1: Unwanted Luna (2)

Krista

“And then there’s Liam,” she said, her tone dripping with drama. “I heard he’s been sneaking off to the human town again. You know what that means, don’t you?”

I raised an eyebrow, leaning in just enough to show I was invested. “What does it mean?”

Greta’s voice dropped even lower. “He’s seeing a human girl! They say he’s completely smitten and get this: he’s even thinking about rejecting his mate bond. Can you imagine the scandal? An Alpha’s son, turning down his fated mate for a human?”

I widened my eyes again, though a pang of sadness twisted inside me at the mention of rejecting bonds. I forced myself to keep my expression neutral, nodding along as Greta continued her tale, weaving stories of forbidden romances and petty squabbles.

I laughed and gasped at all the right moments, but my heart wasn’t in it. Her words washed over me, only half-heard, as my mind kept circling back to what she’d said earlier, about children, about heirs.

She wasn’t wrong. The pack loved me, I knew that much. I’d worked hard to earn their trust and respect, to prove myself as their Luna, even though I hadn’t been born into it like most. But there were expectations too, unspoken and yet heavy. The pack needed stability. Heirs. And it was my duty to provide them.

But how could I, when Jacob wouldn’t even look at me as anything more than a necessary inconvenience?

The thought burned, and I took a sip of my tea to swallow it down, the hot liquid scalding my throat. I forced another smile as Greta launched into another story, this one about a feud between two sisters over a mate who had eyes for neither of them.

By the time I finally made my excuses and stood to leave, Greta’s shoulders had relaxed, and the worry in her gaze had softened. She hugged me tightly at the door, murmuring another apology, though she never said for what. I patted her back, reassured her I wasn’t upset, that everything was fine.

But everything wasn’t fine.

I made my way back to the manor, the air crisp and cool against my skin as the last light of day faded into the shadows of evening. My thoughts drifted to the past, to the moment I first met Jacob Hollows. His handsome, rugged features were etched into my mind. He had an allure that drew me in, a quiet beauty that took my breath away. With deep-set green eyes that sparkled with a hidden fire, a chiseled jawline dusted with stubble, and a body built from years of training, Jacob was everything any she-wolf could dream of. But there was more to him; an air of maturity and responsibility surrounded him.

I had never been one to chase after dreams that felt so out of reach. As a low-ranking she-wolf, I knew my place in the pack. I was the daughter of a poor groundskeeper who was long dead, an orphan who had learned to make herself useful to earn her keep. I wasn’t naive; I knew my worth, and I knew that dreams of princes and fairytales were meant for other luckier girls.

The Hollows family was well-known, even beyond the Red Moon Pack. They were wealthy, powerful, and Jacob…Jacob was the embodiment of everything an Alpha should be. Strong, confident, handsome in a way that left me breathless the first time I saw him.

A bittersweet smile tugged at my lips as I remembered how I’d first laid eyes on him during a routine inspection of the outer territories. Jacob had ridden in with an entourage of pack warriors, the sunlight glinting off his dark hair. It was a day that changed my life forever.

But it wasn’t just his looks that captivated me. He possessed a quiet strength, an undeniable charm that made my heart race and my cheeks flush. I had been busy breaking up a heated argument between two pack members, my voice steady and authoritative. “Enough! If you keep this up, you’ll only show weakness to the rogues waiting for a chance to strike. Resolve this like wolves, not children!”

The moment was trivial in the grand scheme of things, but as the dust settled and the tension eased, I caught Jacob’s gaze. The flicker of recognition in his eyes sparked something within me. He had seen my strength, my potential. And in that fleeting moment, I dared to hope that maybe, just maybe, I was worthy of his attention.

But that spark of hope faded as quickly as it came. He was engaged to Laurel, his first love and the shining star of the pack, a she-wolf who had captivated Jacob’s heart long before I had ever dared to dream of him.

What did it matter if I was capable? I was nobody, just a caretaker with aspirations too lofty for my station. I often felt like a shadow, doomed to watch from the sidelines.

That was the first time I saw him. And it should have been the last.

But then, tragedy struck. Laurel, the shining star of Jacob's life, was sent on a crucial scouting mission and vanished without a trace. The pack mourned, and Jacob, shattered by the loss, became a ghost of his former self. In the midst of the chaos, Jacob’s father, Elder Hollows, made a decision that would alter the course of our lives forever: he proposed that Jacob marry me.

The thought had stunned me. It would be a marriage born not of love but of necessity, a way to restore stability to a grieving pack. I felt like a political pawn, yet part of me clung to the foolish hope that perhaps I could prove myself, that maybe, just maybe, I could win Jacob’s heart.

Now, walking back to the house I shared with Jacob, my heart ached at the memories. I could still hear the whispers of my dreams, the what-ifs that haunted me. What if I had stood up for myself? What if I had walked away?

But those thoughts felt like a luxury I couldn’t afford. Jacob was my husband, and yet he was a stranger. Each day, I took a step closer to him, only to feel him retreat another step back, as if my very presence repulsed him. It was a painful dance, one that left me exhausted.

Our marriage was nothing more than a transaction, a political move. The pack needed a Luna, and I was convenient. I’d vowed to do my duty, to be the best Luna I could be, even if it meant sacrificing my own happiness. But somewhere along the line, I’d fallen in love with him. It was stupid, really. He had never given me any reason to believe he could love me back.

And now, after six long years, I was no closer to winning his heart than I’d been on our wedding day.

I shook my head, trying to dispel the memories, but they clung to me, the bitterness of them like bile in my throat. I was so lost in thought that I didn’t realize I’d reached the manor until I was standing at the foot of the steps, staring up at its imposing facade.

The Hollows manor loomed against the darkening sky, its windows glowing softly with the light from within. My gaze was drawn, as it always was, to the study window on the left. The light was on, and I knew without having to guess that Jacob was there.

A familiar pit began to form in my stomach, a mixture of dread and resignation. He was preparing himself, I knew, going over whatever speech or smile he would use tonight to make it seem as if we were happy, as if we were a real couple.

The Half Moon Feast was just a few hours away, and the pack would be watching. He would kiss my cheek, hold me close, whisper sweet nothings for all to see. And I would play my part, smile up at him like I was the luckiest woman alive, pretend that it didn’t tear me apart to be so close to him, yet so far.

He would do it all because he was an Alpha, because it was his duty to keep up appearances. But I knew the truth. I knew that every touch, every look, was a betrayal in his eyes, not to me, but to Laurel.

Her shadow hung over us, heavy and unyielding, a constant reminder of what he’d lost and what I could never be. I was just the placeholder.

I took a deep breath, bracing myself as I stepped forward, the sound of my footsteps echoing in the stillness of the evening. Tonight would be like every other night. I would smile, I would play my role, and I would pretend that it didn’t hurt.

Because that was what a Luna did. She stood by her Alpha, no matter how much it cost her. And I had made my choice long ago. Even if it broke me, I would not fail them. I would not fail him.

No matter what.