He Chose My Sister Over His True Mate

The invitation arrives on cream-colored paper, the Former Luna's seal pressed into crimson wax. Tea. Tomorrow afternoon. Just the two of us.

I stare at it until the words blur. This isn't a social call. It's an interrogation.

---

The Former Luna's sitting room smells like jasmine and judgment. She pours tea with practiced grace, her movements precise as a blade. I sit across from her, my hands folded in my lap to hide their shaking.

'Sugar?' she asks.

'No, thank you.'

She adds three cubes to her own cup, stirring slowly. The spoon clinks against porcelain, each sound deliberate. 'Lainey takes her tea the same way. Sweet. Refined.'

I don't respond. There's nothing to say to that.

'She's quite remarkable, isn't she?' The Former Luna continues, her eyes never leaving my face. 'So generous. Saving my son's life, funding the treaty gala. The kind of Luna this pack deserves.'

My throat tightens. 'I've tried to serve the pack well.'

'Have you?' She sets down her cup. 'Tell me, Avery. Where were you the night of the rogue attack? Five years ago, when Sebastian nearly died?'

The question lands like a punch. 'I... I was at the Wood Pack.'

'Doing what?'

'Taking care of my mother. She was sick.'

'And yet Lainey was here. Donating her blood. Saving Sebastian.' Her voice sharpens. 'Strange, isn't it? That you would end up as his mate when she's the one who gave him life?'

I want to tell her the truth. That I'm the one who donated blood, who begged Elena Cross to keep it anonymous because I was nobody. But Sebastian's words echo in my head. Get stronger. Stop being weak.

If I admit it now, I'll sound desperate. Like I'm making excuses.

'I don't know what Lainey told you,' I say carefully, 'but—'

'She showed me proof. Medical records. Signed documents.' The Former Luna leans forward. 'What do you have, Avery? Besides my son's mark on your neck?'

Nothing. I have nothing.

The silence stretches between us like a chasm. She reads my face, and I watch her decision crystallize. Her expression hardens into something cold and final.

'I think,' she says, 'it's time we corrected a mistake.'

---

The storm hits at midnight. Rain hammers against the windows, and thunder shakes the pack house foundations. Sebastian left hours ago to patrol the eastern border—reports of rogue activity, Marcus said. He'll be gone all night.

I'm reviewing supply reports when the mind-link comes through.

'Luna.' Derek's voice, hesitant. 'I need to speak with you. It's about Lainey. It's urgent.'

I should ignore it. Every instinct screams danger. But if Derek has information about whatever Lainey's planning next, I need to know.

'Where?'

'The library. Please. Come alone.'

The library is dark when I arrive, lit only by a single lamp. Derek stands by the window, his back to me. Rain streams down the glass behind him.

'What is it?' I ask.

He turns, and something's wrong with his eyes. They're too bright, too desperate. 'I'm sorry,' he says.

'Sorry for what?'

He gestures to the table. There's a glass of water there, condensation beading on the sides. 'You should sit. This is... it's complicated.'

I don't sit. 'Just tell me.'

'Please.' His voice cracks. 'Just... have some water. And sit.'

The wrongness intensifies, but I'm tired. Tired of fighting, tired of being afraid. I pick up the glass and take a sip.

The taste hits wrong immediately. Bitter. Metallic.

Wolfsbane.

I drop the glass. It shatters, water spreading across the floor like blood. 'What did you—'

My legs give out. Derek catches me, and I try to fight, but my body won't respond. The wolfsbane works fast, turning my muscles to water.

'I'm sorry,' he says again, and he sounds like he means it. 'I'm so sorry.'

He lowers me to the floor. My vision blurs. I watch through a haze as he pulls off his shirt, as he tears my dress at the shoulder. The fabric rips loud in the quiet.

No. No, no, no.

I try to scream, but nothing comes out. The wolfsbane has stolen my voice, my strength, everything.

Derek positions himself beside me, his face twisted with guilt. 'She said it was the only way,' he whispers. 'She said you'd understand eventually.'

Footsteps echo in the hallway. Multiple sets. Coming closer.

The library doors slam open.

Lainey stands in the doorway, the Former Luna and three pack elders behind her. Her eyes go wide, her hand flying to her mouth in perfect shock.

'Oh my God,' she breathes. 'Avery, what have you done?'

More footsteps. Heavier. I know that tread.

Sebastian appears behind the elders, rain-soaked and furious. His eyes find me on the floor, my dress torn, Derek shirtless beside me.

Everything stops.

'She seduced me,' Derek says, his voice hollow. 'She said she needed to feel wanted. That being wolfless made her desperate for any wolf's touch.'

The lie hangs in the air like poison.

Sebastian's face goes blank. Completely, utterly blank. It's worse than rage. Worse than anything.

'Sebastian,' I try to say, but the wolfsbane steals the words. All that comes out is a broken sound.

Lainey steps forward, tears streaming down her face. 'She's broken the sacred mate bond. She's betrayed you. Betrayed the pack.'

The Former Luna's voice cuts through the chaos. 'The law is clear. A Luna who breaks the mate bond must be rejected and exiled.'

Sebastian's eyes meet mine. For one second, I see something flicker there. Recognition. Understanding.

Then it's gone.

'Everyone out,' he says, his voice dead. 'Now.'