The Alpha In Bed With His Sister

"I am beta to the cruel alpha who married you." Philip points his sword at my chest. "But Riley, you were once the most promising alpha princess in the werewolf nation. You could have gotten any man you wanted. You left Alpha Kael, and you chose my best friend instead."

Philip looks at me with disappointment. 

We were training, as we’d done twice every week for five years. I was slower than I used to be. Five years ago, I could have disarmed him in seconds. Now I barely blocked his sword.

Philip is a simple beta, serving under my mate: the cruel rogue alpha of the west. 

"Again," I said.

Philip lowered his sword. "You're exhausted, my Luna, we should stop."

"I said again!"

We've been doing this for months now. Secret training sessions deep in the forest where no one from the pack can see how far I've fallen.

I was once Riley Moonshadow, daughter of the seventh alpha, heir to the most powerful pack in the werewolf nation. I was destined to compete for the throne of alpha king.

Now I'm Riley Blackthorn. Luna of a poor rogue pack that barely has two hundred wolves, married to a cruel rogue alpha. The world hates me for being the nightblood princess who chose the mate bond over duty, who abandoned her crown for a man.

Philip struck again. I blocked but my arms shook. My wolf used to make me invincible. Now she's silent. Weak. Fading.

"You're losing your power," Philip said. "I can see it, Riley. Every session, you get weaker."

I attacked instead of answering. I forced him back three steps before my legs gave out. I hit the ground hard.

Philip dropped his sword and helped me up. "That's enough, you'll hurt yourself."

"I'm fine." But I'm not fine. I haven't been fine for five years.

Philip has always been kind to me. In a pack that treats me like garbage, he's the only one who sees me as more than just the nightblood princess who ruined her life.

He's my husband's beta and best friend, but he became my friend too.

"They blame you," Philip said. He sounded angry. "The pack blames you for everything. They say you're weak, that you can't hunt, that you can't shift properly. They think you're a burden."

"I know what they say."

"But they don't know the truth!" He grabbed my arms. "They don't know that your weakness is because of them. Because you chose their alpha over your power. The punishment for a nightblood princess mating with a wolf of lower class is losing your royal wolf. You've been sacrificing yourself for five years, and they treat you like garbage."

I started crying. "Philip—"

"You were the Death Commander, Riley. You made alphas three times your size afraid to speak your name. You were destined to save the entire nation from tyranny. And now you can't shift, can't hear from long distances, can't hunt like other lunas. All because you chose him. All because you chose this pack. And they hate you for it."

"Stop."

"No." He pulled me closer. "I've watched you break for five years. I've watched Jason treat you like a servant, watched his mother work you to the bone, watched the pack mock you. I've stood by and said nothing because he's my best friend, but I can't do it anymore. I can't watch you destroy yourself for people who don't deserve you."

I heard something strange in his voice. Something I'd been too blind to see before.

"Philip, what are you—"

"I have good news," I said quickly. "I need to tell you something."

He let go of my arms. "I have something I need to tell you too. Something I've wanted to say for a long time."

We stared at each other.

"On three?" he asked.

I nodded. "One. Two. Three—"

"I'm pregnant!" I said.

"I'm in love with you!" he said at the same time.

We both froze. I stared at him. He stared at me.

My husband’s best friend, his beta, was in love with me.