"Luna," Austin's voice came sharp and low through the phone. "What plan is that? Remember, if we're caught with whatever scheme you're devising, we're doomed forever."

"There's absolutely nothing to worry about. Just trust me. All I need right now is your cooperation."

Austin Hudson. My father's former Beta, whom Brown had demoted to Omega the moment he promoted Mia's parents to Beta positions.

"The plan is for you to leave visible hickeys on me. That would drive Brown insane and force him to reject me. Don't you think it would work?"

"Luna, if anyone stands to lose from this plan, it would be you," Austin warned gravely. "Remember, Alphas can manipulate their way out of scandals, but their Lunas cannot. You would indeed be rejected, but cast out with nothing like an outcast. He'll surely reject you, but you might never get another chance to rule us again."

I dropped the phone from my ear at his words, clutching the balcony rail as doubt crept in. Suddenly, laughter erupted from my former room as the door opened slightly.

I turned to find Mia holding my husband's arm tightly, smiling at me with false sweetness.

"Browny, I think Olivia is still angry with me for breaking the photograph and taking her room. Maybe I should just leave tonight. I don't want her feeling uncomfortable on her anniversary," Mia said with practiced innocence.

Brown dotingly tapped her nose and replied gently, "You worry too much, Mia. She can't still be angry over such trivial things. Am I right, Olivia?"

"It's just a photograph anyway. You don't need to disturb yourself. You might be the one in the next one," I replied coldly.

Brown didn't pursue the conversation further. It might have looked petty.

At our anniversary dinner table, I stared at the dishes prepared by the omegas. Every single item was Mia's favorite. Not one was meant for me. Most I was allergic to, and the rest I despised, which Brown knew perfectly well.

It felt as though I was merely a guest at my own anniversary celebration while Mia, my sister, was the one being honored.

Now it made sense why Brown would request mushroom soup whenever he left for long meetings, despite hating mushrooms himself.

I looked up at my husband, who was completely focused on Mia, giggling like a schoolboy. This man I had been married to for four years apparently didn't know I couldn't eat any of the food on the table.

The meal was half-finished before Brown noticed my empty plate.

"These are your favorites. Why aren't you eating?" he asked with feigned concern.

I stared at the plates before me. Seafood pasta in cream sauce, mushroom soup. My throat began to constrict just looking at them.

I raised my eyebrows at my supposed mate. "I'm allerg..."

Mia smoothly stole the remaining words from my mouth, throwing a pitiful look my way. "I don't know if this is the right time to ask, but I've already discussed this with Alpha Brown," she said, rubbing his palm gently.

Mia expertly redirected his attention to herself, and his concern about why I hadn't eaten vanished instantly.

My anxiety spiked as I waited to hear what this was about.

Brown then informed me, "My uncle, the Alpha King, is holding a council meeting among the Alphas of the Northern region."

"You and Mia will be accompanying me. Unfortunately, Mia's luggage was lost at the airport. Everything she brought for the meeting is gone."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, feeling as though I were sitting on fire. So this was the real reason he had brought Mia back. Not for our anniversary, but for this important meeting.

Who would have thought I'd been believing his lies until now?

I had been aware of this meeting all along and had even prepared for it, while I was deliberately kept in the dark about Mia's involvement.

With mucus forming in my throat, I asked, "When is this meeting?"

"Tonight at nightfall. You have enough time to make arrangements. As I mentioned, she lost everything at the airport. She's the same size as you, and the family's traditional Luna dress is the only piece that would work right now. Let her wear it for the meeting."

"I even had to persuade her to wear it, considering she doesn't usually share belongings with others. You've only worn the Luna dress once, so she should take it."

I immediately shot Brown a look of mixed surprise and disappointment.

Not only had I been uninformed about the meeting she was attending, but now she wanted my Luna dress as well.

That dress was a sacred family tradition, worn only by the Luna of the pack. Knowing this, Brown still wanted her to wear it.

"You can have it," I said lightly, though my heart was breaking. "I'll have the omegas prepare the dress for you."

Besides, I had no intention of putting it on my body ever again.

"You don't need to do that. I already did," Brown announced, his words piercing my heart like a blade.

He had no right to do that. Since I headed the female omegas, they only took such significant orders from me. The dress could only be released with the Luna's approval.

"Thanks, Olivia," Mia cut in sweetly. "I knew my stay here would be memorable because of you."

I didn't utter another word as I stood to leave the table, but Mia stopped me.

"You don't mind taking some pictures of us, right? Since it's your anniversary, I want to preserve this memory," she said, extending her phone toward me.

Memory, indeed.

Mia hurriedly moved closer to Brown and clung to him like a parasite. In the past, when Brown and I went on dates, Mia was always the one taking pictures for us. Now the roles were reversed.

I took several photographs in various poses of my mate with his lover until they were finally satisfied and left the table, smiling at each other.

After watching their retreating figures, I turned to leave but accidentally knocked over a small ceramic coffee kettle on the table.

The kettle wobbled precariously, then toppled over completely. Scalding liquid cascaded down, splashing across my bare feet and ankles. I gasped sharply, stumbling backward as I steadied myself against the table's edge. The burning sensation spread across my skin like wildfire.

Hot coffee seeped between my toes and pooled on the floor around me, but Brown had already turned away, his attention captured by Mia as they smiled and chattered over their photographs. They disappeared around the corner, leaving me alone with my agony.

How different things would be if this had happened to Mia. Brown would have swept her up immediately, called for ice, fussed over every possible burn mark. He would have insisted on a doctor and the finest care money could buy.

But I remembered a time when I would have received such care. When my father ruled as Alpha, omegas rushed to tend to my every need. A single scratch would have summoned healers and worried attendants. Everything changed the day my parents died. Now, despite my mating to Brown, I remained invisible. I had been forgotten for far too long.

I quietly left the dining area and returned to the omega quarters where I now belonged.

The afternoon stretched endlessly as I tended to my wounds, unsure if I even wanted to attend the meeting. I vowed to myself that I would find a way to break free from Brown and reclaim my pack as soon as possible.

An omega interrupted my brooding thoughts, touching my shoulder gently.

"Luna, I have something important to tell you. Alpha Brown ordered us to prepare the family's traditional Luna dress for your sister. Are you just going to sit there and watch her wear it?"

"It's fine, Julia. It's just a dress. She can wear it..."

Julia cut me off, her surprise evident. "No, Luna, it's not just a dress! Can't you see what they're planning? This council meeting held by the Alpha King is strictly attended by the five allied Alphas of the Northern region and their Lunas, where the Lunas are supposed to formally greet the Alpha King."

"It's a tremendous honor to meet with him because nobody except his family knows what he looks like. Rumors say he's the most powerful wolf alive, and no one dares challenge him."

"From my perspective, this can only mean one thing: Alpha Brown is positioning Mia as his Luna, and he's trying to get the other Alphas to recognize her as well. At this point, Luna, if nothing is done, you'll be no different from us omegas."

Julia stared at me desperately before tears pooled in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.

I stood before the mirror, staring at my reflection as tears dropped onto the tiles below.

"I have to meet this Alpha King myself, but how?" I thought desperately.

There was only one way out of this nightmare I had created by trusting Brown. I had to give him a taste of his own medicine.

I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Austin: "Make arrangements for an expensive and breathtaking dress for me."

The time had come to remind everyone exactly who I was.

Nightfall descended upon the council hall as the meeting concluded far sooner than Olivia had anticipated. Having spent the entire day organizing the proceedings without stopping to eat, her stomach growled with fierce hunger. Desperate for sustenance, she forced herself to gulp down the shellfish soup that had been prepared for the guests.

Almost immediately, unease crept through her body as hives began spreading across her skin. Frantically searching her handbag, she thankfully found some antihistamines. Olivia rushed toward the nearest refuge, an empty storage room stocked with bottles of water, and grabbed one. But just as she was about to open the bottle, the sharp clang of the closing metallic door startled her. She stumbled, and both the water and tablet tumbled from her grasp, the medication dissolving completely on the floor.

"You really have the nerve to show up tonight," came a cold voice from behind her. "I specifically took that dress from you to ensure you'd stay home, yet you still had the audacity to find something else to wear just to steal my spotlight."

"First it was my man, now my rightful position. You have no shame, do you?"

Doubling over as the itching intensified, Olivia began scratching frantically at her inflamed skin while fever gradually overtook her weakened body. Her voice emerged weak but defiant: "Mia, please, it's you Brown cherishes now. I'm nothing to him."

Mia released a cold, bitter laugh. "I'm not buying a word from you, you pathetic fool. Unlike you, I know when to retreat from loving a man who couldn't care less about me."

"By tomorrow morning, the headlines will read 'Olivia the Thief.' You'd better prepare yourself for the consequences, because from what I know, the Alpha King would never spare an intruder on his property."

"Please, Mia, don't lock me in here! Help... somebody help me!"

With a twisted smile, Mia hurried to the back door and informed one of the guards that she'd spotted an intruder entering the storage house.

The relentless itching prevented Olivia from calling for help as her body turned red and bumps formed from her desperate scratching.

When it was finally time for everyone to leave, Brown noticed Olivia's empty seat and grew concerned. Mia blinked at him with feigned innocence. "Browny, do you think she got upset because I wore her Luna dress? I would have chosen something else if I'd known."

Hearing this, Brown frowned. "Don't worry about that. I should have made you my Luna long ago anyway. You're so much better; you know when to give me space and never make me feel annoyed. Let's go home. I need to settle this once and for all." He interlaced his fingers with hers, and they departed together.

That night, Olivia remained locked in the prison cell until morning, deliriously mumbling about seeing the Alpha King. He hadn't attended the meeting. It was his Beta and the council elders who had presided, as the Alpha King had left to resolve an urgent matter.

The next morning at the prison, Olivia was barely recognizable due to the swollen bumps covering her face. The chief guard interrogated her about her identity.

"I'm Alpha Brown's Luna," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The chief guard immediately alerted Elias, the Alpha King's Beta, who called Brown to explain the situation. As Brown's voice echoed through the phone, tears pooled in Olivia's eyes.

"I'm not married, and even if I were, it certainly wouldn't be to a lunatic," he said coolly before ending the call without hesitation.

He did this to avoid being associated with the theft allegations and to maintain favor with his uncle, harboring irrational fear of someone only a few years his senior.

"I reject you too, Brown," Olivia sobbed through her delirium.

Enraged by what he deemed a despicable lie, Beta Elias ordered them to confine her without food or water.

After days of dry fasting, her ears became blocked, her vision blurred, and her legs grew unsteady. She collapsed from exhaustion and high fever.

When she finally opened her eyes, a gray ceiling met her bewildered gaze.

"What happened to me?" she whispered as fragmented memories flashed before her. Suddenly, a dominating aura enveloped the entire room, making her wolf Jayla whimper. The dark energy radiating from the newcomer turned everything gloomy and cold.

Through the stench of her own blood, her nose detected his intoxicating, masculine scent. Olivia's mouth watered as she tried to whisper the word her wolf was screaming in her head:

"Mate!"

I have found my mate...