Terrifying

After my Alpha Kael died fighting those rogues, old Alpha Marcus was terrified I'd take Finn, their only Alpha heir, and leave the Stone Creek Pack, or worse, get marked by another Alpha.

I turned down every match my mother tried to make, warned off any male who got too close, and kept reassuring Marcus and his mate that Kael's bloodline would stay pure.

I was going to honor my Mate Bond with Kael, always.

Five years. Five years without Kael's warm hugs, without his deep voice whispering in my ear. I gritted my teeth through so many cold nights.

Finn was my only comfort.

But then, at the Blood Moon ceremony marking five years since Kael's “sacrifice,” I overheard Marcus roaring at “Ronan”:

“Kael! You selfish, blind fool of a wolf! How much longer are you going to keep up this charade?!”

He called him Kael?! My blood ran cold.

A calm, familiar voice came from inside the den – Ronan, Kael's twin brother.

“Father, you know I had no choice.”

“Kael! Ronan was the one cursed by the Moon Goddess since he was a pup, the sickly one! Ronan was the one torn apart on Blood Moon Cliff! Why did you fake your death and take his place?!”

Fake his death?!

I froze, my claws digging into my palms. Then, the man who'd held me close every night, the man now wearing Ronan's face, spoke:

“Father, Alina was already carrying Ronan's child. She's so delicate; how could she handle losing her mate? As for Elara, I gave her a strong son, something to give her standing in the pack. That's enough.”

“From the day Ronan fell, I decided to take his place, to protect Alina and her daughter. Let the name Kael be buried on Blood Moon Cliff for good.”

I couldn't listen anymore. My head was pounding.

So, it wasn't my Kael who died. It was Ronan.

And the Alpha who was supposed to share the moonlight with me chose to disappear from our lives to protect another female and her cub.

Tears streamed down my face.

Kael had been my savior.

When rogues ambushed me, almost dragged me off and ruined my name, he'd stepped in front of the whole pack, brought me under his wing, and promised to protect me for life.

His scent used to be my safest harbor.

Our mating was passionate, intense.

He never let any other male even look at me twice. Every full moon together was precious.

Everyone said Kael's love would make every other female wolf jealous.

That's why I was so determined to keep our Mate Bond alive after he “died.”

I was such an idiot.

Kael was the strongest Alpha the Stone Creek Pack had seen in a century, full of energy, never even got a sniffle. How could a few rogues take him down so easily?

It was all a carefully crafted lie. He'd played the role of “uncle” for five years, all to protect his moonlight – a moonlight that wasn't mine.

So, what about me and Finn? Were we just pawns he could toss aside in his grand Alpha plan?

I bit down hard on my arm, then used every ounce of strength I had to stumble away.

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