The Ruthless Alpha's Substitute Luna

Challenging His Authority

Xavier Delanor,

"Alpha is entering the dining room!"

Barbara announced as we walked inside the dining room. Everyone gathered immediately, eyes on the floor. Except the only woman sitting at the head of the table and slowly eating the steak as though she didn't acknowledge my existence. A faint shift of unease passed through the servants, as if they already sensed something was wrong.

The servants and chefs looked stiff as they glanced at her and then at me. One of the younger maids even lowered her gaze faster than necessary, clearly unsettled by her lack of reaction.

I walked toward my seat, observing the woman who for the first time dared to step inside the dining room. My steps slowed for a fraction before I continued, as though unconsciously reassessing the space around her.

As I sat down, Barbara hissed, her expression darkening, "Are you deaf? Alpha is here. Why are you eating without greeting the Alpha first?"

She didn't say anything. Instead, she placed the fork aside and then looked at the chefs. "Make me some sweet curd. I have been craving some recently!"

Barbara's face ashened. She looked at me, quietly pleading for me to say something.

I leaned into the chair and watched her quietly. A strange amusement tugged at me despite the coldness crawling beneath my skin. My fingers rested loosely on the armrest, but there was a brief, almost unnoticeable tightening before I relaxed again. For someone standing inside a den full of wolves, she looked far too calm.

"Seems like you lack manners," I said, my voice cold as ice.

She looked up, meeting my eyes. Even from across the table, I could see her eyes glinting with arrogance. She grabbed a napkin and wiped her lips,

"I thought manners don't exist in The Blackhowl Wolf Pack."

My jaw tightened slightly. Since when did she get such a sharp tongue? A brief silence followed, heavier than it should have been, as I studied her without speaking.

Instead of fear, she looked almost entertained standing against me. The audacity should have enraged me entirely, yet a dark amusement slowly settled inside me.

"You b***h! Have you lost your mind? How dare you talk back to the Alpha?" Barbara snapped, her jaw tightening.

A few servants flinched at the word, one of the chefs even stepping half a step back instinctively, as if afraid the tension might snap at any moment.

"See?" She shrugged. "A mere servant called the Luna of the Blackhowl Wolf Pack a b***h. Indeed, such beautiful manners!" Her tone was light, but it landed heavily across the room, making the atmosphere even more suffocating.

Barbara's face turned bright red. Panic made her shudder. She looked at me, apologetic. "My apologies. I didn't mean to—"

"You got nothing to apologize for, Barbara." I raised my hand and looked at her. My voice was steady, but my gaze sharpened slightly. "In this household, Barbara is considered an elder. You disrespected her?"

She looked up, meeting my eyes. "Disrespect?" She muttered the word as though it was foreign to her. "Is she in the Pack Council?"

My brow raised. "What?" The reaction slipped out a fraction quicker than intended, before I controlled it again.

"I don't think so!" she said. "Since she isn't in the council, since she doesn't have anything related to me, I don't consider her someone I would respect."

My jaw tightened. A faint tension gathered at the side of my cheek before fading. "In this household, you must follow my rules. Or are you challenging that?"

She didn't reply. Instead, she glanced at Barbara. "So you are saying that your servant holds a much higher position than your Luna?"

Barbara visibly stiffened at that, her hands trembling slightly as she clutched her apron. The word “servant” stung more than she wanted to show.

"Luna?" I scoffed. "Seems like you have temporary amnesia. You are just a discarded person. Did you forget what I said?"

Her eyes darkened, but she didn't look puzzled. "Discarded?" She chuckled sharply. "Isn't it weird, Alpha Delanor?" She slowly poured herself a glass of orange juice instead of wine.

"You would rather let me be the discarded Luna than let your beloved woman become the Luna. Is your lover's dignity worth nothing compared to that one billion dollar deal with my father?"

My eyes darkened. A brief stillness passed through me, sharper than before. How did she know? It was a confidential deal.

For a second, silence stretched heavily across the dining room. Her words dug beneath my skin far more than they should have. I didn’t move, but the air around me felt heavier, as if the room itself had acknowledged the shift.

She wasn't wrong.

A dark irritation burned inside me at the realization. I should have been furious at her insolence, yet another part of me was strangely amused that she dared to throw the truth directly at my face without hesitation.

Most people feared me too much to speak honestly in my presence.

She didn't.

And somehow, that only made her more dangerous.

"I don't want to provoke you, Alpha Delanor. Since we both are bound legally, we better cooperate!"

"Cooperate?" I laughed, dark and humorless. "Are you proposing a deal?"

"That's right!"

"Who gave you the right?" I asked her coldly.

"The law. You might have discarded me, but it would take my permission to get rid of me, Alpha Delanor. After all, the marriage alliance happened without the Lycan King's blessing."

My jaw tightened. "Are you threatening me?"

"Threat? No!" She rose to her feet. The room instinctively went quieter, even the servants holding their breath. "I don't give empty threats. But I am letting you know. It's alright with me if you mess with another woman despite being married to me. Or share the bedroom with her. But—" She took a deep breath. Her eyes landed on me,

"I won't tolerate disrespect. Since you legally married me, then I will legally claim what's mine."

I smirked, resting my arms on the armrests. A slow exhale left my nose as I observed her more carefully, like she had become something worth studying rather than dismissing.

I observed her closely, noticing the micro-expressions. She didn't even look hesitant or terrified. If it was another person, they'd have at least looked terrified. But she, she had that calm, controlled composure that made her unpredictable.

The corner of my lips rose, as I tilted my head,

"Well, with one billion, I bought an obedient Luna, not something who dares to talk back to me! And now challenging to claim something I didn't allow."

She laughed, sharp and mocking, "Really? Then you should have bought a slave from slave market? Or perhaps you can't handle women like me?"

A few servants visibly tensed at her words, and Barbara’s face drained of color, her lips parting slightly in shock.

A sharp, cold laugh echoed in the room. God! It was fun. This was the first time in my entire life someone was actually calling me incompetent.

"Indeed," I nodded my head, eyes dark, "I have hard time handling women like you. They're out of control. I love my woman being obedient."

She scoffed, her eyes reflecting mockery once again, "Sure. Since I am not your woman, you don't have to cry, Alpha. If you may excuse me—"

She bowed slightly before she turned on her heels and headed upstairs.

I watched her leaving with a smirk on my face. It was fun, finding a woman who would challenge me directly on my face.