LUNAR TEMPTATIONS - SHORT STORY COLLECTION

ELENA'S POV

The gates of Silvermoon Pack loomed in front of me. Tall iron. Sharp points. The kind of gates that told you not everyone was welcome.

I was welcome. I hoped.

The guard checked my papers twice. Looked at my face. Looked at the papers again. Finally nodded and waved me through.

"Assistant position?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Luna's personal assistant?"

"Yes."

He made a face. Not a good one. "Good luck. She goes through assistants fast."

I knew. I'd done my research. Five assistants in two years. None lasted more than a few months. The last one quit after three weeks.

Perfect. They were desperate. Desperate people don't ask too many questions.

The pack house was bigger than I expected. Three stories. Stone and wood. Flowers in the front. Guards at every door. This was where the Alpha lived. Where his Luna lived. Where I would live now, in a small room on the third floor, close enough to serve but far enough to be forgotten.

I walked up the steps. Knocked. A maid let me in.

"Wait here," she said. "Luna will see you soon."

I waited in the front room. Sat on a nice chair. Looked at nice things. Expensive things. Things bought with pack money while pack members struggled. Nothing new. Alphas lived well. Everyone else lived however they could.

Footsteps. Deep. Heavy. Coming down the hall.

I knew those footsteps. I'd heard them in my dreams for five years. In my nightmares.

He walked into the room.

Alpha Caden.

He looked the same. Tall. Dark hair. Broad shoulders. The kind of face that made people trust him instantly. The kind of face that hid everything.

He didn't look at me. He was reading something in his hand. Papers. Reports. He walked past like I was furniture.

"Luna Serena will see you shortly," he said without looking up. "She's running late."

"Thank you, Alpha."

He stopped.

Not because he recognized me. Because I spoke. Because my voice was new. He glanced at me. Quick. Dismissive.

"New assistant?"

"Yes, Alpha."

He nodded. Looked back at his papers. Walked out.

Didn't recognize me at all.

Five years. Five years since he looked at me and said, "I reject you." Five years since I almost died from the pain of those words. Five years of changing everything about myself so I could come back.

And he walked past like I was nothing.

Good. That was good. That was the plan.

I touched my face. My grandmother's magic had changed it. Softer jaw. Straighter nose. Different eyes. Even my scent was hidden, masked by the herbs I took every morning without fail.

Lily was dead. Elena lived now.

And Elena had work to do.

Another set of footsteps. Lighter. Faster. A woman's.

Luna Serena swept into the room. Beautiful. Cold. Dressed in clothes that cost more than my old pack made in a year. She looked at me the way people look at stains they need to remove.

"You're the new one?"

"Yes, Luna."

"Name?"

"Lena. Elena. Whatever you prefer."

She walked around me. Slow. Looking at everything. My clothes. My shoes. My hands.

"You're not from a big pack."

"No, Luna. Small pack. Eastern mountains."

"What happened to it?"

"Destroyed. Rogues. I'm the only one left."

Lie. Smooth. Practiced. I'd told it so many times it felt almost true.

She nodded. Didn't care. "Previous experience?"

"Worked for a pack elder for two years. Organized schedules. Managed visitors. Handled personal requests."

Another lie. But a small one. I'd watched my mother do those things. I knew how.

Serena sat down. Didn't offer me a seat. "The last assistant quit. Said I was too demanding. Are you demanding?"

"No, Luna."

"I work long hours. I expect you to work longer. I don't like mistakes. I don't like questions. I don't like people who talk about my business outside this house."

"I understand."

"I travel often. You'll travel with me. I have meetings, events, obligations. You'll handle the details. If you fail, you're gone. No warnings. No second chances."

"Yes, Luna."

She stared at me. Trying to find something wrong. Trying to find a reason to say no.

But she was desperate. I knew it. Five assistants in two years. No one wanted this job. No one lasted.

"Fine," she said. "You start today. Your room is on the third floor. Small. You'll eat with the other staff. You'll be available whenever I need you. Day or night."

"Yes, Luna."

She stood. Walked to the door. Stopped.

"You look familiar. Have we met?"

My heart stopped. Just for a second. I controlled it.

"No, Luna. I would remember."

She frowned. Shrugged. Left.

I let out a breath. Slow. Quiet. No one heard.

The maid from before appeared. "I'll show you to your room."

I followed her up the stairs. Past the second floor where the family lived. Up to the third where the servants stayed. Small hallway. Small doors. Small rooms.

My room was exactly that. Small. Bed. Dresser. Window looking at the back gardens. No luxury. No comfort. Just enough.

"Maid's hall is downstairs. Kitchen is there too. You eat when the family eats, just faster. Any questions?"

"No. Thank you."

She left. I closed the door.

Alone. Finally alone.

I sat on the bed. Hard mattress. Thin pillow. Didn't matter. I'd slept on worse.

Five years. Five years of planning. Five years of changing. Five years of waiting.

And now I was here. In his house. Close enough to touch him. Close enough to watch him. Close enough to destroy everything he had.

He didn't recognize me. Walked right past like I was air.

Good. Perfect.

I stood. Walked to the small mirror on the wall. Looked at my face. Not Lily's face. Elena's face. Stranger's face.

"You don't remember me," I whispered.

My reflection didn't answer.

"That's good. That makes this easier."

I touched the glass. Cold. Hard. Like my heart had become.

Five years ago, he broke me. Left me bleeding on the ground while he walked away with someone prettier. Someone better. Someone worthy of being Luna.

I almost died. Wanted to die. Lay in my grandmother's cabin for months, wishing the pain would end.

She saved me. Changed me. Sent me back.

"You go," she said. "You make him remember. You make him pay. And when it's done, you come home and be alive again."

I didn't tell her I wasn't sure I could come home. Wasn't sure I could be alive again after this.

Didn't matter. I was here now.

Downstairs, I heard voices. His voice. Deep. Calm. Giving orders. Being Alpha.

I pressed my hand to the wall. Felt the vibration of his footsteps.

Tomorrow, I'd start working. Start learning. Start finding his weaknesses, his secrets, his fears.

Tonight, I'd sit in my small room and remember exactly why I came.

I touched my face again. Lily's face was gone. Lily's heart was gone. Lily was dead.

Elena lived now. Elena had work to do.

And Elena didn't forgive.