Five Years as My Mate's Stand-In

The moment I unlock Cole's phone, my last shred of hope crumbles.

I stare at his lock screen wallpaper, frozen. It's blurry, like a cropped chunk of a graduation group photo. The she-wolf in it has a bright ponytail and a smile that lights up the frame. Her eyes? They're practically mine-seven or eight parts the same.

Of course they are. She's my half-sister, after all. Same mom, different dad.

My trembling fingers hover over the screen, ready to shut it off, when a notification pings. A message pops up in a group chat, and my blood runs cold.

"Yo, Cole just called Lauren 'Alexis' while hugging her. Nearly gave me a heart attack. Good thing I played it off, 'cause if Lauren finds out Cole's only with her to mess with Alexis, she'd probably lose it-crying, screaming, the whole deal."

"Gotta hand it to Cole, though. Dude's so gone for Alexis he's willing to stomach sleeping with an older she-wolf. How long's he gonna keep this up? Wasn't it supposed to be a quick fling?"

"Say what you want, Lauren's a bit older, sure, but her looks and figure? Top-tier. If Cole ever gets bored, can I call dibs?"

The group chat's a cesspool of vile comments about me. My hands shake so hard I can barely hold the phone. I try to exit the chat, but then someone drops a private photo into the group, followed by a voice message.

"Since you're all so curious about her figure, here's a little something to feast your eyes on."

The chat explodes.

"Holy-talk about spicy! But come on, you're gonna tease us with a blurred-out version? Be a wolf and share the real deal!"

"Seconded, drop the uncensored pic! Gotta say, Lauren seems all prim and proper, but damn, she's wild in bed. No wonder Cole's stuck around five years. That look on her face? I'm losing it."

"Go beg Cole for the original. I only got this censored one 'cause he didn't want to 'taint my eyes' when I bugged him for it."

"Cole's too real. Alexis, come on, let our boy make it official already. You know how much he loves you. Why keep testing him? If it wasn't for screwing with Lauren, you think he'd even glance her way?"

The words blur as my head buzzes, drowning out everything. I thought Cole was just using me as a stand-in for Alexis. But this? He's been plotting to destroy me for her. Those secret photos and videos of me, snapped without my knowledge, were just tools to keep Alexis entertained.

Why?

Alexis is the pup born from my mom's affair. My mom ditched my sick dad, abandoned me, and bound herself to another wolf. Yet somehow, everyone's on Alexis's side, tearing me apart.

I haven't done anything wrong.

My heart throbs with a dull ache. Tears spill over, and I swipe them away, grabbing my own phone to record the screen. Scrolling through the chat history, I see it's all there-months of them scheming to mess with me. Late-night calls to pick up Cole, only to get harassed by goons they set up. Getting him drunk during my cycle just to watch me grit my teeth and take shots for him while I'm in pain.

Every memory stabs like a boomerang, slicing deeper into my heart. I bite my lip so hard it bleeds, stifling the sobs clawing at my throat.

When I exit the chat, I spot Alexis's name pinned at the top. Her contact is labeled "Future Mate." Below it, my chat sits with a little "Do Not Disturb" icon.

I don't have time to dwell on it. All I want is to delete those stolen photos and videos. I scour every app, every folder, but find nothing. I tell myself maybe it's just that one picture.

Setting the phone back on the nightstand, a hollow chill settles in my chest. No wonder he kept dodging when I wanted to tell Brooke about us after things felt solid. What I thought was love was just me being a desperate placeholder.

My phone rings, shattering the silence of the night. I slap my hand over the speaker and slip out to the living room balcony to answer.

My boss's voice crackles through. "Lauren, you thought about that offer? The branch office needs wolves like you. It's a tough gig starting out, but you're more than capable of running the show as manager."

"Michael, I'm in," I say, my voice steady despite everything. "Give me three weeks to wrap things up here."