I stayed completely still, back straight, face calm, even though something inside me immediately tensed. My hand lingered against the wall beside me, fingertips grazing the cold
stone.
The second girl snorted. “They say she’s the twin sister of the original. So maybe she looks similar? But I mean, no one…including Alpha Alexander…ever even met the lady sage, so it’s not like anyone would care if the replacement didn’t look exactly like her.”
Their laughter bubbled up again, soft and cruel, the kind that people use when they’re confident the subject of the joke isn’t around to hear.
But I was right there. Listening.
They couldn’t have known, of course. But that didn’t make it sting any less.
“Still,” the first one went on, her voice more animated now, “it doesn’t change the fact that Blood Crescent got a secondhand Luna. Like… imagine that being your story. You weren’t the first pick, just the backup plan.”
My stomach turned. That one hit harder than I expected.
A secondhand Luna? What is that even supposed to mean? I wanted to lash out but…
My wolf, Nova stopped me. “Easy Faye!…. Don’t let them trigger you.”
It wasn’t like I hadn’t thought those exact words myself before. In the quiet of my own thoughts. In the dark, when it was just me and my doubt. But hearing someone else say it so confidently, so dismissively, it made something twist deep inside me.
A part of me wanted to turn around and walk away. Pretend I hadn’t heard any of it. I didn’t owe them a reaction. But I also knew myself well enough to realize that if I walked away now, their voices would echo in my head all night. Their laughter would linger.
I didn’t want to confront them exactly. I wasn’t angry that angry now. But I wanted them to wonder. I wanted them to lie awake later and question how much I’d heard. That’s how you get people cornered, and make them loyal subjects even against their wishes. I learned that from mom.
So I stepped into the room, deliberately and cleared my throat.
The sound was sharp in the quiet room. Both girls jerked around to look at me. One still held a half–folded shirt in her hands.
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“Oh!” one of them gasped. “Sorry, we didn’t see you there…are you one of the new members?”
Ignored the question of course. “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” I said with the warmest smile I could muster. “I think I got a little lost. Could you point me to the dining hall?”
They both blinked at me, eyes wide, clearly flustered for some reason, but trying to mask it with politeness. Their posture stiffened.
“Um… yes, of course!” one of them replied quickly, her voice suddenly much higher than before. “Just head back down this corridor and take the second left, then…uh…”
The other one cut in, clearly trying to help. “Actually, it’s easier if you pass the garden walkway and go through the west hallway. The hall should be just…”
“Oh, I see.” I tilted my head slightly, pretending to consider their directions. “Thank you. That’s very helpful.”
I could feel the tension in the room now. Not mine…theirs. They hadn’t recognized me yet, but maybe something in my posture, or my voice, or maybe just their guilt…was making them second–guess everything they’d just said.
And then just like that, Cole stepped into the doorway casually, as if he’d been looking for me and knew exactly where I’d end up.
His eyes swept the room, landing briefly on the two girls before settling on me.
“I had a feeling I’d find you here,” he said with a small smirk. “From your chamber, it’s easy to
end up this way.”
I gave a soft laugh, brushing some hair back from my face. “I was just trying to ask these ladies for directions. But I think I would’ve figured it out eventually.”
The air in the room changed in an instant.
Cole had called me from my chamber, and that implied familiarity. His tone, his body language, the way he looked at me… all of it screamed status. And I knew the girls were even more on edge now.
Then came the final blow.
“My apologies, Luna,” he said, taking a slight bow of his head as he stepped forward. “I should have come for you sooner.”
The silence was deafening.
Both girls paled…one of them dropped the shirt she’d been holding. They stared at me like
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they were suddenly seeing me for the first time–and realizing they’d made a very big
mistake.
The word Luna hung heavy in the air.
I could see the panic in their eyes. They were probably playing back every word of that conversation in their heads, mentally slapping themselves for not checking who was standing nearby. Wondering if I’d go straight to Alexander. Or worse–if I’d retaliate some other way. The worse part was probably the smirk on my face.
Cole noticed the tension too. He glanced between the girls, then turned back to me.
“Is there a problem here?” he asked lightly, though there was a sharpness in his tone.
One of them opened her mouth, possibly to apologize or explain–but I spoke before she could. I wasn’t about to let them off the hook easily.
“No problem at all,” I said, smiling sweetly at Cole but keeping my eyes on them. “I’m just hungry.”
The unspoken message in my stare was clear: I heard you, I saw you, and I won’t forget.
Cole’s gaze lingered on me for a beat, like he was trying to figure out what he’d walked into,
but then he nodded.
“Well then,” he said smoothly, “I’m right on time. I came to escort you to dinner…Alpha
Alexander’s orders.”
“Perfect.” I turned to him and walked forward, pausing just slightly as I passed the girls. “ Thank you again for the directions.”
They didn’t respond, they couldn’t even if they wanted to. Their silence was loud.
I followed Cole out of the room, keeping my back straight, my steps even. I didn’t look back.
But inside… my chest still burned a little. Not from embarrassment…not even really from anger, it was something colder…heavier.
The realization that this was only the beginning. That in this place, in this role, I would be watched, judged, picked apart by people who had already decided I didn’t deserve to be here.
…people who didn’t care about the reasons, people who didn’t care that I hadn’t asked for any of this….who only saw me as someone’s replacement.
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