GOLDEN SEAT FOR MY LUNA

SALOME

Life continued exactly the way Alpha Williams placed it.

Every morning, he left the house before the sun was fully up, and every evening, he returned late at night. The delicious meals I stayed up cooking for him remained untouched, sitting cold on the kitchen counter until the maids cleared them away. Some nights, he didn't return at all, choosing to spend them outside the palace.

Deep down, a desperate part of my heart refused to believe that he was spending those lonely nights with his ex-wife, Miriam. But Miriam made sure I never forgot it. She kept sending me picture after picture—photos of them sitting close in private restaurants, her holding his hand, or the two of them laughing in his car. Each notification on my phone felt like a fresh wound.

Soon, the atmosphere in the city shifted. A major hockey game was coming up—a fierce match between Alpha Williams’s team and a rival club owned by Miriam’s family. Williams threw himself completely into training. He practiced so hard that he was practically living at the sports facility, barely spending ten minutes at home each day. He hardly spoke a word to me.

One morning, the palace was filled with the usual frantic noise of his early departure. He rushed out of the master suite, barking orders to his assistant down the hall, racing against time to reach the morning strategy session.

A few minutes after his car roared out of the driveway, I walked over to the nightstand to clean up the room. Sitting right there beside the lamp was his black smartphone. He had left it behind in his hurry.

I stood there for a moment, looking at the device. I knew how important his calls were on match days. Taking a deep breath, I decided to take the phone to him at the sports arena.

When I arrived at the grand stadium, the sheer size of the place took my breath away. Thousands of pack members and hockey fans were filling the stands, banners waving in the air. I had spent so long hiding in the background that I completely forgot who I was to these people.

I might have been hurting in secret, but officially, I was the Luna of the Northern Pack.

The moment I stepped through the VIP entrance, the security team recognized me instantly. My presence was announced over the official guest communications. I hadn't even realized that today was the actual game day, Williams shared so little of his life with me lately that I was completely out of the loop.

As I walked down the tunnel toward the ice rink, the roar of the crowd echoed through the stadium. The game was just about to begin. Players in heavy gear were warming up on the ice.

From the center of the rink, Alpha Williams turned around and caught sight of me.

His eyes locked onto mine across the ice. For a second, everything seemed to freeze. Then, he skated toward the barrier, gestured to the stadium officials, and pointed directly at me.

"Bring my Luna to the VIP golden box!" he ordered, his deep voice carrying clearly over the speakers.

The security guard guided me up the carpeted stairs to the golden seat—the special throne reserved exclusively for the most honored guest of the Alpha. But as I reached the top step, my heart skipped a beat.

Miriam was already sitting in that golden seat, wearing a sparkling dress, holding a glass of champagne, and smiling brightly as if she owned the place.

Alpha Williams skated closer to the glass barrier, his jaw tight as he looked up at the VIP box. He pointed directly at Miriam.

"Get up," he said loudly, his voice firm and cold. "That seat belongs to my wife."

Miriam’s smile shattered in an instant. Her face turned pale, then flushed with intense humiliation. "Williams, what are you talking about? I always sit here!"

"You are not the Luna," Williams stated sharply, leaving no room for argument. "Salome is. Step down immediately."

The surrounding pack elders, dignitaries, and special guests immediately turned their attention to us. Seeing the Alpha insist on my rightful place, the guests in the box stood up one by one, clapping softly and bowing their heads in respect for me.

Miriam glared at me with an expression of absolute hatred—a look that whispered she wanted to kill me on the spot. But with the whole stadium watching, she couldn't do a single thing. She slammed her glass down on the table, stomped out of the golden seat, and retreated to a dark corner in the back rows.

I sat down on the soft golden cushion, my chest swelling with a strange mix of emotions. For the first time in weeks, Williams had publicly claimed me.

The game began, and it was intense. Williams played with unbelievable power and speed, dominating the ice. Every time he scored, the crowd erupted into deafening cheers. I watched him intently, my heart racing with pride as his team secured a massive victory against Miriam’s club.

Throughout the entire game, Miriam sat in the back with pure sadness and bitterness written all over her face. Her club had lost, and her pride had been utterly crushed in front of the entire pack.

When the final whistle blew, the stadium exploded with celebration. Music blasted through the speakers, and fans flooded toward the lower railings. I waited in the golden box, expecting Williams to call for me so we could leave together.

I waited for fifteen minutes. Then thirty.

Eventually, I walked down to the player lounge area to search for him. The hallways were chaotic—reporters were shouting questions, and other players were signing autographs for eager fans. But Williams was nowhere to be found.

I asked one of the team staff members, "Have you seen Alpha Williams?"

"He left through the back exit a few minutes ago, Luna," the staff member replied politely. "He stepped out with Lady Miriam to discuss the match results."

My heart sank right back into my chest. The temporary joy of the golden seat evaporated into cold air.

Despite the grand public show of love in front of thousands of people, I left the arena completely alone. I took a dark car back to the palace, stepped into the quiet master suite, and climbed into my lonely bed, sick to my stomach once again. He had given me a throne for an hour, only to abandon me for his ex-wife the moment the cameras stopped rolling.

I lay in the dark, staring at the ceiling as tears quietly tracked down my temples. I hated this emotional roller coaster. I hated how a single gesture from him could make me feel like the most important woman in the world, only for his actions moments later to throw me right back into the dirt.

Hours passed. Midnight came and went. I drifted into a light, uneasy sleep, suffocated by the heavy silence of the room.

Around two in the morning, the bedroom door clicked open very softly.

Footsteps moved quietly across the hardwood floor, stopping right beside the bed. I kept my eyes closed, holding my breath, pretending to be deep asleep. I heard the rustle of clothes, followed by the dip of the mattress as he climbed into bed.

Then, something happened that had never happened before in our brief marriage.

Williams shifted closer to me. He reached out in the dark, slid his large, warm arm around my waist, and pulled my back flush against his broad chest.

I froze, my breath catching painfully in my throat. My heart hammered against my ribs like a wild drum. He rested his chin lightly against the top of my head, letting out a long, tired sigh that fanned warm air over my hair. His grip around my waist was gentle yet firm, holding me close as if he were holding onto something precious.

This was the very first time he had ever held me like this in bed.

I lay rigid in his embrace, completely overwhelmed. My mind was spinning with a million conflicting thoughts. Was this real? Was he hugging me because he finally cared, or was he just seeking comfort after spending the evening with Miriam?

I wanted to pull away and demand answers, but the warmth of his body against mine was so blindingly sweet that I couldn't move. I squeezed my eyes shut in the dark, trapped between the lingering pain of his neglect and the sudden, confusing tenderness of his touch.