My Alpha Named My Sister His Luna—Then His Three Rivals Called Me Mate

POV: Lena Parker

The Parker estate had never felt like home, but that night it felt openly hostile.

I had barely crossed the foyer when the front door opened behind me. My parents entered first. Vanessa followed in her silver gown, the Luna circlet gone but the victory still written across her face.

"Living room," my father said.

I went because I wanted this finished before I packed.

My mother set her evening bag on the coffee table with a sharp click. "You will not post about tonight. You will not call pack members. You will not speak to the council, the press, or anyone who might turn this into a public scandal."

I stared at her. "Damon rejected our bond in front of three hundred people. The scandal already happened."

"Then handle it with dignity," my father said. "Vanessa's position has been accepted by the elders. Sisters fighting over an Alpha would weaken this family and Blackridge."

"I'm not fighting over him."

Vanessa gave a soft laugh. "You walked onto the stage in front of everyone."

I turned to her. "To give him back the necklace he used to promise me a future."

Her expression tightened.

"You knew, didn't you?" I asked. "You knew we were together."

"I knew you were sneaking around," Vanessa said. "I also knew Damon came to Dad weeks ago to finalize the Luna arrangement. I assumed your little secret had ended."

"You assumed?"

"What did you expect, Lena?" She folded her arms. "A private romance is not the same as leadership. I have trained for councils, treaty dinners, dispute hearings, and pack administration since I was a teenager. You wanted to work in sports medicine. You hate political events."

"So that made my mate yours?"

"No. It made me the practical choice."

My father exhaled through his nose as if I were the unreasonable one. "Enough. You will stay out of the arrangement and let the council stabilize the transition."

The front door opened again.

Cedar and woodsmoke reached the room before Damon did.

My wolf reacted instantly, pressing toward him despite everything he had done. I hated the weakness of it. I hated that biology could make my body recognize a man my mind wanted nowhere near me.

Damon walked in without knocking.

He had removed his tie, but otherwise he looked exactly as he had onstage. Controlled. Powerful. Certain he would be obeyed.

"Leave us," he said.

My parents did.

Of course they did.

Vanessa hesitated. Damon didn't look at her.

That was the first crack in her confidence.

She followed our parents out, and the door closed behind them.

Damon turned to me. "You made your point."

I almost laughed.

"My point?"

"The pendant. The phone call. Walking out." He ran a hand through his hair. "You were angry. I understand that. But we need to talk about Monday."

I stared at him. "Monday?"

"My therapy schedule. My shoulder has been tightening for two weeks. The new routine isn't working. I want you back at Blackridge Sports Medicine at eight."

For a moment, I genuinely couldn't speak.

He had named my sister Luna less than two hours ago, yet he had followed me home to protect his treatment slot.

"Are you serious?"

His frown deepened. "You're the only therapist who knows the limits of the old injury. If the others push the joint too hard, I lose range before training."

"I don't care about your shoulder."

His face hardened. "Lena."

Alpha pressure rolled through the room.

My wolf lowered her head. I did not.

"Don't use that on me."

The pressure eased, but his irritation didn't.

"The bond and the Luna position are different things," he said.

I went very still.

Damon stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Vanessa is a political necessity. The council wanted an alliance with your family's main line. She brings votes I needed to secure the transition without a challenge."

"And what do I bring?"

His gaze softened as if he thought he was finally reaching me.

"You're my mate."

There it was.

Not an apology. Not a reversal.

A division of labor.

Vanessa would stand beside him in public. I would keep his body working and satisfy the bond in private.

"You want both of us."

"I want what is mine," he said.

His fingers brushed toward my wrist.

I stepped away.

"I am not yours."

His jaw tightened. "The bond says otherwise."

"The bond doesn't sign my employment contract."

I pulled out my phone.

The Ravencrest portal was still open. I had accepted the invitation from the ceremony, but one final confirmation remained before the transfer became irreversible.

Damon saw the page and went rigid.

"Lena, don't do this because you're hurt."

"I'm doing it because I'm done waiting for you to decide when I matter."

I pressed Confirm.

A green check appeared.

TRANSFER APPROVED. WELCOME TO RAVENCREST.

Damon stared at the screen.

His scent sharpened, woodsmoke turning almost burnt. Ravencrest wasn't under Blackridge authority. Once I crossed its boundary, he couldn't order my employer to schedule me. He couldn't summon me through pack rank. He couldn't walk into my dormitory because he was Alpha.

For the first time that night, he looked frightened.

"You can't leave the pack overnight," he said.

"I can leave the program. I can leave the clinic. And I can request independent residency status through Ravencrest."

"Your family will fight it."

"They can file whatever objection they want. Ravencrest accepts bonded wolves from any territory."

He took another step toward me, then stopped himself.

"Are you really throwing away two years?"

The question hurt because it was almost sincere.

I looked at him carefully.

"You threw them away on a stage. I'm just refusing to sweep up the pieces."

Damon's face went blank.

I slipped my phone into my pocket and moved past him.

At the doorway, he spoke again.

"Lena."

I looked back.

"If you leave," he said, voice rougher now, "the bond won't disappear."

"I know."

"Then how are you going to live with it?"

I opened the door.

"Far enough away that it stops being the loudest thing in my life."