The Rejected Sister Who Became the Alpha King's Luna

"Are you deaf? I said Elara just ran into the Shadow Woods!" Tara hissed, shoving my shoulder to get my attention.

"The forbidden zone? Is she insane?" Mira asked, dropping her polishing cloth.

I froze. The ceremonial silver bowl slipped from my grasp, clattering against the stone altar. Water spilled over the ancient runes, soaking my sleeves.

"When did she leave?" I asked, grabbing Tara's forearm.

"Two minutes ago," Tara squeaked, shrinking back from my grip. "She sprinted right past the guards during the shift change. Just took off without a single word."

"Did anyone try to stop her?"

"Gael yelled at her, but she ignored him. She looked frantic. Like she was racing against a clock."

I released Tara's arm. My pulse hammered a rapid rhythm against my ribs.

*She went to the woods.*

*She knows.*

A sharp vision pierced my skull. Searing pain. A silver blade twisting in my back. Elara standing over me, wearing a crown woven of night-shade, her voice laced with poison.

*"Thanks for the prince, sister. I'll take it from here."*

In that past life, I was the one who wandered into the woods. I found the bleeding Prince. I stopped his hemorrhage. I became the kingdom's savior.

And Elara spent three years plotting in the shadows until she stole my title, my mate, and my life.

Now, she was sprinting straight toward the clearing. She was stealing the starting line.

The shock evaporated from my veins. A cold, sharp calm settled over my skin.

"Let her go," I said.

Mira stared at me, her eyes wide. "But the elders will punish her! The wolves out there—"

"I said, let her go."

"Lyra, she could die!"

"She won't die," I replied, turning back to the altar to pick up the fallen bowl. "She knows exactly what she's doing."

A heavy horn blast shattered the morning air.

The ground trembled beneath our boots. The plaza erupted into chaos as members of the Thorne pack scrambled out of the way.

"The Black Wolf Cavalry!" a guard shouted from the watchtower. "Open the iron gates!"

Massive dire wolves, coats black as pitch, stormed into the courtyard. Armored riders sat atop them, carrying the silver-moon banners of the Royal House. The beasts snarled, their massive paws cracking the paving stones.

The lead rider pulled his mount to a halt. The wolf snapped its jaws, silencing the murmuring crowd.

"Hear this!" the commander barked, lifting his visor. "Alpha Prince Kaelen has been found!"

Whispers swept through the plaza like wildfire.

"He survived the ambush?" Mira whispered, clutching her hands to her chest.

"Silence!" the commander roared. "The Prince survived. And he has found his savior. He returns now to present his chosen bride."

"Bride?" Elder Faron gasped, stepping out from the sanctuary steps. "He chooses a mate today? But the trials—"

"The Royal decree stands," the commander interrupted. "The one who saved the Royal bloodline shall share the throne. No trials are necessary."

The crowd parted, forming a wide aisle toward the altar.

I didn't need to push through the throng to see them.

Elara stepped into the morning light. Her dress was torn at the hem, her hands stained with dried blood. She clung to the arm of Alpha Prince Kaelen.

He towered over her, a mountain of muscle encased in dark leather armor. Blood soaked his left side, but he walked with terrifying authority.

I kept my eyes fixed entirely on my sister.

Our gazes locked.

Elara’s chin tilted up. A triumphant smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.

It was the exact same expression she wore the day she ordered my execution.

Memory and reality slammed together. The metallic tang of blood in my mouth. The cold stone floor of the dungeon. Now, the sunlit plaza.

She thought she won. She thought she outsmarted me by stealing the prize before I even realized the game had started.

"I am the one," Elara announced, her voice ringing out across the silent crowd. She squeezed Kaelen's bicep. "I found him bleeding in the ferns. I bound his wounds. I saved the future King."

Gasps echoed around us.

"Elara..." our father murmured, stepping forward from the ranks of the elders. His face was pale. "You went into the Shadow Woods? You broke the pack laws?"

"I followed a vision from the Moon Goddess," Elara lied flawlessly, raising her chin. "She guided my steps. Would you punish me for obeying the divine?"

Our father shut his mouth, bowing his head.

She didn't look at him anymore. Her eyes remained pinned on me.

"Isn't that right, Lyra?" she asked.

"I wasn't in the woods," I replied, keeping my tone perfectly flat.

"No. You weren't." Elara let go of the Prince's arm and took two steps toward me. "You were here. Safe. Washing bowls while I risked my life to save our Prince."

Kaelen grunted, shifting his weight. "She is brave," he stated, his voice a deep rumble that vibrated through the stones. "She will be my Princess."

The commander of the cavalry slammed his spear against the cobblestones. "Bow to your future Princess!"

The elders dropped to their knees. The guards followed, weapons clattering against the ground.

Mira sank down beside me, tugging desperately at my skirt. "Lyra, get down!" she hissed. "Are you crazy?"

Elara waited.

She wanted this. She craved the submission. She wanted to ensure I knew my place in this new timeline. She wanted to see me broken.

I stared at her dirt-smudged face.

If I fought her now, I would sound like a jealous lunatic. If I claimed I was supposed to be the savior, they would execute me for treason.

But I didn't want to fight her.

I wanted to laugh.

I lowered myself to the stone. The rough rock scraped my bare knees. I placed my hands on the ground.

I kept my head bowed, hiding my face from the crowd.

A slow, quiet smile stretched across my lips.

*Take him, sister,* I thought.

She remembered the glory of being the Prince’s mate. She remembered the crown, the wealth, the absolute power.

But she didn't know the truth. She didn't know about the curse that rotted Kaelen's mind, turning him into a bloodthirsty tyrant. She didn't know he would eventually slaughter his own court, bathing the palace in blood. I had shielded her from all of that in our past life. I bore his madness alone.

Now, she was walking right into the monster's jaws.

"Congratulations, sister," I said aloud, my voice smooth and perfectly submissive. "May your union bring you exactly what you deserve."

"Oh, it will," Elara whispered, stepping close enough that only I could hear. "I'll make sure you get exactly what you deserve, too."

She turned back to her doomed prince, completely unaware that she had just stolen my death sentence.

I stayed on my knees, playing the part of the defeated sibling. Let her wear the crown. Let her bask in the cheers.

She had no idea what happened when the sun went down and the Prince locked the bedroom doors.

Let her be his savior. I would be his survivor.