My Alpha Chose His Stepsister, So I Became His Enemy

For three years, I loved Alpha Damon enough to swallow every humiliation. Then he left me at the mating altar for his stepsister and expected me to understand. I walked away from him, from his pack, and from the fake Moon Goddess decree she used to destroy me. He thought I was only heartbroken. He did not know I was the hidden heir of Ravencrest, and the next time we met, I would return as his conqueror.

I looked over the wolves gathered beneath the altar and let my gaze go cold.

"I'm sorry, everyone. The ceremony can't proceed."

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

"How many times has this been now? Our Alpha obviously doesn't want to marry her. How can she be so shameless?"

"If I were her, I'd be too embarrassed to show my face. Riding on some tiny favor to force a mating with the Alpha? She must be desperate."

Ever since my wolf awakened, my hearing had been exceptionally sharp. Every word reached me clearly.

In the past, every time Damon left me behind, I would take the blame and make excuses for him.

This time, I smiled.

"The ceremony is canceled because your Alpha ran off with his stepsister. I'm officially and permanently canceling my mating ceremony with Damon. From this moment on, he and I have nothing to do with each other."

I tore off my veil, ignored the strange looks, and walked out.

Back at the villa Damon and I had shared, the door code failed. Again.

I was not surprised.

Every time Elara visited, she changed the door code.

She would let me bang on the door for hours before finally opening it with a show of innocence, claiming her music had been too loud to hear.

Such a flimsy excuse, yet Damon never questioned it.

This time, I was done playing their game.

I called a locksmith.

The locksmith was working on the lock when the door swung open from inside.

Damon stood there, brows furrowed.

"What are you doing? If you can't get in, why didn't you call me?"

I pulled out my phone and waved the screen of missed calls at him.

"You didn't pick up."

He instinctively reached for his phone.

That was when Elara appeared behind him, holding his phone, her face full of apology.

"Sorry, I got so caught up in my game that I didn't notice Sable calling you."

"You let her use your phone?"

I stared at Damon, a bitter ache rising in my chest.

Damon had always been obsessive about his boundaries.

In three years together, he had never once let me touch his phone.

Just last month, I'd fallen off a cliff during training and gotten hurt. My phone wasn't on me, and I'd asked to borrow his to call a doctor. He still refused.

I could still hear his exact words.

"Sable, a strong wolf doesn't call for help over a minor training injury."

"Besides, my phone is personal. I can't just let you go through it."

I ended up limping out of the mountains alone, gritting my teeth through the pain.

Yet here was Elara, casually playing games on it.

Damon looked away.

"Elara works hard. She needs a way to unwind. Stop being jealous over every little thing."

I nodded.

"Got it. I'm going in to pack my things."

He turned and went inside. Elara followed.

I paid the locksmith.

The moment I stepped in, Elara spoke up with a grin.

"Sable, the Moon Goddess just delivered a decree. Your body is steeped in dark energy. You need to go guard Blackthorn Ridge for a year, or you'll face divine punishment."

My hands froze over the clothes I was folding. I looked at Damon.

"You believe that?"

Blackthorn Ridge was riddled with toxic miasma and unknown dangers. Even the most seasoned wolf would barely survive it.

Damon didn't even look up.

"The Moon Goddess is the highest power in our pack. We should all obey Her will."

Elara sidled up to me, wearing her best concerned expression.

"If you truly loved Damon, you wouldn't defy the Moon Goddess's decree and stay in the pack knowing your body is tainted."

"It's only a year. Just go and try it. What's there to hesitate about?"

I scoffed.

"Easy for someone to say whatever she wants when she's hiding behind a fake title."

The instant the words left my mouth, Elara's eyes reddened.

"Sable, everything I do is for the pack, and you doubt me..."

Damon's voice turned cold.

"Apologize to Elara."

"An apology? Not happening. But I will do what she wants and stay far away from you."

I ignored him. My things were mostly packed. I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door.

Damon's phone buzzed. He glanced down at it.

Then he came after me.

"What was that about at the altar? What do you mean the mating ceremony is permanently canceled?"

Damon grabbed my wrist, displeasure written all over his face.

"I know calling you at the last minute to cancel the mating upset you."

"But everything I did was in obedience to the Moon Goddess's decree, and for our future. As the future Luna, can't you be a little more understanding?"

I wrenched free and shook my head.

"I won't be your Luna."

"I meant every word I said at that altar."

After leaving the villa, I checked into a hotel.

My phone buzzed in my bag.

It was my father.

"I already know what happened at the mating ceremony."

"This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last. A man who truly wants to mate with you will make it happen no matter what. But if he doesn't want to, he'll always find an excuse."

"My girl, are you sure you still want him as your mate?"

It had taken my father a single remark to grasp what I had needed ninety-nine tries to understand.

I answered softly.

"It's over between us. Whatever you've been planning, you don't need to hold back on my account."

A smile crept into his voice.

"Good! That's my daughter. The future female Alpha of Ravencrest doesn't do anything halfway!"

"Want me to send someone to pick you up? The sooner you leave that sorry excuse of a pack, the better."

"No. I'll come home on my own later."

I hung up and sank into a deep sleep.