When My Mate Planned to Crown His Mistress Luna

The sedative pulled me under in waves. My limbs felt distant, like they belonged to someone else. The healer's wing smelled like antiseptic and dried lavender. I kept my breathing slow and even, my eyes sealed shut, my body slack against the thin mattress.

Footsteps approached. Two sets. I knew them both by sound alone—Travis's heavy, confident stride and Tiffany's lighter, quicker steps. They stopped at my bedside. I felt the shift in air pressure as they leaned close.

"Is she out?" Travis's voice was low, careful.

"Completely." Sera's answer came from somewhere near the door. "That dose would drop a full-grown Alpha. She won't wake for hours. I'll be in the supply room if you need me."

The door clicked shut. Silence stretched between them. Then Travis exhaled, and I heard the scrape of a chair being pulled close. He sat. Tiffany remained standing.

"This is bad," Tiffany whispered. Her voice shook. "What if she suspects?"

"She doesn't." Travis's tone was flat, certain. "Look at her. She's broken. Exactly what we need her to be."

My wolf stirred beneath the sedative's weight, a low snarl trapped in my chest. I forced her down. Forced every muscle to stay loose.

"I didn't think Wesley would actually do it," Tiffany said. The words came out rushed, guilty. "I thought he'd fight. Negotiate. Not—"

"He was always going to break." Travis cut her off. "That's what happens when your entire identity is wrapped up in a bloodline legacy. Take that away, and there's nothing left."

"But his mate—"

"Collateral damage." Travis's voice hardened. "We didn't plan for the bond-death, but it doesn't change anything. If anything, it makes this cleaner. Addison's orphaned. Vulnerable. She'll cling to me now more than ever."

Tiffany was quiet for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was smaller. "I planted the corrupted data where he'd find it. Just like you said. I watched him open the files. His face—" She broke off. "He knew immediately what it meant. That the bloodline was compromised. Permanently."

"Good." Travis shifted in his chair. I felt his hand brush my arm, a gentle touch that made my stomach turn. "You did exactly what needed to be done."

"And the Mate Ceremony?" Tiffany's voice rose slightly. "We're still going through with it?"

"Of course we are." Travis sounded almost amused. "Three weeks from now, Addison becomes my Luna. The Powell bloodline power gets legitimized under Ironclad's name. And you—" He paused. "You get what I promised."

"The Luna title," Tiffany breathed. "You swore."

"I did." His voice dropped into that rough, intimate register I knew too well. "But you need to stay calm. Stay focused. Addison can't suspect anything. Not now. Not when we're this close."

I heard fabric rustle. The wet sound of a kiss. Brief. Possessive.

"I should go," Tiffany whispered. "Sera might come back."

"Wait." Travis's chair scraped as he stood. "One more thing. After the ceremony, we'll need to handle the Silverpine pack members still loyal to the Powell name. Some of them won't accept the transition quietly."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing yet. Just keep your ear to the ground. Let me know if anyone starts asking questions."

Their footsteps retreated. The door opened and closed. And then I was alone.

I lay perfectly still for another ten minutes, counting my heartbeats, letting the sedative's fog thin at the edges. My wolf was no longer howling. She was silent. Calculating. The grief that had been a raw, bleeding wound in my chest was hardening into something else. Something cold and architectural.

They had killed my parents. Not directly—Travis was right about that. But they had set the trap. Tiffany had planted the corrupted data. They had stolen the Powell bloodline, knowing exactly what it would do to my father. Knowing he would break.

And now they were planning to legitimize that theft by marking me as Luna. By using the mate bond—the Moon Goddess's sacred gift—as a tool to steal everything my family had built.

I opened my eyes. The ceiling above me was white and featureless. I stared at it until the shaking in my hands stopped. Until my breathing steadied. Until I could think clearly.

Three weeks until the Mate Ceremony. Three weeks to gather evidence. To build a trap of my own.

I pressed my wrist to my pulse point and held it there. Grounding. Centering. My wolf settled beneath my skin, her rage controlled, her focus absolute.

When Sera returned an hour later, I was ready. I let my eyes flutter open slowly, confused and disoriented. Let my voice crack when I whispered her name.

"You're awake," she said gently, moving to my bedside. "How do you feel?"

"Tired." I forced tears into my eyes. It wasn't hard. "Empty."

"That's normal." She adjusted the IV line in my arm. "You've been through an unimaginable loss, Addison. Your body needs time to process the trauma."

I nodded weakly. Let a tear slide down my cheek. "Can I stay here? Just for tonight? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course." Sera's expression softened. "You can stay as long as you need."

But I didn't need long. Just long enough to plan my next move.

Three days later, I rose from the healer's bed and walked to Travis's office. My steps were slow, hesitant. My scent carefully modulated to radiate desperate attachment and fragile dependence. When I knocked on his door, my hand trembled.

"Come in."

Travis looked up from his desk as I entered. His expression shifted immediately—concern, warmth, that practiced Alpha protectiveness that used to make me feel safe. Now it made my skin crawl.

"Addie." He stood, crossing the room in three strides. His hands cupped my face, his thumbs brushing my cheekbones. "You should still be resting."

"I can't." My voice broke perfectly. "I can't go back to Silverpine. Not yet. The house is empty. Everything there—" I let the words dissolve into a sob.

His arms came around me, pulling me against his chest. His scent wrapped around me—cedar and rain—and my wolf recoiled. But I forced her to stay quiet. Forced my body to lean into him.

"Then don't," he murmured into my hair. "Stay here. Stay with me."

I pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. Let mine be wide, vulnerable, desperately grateful. "Are you sure? I don't want to be a burden."

"You could never be a burden." His voice dropped into that Alpha tone, warm and commanding. "You're my mate, Addison. You belong here. With me."

I nodded, letting relief flood my expression. "Thank you."

He kissed my forehead. "I'll have the guest suite prepared. You can stay as long as you need."

That evening, I moved into the suite adjacent to his quarters. The Ironclad pack members whispered as I passed—poor thing, so broken, thank the Moon Goddess she has her Alpha. I kept my head down, my shoulders hunched, my scent carefully controlled.

And when Travis announced at dinner that I was recovering from traumatic grief before our Mate Ceremony, I smiled weakly and reached for his hand.

The performance had begun.