A Perfect Luna's Mask

Scarlett’s POV:

At 9:30 PM, the den door finally opened. Lucian walked in, reeking of Lily's rose perfume, his collar stained with her signature red lipstick.

"I'm so sorry about dinner," guilt laced his voice even as Lily's scent clung to his skin. "The pack matter-"

"Took longer than expected?" My smile felt like broken glass. "It's fine. Sit. Eat. The food's cold, but then again, so is everything else these days."

He sat awkwardly, guilt radiating from him as he picked at the cold food. I watched him, memorizing every feature of the man I'd loved for eighteen years.

"The venison..." he tried weakly. "It's perfect. Just like always."

I pushed my plate away, unable to stomach another bite of our lies. "You look tired, my Alpha. You should rest."

Relief flooded his face at the escape offer. "Are you sure? We could still-"

"Another time." My voice was soft, final. "Go sleep."

He hesitated for a moment before nodding. As he stood, he came around the table and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'll make it up to you, I promise. We'll celebrate properly this weekend."

I forced myself to smile, knowing there might not be many weekends left for us. "Of course. Goodnight, my love."

I watched him disappear up the stairs before letting my smile fall. Right now, there was something more important I needed to do.

In the quiet of Lucian's study, I sat at his massive oak desk, pulling out a sheet of cream-colored stationery. The desk lamp cast a warm glow over the paper as I picked up my pen.

"My beloved Lucian,"

"On our wedding anniversary, I discovered that my heart is failing. The curse I took to save you has finally won. Dr. Kane says I have three months at most."

My hand trembled slightly as I began to write down the first letter.A tear crossed my cheek, staining the ink.

The morning sun hadn't yet risen when I started ironing Lucian's suit. My hands moved carefully over the fabric, smoothing each wrinkle with practiced care. The black veins beneath my skin pulsed with every movement, but I ignored the pain.

"Scarlett?" Lucian's voice startled me. He stood in the doorway, hair tousled from sleep. "Why are you up so early?"

"Your council meeting is at nine." I focused on the suit sleeve, pressing it perfectly straight. "I wanted to make sure everything was ready."

He walked over, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. His touch still made my heart race, even as it was dying. "Mary can do this now. You don't have to-"

"I want to." I turned in his arms, meeting his eyes. "I iron your clothes by hand, just as I've always held you. Remember when you had one suit for all pack meetings? I ironed it every night so you'd look perfect the next day."

His expression softened at the memory. "Back when we barely had anything."

"But we had each other." I smoothed my hands over his chest, just as I'd done with the suit. "That was enough."

He pulled me closer, nuzzling my neck. "You've always taken such good care of me."

"And I always will." 'For the next three months, at least.'

He kissed my lips, his hands caressing my waist, back, and hips. On so many previous mornings, we had embraced sweetly like this, until he almost ended up being late. But today, after I discovered his affair with Lili, I didn't know why he was still being so intimate with me. My heart suddenly ached. I gently pushed him away, "Okay, any more kissing and you'll be late."

"My perfect Luna." He released me and kissed my forehead. "But really, let Mary handle these things. I'm not that struggling wolf anymore. I'm the Alpha now."

Something in his tone made my chest tighten, but I smiled. "At least let me make your lunch? I'm trying a new moonberry sauce recipe."

His eyes lit up. "You spoil me."

In the kitchen, I carefully packed his favorite blood-rare venison sandwiches. Each ingredient was chosen with care, each detail perfect. Just like the mask I now wore around him.

"This smells amazing." Lucian appeared in his freshly pressed suit, looking every inch the powerful Alpha. "The other wolves will be jealous."

I suddenly remembered the past, when I was 14 and Lucian was 17, I was the one who made the most delicious venison sandwiches in the whole pack. Whenever they had to go on long-distance training, I would make the sandwiches for him to take with him, and the other warriors were all envious of him.

"Lucian is so lucky, he's the only one who can eat Scarlett's sandwiches." Back then, I was the daughter of a beta, the most dazzling young lady in the Storm Pack, and a girl who was adored by everyone. No one would have thought that I didn't have a wolf of my own.

"What are you thinking about, Scarlett?" Lucien asked curiously, and I suddenly snapped out of my reverie. "Nothing, darling," I concealed my emotions.

"Have a good day, my Alpha." I handed him the lunch package, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.

He caught me in another embrace. "What did I do to deserve you?"

'Nothing. And everything.'

"Go. You'll be late."I held his back and walked him out the door.

After walking for a while, I found a stack of council documents on his desk. Looking at the time, these documents should need his signature before noon.

"Mary," I called out loudly to our omega servant.

"Yes, Luna, is there anything I can do for you." Mary quickly ran over.

"Lucian dropped some documents, could you please take them to his office for me?" I handed the documents to her. As Mary was about to turn around, I changed my mind, "Hold on, give them to me instead, I'll take them to him." My intuition made me change my mind, I felt something was drawing me to go to Pack Hall.

The morning air was crisp as I walked through the territory. Wolves nodded respectfully as I passed, but I caught their whispers.

"An omega Luna with no wolf..."

"The Alpha deserves better..."

"I heard that Lily from the Shadow Pack has arrived..."

I pretended not to have heard anything and walked past them.The pack hall bustled with activity. Lucian's office door was partially open, voices drifting out.

"These sandwiches are incredible." Lily's voice made me freeze. "But Scarlett made them for you..."

"It's just lunch." Lucian's casual dismissal felt like a silver blade to my heart. "If you like them, I'll have her make them every day for you."

"You're too good to me, Lucian." The sound of her using his name so intimately made me flinch.

"Alpha's got excellent taste!" Beta Jack's loud voice joined in. "Lily's from the noblest Shadow Pack bloodline. Now that's a proper mate for our leader."

"Unlike our current Luna," Gamma Liam added with a snicker. "What kind of Luna has no wolf? It's embarrassing."

"Remember when she tried to join the pack hunt?" Jack laughed. "Couldn't even keep up. Had to have Alpha carry her back."

"At least she's good at domestic tasks," Liam said. "Like a well-trained omega servant."

Lily heard their words and smiled smugly, but said "You shouldn't say that, Lucian will be upset."

I waited for Lucian to defend me. To remind them how I'd saved his life, helped him become Alpha, stood by him when everyone else abandoned him.

But he just remained silent.

The documents slipped from my trembling hands, but I caught them before they hit the floor. Silent tears fell as I listened to them continue.

"You're too kind, Lucian." Lily's voice dripped with false modesty. "But really, what does Scarlett even contribute to the pack? She can't hunt, can't fight, can't even shift."

"She's good at making lunch," Jack joked, and they all laughed.Including Lucian.

I clutched the documents to my chest. The curse's black magic pulsed through my veins, matching the rhythm of my breaking heart.

My phone buzzed with Lucian's message:

"I'm sorry, little Lottie, but I'm going to be late tonight, and I've got some important things to take care of in the pack. I love you."

I typde him an "ok" back.

"Did you tell her you weren't coming home today?" Lily asked." Of course baby, I've promised to spend the day with you" Lucien's adorable address ripped my heart out.

So that's what he meant by "important". My heart felt like it had been stabbed again, my chest was tight and every breath was torture.

Lily's petulant giggle entered my ears along with her breath, once Lucian had told me that I was the most important thing to him, now he had something even more important.

My heart seemed to be held in my hands and clutched hard, blood instantly rushed into my brain, the suffocating feeling made my eyes go black, and before I collapsed, the last thing that came into my eyes was Lucien's shiny leather shoes that I had polished.