Chapter Two — The Lie

Chapter Two — The Lie

KIERAN'S POV

The castle slept the way wolves never truly did . It was all quiet on the surface and coiled beneath.

I stood alone in the war room long after everyone had gone, hands braced on the table, staring at the map spread across it. Borders. Patrol routes. Threat markers. Cold ink and paper… where the woman I loved should have been or could possibly be.

Selene.

Her name echoed through me like a wound that refused to close.

The fire burned low in the hearth behind me, shadows stretching across the stone walls. I didn’t feel the heat. I barely felt the room.

I felt absence and fear. The kind I would never speak aloud.

A soft knock sounded at the door.

“Enter.”

Markus stepped inside, posture rigid, eyes tired. He bowed his head. “Alpha.”

I studied him for a beat. Loyal. Controlled. The closest thing I had to a brother. And tonight, I had dragged him into a lie I hated almost as much as the truth.

“Is she settled now?” I asked.

His jaw moved slightly before he answered. “Yes.”

Silence hummed between us.

Aria.

The omega I’d last properly noticed years ago, quiet, unobtrusive, a shadow among wolves. Now… Luna in name only. A mask my people needed. A sacrifice I had demanded.

Because Crescent Stone must not fracture.

Because Selene must be protected — even in her absence.

I exhaled slowly. “Good.”

He nodded once.

I forced my voice level. “Get some rest. We leave at dawn to search the eastern ridge line — and beyond.”

There was a flicker in his eyes — something unreadable — before he spoke again.

“Alpha…”

I lifted my gaze fully to him.

He hesitated.

Then said

“She is now your substitute Luna. If the Elders insist — if the Moon requires — if you are meant to…”

His words trailed off.

But I knew.

Mate her.

The word burned.

My jaw clenched. “No.”

He swallowed. “Kieran—”

“I will never do anything like that,” I said, sharper now. “My heart — my body — belongs to Selene. Only Selene. That will never change. Not for politics. Not for ritual. Not for anyone.”

The words rang like iron in the quiet.

And they were true.

Completely.

But there was more. Something uglier. Something I didn’t care to examine.

“Besides,” I added, quieter, colder, “Aria’s scent…”

I paused, frowning slightly.

It clung to my memory like a discordant chord. Not foul — not unclean — but wrong. Off. Like rain falling on ash. Something inside me recoiled instinctively every time the air shifted with it.

“It disgusts me,” I finished flatly. “I don’t know why.”

And I didn’t want to know because this was all temporary, nothing more.

Markus nodded slowly, too slowly… but I didn’t question it. Couldn’t. If I looked too closely at anything tonight, I might fracture somewhere no Alpha could afford to.

I straightened, forcing control back into my bones.

“ At the first crack of dawn, you and I are going to search for my Luna,” I said. “Tracking teams are already at the borders. We expand our search, call in favors, question every alliance, turn over every stone until Selene is found.”

My voice softened then … only slightly,because this part was prayer.

“The sooner I bring my woman home,” I murmured, “the sooner this lie ends and we can all have peace once more”

Silence again.

He bowed. “Good night, Alpha.”

“Good night, Markus.”

He left.

And I remained — alone with the fire, the maps, and the hollow echo of a castle missing its Luna.

Only when the door latch clicked shut did I let my mask slip, for just a breath. Grief surged, sharp and unrelenting, then buried itself again beneath command and duty.

Tomorrow, I will find her.

I have to.

Because I refused to consider the possibility that the Moon had other plans.

And somewhere down the corridor…

An omega slept in my chambers bearing my Luna’s name.

I didn’t go to my chambers right away.

I lingered in the corridor longer than necessary, as if stepping through that door meant acknowledging the lie I had created. The guards stationed outside bowed when they saw me, heads low, scents respectful.

“Alpha.”

I gave a curt nod and pushed the door open.

She was standing by the window.

Aria.

I felt a sharp pain in my chest.. as a reminder that she wasn't my Selene.

Moonlight washed over her like pale silk, outlining the curve of her shoulders, the quiet slope of her neck. She was still in the simple dress she’d worn earlier, hair loose, hands clasped tightly in front of her as if she needed something to hold onto to avoid shattering.

Her eyes were unfocused, fixed on nothing. Or everything.

For a heartbeat, she didn’t seem to notice me.

Then she stiffened.

“Are you okay?” I asked before I could stop myself.

My voice sounded… softer than I intended.

She turned, swallowing, expression carefully composed — too carefully.

“Yes…Alpha,” she said quickly. “I’m just… still shocked by… everything.”

Her words fluttered and fell like fragile glass.

I nodded once. “Understandable.”

But shock would fade, this role would not,not….until Selene returned.

“This is only the beginning,” I said, my tone shifting back into command. “And there are rules you will follow.”

Her chin lifted slightly — brave despite the tremor in her breathing.

“Of course.”

I studied her face — really looked at her for the first time ever. There was something there. Not beauty. Not a weakness.

Something else.

Something that pressed uncomfortably beneath my ribs.

But, I ignored it.

“First,” I said coolly, “you will learn to speak and hold yourself as a proper Luna. With dignity. Authority. The Elders and pack will expect it.”

Her lips parted, not in protest, but uncertainty.

She nodded. “I’ll try.”

“Don’t try,” I replied. “Do.”

She swallowed again.

“Secondly,” I continued, my voice sharpening, “you are not permitted to be alone with any male. Not in your chambers. Not in corridors. Not in secluded areas. If any man is seen near you without cause…”

I paused.

Her brows drew together.

“What will happen?” she asked quietly.

I held her gaze.

“I will kill him.. no matter who he may be. …Don't think too much about it… it's just tradition… no man is allowed to be alone with the Luna except me”

Her breath hitched.

Shock flooded her features — fear, too. Not for herself.

“I don’t make empty threats,” I added, stepping closer. “You wear my Luna’s mantle now. That title comes with honor — and danger.”

Her throat worked.

“I understand.”

I wasn’t convinced she did. But she would.

I took another step forward — slowly. I didn’t know why. Something about her gravity pulled at me, like a tide I refused to acknowledge.

Moonlight caught her eyes.

For half a breath… I forgot to push the feeling away.

Then I remembered who she wasn’t.

I exhaled, controlled. Cold again.

“Third,” I said, forcing distance back into my tone, “ There are some things we will have to do as Alpha and Luna… things a couple would normally do… but that will only be when necessary.We will conduct ourselves in public as Alpha and Luna. But privately, there is no need for… familiarity.”

Her eyes grew in shock.

“I'm sorry Alpha, but I will have to refuse you on that. I know I said ok to helping you be your ‘temporary fix’ for the next six months… I agreed to being your substitute Luna, but what I won't say yes to is you touching me… of any kind”

She said with so much intensity, meaning every word.

“ And why is that.. it's just pretense… non of it is real”

“It's real to me. Besides, I have someone I am in love with and doing anything with any other man is me cheating… and I can't do that”

She said, staring at me intensely and then looking down.

It was amusing seeing her so outspoken and I could understand how she was feeling.. I am not ok with this, but I have no other choice but to be.

“I understand… I promise not to do anything without your consent…. Your man… does he know about our little agreement?”

She raised her head up… shaking her head slowly before lowering it again.

“ That's good… and you don't need to be afraid of me.. I am not a monster.. I am just desperate”

She chuckled,looking up at me… I fight hard to hide my laugh.

“I understand,” she murmured.

Good.

Because I needed distance.

I needed silence.

I needed nothing that might blur the line between love and duty — between Selene and the woman standing in her place.

“I hope,” I said quietly, “that we don’t have to endure this arrangement long. Once Selene is found, this ends. You return to your… quiet life. The pack forgets this ever happened.”

Her fingers tightened at her sides.

“Of course,” she whispered.

I turned away — not trusting the strange tightness in my chest.

“Well,” I said briskly, “don’t think too much about it. It isn’t… a big deal.”

A lie.

One we were both forced to swallow.

“Before you know it, you’ll be back to your old, boring routine.”

She didn’t respond.

I didn’t look back.

“Get some rest,” I said, hand already on the door. “We have much to do at dawn.”

And then I left her there —

Alone.

In my room.

Wearing my Luna’s fate.

The door closed softly behind me.

And yet, for the second time that night…

I did not feel alone.

_____

THE NEXT DAY

Morning tasted like failure.

Another sunrise.

Another empty trail.

Another day without Selene.

I drove my fist into Marcus’s shoulder harder than necessary as we sparred, not because he deserved it — but because I needed something to hit. Something to bleed. Something to silence the hollow ache in my chest.

Her scent should have been somewhere.

Anywhere.

Instead… nothing.

Like she had been erased.

“Alpha,” Marcus panted, circling me, “we’ll find her.”

“You said that yesterday.”

My voice came out sharper than intended.

Because hope was starting to rot into terror.

What if I’d already lost her?

I lunged forward, knocking Marcus to the ground, but before I could pin him, movement flickered at the balcony.

I froze.

Aria stepped out — sunlight hitting her like a spotlight.

And I could feel my heart pounding against my chest.

She was wearing….Selene’s nightgown.

For a split second I couldn’t think.

Couldn’t breathe.

Because for one aching, desperate heartbeat…

It looked like Selene standing there.

My mate.

My heart.

My everything.

Then reality snapped back.

It wasn’t her.

It was the omega I’d been forced to replace her with. The lie I was living with. The reminder that the Moon Goddess had ripped my life apart and handed me a breathing echo instead.

My chest burned.

Rage flooded in — quick and vicious — because I couldn’t blame the Moon. Or the Heavens. Or fate.

So I blamed ‘her’

I was already moving before I saw Marcus’s expression shift into panic.

I stormed through the halls, my wolf clawing against my skin, snarling. Doors slammed behind me. The air thickened. The house bowed beneath the weight of everything I was trying not to feel.

I burst into my chambers.

She turned … timid, soft, as if she didn't understand the sin she had just committed

I crossed the room in seconds and grabbed her arms — not to hurt — just to anchor myself. Because if I didn’t hold something, I might shatter.

“How dare you!!!!.”

The words came out strangled with fury.

“You may be my substitute Luna—”

Why did it sting when I called her that? But I didn't care.

“...but that does NOT give you the right to wear anything that belongs to her.”

Anything still warm with her scent in my memory.

Her lips parted — she tried to speak.

“Alpha.. I—”

“NO.”

The growl ripped from my chest before I could stop it. My wolf pressed closer, seething, wounded.

“You can NEVER touch what belongs to Selene. Not her clothes. Not anything. If you do—”

I leaned closer without meaning to.

Close enough to smell the difference.

Aria smelled like earth.

Selene had smelled like home.

“—it will be the last mistake you ever make.”

Marcus hovered near the door, guilt thick around him.

“Alpha—”

“Get out Marcus… “

I didn’t look at him — because if I did, he might see it.

The fracture.

The desperation.

“I don’t repeat myself,” I snapped, my voice already deepening — the wolf bleeding through.

Marcus left.

Good.

Because what came next was ugly.

Aria disappeared into the bathroom and re-emerged seconds later, thrusting the nightgown toward me like it burned her hands. Her eyes were red. Her breathing uneven.

She opened her mouth to explain.

I didn’t let her.

Because if she spoke softly — if she apologized —

if she sounded scared —

I might have felt sorry.

And I couldn’t afford that.

So I shoved her gently — but firmly — against the wall. I caged her there with my arms, letting the anger hold me together.

“Let me make something very clear, omega.”

Her eyes glistened.

I ignored the sting in my chest.

“You are nothing but a temporary fix. A lie to calm the pack. Do NOT get comfortable. Do NOT think this changes anything. And NEVER touch what belongs to Selene again.”

Her lashes trembled.

So did I.

“Because next time,” my voice broke into a growl, “I won’t be this lenient.”

I stepped back.

Turned away.

Because if I stayed one second longer, I might’ve said the words clawing at my throat:

I’m terrified.

What if she’s gone forever?

Instead I walked out — slamming the door hard enough to silence the ache.

Behind the wood… she broke.

I heard the sob.

It sliced through me.

My wolf howled inside my chest, furious — not at her — but at fate.

But I didn’t turn back.

Because if I did…

I might have comforted her.

And she wasn’t mine to comfort.

Only Selene was.

And I would burn the world to find her.