When My Mate Replaced Me With Olivia

The summons came just as the sun dipped below the treeline, painting the Silver Fang Pack house in shades of amber and shadow. I'd been in the kitchen, preparing Ethan's favorite venison stew—the one his mother taught me years ago, back when she still pretended to tolerate me.

"Luna Hannah." David Reid, our Beta, stood in the doorway. His usually warm brown eyes wouldn't meet mine. "The Alpha requests your presence in his office."

My wolf stirred uneasily within me. In seven years of marriage, Ethan rarely used formal channels to speak with me. I wiped my hands on my apron, the familiar scent of rosemary and thyme doing nothing to calm my suddenly racing heart.

"Now?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

David nodded stiffly. "He said it's urgent."

The walk to Ethan's office felt longer than usual. Pack members averted their gazes as I passed, and I caught whispered fragments that made my stomach clench. Something was wrong. My fingers found the simple silver ring on my left hand—Ethan's first gift to me—and twisted it nervously.

I knocked on the heavy oak door.

"Enter." His voice carried that distinctive Alpha tone, the one that demanded immediate obedience.

The office smelled of leather and pine, mixed with Ethan's familiar scent of cedar and rain. But there was something else—vanilla and jasmine. Olivia's perfume.

My best friend sat in one of the leather chairs facing Ethan's desk, her honey-blonde hair catching the lamplight. She didn't turn when I entered.

"Sit." Ethan's command brooked no argument.

I sank into the chair beside Olivia, my wolf whimpering at the cold distance in my mate's silver eyes. He stood behind his desk like a judge about to pass sentence, his powerful frame rigid with tension.

"Hannah." He began without preamble, his tone as emotionless as if discussing pack finances. "After careful consideration, I've decided on a solution to our... situation."

Our situation. Seven years of trying for an heir. Seven years of monthly disappointments. Seven years of me carrying a secret that would shatter his Alpha pride.

"What solution?" My voice came out smaller than intended.

His jaw tightened. "A formal rejection ceremony. Next full moon."

The words hit me like physical blows. My wolf howled in anguish, clawing at my insides. "Ethan, please—"

"Olivia has agreed to become my Luna." He continued as if I hadn't spoken, gesturing to my friend who still wouldn't look at me. "She comes from strong bloodlines. She'll give me the heir this pack needs."

I turned to Olivia, searching her face for some sign of the woman who'd held me through countless tearful nights. "Liv?"

She finally met my gaze, and I saw no remorse in her green eyes. Only a glimmer of satisfaction quickly masked by false sympathy. "I'm doing this for the pack's future, Hannah. You understand, don't you?"

Understand? That my mate of seven years was discarding me like a broken tool? That my best friend had been waiting in the wings to take my place?

"This is about more than an heir," I whispered, pieces clicking into place. The late-night meetings. The way Olivia always seemed to appear whenever Ethan and I argued. "How long have you been planning this?"

Ethan's eyes flashed dangerously. "Your questions are irrelevant. The decision is made."

"But we're mates," I said desperately. "The Moon Goddess—"

"The Moon Goddess made a mistake." His words were ice. "One I intend to correct."

The door opened without warning. Eleanor Foster swept in, her silver hair perfectly coiled, her bearing as regal as when she'd been Luna. She surveyed the scene with obvious approval.

"Good, you've told her." She moved to stand beside her son, placing a proprietary hand on his shoulder. "Hannah, you'll assist in planning the ceremony, of course. It's the least you can do after failing to provide my son an heir."

My hands clenched in my lap. "You want me to plan my own mate's ceremony to another woman?"

"It's not a request." Eleanor's smile was sharp as broken glass. "Refuse, and I'll personally ensure you're demoted to Omega status. Is that clear?"

I looked between them—my mate who wouldn't meet my eyes, my friend who'd stolen him, and his mother who'd never hidden her contempt for me. My wolf retreated deep inside, wounded beyond words.

"Crystal clear," I managed.

"Excellent." Eleanor's tone suggested the matter was settled. "Olivia has some wonderful ideas for the ceremony. Traditional, as befits a true Luna."

Traditional. The word burned like acid. All the traditions Ethan had denied me. All the ceremonies he'd called unnecessary.

As if reading my thoughts, Ethan's expression softened marginally. "This is for the best, Hannah. You'll see."

But I was already seeing. Seeing seven years of devotion meant nothing. Seeing that I'd never truly been his Luna.

Seeing that I'd been utterly, completely betrayed.