My Alpha Let My Mother Die for His Luna

The moment I stepped into the grand hall of the Dark Moon Pack House, I felt it—a pull so powerful it nearly brought me to my knees. My dormant wolf stirred for the first time in twenty years, stretching lazily within me as if waking from a long slumber.

"You feel it too, don't you?"

His voice was deep, commanding—the kind that could make an entire pack submit with just a whisper. I didn't need to turn around to know who spoke. The scent of pine and winter frost had already told me everything I needed to know.

Alpha Dominic Reed.

I kept my eyes downcast, the way an Omega should when addressing an Alpha. "I'm sorry, Alpha Reed. I didn't mean to intrude."

"Intrude?" He stepped closer, and I fought the urge to look up. "You're exactly where you're supposed to be."

Something about his words made my heart race. When I finally gathered the courage to meet his gaze, I understood why. His eyes—one golden, one silver—locked onto mine with an intensity that stole my breath.

"You're my mate."

Not a question. A statement.

My wolf howled inside me, clawing to get out, to reach him. Twenty years of dormancy shattered in an instant. I took a step back, my hand flying to my throat.

"That's impossible," I whispered. "I'm just an Omega. A decoy."

"A decoy who's about to change everything." His lips curved into a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Come with me."

He led me to a private chamber, his hand burning against the small of my back. Every touch sent electricity through my veins. This was what the elders had described—the mate bond. The most sacred connection our kind could form.

"I've waited for you," he said, cupping my face. "But we must be careful. There are... political considerations."

Before I could ask what he meant, the door burst open. A woman stood there—tall, elegant, with the unmistakable bearing of Alpha blood.

"Dominic, darling. The Silver Claw Alpha is asking for you." Her eyes flicked to me, narrowing slightly. "And who might this be?"

I shrank back instinctively. Something about her made my skin crawl.

"This is Malia," Dominic said, his hand dropping from my face. "She's... new to the pack."

"Lovely," the woman purred. "I'm Averie. The future Luna of Silver Claw."

The way she said it—like she'd already claimed the title—made my stomach twist.

"Alpha Marcus has proposed an alliance," Dominic explained, moving toward Averie. "A union between our packs would make us unstoppable."

I watched in confusion as he offered Averie his arm. The mate bond still pulsed between us, but he was already walking away.

"But what about..." I started to say.

"What about what?" Averie's smile was razor-sharp. "You?"

---

Three weeks later, I stood in the shadows of the great hall, watching as Dominic and Averie were announced as the future Alpha pair. The entire Dark Moon Pack had gathered to celebrate their courtship.

"To the union of our packs!" Dominic raised a glass, his arm around Averie's waist.

My wolf whimpered inside me. *He's ours. Why does he deny us?*

I didn't have an answer. Only the hollow ache in my chest that grew worse with each passing day.

"Malia." A soft voice beside me made me turn. It was Dr. Sage, the pack healer. "You shouldn't be here."

"I had to see it for myself," I whispered.

Sage's eyes filled with pity. "He's made his choice. You need to accept it."

But how could I accept being rejected by my own mate? The bond still pulled at me, stronger than ever.

---

That night, as I tended to my mother's bedside, a commotion outside drew me to the window. Averie stood in the courtyard, surrounded by pack members.

"My father has agreed to my return," she announced. "After twenty years away, I'll be taking my rightful place as the future Luna of Silver Claw."

The crowd cheered, but all I could think about was what this meant for me. For twenty years, I'd been their decoy—the shield that absorbed attacks meant for the Alpha's precious daughter.

Now that daughter had returned.

"Congratulations," I heard someone say. "What will happen to the other one? The Omega?"

Averie's laugh was like ice. "Oh, her? She'll still be useful. Every pack needs its... disposable assets."

I closed the curtains, my hands trembling. My mother stirred behind me.

"Malia?" she called weakly. "Is something wrong?"

"No, Mama," I lied, returning to her bedside. "Everything's fine."

But nothing was fine. The mate bond still burned inside me, even as Dominic prepared to mark another woman as his Luna. And now Averie had returned to claim her birthright—leaving me exactly where I'd always been.

In the shadows.

As Dominic's shameful secret.