Alpha’s Mistaken Luna

014

I stared at the screen, my mind racing through thousands of lies before I finally settled on one.

“It… it’s Chloe’s phone,” I managed to say, and my voice was a little more steady this time.

Maximus narrowed his eyes, and his grip on the phone tightened. “Chloe’s?”

"Yes," I nodded, clutching the duvet to my chest for dear life. "We were together at the club before everything went sideways. We might have accidentally switched phones."

He didn't move for a long moment.

He let out a low hum and then lowered the phone, he sat on the edge of the bed.

"You're a very good liar, Celeste," he said quietly, and his eyes were locked onto mine. "Or maybe you've just had a lot of practice lately."

He reached out and his fingers grazed the mark on my neck. I couldn't help the shiver that ran down my spine. The touch wasn't aggressive, but it was a heavy reminder that he had claimed me, and that no matter what I said, he felt some kind of truth in my skin.

"Chloe is staying at the guest house," he said, and his voice was devoid of any emotion. "If this is her phone, I'll have Greg return it to her. We'll see if her story matches yours."

My blood ran cold at the thought. If he gave that phone to Greg or confronted Chloe, the whole charade would be over in minutes.

“No,” my voice came out too quick. “No, you don’t need to do that. I can give it to her myself,” I said, clearing my throat to try and hide the panic.

I lunged for the phone, but he was much faster than me. He caught my wrist and pulled me toward him. The duvet slipped down and he placed the phone on the bed, and his eyes started roaming my bare chest.

"We’ll see," he said, and his voice was final. "Get dressed. We’re having breakfast. And don't think about leaving this room until I say so."

He stood up and walked out, leaving me all alone in the quiet room.

I quickly rushed into the bathroom and took in a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. I’m going to get caught if I stay here any longer. I just cannot keep up with the lie anymore.

Celeste was probably worried about me, so I quickly sent her a text letting her know that I was fine. The full moon is literally six days away, and I’ve come way too far to mess everything up now.

As I showered, the thought I’d been trying to avoid just wouldn’t leave me. Am I really just going to give up everything to my sister after such an intimate moment I’ve just shared with Maximus? I couldn't deny the feelings I had for him anymore, and it was tearing me apart.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and forced myself out of the bathroom. I found a beautiful sundress left on the bed for me and quickly put it on. I walked out of his room even though he told me not to, because I just needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

I slowly walked until I reached the guest room I had stayed in the first time I was here. I opened the door to see Chloe already dressed and getting ready to step out for the day.

“You’re here. Thank goodness,” I said, letting out a breath as we hugged. Her eyes immediately roamed my face, her brows raising in shock.

“Is that a hickey on your neck? Oh, you did not!” Chloe’s hand flew to her mouth. I immediately covered the mark with my hand, heat rushing to my face. I didn't have time to explain, so I just told her I had an emergency to attend to and we needed to leave right now.

“I hope your car is downstairs?” I asked, and she nodded quickly.

I grabbed her hand as we headed downstairs, carefully avoiding the kitchen where I knew the staff would be. Just as we were about to slip through the front door, a familiar voice cleared his throat behind us.

“You didn’t wait for breakfast?”

I froze. Maximus stood there, stepping closer with his eyes fixed entirely on me. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and he looked a little too composed for my liking.

“Chloe has an emergency we need to attend to,” I lied, my heart hammering. He just stared at me, his expression unreadable. Beside me, Chloe only nodded, looking confused but playing along.

“Thank you for letting us crash, Sir,” I added, feeling a bit uneasy under his intense gaze.

Maximus gestured for me to come closer. I hesitated, but Chloe gave me a little push toward him. When I reached him, he leaned down toward my ear, his presence overwhelming.

“I will come get you later tonight. I have something important to show you,” he said. His breath fanned against my neck, making my cheeks flush instantly. He stepped back and gave a small nod for us to go ahead.

We left his house as fast as we could.

Back home, I was met with a surprise: Celeste. She was sitting on the counter looking through her laptop, but the second I walked in, she looked at me with a mix of curiosity and deep suspicion.

“Where have you been since last night? I came home late and tried calling you, yet you didn’t even care to answer,” she asked, her voice raising with every word.

I walked toward the fridge and took a bottle of water, trying to keep my hands from shaking. “I went out with Chloe last night,” I told her, and she gave a slow nod.

“And where did you spend the night?” she asked. I was about to lie, but she saw right through it. She got up immediately, her hands roaming my body as she searched for the truth. I tried stopping her, but she pushed the strands of hair away from my neck to reveal the bold red mark. Her face dropped.

“Celeste... I can explain,” I started, but she raised her hand to silence me.

“I knew I couldn’t trust you, Yena. You did that one thing I told you not to do. You crossed the line,” she said, her voice trembling as she started walking away from me.

I shook my head, feeling the weight of the guilt, but she wasn't finished.

“Do you f*****g want him? Just tell me so I don’t need to get my hopes up. Just tell me you’re doing all this to have him for yourself so I don’t f*****g waste my time,” she went on, her eyes filling with a bitter anger.

“I had no other choice! He fired me, Celeste! I almost lost him and lost your job,” I yelled over her, and the room suddenly went dead quiet.

She stared at me, the silence stretching between us until it felt like it was going to break. The truth was out there now that I had traded my body and my heart to save a life that wasn't even mine.

“I apologize because I know what I did was wrong. That wasn’t my intention, but Celeste,” I started, joining her on the couch and trying to bridge the distance between us.

“He grows more suspicious every day. He is very calculating and smart. I had no other choice,” I tried to explain. She didn’t say anything at first, just stared ahead with a hollow look in her eyes.

“We made a promise to each other, remember?” she questioned. I nodded quickly.

“And I hope you are being honest with me, Yena. I don’t want to put my heart and my future into all of this just to get betrayed by my only sister,” she revealed. I shook my head frantically, reaching out and holding onto her hand.

“I will never do that to you, I promise. You’re literally everything I have, and I love you so much, Celeste,” I whispered. I pulled her into a hug, trying to reassure her that my loyalty hadn't shifted even if my feelings had.

I felt her body soften, the tension slowly bleeding out of her before she finally hugged me back.

“It’s just six days from now. All of this will be over soon. We’ll be back in our original bodies,” she said, her voice sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than me.

I held her tighter, but as I closed my eyes, I thought about Maximus’s parting words. He was coming for me tonight. He had something to show me. And for the first time, the thought of being back in my own body felt less like a rescue and more like a goodbye.