My Alpha Chose My Stepsister, The Lycan King Chose Me

"Just close your eyes, Isabella. I will be right here when you wake up."

Ethan Blackwood’s large hand engulfed mine. As the future Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, his touch usually carried absolute authority. Today, it offered nothing but comfort.

"Are you scared?" Ethan tilted his head, his gaze softening.

"A little." I stared up at the harsh hospital lights. "But Sophia needs this. Her body is failing."

"You are brave, Isabella. Braver than anyone in this pack."

"I just want my stepsister to be healthy. I want us to be a real family."

"You will have a family. With me." Ethan leaned over the railing of the gurney. "Once the doctors finish, I will prepare the stage. The Blackwood Pack needs its Luna. We hold the Mate Ceremony tonight."

"Tonight?" I frowned. "But I will be recovering."

"You only need to stand by my side. I will handle the rest. You are going to be my only Luna."

"Promise?"

"I swear it." He pressed his lips against my forehead.

I smiled, letting the anesthesia pull me under.

***

A sharp sting in my side dragged me back to consciousness.

"Thank the Goddess it is finally over."

The voice belonged to Margaret Ashford, my stepmother. It sounded harsh, completely lacking her usual sugary sweetness.

"Margaret, keep your voice down." My father, Richard Ashford, paced near the foot of my bed. "The nurses are just outside."

I kept my eyes shut. My mouth felt dry as sand.

"Let them hear." Margaret scoffed. "I am exhausted, Richard. Do you know how hard it is to smile at that girl every single day?"

"She saved Sophia's life."

"She did what she was born to do. I only tolerated that illegitimate brat in my house because her tissue matched our daughter's. Now that Sophia has her kidney, I refuse to play mother to a bastard."

My chest squeezed. The monitor beside my bed beeped a steady rhythm, masking the sudden pounding of my heart.

"Margaret, calm down."

"Do not tell me to calm down, Richard! For years, I had to watch you feed and clothe the result of your infidelity. I had to pretend she was part of this family."

"You do not have to anymore." Richard stopped pacing. His voice held zero sympathy for me. "Her greatest value was the transplant. Now, we focus on Sophia."

"Sophia is the one who truly deserves to be Luna." Margaret’s tone sharpened. "Not this useless spare part."

"Ethan knows what to do. Come on, let's go check on Sophia."

The heavy wooden door clicked shut.

I opened my eyes to an empty room. My own father. He only saw me as an organ donor for his legitimate child.

I ripped the thin hospital blanket off. Pain flared across my stitched abdomen, but I ignored it. I yanked the IV needle from my vein. A drop of blood hit the white tile floor.

I needed Ethan. He was my fated mate. He would protect me from them.

***

I found him in the pack house corridor. He wore his ceremonial black suit, adjusting his cuffs under the dim hallway lights.

"Ethan!"

He spun around. His brow furrowed. "Isabella? What are you doing out of bed? You are bleeding."

I stumbled forward, gripping his sleeve. "My parents. They lied about everything."

"Calm down. You are hysterical."

"Do not tell me to calm down!" I shouted. "I heard them in the hospital room. Margaret said she only kept me around for my organs. She called me a bastard."

Ethan did not pull me into his arms. He gently pried my fingers off his jacket.

"She is just tired, Isabella."

"She said Sophia should be your Luna, Ethan! My own father agreed with her."

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Defend me! You are my mate."

"I am the future Alpha." His tone turned flat, devoid of the warmth he showed before the operation. "I do not get involved in petty family gossip. Margaret cared for you when she didn't have to."

"She fed me so I would be healthy enough to be harvested!"

"Do not speak about her that way." Ethan’s eyes flashed with annoyance. "She spent months agonizing over Sophia’s illness. If she vented some frustration today, you should be understanding."

"Understanding?" I stared at him, searching his face for any sign of the man who kissed my forehead hours ago. "I owe her? I just gave up half my kidney!"

"Go back to your room, Isabella. You are making a scene."

"Are we still having the ceremony tonight?"

"The ceremony is happening." He stepped back, creating a physical distance between us. "Now go rest."

I swallowed the bitter taste on my tongue. I pressed a hand to my aching side. He was just stressed about the event. Once he announced me as his mate tonight, Margaret’s cruel words would not matter. I had to trust the bond.

***

Torches illuminated the pack square. Hundreds of wolves gathered, their voices blending into a loud hum of excitement.

I stood in the front row. I wore the traditional white gown, the silk fabric brushing against my bandages. Every breath sent a jolt of pain through my torso.

Ethan stepped onto the wooden platform. The crowd instantly fell silent.

"Alpha Ethan!" a man shouted from the back. "Give us our Luna!"

"Tonight, the Blackwood Pack secures its future." Ethan’s voice boomed across the square. "A pack is only as strong as its leaders. And an Alpha is only as strong as his Luna. The woman who stands beside me must be pure of heart, strong in spirit, and worthy of your loyalty."

I took a step forward, waiting for him to call my name. My heart hammered against my ribs.

"I have made my choice." Ethan raised his chin. "A choice for the strength of our bloodline."

He did not look at me. His gaze locked onto the shadows near the edge of the stage.

Sophia Ashford stepped into the light. She wore a dress identical to mine. Her cheeks were flushed with color, showing absolutely no signs of the life-saving surgery we just shared.

"Sophia Ashford." Ethan reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her up onto the stage. "My chosen mate."

"No." I shook my head, the single word slipping past my lips.

The pack erupted into a deafening roar of approval.

"What is she doing up there?" a woman whispered next to me.

"Isn't Isabella his fated mate?" another asked.

Sophia smiled, stepping up beside him. Ethan pulled her waist flush against his and kissed her deeply in front of everyone.

A violent tear ripped through the center of my chest.

My wolf screamed. The sound echoed inside my skull, loud and agonizing. The mate bond snapped. It felt like someone reached into my ribs and crushed my heart with their bare hands.

My knees hit the dirt.

"Ethan!" I screamed over the cheering crowd.

He broke the kiss. His cold eyes found me kneeling in the dirt. He did not flinch. He did not care.

I clutched my stomach as fresh blood began to seep through my white dress. I had given away my kidney. I had given away my trust.

Sophia looked down at me, a victorious smirk playing on her lips.

My body trembled as the excruciating pain of the severed bond radiated through my veins. The man I loved stood on the stage holding the sister I saved.

I finally realized the truth. I had not just lost my wedding tonight. I had lost my entire future.

A heavy silence suddenly swept over the edges of the crowd. The cheering died down as a massive, unfamiliar shadow detached from the tree line, stepping into the torchlight.