After My Mate Took My Stepsister as His Luna

The Silverfang pack house was loud. Too loud. Crystal chandeliers threw harsh light over the crowded banquet hall. Laughter and music mixed with the clinking of champagne glasses. It was a celebration of new alliances. But to me, it felt like walking into a cage.

It had been exactly three years since I ran away. Three years since I shattered my own soul to save a boy who had nothing. Now, I was back.

I smoothed the skirt of my dark green dress and kept my chin high. People were staring. I could feel their eyes on my back. I heard the whispered gossip. I ignored them all and walked toward the quiet corner where the older wolves stood.

Elder Maren was there. She was a loyal friend to my late mother, the true Luna of this pack. I needed her on my side.

"Elder Maren," I said softly, offering a polite smile. "It is good to see you."

She looked at me in surprise, then gave a careful nod. "Ariya. It has been a long time."

We made small talk. We talked about the harsh winter and the recent harvest. Safe things. But under the table, I pressed my right thumb hard into the inside of my left wrist. It was a grounding trick. I had learned it years ago to keep my hands from shaking. I needed it tonight.

The crowd suddenly parted. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

My father, Alpha Richard, was walking toward us. He wore a perfectly tailored suit. He looked every bit the strong, stable leader. But I knew the monster hiding inside that suit. He was the man who threatened to kill my mate. The man who forced me to break my own heart.

"Ariya," he said. His voice was smooth and pleasant. But his Alpha tone hummed right under the word.

It hit my chest like a heavy weight. My wolf whimpered, wanting to submit to the Alpha command. I forced her down.

"What an unexpected return," Richard said, stopping in front of me. His cold eyes scanned my face.

"Hello, Father," I said. My voice was flat. Emotionless. "I didn't want to miss the alliance celebration. It is an important night for the pack."

He smiled thinly. "You always were full of surprises. Just remember your place tonight, Ariya. Do not cause trouble."

He didn't yell. He didn't have to. The heavy vibration of his tone made Elder Maren drop her gaze to the floor. But I kept my eyes locked on his. I pressed my thumb harder into my wrist until the skin ached.

"I know exactly where I stand," I replied quietly.

He studied me for a long second. He was looking for weakness. When he didn't find any, he gave a curt nod and walked away to greet a visiting Alpha.

I took a shaky breath. Step one was over. I had survived him.

But then, the air changed.

A new scent drifted through the heavy atmosphere of the banquet hall. It cut straight through the smell of roasted meat, expensive perfume, and spilled wine.

Dark cedar. Woodsmoke.

My breath hitched in my throat. My inner wolf, who had been quiet and curled up in the dark for three years, suddenly snapped to attention. She didn't just wake up. She lunged against my ribs.

*Mate.*

The word echoed loudly in my head. I froze. My hands went completely numb. I turned slowly toward the grand entrance of the hall.

And there he was. Lucas.

He wasn't the skinny, broken, packless boy I had left behind. He was a mountain of a man now. Broad shoulders filled out a stark black suit. He stood taller than anyone else in the room. Power rolled off him in thick, heavy waves. He was the Alpha of the Black Moon Pack now. One of the strongest leaders in the Northeast.

I watched as three rival Alphas nearby instinctively lowered their eyes as he walked past them. They submitted to his aura without even realizing it.

My heart hammered wildly against my ribs. I wanted to run to him. I wanted to fall to my knees.

But then I saw her.

Lana. My narcissistic stepsister.

She was draped over his arm like a shiny ornament. She wore a bright red dress that clung to her curves. She was laughing loudly at something, pressing her chest against his bicep. She was claiming him in front of the entire pack.

A sick feeling twisted my stomach. Jealousy burned in my throat like acid.

Then, Lucas stopped walking.

His head snapped in my direction. Across the crowded, noisy room, his dark eyes locked onto mine.

Time stopped. The air vanished from my lungs.

I knew my scent—wild jasmine—was rolling off my skin. It was flooding the room, rushing straight toward him. The atmospheric pressure in the hall dropped so fast my ears popped. The air grew thick and hard to breathe.

Nearby wolves stopped talking. They glanced around in confusion, shifting uncomfortably under the sudden, crushing tension. They didn't know what was happening, but their wolves felt the power of our colliding bond.

For one suspended, agonizing second, the bond screamed between us. I saw his jaw clench tightly. I saw the raw, primal pull in his dark eyes. He felt it. He still felt it.

Then, the mask slammed into place.

His eyes went dead. Glacial. Cold. He looked at me like I was a stranger. Like I was nothing but dirt under his expensive shoes.

Without a single change in his expression, he turned his head away from me. He leaned down slightly, letting Lana whisper something in his ear. He gave her a small, tight smile.

It was a perfect, precise dismissal.

It landed like a physical blow to my chest. It hurt more than the day I rejected him.

I didn't flinch. I didn't look away. I just pressed my thumb deeper into my wrist, held my breath, and watched my mate pretend I didn't exist.