It was All A Dream

Stanley stepped into the opulent pack house, his boots sinking softly into the familiar plush carpet.

The air smelled the same—pine, old wood, and faint cologne. The memories hit him like a wave, uninvited and relentless.

His first kiss.

His first time.

Right here, between these walls. Every hallway whispered a memory he didn’t ask to remember.

"You finally came back."

A voice, strong and sharp, sliced through the silence.

Mira stood in the shadow of the doorway, her figure bathed in the soft shimmer of moonlight. Her dress clung to her body, glittering like frost in the dark. She hadn’t changed—still fierce, still proud, still carrying herself like the Luna she believed she was born to be.

"Yes." Stanley forced a smile, though it barely reached his eyes.

She stepped closer, her heels tapping softly against the marble floor. Her smile was genuine, but it didn't move him. Not anymore.

"So—"

"Mira," he cut her off gently but firmly, "I didn’t come back for you. I came back for something better. Something important."

Her smile faltered, lips tightening. She stared at him—half affectionate, half defiant.

Then, she laughed.

"You don’t get to decide that," she said coolly. "You have to be my mate. I need to be the Luna of this pack. I can’t keep lying to my friends, pretending there’s nothing between us."

Stanley’s expression darkened. His chest tightened.

"What don’t you understand about me?" he snapped, voice cracking with held-back rage. "I can’t be your mate. And you’ll never be mine."

She didn’t flinch. Didn’t act hurt. Mira wasn’t built to beg. She stood tall, unshaken, a warrior in her own right.

"Are the rumors true?" she asked, voice low.

He narrowed his eyes. "What rumors?"

"Rumors about your... sexuality."

He took a deep breath. In. Out. Slow and steady.

"I won’t stand here and defend myself for being who I am," he said, tone cold and final. "Let the rumors spread like wildfire. Let them burn. Let them eat through your perfect image until there’s nothing left but ash."

He turned and walked away. Each step echoed with finality, heavier than the last.

It had been years since he walked away from this place—

From Mira.

From the life they tried to force on him.

Growing up, everyone told him she was his destiny. That she was his Luna. That fate had chosen them.

But Stanley had stopped believing in that kind of fate.

Men made more sense to him than women who tried to control him.

And he wasn’t about to apologize for that.

Stanley barely made it out of the pack house before the chill of the night bit into his skin. But it wasn’t the cold that shook him—it was Mira’s voice still echoing in his mind, venom wrapped in entitlement.

He leaned against a tree, rubbing his temple. “Luna of the pack?” he scoffed to himself. “Over my dead body.”

A sound—footsteps. Light and hesitant.

“Stanley,” a familiar voice whispered.

He turned.

Frank.

The Beta’s son. His best friend growing up. His comfort when the world became unbearable. The one whose glances lasted too long... but never long enough.

Stanley’s chest tightened.

“What are you doing out here?” Stanley asked, voice low, still brimming with leftover rage.

Frank glanced behind him. “I saw you storm out. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He paused, then added, “I saw Mira too. She looked pissed.”

Stanley gave a humorless laugh. “She thinks she owns me. Thinks she can still play Luna because of some childhood agreement.”

Frank's jaw flexed. “She doesn’t deserve you.”

Their eyes met. Silence.

Then Frank stepped closer. “Stanley, there’s something I haven’t told anyone in this pack. Not even my father.”

Stanley tilted his head.

“I’m like you,” Frank said softly. “I like men. I’ve spent my whole life hiding that truth... even from myself sometimes. But seeing you—standing your ground, refusing her—I couldn’t stay quiet anymore.”

Stanley stared at him. The air shifted. Time stilled.

He stepped closer. “You don’t have to hide anymore. Not from me. Not from yourself.”

Frank breath hitched. “But the pack—”

“They’ll adjust,” Stanley cut in, voice firm. “And if they don’t… we build a new one. Together. As best friends!".

For the first time, Frank smiled without fear.

“I never wanted a Luna,” Stanley whispered. “I wanted someone who saw me—truly. And maybe… I found him.”

Frank reached out, fingers brushing Stanley’s hand. “Then let’s burn the old rules down.”

Stanley looked into the eyes of his best friend. There both child hood memory came crashing against his skin.

Frank, leaned forward gently.

"Joshua!" His eyes snapped opened.