CHAPTER FIVE
1152 Words
STERLING’S POV
The moment Kaiden left, I stared at the closed door like it owed me something.
Silence settled, but my thoughts were loud—chaotic, screaming, ruthless.
Silver was his mate.
Of all the people the Moon Goddess could’ve cursed her with, it had to be Kaiden Accus.
My own best friend.
I ran both hands through my hair, jaw tightening as I paced the length of the empty training hall.
This changes everything.
And yet... it changes nothing.
The plan stays the same.
Silver cannot be Alpha.
Period.
Even if the Moon herself hand-delivered a crown, I’d still tear it off her head.
Because I know her. I know what she’s capable of when people start believing in her. When they started looking at her like she was born to rule.
They already do the moment we shifted.
That’s when she becomes dangerous.
That’s when I become invisible.
I clenched my fists, stopping mid-step.
No one ever looked at me like that—not Father, not the council, not even Mother.
Only Silver.
Only her name made people sit straighter. Only she had the wolf of starlight.
Her wolf was bigger than mine.
She had everything.
And now Kaiden?
Kaiden, who was supposed to be mine—my right hand, my shadow, my loyal friend—was tethered to her by something deeper than loyalty.
A mate bond.
A f*****g mate bond.
I let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
Then a stared at the moon.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I made everyone catch her and Kaiden in a compromising position.
That alone should disqualify her from being Alpha.
Never did I ever see this coming.
Kaiden, Silver's mate.
If I had known this was ever going to be possible, I would have just paid someone to put her in that compromising position and she would be totally done for.
He said she told him to be silent on their mate bond. That claiming her would compromise her plans.
How considerate of her.
How very… Silver.
Now she was compromised, she would use the mate bond she wanted to keep silent to redeem herself.
Everyone would believe they were both driven by the mate bond and they would be asked to marry immediately to save her reputation and Silver would still become Alpha.
I didn’t want that.
I sat on the edge of the bench and exhaled, eyes fixed on the floor, but seeing her face.
She didn’t cry when we caught her with Kaiden.
I had expected her to.
To watch her who life and whole plan implode right in front of her.
Even when father looked at her, with disappointment in his eyes.
Even when the Elders began to murmur that a compromised woman of loose morals couldn't be the Alpha.
Because she doesn’t break where she’s supposed to.
She never has.
She bends the pain and uses it like armor. She builds with it.
That’s why I have to stop her.
Because the world already thinks she’s a rising star. But I know the truth.
Stars burn out.
“You’re quiet.”
I looked up. Kaiden was back. His face unreadable.
I didn’t move.
“I thought I told you to reject her.”
He leaned against the doorway.
“I will. But not tonight.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not going to do it while I still smell like her. Besides, I can't be seen with her now, it would make me look like the desperate one.”
My hands curled on my knees.
“That’s weak.”
“It’s real.”
His tone was sharper than before—not biting, but close.
I eyed him.
“Are you already turning?”
Kaiden blinked.
“What?”
“Into them,” I sneered.
“The kind of mate who starts justifying everything for the sake of the bond. The kind who forgets their own name because the other’s is louder.”
“I haven’t forgotten anything,” he said coolly.
“I remember exactly what we’re doing.”
“Do you?” I stood slowly.
“Because if the council finds out she’s your mate, they’ll rethink the entire ordeal and she would still be fit to be Alpha.”
“She is my weakness, Sterl. She is my mate.” he said, quietly.
“But I’ll still reject her. Just… not tonight.”
I wanted to yell. Throw something. Maybe him.
But instead, I laughed.
That quiet, dead sound that makes people uneasy.
Kaiden didn’t flinch.
“You know,” I said, circling him.
“when we were younger, my father said Silver would always outshine me. That it was in her name. Silver shines, Sterling tarnishes. I was the bad one, the one who didn't make him proud.”
Kaiden looked at me, uncertain.
“And maybe he was right,” I went on, smiling coldly.
“But there’s one thing Silver will never have that I do.”
“And what’s that?” he asked.
“Control.”
I tapped my temple.
“She feels too much. She carries it all, wears it like a crown. But me?” I feel nothing unless I choose to. I decide when to love, when to hate, when to destroy. That is how an Alpha should be. Logical, not emotional. Women are emotional, men are logical. It makes us better leaders.”
Kaiden’s mouth twitched like he wanted to argue, but couldn’t.
“She’s your mate.” I added softly,
“but she’s my twin. I know how she moves. How she thinks. How to unravel her.”
“So what do you want me to do?”
I stopped. Met his eyes.
A very sinister idea popped into i mind.
I smiled.
“I want you to pretend.”
“Pretend?”
“Pretend you love her. Pretend you’re torn. Let her fall for it. Let her want you to reject her because she believes she’s the bigger person.”
Kaiden frowned.
“You want me to manipulate her.”
I tilted my head.
“You’ve done worse for less.”
He looked away.
“And when the moment comes,” I whispered, stepping close.
“when she trusts you most—shatter her.”
Kaiden didn’t respond. His silence felt heavier than his words ever could.
I saw the war in his eyes.
He wanted her now.
But he owed me.
And that, for now, would be enough.
“Goodnight, Kaiden,” I said, stepping past him.
“You really hate her that much?” he asked quietly.
I paused.
Hate?
No.
It wasn’t hate.
It was… something far more dangerous.
“She was born to win,” I said.
“And I was born to make sure she doesn’t.”
Then I left.
And for the first time in a long time, the silence felt like victory.
- Writer
