut him off, looking up with an empty smile. "The sick person comes first." His expression froze for a second. Then, looking relieved, he leaned in to kiss me. I turned my head away, and his lips brushed against empty air. "Elena," he sighed, irritated. "Are you still sulking?" "Everything I'm doing is for you," he rubbed his temples. "Do you really want to watch your family fall apart?" "Shouldn't you be grateful for what I'm sacrificing?" What a magnificent sacrifice. Sacrificing your chance to officially mark your true love? Or sacrificing another night of passion in your penthouse? "Right," I replied numbly. "You're totally right." Those words appeased him. His expression relaxed, and he turned toward the bathroom, satisfied. The sound of running water started, and his phone lit up again. Staring at the glowing screen, I reached out as if possessed. Messages from Selina popped up one after another: [Alpha Dominic, my dying wish is to go on a grand honeymoon across the territories with you.] [Look, I planned the whole itinerary myself~] I tapped into the file and scrolled through page after page. Yachting off the coast of Greece. Skiing in the Swiss Alps. Chasing the Northern Lights in the Arctic. Every single one was a place he once promised to take me, but never did... All these years, I was nothing more than a cheap substitute. Every time he looked at me, every time he pinned me to the bed, he was probably picturing Selina. My mind drifted back to our rushed Mate Ceremony. Wearing a bridesmaid dress, dragged to the sacred moonlight altar. In front of the entire Pack, he bit down on the back of my neck—the sharp, scorching pain nearly made me scream, which was supposedly what a marking bite felt like. But afterward, only a faint, shallow mark remained. It never radiated warmth, nor did it carry the fabled sensation of two souls locking together. He told me it was because of my unique body. And I believed him. I wore the ring meant for Selina. We never even had a honeymoon. He just made grand promises that he would make it up to me with a lavish ceremony later. Those promises were brought up again and again, only to be shelved every time. Yet now, he was ready to abandon all Pack duties just to take Selina on her dream getaway. When Dominic walked out with a towel wrapped around his waist, I was cleaning up the kitchen. "Elena!" He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. "Leave that for the staff. Didn't you text me earlier saying you had a huge surprise for me?" The corner of my mouth twitched. My hand instinctively touched my stomach. "I lied."The next day, a calendar notification reminded me of the Fletcher family banquet. I put on light makeup to cover the exhaustion from a sleepless night. When I reached for the dining hall door, I froze. Sitting in the seat that belonged to me—was Selina. She was wearing the gown Dominic had custom-designed for me, her hair elegantly pinned up, sipping soup from a spoon Dominic held to her lips. "Selina, you need to keep your strength up." Seeing this, I turned to leave. "Elena?" Selina looked up, feigning surprise. "Come, have a seat!" Every eye in the room locked onto me like arrows. Dominic strode over and grabbed my wrist. "What are you doing here?" "Am I not supposed to be here?" I asked mockingly. "Henry and Margaret thought we had already broken our bond..." he replied. I went completely numb. So everyone had already accepted that Selina was the rightful Luna. At this point, staying was utterly pointless. "I'm not feeling well. I'm going back to rest." "No!" His grip tightened painfully. "Selina invited you. You need to show some respect." "Alpha Dominic!" My voice trembled. "Elena Vance!" he snapped, his gaze colder than a stranger's. "Did you show up unannounced just to make a scene and compete with Selina?" My eyes stung with tears. Across the table, Selina suddenly burst into violent, choking coughs, looking like she was suffocating. Dominic shoved my hand away without hesitation and rushed to her side, not caring that I stumbled backward. Selina gasped weakly, "Elena... are you still blaming me? If you walk away now, it means you'll never forgive me!" Dominic's face darkened. "Elena Vance, sit down." I didn't move. With a single gesture from him, two Pack guards stepped forward, grabbing my shoulders from both sides and shoving me forcefully into a chair. "Don't embarrass everyone," Dominic warned coldly. I let them hold me down. The pain had long since stopped registering. Seeing that I wasn't fighting back, he gave my hand a brief, patronizing squeeze before walking back to Selina's side to dote on her. Meanwhile, I sat pinned in the farthest corner, an absolute outsider. Whispers of mockery broke out among the Pack members: "Some people occupied the Luna seat for three years, and she couldn't even compare to three days of the real thing." "Selina is so sweet and gracious. Not like some people, walking around with that stone-cold face all day..." I endured every cutting remark. When the dinner finally ended, I stood up to say goodbye to William and Catherine Fletcher. Catherine gave a dismissive nod. "I heard you've been frequenting the Moonlight Tavern every night. If Selina hadn't told me, I never would've known how disgraceful your behavior was." The blood in my veins turned to ice. A fabricated lie—was this Selina's parting gift to me?Leaving the Fletcher estate, the night air was freezing. In the past, Dominic and I always arrived and left together. This time, I came alone, and I left alone. My phone buzzed with a trending notification: [Shadow Pack's Luna Cast Aside: Older Sister Takes Her Throne] The photo showed our Mate Ceremony three years ago, highlighting my back as I was seated at the guards' table. The comments were full of ridicule: "I heard she spends every night at the Moonlight Tavern hitting on rogues. She deserved to be rejected! Alpha Dominic was merciful not to rip her apart." "Three years mated and not a single pup. Alpha Dominic probably couldn't even stand touching her." "Lmao, the cheap stand-in is finally out!" I calmly locked my phone. I remembered three years ago when rumors about Selina first circulated in the Pack, Dominic stayed up all night ordering emergency press releases. Every negative post was scrubbed clean within three hours. Yet now, when disgusting rumors about me flooded the Pack, he couldn't care less. As soon as I reached the manor gates, my phone started buzzing violently. Margaret: [Selina wants a family photo. Get to the photo studio right now.] Henry: [Stop being difficult! She doesn't have much time left!] Daniel: [If you dare skip this, don't ever call me your brother again!] I sighed. Selina and I were half-sisters, and Margaret had favored her from the day I was born. Even as her biological daughter, I was never able to replace Selina in Margaret's heart. Selina was right about one thing: since I was a child, I never liked sharing my things. Because they never understood that while everything was handed to them on a silver platter, I had to claw through the dirt for every scrap. Henry and Margaret would hand out allowances and completely forget about me. The manor's staff never remembered my mango allergy, and several desserts almost sent me to the ER. Even on the day I mated with Dominic, Margaret cried and said, "If only Selina hadn't been tricked into running away, she would be the bride standing there today." And now, they expected me—the woman who had her mate stolen—to smile for a family portrait and pretend we were one big, happy family. The phone buzzed again. This time it was Dominic, dropping a pin: [Get over here. Now.] I gave a cold laugh and turned off my phone. This time, I was done trying to please anyone. Before I could take a step inside, two strange wolves lunged from the shadows. They grabbed both of my arms, pinning me tight. "What are you doing?" I struggled violently. "Let go of me!" The black sedan raced through the dark. I gripped the door handle, panic setting in. A kidnapping? Pack retaliation? Or... It wasn't until the car screeched to a halt in front of the photography studio that it hit me: Dominic was the one who had me taken. Shivering from the cold, I was shoved inside. Selina was draped in a snow-white wedding dress, leaning into Dominic's chest. "Elena, you're here!" she beamed sweetly. "Come stand next to me, okay?" Daniel grabbed my arm roughly, terrified I would cause a scene. "She can stand next to me! You're the star of the show today!" As the photographer adjusted the setup, I was shoved farther and farther to the edge. The moment the shoot ended, I turned to leave, trembling all over. Selina suddenly stepped in front of me, leaning close to whisper in my ear, "Elena Vance, I took your mate. Why aren't you hitting me?" I knew she was baiting me. Growing up, she pulled this stunt countless times. She would provoke me until I snapped, and then play the fragile victim. But this time, I didn't move. She wasn't worth it. I turned to walk away, but she suddenly threw herself backward. The sound of tearing lace was deafening. Everyone rushed forward. "Elena Vance!" Dominic was the first to charge over, slapping me across the face with enough force to send me crashing to the floor. "Apologize!" My ears rang violently. The impact was so brutal that a sharp, tearing pain erupted in my lower abdomen. "Alpha Dominic..." Panic seized me. I doubled over, clutching my stomach. "My stomach hurts... please, get me to the clinic..." My pup. The pup I had prayed for two years to conceive... "You get slapped once and start faking an illness?" Dominic scoffed. "Selina's curse flaring up isn't even this dramatic." He felt nothing. A true mate bond would have caused an Alpha's chest to seize in agony the second his mate was hurt, his instincts driving him to protect her at all costs. But he just stood there, glaring down at me with pure disgust. Because the mark was fake. There was never a mate bond between us. "Elena, you're as melodramatic as you were as a kid," Margaret snapped, glaring at me. "Selina's dying! Can't you just let her have this?" Daniel yanked my hair, forcing my head up. "He slapped your face, and you're clutching your stomach? Who are you performing for?" They crowded around Selina and walked out. Not a single person looked back. I curled up on the studio floor, blood staining the screen of my phone. Trembling, I dialed a number I hadn't touched in years: "Come get me... Everything you offered... I accept."