My Alpha Chose the Fake Luna

The familiar scent of pine and wildflowers should have welcomed me home. Instead, it felt like walking into a stranger's territory.

My boots echoed against the marble floors of the Crescent Creek Pack house as I dragged my duffel bag behind me. Five years. Five years of fighting rogues at the Northern Borders, of nearly dying more times than I could count, of dreaming about this moment.

"Carter will be so proud," I whispered to myself, touching my father's ring for courage. The silver band felt cool against my skin, a reminder of the legacy I was meant to uphold.

I'd sent no warning of my return. No calls, no messages. I wanted to see his face light up when he saw me—the woman who'd proven herself worthy of being his Luna.

The hallway to the Luna's suite stretched before me, each step heavier than the last. Something felt wrong. The air carried a sickly sweet fragrance that made my wolf bristle.

"Evie?" A young Omega maid gasped, dropping her cleaning supplies. "You're back!"

"Hello, Lily," I smiled, though it didn't reach my eyes. "Is Carter in his office?"

She shifted uncomfortably, her gaze darting to the floor. "Alpha Carter is... busy. But Luna Alice said—"

"Luna Alice?" The words felt like ice in my mouth.

The maid's eyes widened. "I mean... I should go."

She scurried away, leaving me standing before the suite doors—my suite doors. Except they weren't mine anymore.

I pushed them open and froze.

Black trash bags lined the hallway, each one stuffed with my belongings. My books, my clothes, my life—discarded like garbage.

The room beyond had been transformed. Pink silk curtains replaced my simple whites. Gold filigree adorned every surface. And everywhere, that cloying vanilla scent that made my stomach turn.

"Luna Alice had the room redecorated," a voice said behind me. Another maid, this one older and more composed. "She said it needed a woman's touch."

"This was my room," I said quietly.

The maid's eyes flickered with pity. "It's been Luna Alice's suite for three months now."

---

I didn't remember walking to Carter's office. One moment I was staring at my discarded life, the next I was pushing open his door without knocking.

He stood behind his desk, papers spread before him like a shield. No hug. No smile. Just those familiar green eyes that wouldn't meet mine.

"Evie," he said, my name sounding foreign on his lips. "You should have called."

"I wanted to surprise you," I replied, my voice steadier than I felt. "I finished my service at the borders. I'm here for our ceremony."

Carter's jaw tightened. He straightened papers that were already neat, avoiding my gaze. "About that..."

Something in his tone made my wolf snarl.

"I won't be completing the Mating Ceremony with you," he said finally, the words falling between us like stones. "The pack needs a different kind of Luna now."

"A different kind?" I repeated, numbness spreading through my chest.

"A gentle soul,"