Alpha’s Mistaken Luna

002

He didn’t move right away and instead stared at me intently as if he could see straight through me or like he had already noticed that I was not Celeste. I couldn’t take my eyes off him and I couldn't even move from where I stood in his office while my heart thudded hard in my chest.

This was my first time seeing him in person and he was tall, imposing, and unfairly good-looking. He looked even better than the pictures in the magazines Celeste had shown me and standing this close to him made everything feel far too real.

He took slow steps toward his desk while his expression remained unreadable and hard to place. His eyes never left me for a single second.

“You’re late again, Miss Jenkins,” he said and his voice was deep and steady.

I swallowed hard because the weight of his presence felt crushing.

“Yes sir.”

I didn’t know how else to respond so when he gestured for me to move forward I obeyed. My steps were slow and uncertain as I crossed the room and he sat at the edge of the table in front of me, close enough that I could feel the heat of him radiating through the air. His eyes searched my face and confusion settled there like he was trying to piece together a puzzle that did not fit.

Then his gaze darkened and his jaw tightened as if he were forcing something primal back.

“What did you do?” he growled as he stood up slowly.

“I… I don’t know what you mean, Mr. BlackFeather,” I stammered and my pulse spiked.

He moved closer until his familiar scent filled my senses before I could brace myself. He leaned down and his breath was warm against my ear as he took a slow, shuddering inhale.

“You smell different,” he whispered and his voice cracked slightly.

His words didn’t make sense to me and my thoughts scattered as confusion took hold. I wondered why he had just sniffed me like that and if this was how he usually acted with Celeste. The thought twisted in my stomach and it felt sharp and sudden with jealousy.

He pulled back immediately and a low groan slipped from him which startled me. He turned his back to me and his shoulders tensed as his breathing grew heavy.

“Are you okay, sir?” I asked and instinctively took a step forward because I wanted to help even though I did not understand what was happening to him.

He lifted a hand without turning around and stopped me in my tracks.

“Just leave,” he ordered.

I froze while my body reacted before my mind could catch up. I took a few shaky steps back as my heart pounded hard in my chest.

“Leave now,” he snapped again.

That was enough for me so I turned quickly and rushed out of the office with my hands trembling as I reached for the door.

I stood behind it for a moment and tried to wrap my head around what had just happened. I couldn’t stop wondering why he reminded me so much of the man from my dreams or what that could possibly mean. The thought refused to leave me alone and I knew I would probably have to ask Celeste later even if the idea made my head spin.

I looked around and felt completely lost with no idea where my office was supposed to be. My legs felt shaky as I walked farther down the hallway and forced myself to keep moving. Then I noticed a desk tucked away in a corner and moved closer to look through the glass.

The name tag made my stomach drop because it read Celeste Jenkins, Secretary.

So that was where I belonged.

I pushed the door open and took a seat while drawing in a deep breath and pressing my hand against my chest. My heart was still racing but relief washed over me now that I was no longer in his office.

I needed to pull myself together and stay busy so I started going through the documents on the desk. I forced myself to focus and get familiar with Celeste’s job and her responsibilities as Mr. Arrogant’s secretary. I just needed this to last a few days and then it would be over just like Celeste said.

I missed being in my own body and I missed my life, but more than that I missed my boyfriend Bryan more than I wanted to admit. I could only hope that covering for Celeste would not ruin our relationship.

“f*****g universe, please just fix this,” I whispered.

My phone rang and pulled me out of my thoughts.

“How is it going?” Celeste asked the moment I answered.

“Hello to you too,” I replied as I rubbed my forehead and leaned back in the chair. “Your boss is weirdly intimidating.”

I found myself explaining everything that had happened including every strange look and every confusing moment. There was a brief pause on the line before she finally spoke.

“Wow, this is news to me because he has never ever been that way with me,” she said and sounded genuinely surprised. “He never notices me enough to think he would even sniff me. This is really something else.”

Her words made my unease deepen instead of fade. She told me we would talk later and said she had found the man who used to live in our apartment who was willing to help us switch back. That bit of hope should have calmed me but it didn’t.

The rest of the day dragged on while I kept lifting my head to glance around because I half expected to see what Mr. Arrogant was up to. Nothing happened and he didn’t call for me even once after what happened in his office. He left work early too and didn’t spare me a single glance as he passed.

I barely did much besides answering a few calls and handing documents over to colleagues. My mind stayed somewhere else entirely and for some reason his silence felt louder than anything he could have said.

“You said he avoided you for the rest of the day?” Celeste asked as she drove with her eyes fixed on the road ahead.

I nodded and my gaze drifted to the box sitting at the back of the car.

“Well at least something hasn’t changed,” she added.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked while pointing toward the box.

She nodded without hesitation and said it was the only way we would get our lives back so I wouldn’t have to deal with her weird boss anymore. Then she glanced at her phone and mentioned that my boyfriend was disturbing her and that texting was not enough for him anymore.

I thought about poor Bryan and how much I missed him.

“Just ignore him for now,” I said quietly because I believed all this would be over soon.

“Obviously I wasn’t going to entertain him,” she replied while raising a brow.

Something about the way she said it made my chest tighten but I shot back that I still did not get how she had a crush on such an arrogant man. Celeste shot me a look but did not say a word as she turned her attention back to the road.

We pulled up a few minutes later and stepped inside the shop. The air felt strange the moment I walked in and weird looking artifacts lined the shelves. Some of them were old and unsettling enough to make my skin crawl as we made our way toward the reception desk.

“Hello ladies,” a deep voice said behind us.

It startled both of us and we turned to see a middle aged man with a long beard that made him look older than he probably was. His eyes lingered on us for a moment like he was measuring something he couldn’t see.

Without saying much he led us to a room at the back where the air felt even heavier. Celeste placed the box on the table and his expression shifted the moment he saw it.

“Sit,” he said quietly.

We obeyed while he reached for a worn deck of cards and laid them out with slow and deliberate movements. When he reached for our hands I hesitated but eventually placed my hand in his and Celeste followed just as reluctantly.

He closed his eyes and held onto us for a few moments longer than felt comfortable.

“This is fate,” he said quietly. “The swap happened for a reason. The stars are aligned in favor of you. A sister chosen by a bond, by fate.”

He paused and his gaze moved between the two of us as if he were weighing our souls instead of our faces. Celeste and I exchanged a look because neither of us knew what to say or which of us he was really talking about.

“To another sister, anger powered by betrayal. She feels greed,” he continued in a low voice.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Enough with this and just tell us how we will swap back,” I snapped.

Celeste stared at me in surprise while desperation crept into my chest.

“Please,” I added softly.

His next words made my heart sink into my stomach.

“You will only be able to swap back during the next full moon.”