My Fiance is Sleeping With My Step Sister

Chapter 51

The night felt heavier than usual. The air carried the bitter smell of blood and smoke even though the warriors had already pushed the last of the rogues far from the borders. I sat on the steps of the pack house, my knees pulled to my chest, watching the warriors return one by one. None of them carried injuries that would linger. That was the thing about Devon’s pack, they weren’t weak. These were men and women trained to fight wars, not skirmishes.

And yet, tonight felt different.

I could feel their eyes on me. Not sharp with hate or anger like before, not filled with suspicion either, but something else. Guilt. Shame. Maybe even regret.

Devon hadn’t left my side since the fight ended. His hand rested on my shoulder, steady, grounding me. He looked at the warriors with that Alpha stare that made them lower their eyes instantly. No one dared whisper, no one dared sneer. The silence around us spoke louder than anything.

Finally, Elder Marcus stepped forward. His gray hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, but his spine was straight, his eyes clearer than I had ever seen them. He bowed his head low, not to Devon, but to me.

“Luna,” he said, his voice thick. “We owe you an apology. All of us do.”

The others shifted behind him, uneasy. Some had tears in their eyes. I blinked, not sure if this was a dream. These were the same people who spat at me with their words, who looked at me with hate and disgust like I was poison.

I swallowed hard. “Why now?” My voice cracked more than I wanted. “Why after everything?”

Marcus raised his head, shame written across his face. “We weren’t ourselves. The witch’s influence was strong… and Levi was the thread tying us to her. We couldn’t see through it. We doubted you when we should have defended you. We followed his voice instead of our Alpha’s. For that, we ask forgiveness.”

I looked at them, dozens of warriors, elders, pack members. Men and women who had mocked me, insulted me, made me feel small. And now they were bowing their heads. Not one or two, but all of them.

Devon’s hand tightened on my shoulder as if telling me silently, You don’t have to accept this if you’re not ready.

I wanted to scream at them. To ask where their loyalty had been when I needed it most. But instead, I just sat there, numb.

One of the younger warriors, a girl maybe just a year older than me, stepped forward. Her voice shook. “I called you cursed. I said you didn’t deserve our Alpha. I didn’t mean it, Luna. I didn’t even… I didn’t even understand why I said it. I was blinded.” She dropped to her knees. “Please forgive me.”

Her words hit something inside me I didn’t expect. I thought I’d feel triumph, satisfaction even, seeing them regret it all. But instead, I felt the ache of old wounds that didn’t heal just because they said sorry.

Joey slipped to my side, kneeling beside me. She whispered, “Addy, this is your moment. You don’t have to give them your heart, but you can show them you’re not broken. That’s what a Luna does.”

I looked at Devon. His eyes held mine, steady and fierce. He wouldn’t push me, but he wanted me to stand. For myself. For him. For us.

I took a breath and rose to my feet slowly. The movement made every warrior in the yard bow lower, their heads almost to the ground. The sight made my stomach twist.

“I can’t forget what was said to me,” I began, my voice shaking but louder than before. “I can’t erase the way you made me feel. But I will not carry hate in my heart. Not when my mate stands with me. Not when my place is here as your Luna.”

Murmurs broke through the crowd, not in anger, but relief. Devon’s arm slid around my waist, pulling me close. His pride was warm against my skin.

“But hear me clearly,” I added, surprising even myself with the strength in my words. “If there comes another time where you choose whispers and shadows over your Alpha, over your Luna, then I will not forgive it.”

The silence that followed was heavy, but it wasn’t hostile. It was respect. Real, solid, undeniable.

Devon’s voice thundered after mine, final and commanding. “Your Luna has spoken. Her words are mine. Her place is beside me, and anyone who questions that questions me. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Alpha,” they answered in unison, heads still bowed.

For the first time since I arrived here, I felt something shift. It wasn’t perfect. My chest still ached with doubt, my mind still whispered that maybe it was too good to be true. But tonight, I wasn’t just the girl who was tolerated. I was Luna.

As the crowd slowly dispersed, Devon bent to press his forehead against mine. “You were perfect,” he whispered.

I shook my head softly. “I was terrified.”

He smiled faintly, brushing his lips over mine. “That’s the thing about true strength, Addy. It shows up even when you’re scared.”

And yet, as I leaned into him, a flicker of unease ran through me. Their eyes were open now, but Levi’s shadow still lingered over us. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that tonight was only the beginning.