The Moonveil Pack House loomed before me like a fortress of glass and stone, all sharp angles and intimidating grandeur. My fingers trembled as I clutched the single bag containing my meager possessions—worn clothes and a few precious mementos from my life with the rogues.

"This way," Ethan commanded, not bothering to look back as he strode through the massive oak doors.

I hurried after him, my new wolf stirring restlessly beneath my skin. She—Olivia's wolf—recognized this place, flooding my mind with memories of running through these halls, training in the courtyard, watching Ethan from shadowed corners. The disorientation made me stumble.

"Keep up," he said sharply, his silver eyes cutting to me with barely concealed irritation.

We climbed a sweeping staircase to the third floor. Pack members passed us in the halls, their eyes widening as they caught my scent—rogue mixed with something else, something that made them bow their heads in submission. To Olivia's wolf, not to me.

Ethan stopped at a set of double doors, pushing them open to reveal a suite that took my breath away. Cream walls, silk curtains, a bed large enough for five people, and a sitting area with furniture that probably cost more than everything I'd ever owned.

"Your rooms," he said, his tone flat. "Everything you need will be provided. Clothes, food, whatever a Luna requires."

"Ethan, I—"

"Alpha Shaw," he corrected coldly. "In public, you will address me properly."

The rejection stung more than it should have. Inside me, Olivia's wolf whined, desperate to close the distance between us.

"There are expectations," he continued, moving to the window. The morning sun caught his profile, highlighting the harsh beauty of his features. "You will attend pack functions. You will conduct yourself as befitting a Luna-in-waiting. You will not embarrass me or this pack."

"I didn't ask for this," I whispered.

He turned then, and for a moment, something flickered in his eyes—grief? Anger? It vanished before I could identify it.

"Neither did I." His voice dropped to a dangerous rumble. "But Olivia made her choice, and now we both pay for it."

The cruelty of his words made me flinch. He noticed, his jaw tightening.

"Dinner is at seven. Don't be late." He strode toward the door, pausing at the threshold. "And Lily? Don't mistake this for anything more than duty. You may carry her wolf, but you are not her."

The door closed with a decisive click, leaving me alone in my beautiful prison.

---

Dawn came too quickly. The pack link buzzed with activity as wolves prepared for the morning run—a sacred tradition I'd only observed from afar. Now, as the Luna-in-waiting, I was expected to participate.

I dressed in the running clothes that had appeared in my wardrobe overnight, the fabric finer than anything I'd worn before. My hands shook as I braided my hair, Olivia's muscle memory guiding the movements.

*You can do this,* her voice whispered in my mind. *Our wolf is strong.*

The pack had already gathered in the courtyard when I arrived. Hundreds of wolves, their power humming in the air like electricity. They parted as I approached, creating a path straight to where Ethan stood at the front.

He was magnificent in the pale morning light, wearing only loose pants, his muscled chest bare. Power radiated from him in waves that made even the strongest warriors bow their heads. His eyes found mine across the distance, cold and assessing.

I stopped a few feet away, unsure of my place. In other packs, the Luna ran beside the Alpha, their wolves in perfect synchronization. But the space beside him remained empty, a chasm I didn't dare cross.

"We run," he announced, his Alpha command rippling through the pack.

Bones cracked and reformed as wolves shifted around me. Ethan's transformation was seamless, his massive black wolf emerging in seconds. He didn't wait, didn't look back, just took off into the forest with the pack streaming behind him.

I stood frozen, watching them disappear into the trees. A few wolves glanced back at me, confusion in their eyes, but none dared defy their Alpha's silent dismissal.

*Shift,* Olivia's voice urged. *Let me run.*

"I can't," I whispered to the empty courtyard. "Not yet."

The humiliation burned as I turned back to the pack house, alone.

---

That night, I locked myself in the suite's private training room. Sweat dripped down my spine as I faced my reflection in the mirrored wall.

*Again,* Olivia's voice commanded. *Feel the wolf. Let her free.*

I closed my eyes, reaching for the power that coiled inside me like a living thing. It was nothing like my weak wolf—this was raw strength, barely contained. When I tried to grasp it, memories flooded my mind: Olivia's memories of shifting, of running, of fighting.

My bones began to crack. The pain was excruciating, but different from my birthday. This time, the wolf had the strength to emerge. Fur sprouted along my arms as my body contorted.

Then I saw him—Ethan in Olivia's memories, younger, smiling at something off-camera. The longing that accompanied the image was so intense it shattered my concentration.

I collapsed, human again, gasping on the cold floor.

*You must learn control,* Olivia whispered, her presence both comforting and invasive. *For him.*

"For him?" I laughed bitterly. "He despises me."

*He fears what you represent. But underneath...* Her voice faded, leaving me with the phantom sensation of a heart that had loved too deeply.

I pulled myself up, facing my reflection again. The woman staring back wasn't the weak rogue I'd been three days ago. Olivia's wolf had changed me—made me stronger, more beautiful, more everything.

But I was still just a ghost wearing another woman's life.

Tomorrow, I would try again. Tomorrow, I would master this power that wasn't mine. Because if I didn't, I'd remain forever trapped in this golden cage, neither fully myself nor the woman whose love I was supposed to fulfill.

As if sensing my thoughts, a howl echoed from the forest—long, mournful, and achingly alone. Ethan. Even his wolf sounded cold.

I pressed my palm against the window, wondering if I'd ever bridge the distance between us, or if I was doomed to love a man who would only ever see another woman when he looked at me.

The summons came at dawn, delivered by a stone-faced Beta who barely met my eyes.

"Alpha Shaw requires your presence in the council chamber. Immediately."

I set down my untouched breakfast, my stomach already churning with dread. In the week since my arrival, Ethan had barely acknowledged my existence except to issue cold commands. Now he wanted me at a pack meeting?

*Something's wrong,* Olivia's wolf whispered, her unease bleeding into mine.

The council chamber buzzed with foreign scents and barely contained aggression. Three visiting Alphas sat around the massive oak table, their powerful auras clashing like storm fronts. My steps faltered at the threshold as all eyes turned to me—calculating, dismissive, predatory.

Ethan stood at the head of the table, his silver gaze finding mine with the weight of an anchor. "Come."

One word. One command that brooked no argument.

I forced my feet forward, hyperaware of every eye tracking my movement. The visiting Alphas didn't bother hiding their assessment—the rogue Luna-in-waiting, the replacement for the beloved Olivia. I could practically taste their disdain.

"Gentlemen," Ethan's voice cut through the tension, "my Luna-in-waiting, Lily."

No last name. No pack affiliation. Just Lily, as if I were a pet he'd acquired.

Alpha Morrison from the Crimson Peak Pack leaned back in his chair, his scarred face twisting into something that wasn't quite a smile. "So this is Olivia's... successor."

The pause before 'successor' made my skin crawl. Inside me, Olivia's wolf snarled, but I kept my expression neutral, my hands clasped tightly in front of me.

"She carries Olivia's wolf," Ethan said, his tone devoid of emotion. "The bloodline remains strong."

Bloodline. As if I were breeding stock.

"Can she shift?" Alpha Chen from the Mountain Ridge Pack asked, addressing Ethan as if I weren't standing right there.

"She's adapting," Ethan replied smoothly. A lie wrapped in truth. He didn't mention my failed attempts, my lack of control. Why would he? It would make him look weak.

"And her background?" Morrison pressed, his dark eyes raking over me with blatant disgust. "I heard she was raised by rogues."

My cheeks burned, but I kept my chin up. I opened my mouth to respond—

"Her past is irrelevant," Ethan cut me off before I could speak. "She serves Moonveil now."

Serves. Not belongs to. Not is part of. Serves.

The meeting dragged on for hours. Pack territories, trade agreements, border disputes—all discussed while I stood there like a decorative statue. Every time I shifted my weight or showed any sign of fatigue, Ethan's jaw would tighten imperceptibly. A silent warning.

When Alpha Morrison questioned the wisdom of certain patrol routes, I bit my tongue on the knowledge that flooded my mind—Olivia's memories of those same paths, their weaknesses, better alternatives. When Alpha Chen complained about rogue attacks, I swallowed my insights about rogue behavior patterns, learned from years of living among them.

I was a fountain of useful information, silenced by the Alpha who claimed me.

"Perhaps your Luna-in-waiting would like to sit?" Alpha Reeves from the Eastern Shores Pack suggested after the third hour, gesturing to the empty chair beside Ethan—the Luna's traditional place.

Ethan's expression didn't change. "She's fine where she is."

The rejection hit like a physical blow. That chair, inches from where I stood, might as well have been miles away. The other Alphas exchanged glances, and I saw what they saw—a weak Alpha who couldn't even properly claim his mate, parading a replacement he didn't want.

*Endure,* Olivia's voice whispered. *For him.*

But why? Why endure this humiliation for a man who treated me like an embarrassment?

When the meeting finally ended, the visiting Alphas filed out, their goodbyes to Ethan warm and respectful. To me, they offered nothing but dismissive glances.

"You did well," Ethan said once we were alone, his back to me as he stared out the window.

"I stood there like furniture," I said, my voice sharper than intended.

He turned then, his silver eyes flashing with something dangerous. "You stood there like a Luna-in-waiting should. Silent. Observant. Obedient."

"Is that all I am to you?" The words escaped before I could stop them. "A silent ornament to prove you've moved on from—"

"Enough." His Alpha tone slammed into me, forcing my knees to buckle. I caught myself on the table, hatred and hurt warring in my chest. "You know nothing about what you are to me."

"Then tell me," I whispered, meeting his gaze despite the crushing weight of his dominance. "Tell me why you keep me here if you can't stand the sight of me."

For a moment, something raw flickered across his face. Then the mask slammed back into place.

"Be ready for the Alliance Banquet tomorrow night," he said, turning away. "Wear something appropriate. You'll be representing Moonveil."

He left without another word, leaving me alone in the chamber that smelled of power and politics and my own worthlessness.

Tomorrow night. Another performance. Another chance to stand in Olivia's shadow while Ethan pretended I didn't exist.

I pressed my palms against the oak table, letting its solid presence ground me. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled—lonely and defiant.

Maybe it was time I learned to howl back.