The Substitute Luna's Tempest

My future mate, Liam, promised me a grand bonding ceremony for my eighteenth birthday.

But at my party, he publicly asked to bond with my stepsister, Seraphina, instead.

I stood there, a fool amidst the roaring cheers of the entire pack.

Before I could even breathe, Kaelen, the Alpha heir of the Blackstone Pack, declared he’d been in love with me for years.

I agreed.

For five years, he showered me with affection. He learned my favorite moonlit paths and memorized all my little quirks.

Then, I accidentally overheard a conversation between him and his Beta:

“Kaelen, Seraphina is now the Luna of the White Blossom Pack, just as she wished. Are you going to continue this charade with Elara?”

“I can’t have Seraphina. It doesn’t matter who my mate is anymore. As long as I’m with Elara, Seraphina will be safe and happy.”

Late that night, in a hidden compartment in his study, I found his treasured collection.

Everything she had ever given him.

A talisman steeped in moonlight. The obsidian heart-guard he cherished. And Letters sealed with her scent.

[Seraphina, my fated mate. For your light, I would challenge the abyss.]

[Seraphina, my wolf's heart is yours for the taking.]

[Seraphina! Dammit, just ask and I’d steal the moon for you.]

Five years of lies, shattered in a matter of seconds.

I submitted my application to leave the pack.

In two days, I will disappear from Kaelen’s life forever.

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1

After finalizing the details with the pack’s council of elders, I ended the call on the communication crystal.

My application to leave the pack would take effect in two days.

By then, I would be far away, starting over in a place where no one knew my name.

Kaelen's scent—like a pine forest after a storm, potent and raw—drifted through the crack under the door.

I looked up and met his gentle gaze.

“Who were you talking to?”

“A friend. Just catching up.” I smiled, forcing my tone to sound as natural as possible.

He kissed my forehead, his voice as cloyingly sweet as ever.

“I hunted a white stag in the Moonshadow Forest today.

I saved the antler heart—the most prized part—for you. Want to try it?”

In our five years of being mated, the Alpha heir of the Blackstone Pack had shown me nothing but doting affection, spoiling me rotten.

Everyone said Kaelen was the most loyal of wolves.

None of them knew the truth.

Kaelen gave me a grand bonding ceremony, a mark that everyone envied.

But he never gave me his heart.

I never used to care. Until now.

It all clicked into place—this marriage wasn’t my happiness. It was his way of protecting Seraphina.

I thought I was living in a world of love.

It was all just a beautiful lie Kaelen had constructed for her.

Kaelen’s hand slid down my back, the warmth of his fingertips intoxicating.

“The White Blossom Pack is holding a celebratory feast for Seraphina tomorrow. She’s been nominated as a candidate for Head Apothecary. You don’t have to go.

I’ll drop off a gift and come right home to be with you.”

I opened my mouth. “The Head Apothecary election—”

Kaelen cut me off, his voice gentle but firm.

“The election will be draining. You shouldn't go. You’ve been wanting to stabilize your power, haven’t you? It’s best to stay home and recuperate.”

I closed my mouth, swallowing the bitterness that rose in my throat.

He didn’t want me to attend the election because he didn’t want me standing in Seraphina’s way again.

He pulled me into his arms, completely unaware that my heart had sunk to the depths of despair.

“Our fifth anniversary is the day after tomorrow,” he said. “I have a gift for you. But here’s one in advance.”

He handed me a bracelet woven from tiny bluebells, imbued with a faint blessing of moonlight.

“Your favorite, bluebells. Happy early anniversary!”

I stared at the flowers.

The delicate scent I once loved now felt like a noose tightening around my throat.

For every celebration, he would give me bluebells.

Only now did I understand—the bluebells were never for me.

They were Seraphina’s favorite.