Chapter 0004

CHAPTER 4

I learned quickly that pretending to be Sailyn meant smiling when I wanted to scream. It meant standing beside the Alpha as though I belonged there, fingers lightly resting on his arm, posture composed, chin lifted…while every instinct inside me screamed to step away.

The council chamber doors loomed ahead.

“You don’t have to grip me that tightly,” he murmured without looking at me.

“I’m not,” I said.

His arm flexed beneath my hand. “You are.”

I loosened my fingers immediately. “Sorry. Habit.”

He glanced down at me, expression unreadable. “You’re doing fine.”

“That doesn’t sound convincing.”

“It wasn’t meant to.”

The doors opened.Conversation died instantly. Every head turned. Every gaze sharpened. I felt it like a physical weight, scrutiny pressing in from all sides.

Be Sailyn.

I lifted my chin, schooling my expression into calm assurance. The Luna they expected. The woman they trusted. The Alpha guided me forward, his hand settling at the small of my back.

The contact sent a sharp awareness through me, heat pooling where it shouldn’t. I nearly stumbled.He steadied me without comment.We took our seats at the head of the table.

The council elder cleared his throat. “We are relieved to see you, Luna.”

I smiled. “As am I.”

The words tasted strange in my mouth.Discussions began, borders, patrols, whispers of unrest along the eastern ridge. I listened carefully, committing names and details to memory, nodding when appropriate, speaking only when addressed.

I was doing well. Too well.

The Alpha leaned toward me once, voice low. “You don’t have to involve yourself.”

“I want to,” I whispered back. “I should.”

He straightened. “We’ll discuss it later.”

Later never came. When the meeting adjourned, the council rose, bowing before filing out. I waited until the doors shut behind them before turning to him.

“I want to sit in on these meetings.”

“No.”

I blinked. “No?”

“They aren’t for you.”

“I’m the Luna.”

“You’re standing in for her.”

His tone was calm. Controlled. Final.

My jaw tightened. “Then I need to know what’s being decided in her name.”

“I’ll inform you of what matters.”

“That’s not the same.”

“It’s sufficient.”

I pushed back my chair. “You don’t trust me.”

“I don’t need to.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He stood, towering over me. “Solyn.”

I refused to look away. “If I’m expected to play her in public, then I won’t be kept ignorant in private.”

Silence stretched.

Something dark flickered in his eyes.

“This is about control,” he said quietly.

“Yes,” I shot back. “Mine.”

He studied me for a long moment, then shook his head. “You don’t understand how dangerous this is.”

“Then explain it to me.”

“I can’t.”

“Or you won’t?”

His jaw clenched.

“Drop it.”

The word landed heavy between us. I looked away first.

“Fine,” I said. “But don’t expect me to smile through decisions I had no part in.”

He exhaled slowly. “You’re dismissed.”

The words stung more than they should have. I turned to leave and nearly collided with him when he moved at the same time. We froze inches apart.

The air shifted.

I felt it again…that pull, sharp and insistent, like gravity tightening around my ribs. He felt it too. His breath hitched. Just slightly.

“This needs to stop,” he said.

“I agree.”

“Then step back.”

“I can’t,” I whispered before I could stop myself.

His eyes darkened. “Neither can I.”

For a heartbeat, neither of us moved.Then footsteps echoed down the hall. We stepped apart instantly. The moment shattered, but the tension lingered, humming beneath my skin.

By midday, I was exhausted. Being Sailyn was more draining than I’d imagined. Every interaction required vigilance. Every smile is measured. Every word is carefully chosen.

When the Alpha summoned me again, I nearly refused out of sheer stubbornness.

Instead, I went. This time, it wasn’t the council. It was the pack. We stood before the gathered wolves in the courtyard, the Alpha addressing them with steady authority. I remained at his side, fingers laced together, face serene.

“She looks right,” someone murmured.

The words made my stomach twist. As the Alpha spoke, I felt his presence beside me…solid and dangerously familiar. Every time he shifted, I was aware of it. Every time his arm brushed mine, my pulse betrayed me.

When the address ended, applause rose.

The Alpha turned to me, voice low. “You did well.”

“Thank you.”

His gaze lingered. “You adapt quickly.”

“I don’t have a choice.”

He nodded once.

We began to walk back toward the keep when I said, “You didn’t answer me.”

“About what?”

“The meetings.”

His stride slowed. “I won’t change my mind.”

“Then I’ll make myself unavoidable.”

He stopped.

“So this is a challenge.”

“It’s survival.”

He studied me closely. “You’re not as fragile as you look.”

I met his gaze. “Neither are you.”

“You’re playing a role,” he said quietly. “Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t,” I replied. “But neither should you.”

His brows drew together. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” I said softly, “that pretending doesn’t stop things from becoming real.”

The bond tugged sharply between us, as if in agreement. He stepped back as though struck.

“This is because Sailyn is gone,” he said firmly. “That’s all.”

I nodded. “Of course.”

But neither of us believed it.