Chapter 6: The Rival
1346 Words
Celeste's POV
I woke to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows and the sound of commotion outside. My body ached less, but the weight of yesterday crashed over me.
I was in the Luna suite. Zane's mother's room.
A soft knock drew my attention. Luna peered in, carrying a tray.
"Good morning! I brought breakfast." She set the tray down, bouncing with energy. "Thea's here. She's making a scene in the main courtyard."
I sat up quickly, immediately regretting it as the room spun.
"How long has she been here?"
"Twenty minutes. Zane's been ignoring her, which is making her louder." Luna grinned. "It's actually funny. She keeps demanding to see 'her Alpha.'"
I pushed back the covers. "Help me get ready."
"You're supposed to rest…"
"Your brother needs his Luna visible." I stood carefully. "What would make the biggest impact?"
Luna's eyes sparkled with mischief. "There's a dress in the closet. Mom's favorite. Blue like your eyes, shows just enough to be elegant but not trying too hard."
The dress was perfect. It hugged in the right places while hiding my bandages. Luna helped with my hair, creating an elegant knot that showed my neck, unmarked but clearly claimed by the proximity to an Alpha.
"You look beautiful," Luna said. "Thea's going to hate you."
"That's the point."
We walked slowly to the main staircase. Through the windows, I could see the courtyard. A woman in red leather paced like a caged animal, her black hair whipping as she gestured wildly. Several wolves watched nervously.
Zane stood on the steps, arms crossed, looking bored.
"...can't just replace me with some nobody!" Thea's voice cried clearly.
"I can do whatever I want in my own pack," Zane replied coldly.
"Your council won't accept this. Father won't accept this."
"Your father has no say in Crimson Shadow affairs."
I took a breath and stepped outside. Every head turned.
Thea was stunning in an aggressive way, all sharp angles and predatory grace. Her violet eyes narrowed as she took me in.
"So you're the replacement," she sneered.
"I'm the Luna," I corrected, descending the steps slowly. Zane moved to meet me halfway, his hand settling on my back. The support was welcome, my legs were shaking.
"You're nothing but a rejected breeder," Thea snarled. "Pregnant with another man's bastard."
The insult should have hurt. Instead, I smiled.
"Yet here I am, in his mother's suite, wearing his mother's dress, carrying the future of this pack." I let my hand rest on my stomach. "While you're standing in the courtyard. Like a visitor."
Her face turned purple. "You little…"
"Careful," Zane warned, his voice dropping dangerously. "That's my Luna you're addressing."
"Your Luna?" Thea laughed bitterly. "She doesn't even have your mark!"
"Not yet," Zane said. The words sent heat through me. "We're waiting until after the pup is born. I want our mating to be perfect."
The lie rolled off his tongue so smoothly. His thumb traced circles on my back, probably for show, but it calmed my nerves.
"This is a joke," Thea spat. "A pregnant refugee? The other Alphas will laugh at you."
"Let them." Zane pulled me closer. "Their opinions matter less than my Luna's comfort."
An older man emerged from the pack house, Alpha Raven, I assumed. He had Thea's sharp features but carried more authority.
"Enough, Thea." His eyes assessed me coldly. "So you're the one causing all this fuss."
I met his gaze steadily. "I'm just a Luna standing beside her Alpha."
"You're a distraction. A phase." He addressed Zane. "When you're done playing house with this charity case, Thea will still be here."
"No," I said before Zane could respond, "she won't."
Everyone looked at me.
"See, Alpha Raven, your daughter made a critical error." I stepped forward, leaving Zane's support. "She thought she was irreplaceable. But everyone's replaceable. Even perfect, pure-blood Alphas' daughters who cheat."
Thea's face went white. "How did you…"
"The whole territory knows. You bedded Alpha Zach for a treaty." I tilted my head. "Did it work? Did you get the land rights you wanted? Or did he use you and leave like the others?"
"You know nothing…"
"I know you've been trying to get pregnant by other Alphas to trap Zane." The guess was based on her reaction to my pregnancy, but her flinch confirmed it. "How many have you tried? Three? Four?"
"Shut up!"
"I know you're not here because you love him. You're here because without him, you're just another Alpha's daughter with a ruined reputation."
Thea lunged.
I didn't move. Didn't need to. Zane caught her wrist inches from my face, his grip making her bones creak.
"Touch her and die," he said simply.
"She's lying!"
"She's observing." He released Thea with disgust. "And she's right. You are replaceable. You were replaced. Accept it."
Alpha Raven's cold facade cracked. "You'd choose this... nobody over my daughter?"
"Every time."
"She's carrying another man's pup!"
"She's carrying my heir," Zane corrected. "My pup, my Luna, my choice."
I touched my stomach, playing the part. "Our pup will be loved. Wanted. Can Thea say the same about any of her attempts?"
The silence was deafening.
Thea's eyes filled with tears; rage or humiliation, I couldn't tell. "This isn't over."
"Yes," Zane said firmly, "it is."
Alpha Raven grabbed his daughter's arm. "We're leaving."
"Father…"
"Now."
As they headed for their cars, Thea looked back. "She'll betray you too. Just wait."
After they left, my legs gave out. Zane caught me, lifting me easily.
"That was either very brave or very stupid," he said, carrying me inside.
"Both?"
"Definitely both." But there was approval in his voice. "How did you know about the other Alphas?"
"I didn't. But she reacted to my pregnancy with rage, not just jealousy. That meant she'd tried and failed."
"Clever little wolf."
He set me on the couch in his office. Sam appeared with water and medication.
"That was impressive, Luna," Sam said. "Thea's never been put in her place like that."
"She'll retaliate," I warned.
"Let her try." Zane's eyes were cold again. "She just showed her true colors in front of witnesses."
Luna bounced in. "That was amazing! Did you see her face when you mentioned Alpha Zach?"
"Luna, give us a moment," Zane said.
She pouted but left.
Alone, Zane studied me. "You took a risk, confronting her."
"You needed me to." I met his eyes. "A weak Luna makes you look weak."
"You could barely stand."
"But I stood."
Something shifted in his expression. "Yes. You did."
"Can I ask you something?"
He nodded.
"Why put me in your mother's suite? The symbolism..."
"Is intentional. That suite is sacred to this pack. Only the true Luna uses it." He paused. "It sends a message."
"That I'm permanent."
"That you're protected. Valued. Mine."
The last word sent an unexpected shiver through me.
"For the contract," I added quickly.
"Of course." But his eyes lingered on my face. "You should rest. Doctor's orders."
"I should check on Luna…"
"No."
"Her binding…"
"Can wait until you're healed." His tone brooked no argument. "You're no use to her dead."
He was right, but it frustrated me. "Fine. Three days."
"Good."
As he helped me back to my room, I caught him watching me with an expression I couldn't read.
"What?"
"You're not what I expected."
"What did you expect?"
"Someone broken. Defeated." He paused at my door. "Not someone who'd verbally destroy my ex in front of her father."
"I'm tired of being weak."
"You were never weak, Celeste. You just needed the right pack to see your strength."
Before I could respond, he was gone.
I touched my stomach, thinking of the scene in the courtyard. I'd stood up to Thea, to an Alpha, while barely able to stan
d.
Maybe Zane was right. Maybe I was never weak.
Maybe I'd just been in the wrong pack, with the wrong mate, trying to be someone I wasn't.
Here, as fake as it was, I could be more.
Here, I could grow claws.
- Writer
