All Chapters of The Cursed Alpha's Substitute Luna : Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

INARA'S POVI never thought I’d be standing in Alpha Grayson Ansel’s private chambers wearing my sister’s wedding gown.The silk still carried a faint trace of Liora’s favorite jasmine perfume, but it felt wrong on my skin—like I was sliding into someone else’s life and hoping no one would notice the seams. My heart hammered so hard I was sure the guards outside could hear it. Two days. That’s all it took for my sister to destroy everything and leave me holding the broken pieces.“Inara, you have to do this,” Mom had whispered earlier, her fingers digging into my arms like she was afraid I’d bolt too. “Your father and I… the pack elders… we can’t survive Alpha Grayson’s wrath. The alliance will collapse. Please, sweetheart. Just until things settle.”As if “things” ever settled with a man like Grayson Ansel.I’d admired him for years. Secretly, stupidly, from the edges of pack gatherings where I thought no one saw me staring. The way he moved—like a storm barely contained in human f

INARA'S POV I tossed and turned in the big, unfamiliar bed until the sheets felt like they were strangling me. The moon was hanging high outside my window, casting silvery light across the room that only made my wolf more restless. Every little sound in the Alpha’s residence had me sitting up— a distant door closing, footsteps in the hall, the faint howl of a patrol wolf somewhere beyond the walls. Grayson still wasn’t back. At least, not that I knew of.He’s fine, I told myself for the hundredth time. He’s the Alpha. He’s dealt with rogues before. But my mind kept flashing to those powerful shoulders, the way his silver eyes could go stormy in an instant. What if he was hurt? What if the curse made him push himself harder than any normal wolf?I groaned and swung my legs over the side of the bed, grabbing a thin robe to throw over my nightgown. It was late, probably past midnight—but I couldn’t just lie there pretending I didn’t care. I wasn’t Liora. I didn’t run from hard things

INARA'S POV The door clicked shut behind Grayson, leaving me alone in his private chambers with half-eaten food and a racing heart. I stared at the spot where he’d been sitting, replaying that last intense look he gave me. Two months. We had two whole months before the ritual, and already I felt like I was drowning in whatever this thing between us was. My wolf wouldn’t settle—she kept pacing inside me, urging me to go after him, to wait up like some lovesick pup.I wasn’t that girl. Or at least, I didn’t want to be.I helped clear the table a little, then slipped back to my own room, but sleep was a joke. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his silver gaze dropping to my lips, felt the ghost of his fingers on my jaw from earlier that day. By the time the sky started lightening outside, I gave up and went for a walk in the gardens to clear my head.The morning air was cool, carrying the scent of dew and pine. I wandered the paths, trying to rehearse how I’d act normal around him tod

INARA'S POV Chaos exploded around us the second the rogues burst from the trees. My heart slammed against my ribs as Grayson shoved me firmly behind him, his body a solid wall of muscle and fury. The partial shift made him even more terrifying—claws extended, eyes blazing pure silver, that low growl rumbling from his chest like thunder.“Stay behind me,” he ordered, voice rough and commanding. No room for argument.I wasn’t stupid enough to disobey. But I wasn’t helpless either. My wolf surged forward, claws pricking at my fingertips as I scanned the garden. There were at least six rogues, eyes glowing with malice. The scarred one who’d called me out stepped forward, smirking.“Vallon blood always causes problems,” he sneered. “Your sister owed us big time before she ran. Hand over the twin and we’ll consider leaving your cursed pack alone.”Liora. Of course this mess followed her. Anger and fear twisted in my stomach. I gripped the back of Grayson’s shirt, feeling the heat rolling