After My Mate Took My Stepsister as His Luna

The diner on Route 9 sat right on the edge of the neutral zone. It smelled of burnt coffee, old grease, and rain.

Caden, Alpha of the Ironridge Pack, sat in the corner booth. He was a massive man with a jagged scar cutting across his jawline. He smelled of iron and damp earth. He was a pragmatic, battle-hardened leader who had hated my father for a decade.

I slid into the booth across from him. I didn't offer a polite smile. I reached into my bag and slid a folded map across the sticky table.

"Silverfang has held the river border for ten years," I said. My voice was steady. "Support my petition at the Pack Council, and I will redraw the line to the old boundary."

Caden didn't touch the map. He leaned back and studied me. His Alpha aura pressed against the edges of the booth, heavy and testing. I didn't lower my eyes. I pressed my thumb hard into the inside of my wrist and held his gaze.

"You're offering land you don't own yet, little wolf," Caden rumbled.

"I'm offering land my father stole from you," I corrected smoothly. "I have the financial records. I have the elders. I have the votes to strip his title. But pack law requires an outside Alpha to back the petition. I need you to prove this is a regional grievance, not just a family dispute."

Caden picked up his coffee mug. "Richard is a snake. But he's a powerful snake. Why should I risk my pack's neck for his runaway daughter?"

"Because you know I'm right," I said. "And because if you don't back me, Richard will eventually come for the western ridge. You've seen his patrols pushing the boundary. He won't stop until he controls the whole valley."

Caden's eyes narrowed. "What about Black Moon? Alpha Lucas casts a long shadow these days. Word is, he's close to your family. Close to your sister."

At the sound of Lucas's name, a sharp, violent ache flared in my chest. My wolf whimpered, scratching at the walls of my ribs. I forced my face to remain perfectly blank.

"Alpha Lucas has his own territory," I said, my voice dropping into a cooler register. "This is my fight. My pack. I don't need Black Moon's permission, and neither do you."

Caden stared at me for a long, heavy minute. He was looking for a crack in my armor. He was looking for the weak, broken girl who had fled three years ago.

He didn't find her.

Finally, the corner of his mouth twitched upward. He reached across the table and extended a large, calloused hand.

"You've got a spine, Ariya. I'll give you that."

I took his hand. His grip was crushing, but I squeezed back just as hard. The alliance was sealed. I had done it. On my own terms, with my own strategy. I didn't need Lucas to save me. I was going to save myself.

The drive back to Silverfang territory took an hour. I drove with the windows down, letting the cold wind bite my cheeks. The phantom pain of Lucas's eyes—so full of glacial hatred on my porch yesterday—still throbbed in my veins. The memory of his taillights disappearing into the dark made my throat tight. But I pushed it down. I locked it away. I had an army to build.

I pulled into the main pack house parking lot just before noon. I needed to drop off a formal request for the elder council meeting. It was a mundane task, but one I had to do in person.

The sun was bright. A dozen pack members were milling around the courtyard, chatting and carrying supplies.

"Ariya!"

The voice was high, sweet, and perfectly pitched to carry across the open space.

I stopped. Lana was walking toward me. She wore a pristine white dress that looked too expensive for a casual Tuesday, and her hair was styled in soft waves. She smelled of synthetic vanilla and raw ambition.

Several pack members turned to watch us.

Lana reached me and threw her arms around my shoulders. I held my breath, suppressing the urge to shove her away. She squeezed me tight, playing the part of the overjoyed, caring sister.

"It's so good to see you out and about," Lana said loudly, making sure the nearby warriors heard her. "We've all been so worried about you. Healing takes time."

She pulled back just enough to look at my face. Her smile was radiant. But her eyes were pure poison.

She leaned in close, bringing her lips to my ear. Her voice dropped to a vicious, mocking whisper.

"Don't embarrass yourself by hanging around, Ariya," she hissed. "Lucas has already chosen his Luna. He told me everything last night. Father is giving him the eastern ridge zoning rights to secure the proxy votes. Once the council approves the alliance, I'll be wearing his mark."

My heart stuttered. The image of Lucas sinking his teeth into Lana's neck made my wolf snarl violently in my mind. The jealousy burned like acid in the back of my throat.

But then, her actual words registered.

*The eastern ridge zoning rights. The proxy votes.*

My father had sworn to the pack elders that the eastern ridge was protected land. If he was using it as a bribe in an alliance negotiation, it was a direct violation of pack law. That was a closed-door legal strategy. Lana shouldn't have known about it. The only way she knew was if Richard was feeding her confidential pack information to help her lock down Lucas.

She had just handed me the exact missing piece I needed.

I didn't flinch. I didn't frown. I looked at Lana, let a soft, pleasant smile touch my lips, and gently patted her arm.

"Thank you, Lana," I said, my voice perfectly even and just loud enough for the onlookers to catch. "You're always looking out for me. I hope you get exactly what you deserve."

Lana's fake smile faltered for a second. She searched my eyes for tears, for anger, for anything she could use to paint me as the crazy, jealous ex-mate. I gave her absolutely nothing.

I stepped around her and walked into the pack house.

That evening, the cabin was quiet. The only sound was the scratch of my pen.

I sat at the small wooden table, my evidence file open under the dim overhead light. I wrote down Lana's exact words. *Eastern ridge zoning rights. Proxy votes.*

I cross-referenced it with the financial ledgers I had copied from Maren. It fit perfectly. Richard was bleeding the pack dry to buy his own power, and he was using Lana's desperation for status to do it.

Lana thought she was winning a man. She didn't realize her loose lips had just handed me the sword to cut off her father's head.

I closed the folder. The net was tight. The trap was set. Now, I just had to spring it.