His Mistress Wore My Luna Crown

The plastic stick felt like a burning coal in my hand, yet my fingers refused to let go. When the office door creaked open, I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. The air suddenly grew heavy, charged with the ozone scent of Alpha power.

“Jax,” I said, my voice trembling not with fear, but with a rage so cold it burned. I turned slowly, holding the pregnancy test up to the light. “Explain this.”

Jax stopped in the center of the room. He didn’t look guilty. He didn’t look ashamed. He looked… relieved. He walked to his desk, bypassing me entirely as if I were a piece of furniture.

“It is exactly what it looks like, Camille,” he said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “It is the future of the Silverclaw Pack. Something you failed to provide for seven years.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “Failed? You haven’t touched me in seven years! You told me it was agony. You told me your wolf would kill me if you tried!”

“And it would have,” he snapped, finally meeting my eyes. His gaze was hard, devoid of the affection he used to fake so well. “But with Ezra… it is different. She is my cure. The Moon Goddess sent her to me. She is my True Fated Mate.”

“So I was just a placeholder?” I stepped forward, my voice rising. “I protected your secret. I let the pack call me barren. I let your mother spit on my name to keep you safe! And you—”

“Enough!”

The command slammed into me like a physical blow. He used the Alpha Tone. My wolf whimpered in submission, forcing my knees to buckle. I caught myself on the edge of the desk, gasping for air as the supernatural weight of his order crushed my vocal cords shut.

Jax leaned in close, his face inches from mine. “You are the Luna by law, Camille. But Ezra? She is the Luna by blood. She carries my heir. You will not ruin this. You will play your part.”

The humiliation was a bitter pill, but I swallowed it. I had no choice.

Two days later, the preparation for the Annual Alpha Summit was a blur of silk and hairspray. I stood in front of the full-length mirror in the master suite—a room I was rarely invited into. I reached for the velvet box on the vanity, my fingers brushing the cool latch. Inside were the Silverclaw Ceremonial Emeralds, a heavy necklace worn by every Luna for five generations.

“Not those,” Jax’s voice cut through the silence.

I froze. “These are the Luna’s jewels, Jax. Tradition dictates—”

“Tradition dictates that the mother of the future Alpha wears the protection of the pack.” He snatched the box from my hand and turned to the chaise lounge where Ezra sat, looking small and wide-eyed in a gown of shimmering gold.

“Ezra needs to test the weight,” Jax said, walking over to her. He looked back at me, his eyes cold. “Help her with the clasp, Camille. Your fingers are nimble.”

My heart hammered against my ribs. He wanted me to dress his mistress in my jewels.

“Of course, Alpha,” I whispered, the taste of ash in my mouth.

I walked over to Ezra. She smelled of vanilla and artificial sweetness. As I fastened the heavy emeralds around her neck, she looked up at me in the mirror. Her lips curled into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“It’s so heavy, Luna Camille,” she cooed, touching the gems. “I don’t know how you bore it for so long.”

“You get used to the weight,” I said stiffly, pulling my hands away as if burned. “Just don’t trip.”

The Summit was held in a sprawling ballroom in the neutral territory of the capital. Chandeliers dripped crystals from the ceiling, and the air buzzed with the power of fifty gathered Alphas. I walked a step behind Jax, my neck bare, while Ezra walked on his arm, the emeralds glittering at her throat.

We sat at the front table. I could feel the eyes of the other packs on us. Whispers traveled like wildfire. *Why is the Luna unadorned? Who is the girl?*

Then came the auction. It was a charity event, a display of wealth and power. The auctioneer unveiled the final item: a rare Moonstone necklace, said to bless the wearer with fertility and safe childbirth.

“Bidding starts at five hundred thousand,” the auctioneer announced.

“One million,” Jax’s voice rang out instantly.

I grabbed his arm under the table. “Jax,” I hissed. “Eugene said the border patrol budget was tight. We cannot afford—”

“Two million,” a rival Alpha called out.

Jax shook off my hand. “Five million.”

The room gasped. Five million dollars. That was half our liquid assets. Money we needed for winter supplies, for the infirmary, for the pack.

“Sold! To Alpha Marshall of the Silverclaw Pack!”

Jax stood up, striding to the stage to collect the box. He didn’t return to his seat immediately. Instead, he took the microphone. The room fell silent.

“This pack has waited a long time for a future,” Jax announced, his voice booming with pride. He turned and beckoned Ezra to the stage. She floated up the stairs, feigning shyness.

Jax opened the box, revealing the glowing moonstone. In front of the entire council, in front of Alpha Makenna Davis of the Blood Moon Pack who watched with narrowed, pitying eyes, Jax clasped the necklace around Ezra’s neck, right above my emeralds.

“To Ezra,” Jax declared, raising a glass of champagne. “To the true mate of my soul, and the mother of the future Alpha.”

The applause was polite, confused, scattered. But the ringing in my ears was deafening. He hadn’t just bought a necklace. He had publicly declared me obsolete. I sat frozen in my chair, the Iron Luna rusting into dust, while the man I had protected for seven years sold our pack’s safety to adorn the woman who was stealing my life.