The Stand In Luna: Forgotten Mate

Melissa

The bandages around my head felt tighter at night.

Maybe it was not the cloth itself, but the thoughts pressing against my skull, refusing to let me rest.

Since Arabella and Hunter arrived, Alpha Warren had not slept in our shared room.

Our room. I almost laughed at the word.

He came in once during the afternoon to retrieve some clothes. He did not look at me. He did not ask if my head still hurt. He simply opened the wardrobe, gathered his shirts, and left as if I were nothing more than a piece of furniture occupying the corner.

Five years of sharing a bed, and now there was only cold space beside me.

I sat up slowly, wincing at the dull ache in my head. Moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting pale shadows across the floor. That was when I noticed something near the cabinet.

A phone.

It lay facedown on the wooden floor, partially hidden by the edge of the rug.

My breath caught. Alpha Warren must have dropped it earlier when he took his clothes.

For a long moment, I simply stared at it.

Then I stood up and picked it up with trembling fingers. His scent lingered faintly on the case.

I hesitated only a second before pressing the power button.

Locked. Of course.

I swallowed and typed his birthday. Wrong password. I tried mine next, though I did not know why I bothered. Wrong again.

A bitter smile curved my lips.

Why would he use my birthday?

Then a thought crept into my mind like a snake slithering through grass.

Arabella. My hands felt colder as I reached for my own phone and opened social media. It did not take long to find her account. Elegant photos. Smiling selfies. Comments filled with admiration from pack members.

I scrolled until I found a birthday post from two years ago.

July 17.

My fingers hovered over the screen before I typed the numbers into his phone.

The screen unlocked instantly. For a moment, I could not breathe.

Her birthday. He used her birthday. Not mine. Not our anniversary. Hers.

My chest tightened painfully, but I forced myself to open his messages.

Arabella’s name was at the top. Of course it was.

I opened the thread. The most recent message from him read: I promised, this week I will break up with her. Just give me time.

My vision blurred.

Break up with her. With me.

Arabella:

I don’t understand why it’s taking you so long. You told me you just saw me in her. Because we look similar. But it’s been two years since we met again, and she’s still with you. I’m running out of patience, Alpha.

Two years. They had reconnected two years ago. Two years of him touching me while thinking of someone else.

My hands trembled as I continued reading.

Alpha Warren:

You know about Fallendawn Pack, right? They’ve been bothering me, sending emails and damn letters every day to get that maid. They’re my nemesis. I don’t know what’s with Melissa, but I can’t let my nemesis get her.

Fallendawn. My stomach dropped.

Arabella:

I know you hate Fallendawn, but is she really worth keeping? What if she just had debts from them? We won’t know, Alpha.

Alpha Warren:

I promise I’ll do it this week. The plan. We can’t let them have her. I’d rather keep her away from Fallendawn.

I stopped reading. My head pounded harder than before.

Fallendawn Pack. I knew the name. Everyone did. They were Nightfall’s long-standing enemy, rival alphas clashing over territory for decades.

But why would they want me? I was nothing. Just a maid.

Why would two powerful packs fight over someone like me? The sound of footsteps approaching the door snapped me out of my daze.

Panic surged through me. I quickly locked the phone and placed it back on the cabinet where I found it, stepping away just as the door opened.

Alpha Warren entered, his brows slightly furrowed.

“Have you seen my phone?” he asked.

I forced myself to meet his eyes calmly and picked it up from the cabinet. “You dropped it earlier.”

He took it from my hand, his fingers brushing mine briefly. For a split second, I wondered if he could feel my heart racing.

“Be more careful,” I said quietly. “It might break.”

He nodded absentmindedly, already checking the screen. “I will.”

No suspicion crossed his face. He left without another word.

I sat back down slowly on the edge of the bed.

The plan. They had a plan. And it involved me.

The realization settled heavily in my chest. I was not being kept out of love. I was being kept out of strategy.

And whatever this plan was, it was dangerous.

The next day, I spent hours searching for information about Fallendawn Pack. Old archives. Pack records. Gossip forums. Anything.

There was plenty about their strength, their wealth, their dominance in the western territories. But nothing about their Alpha. No name. No photograph. No details. It was as if he did not exist publicly.

The more I searched, the more frustrated I became.

Why did they want me? What was so special about me that two rival packs would fight over my existence?

A knock sounded at my door. I froze.

Warren never knocked. He simply entered as if everything inside the room belonged to him.

My pulse quickened.

“Who is it?” I called out cautiously.

“It’s me.” It was Hunter, Arabella’s brother.

My stomach twisted.

I should not open the door. But if I did not, he might cause a scene outside. Slowly, I approached and opened it just slightly.

He stood there with a lazy smile, hands in his pockets.

“You didn’t come down for lunch,” he said, eyes roaming over me again.

“I wasn’t hungry.”

He leaned closer, pressing one hand against the door to push it wider.

“I wanted to check on you. After the accident.”

His tone made the word accident sound filthy.

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, trying to close the door.

But he pushed harder, forcing his way inside.

“Hunter, leave.”

He shut the door behind him. The air in the room felt suffocating instantly.

“You know,” he murmured, stepping closer, “you look even prettier up close.”

My back hit the wall. “Stop.”

He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from my face. His touch made my skin crawl.

“I’ve been thinking,” he continued, voice lowering, “if my sister doesn’t want you around, maybe I can keep you instead.”

Fear shot through me.

“I’m engaged to Alpha Warren.”

He laughed softly. “For now.”

His hand slid down my arm, gripping tighter than necessary.

“Let go of me.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t see the way I look at you,” he whispered, pressing his body closer. “You’re wasted here.”

His fingers tugged at my dress.

I shoved him, but he was stronger.

“Hunter!” I screamed.

He covered my mouth briefly, pushing me against the bed.

“Stop fighting,” he muttered. “You’ll enjoy it.”

He kissed me torridly and tried touching my body. Terror flooded my veins.

I bit his lips as hard as I could.

He cursed loudly. That was when the door burst open.

Alpha Warren stood at the entrance. His eyes widened at the sight before him.

Hunter stepped back immediately.

I scrambled away, clutching my torn dress, shaking uncontrollably.

For a moment, no one spoke. Alpha Warren looked from me to Hunter.

“What is going on?” he demanded.

Hunter lifted his hands casually. “Nothing. She misunderstood.”

Misunderstood? I stared at Alpha Warren desperately, waiting for him to defend me. To attack Hunter. To show even a fraction of the rage he once showed when someone insulted me.

Instead, he stood there. Frozen. Calculating.

The commotion had stopped simply because he arrived. Not because he did anything.

I began to cry. I cried like something inside me had finally shattered.

Alpha Warren finally stepped forward. “Hunter, leave.”

Hunter smirked faintly and walked out as if nothing had happened. The door closed behind him.

Alpha Warren looked at me, eyes conflicted.

“Melissa…”

I backed away. “Don’t,” I whispered.

He did not touch me. He did not apologize. He did not promise to punish Hunter.

That was when I understood something painfully clear.

I was alone in this pack. Completely alone.

That very day, with the remaining money I had saved secretly over the years, I filed a formal complaint against Hunter through the regional pack council.

It was risky. It was dangerous. But I refused to stay silent.

If they were planning something behind my back, then I would start protecting myself.

Because no one else would.