My shoulders ache. My legs feel like they might give out any second. I push through the packhouse door, every muscle screaming for rest.

It's been another endless day. The kitchen needed restocking. Three new arrivals needed settling in. The orphanage kids wanted stories, and I couldn't say no to their hopeful faces. Then there were the disputes to mediate, the schedules to coordinate, the thousand small fires only I seem able to put out.

I drag myself up the stairs to the house Damien and I share. Share is generous. We occupy the same space, but we might as well live on different planets. I haven't seen him in days. Weeks, maybe. When our paths do cross, his eyes slide past me like I'm furniture.

All I want is a hot bath and my bed.

The sound hits me before I reach the living room. Laughter. Deep, rich, genuine laughter that I haven't heard in

I freeze in the doorway.

Damien sits on the couch, his whole face transformed. His eyes are bright, alive in a way I've never seen directed at me. That laugh rumbles from his chest again, warm and unguarded.

And beside him, tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear with a smile that could light up the room, sits Serena.

My sister. My enemy. My replacement.

The breath leaves my lungs. They haven't noticed me yet, too wrapped up in whatever private joke they're sharing. I watch Damien lean toward her, his expression soft, almost tender.

I've never seen him look at anyone like that. Certainly never at me.

Three years. The memories come flooding back, sharp and unwelcome.

I was raised by an Omega's family. Eighteen years of cold glances, harsh words, hands that struck instead of comforted. Then the truth came out I wasn't theirs. I was the daughter of Alpha Ronan of Shadowmoon Pack, switched at birth with his real daughter.

With Serena.

Going home should have been a fairy tale. It wasn't. My parents took one look at the girl they'd raised for eighteen years beautiful, charming Serena with her perfect wolf and couldn't hide their preference. I was the stranger. She was their daughter in every way that mattered.

And Damien had been hers too. Everyone expected them to be together. Then I showed up, and the Moon Goddess had other ideas. The mate bond snapped into place between Damien and me, destroying their perfect future.

Serena cried. God, how she cried. Delicate tears that made everyone rush to comfort her. She never said it was my fault out loud she didn't have to. Her wounded eyes, her trembling voice, they painted me as the villain who'd stolen everything from her.

Damien believed her. Why wouldn't he? Beautiful, sweet Serena versus me wolfless, awkward, unwanted.

Our engagement only happened because Damien's father, Alpha Kael, forced it. Pack alliance, tradition, the mate bond all reasons that mattered more than Damien's feelings. Or mine.

He made it clear from day one that this was duty, nothing more.

"Ayla."

Serena's voice cuts through my thoughts, sweet as honey and twice as cloying. She's looking at me now, her smile

perfectly pleasant. But her eyes gleam with victory.

"You're home," she says, like this is her house. Like I'm the guest.

I can't find words. My throat has closed up, my chest tight with something that feels like drowning.

Damien finally looks at me. The warmth in his expression dies instantly, replaced by cold indifference.

"Can you prepare a room for Serena?" he says. Not asks. Commands.

That's all? After days of silence, that's all he has to say to me?

"You " My voice comes out scratchy. I clear my throat, try again. "That's all you have to say to me?"

His jaw tightens with impatience. "What else would there be?"

The casual dismissal hits like a slap. Serena's watching us, her expression carefully neutral, but I catch the satisfaction in her eyes.

I want to scream. I want to demand answers. When did she come back? Why is she here? Why does he look at her like she hung the moon when he's never looked at me at all?

But the words die in my throat. What's the point? He's made his choice clear three years ago. Nothing's changed.

"Fine," I manage. "I'll prepare the guest room."

"Thank you, Ayla," Serena says softly. "I know this must be surprising. I should have called ahead."

You should have stayed away.

But I don't say it. I turn to leave, my legs suddenly shaking with more than just exhaustion.

"I need to go," Damien says behind me. His voice has warmed again but not for me. "Council meeting. I'll be back late."

"Of course," Serena murmurs. "Don't worry about me. I'm just so grateful to be here."

I don't turn around. I can't. If I do, I'll see what I know is happening Damien touching her, probably pulling her into one of those easy embraces he's never offered me.

The sound of movement. Fabric rustling. Her soft laugh.

My fingernails dig into my palms hard enough to hurt.

"Ayla will take good care of you," Damien says. Then his footsteps head toward the door. He passes me without a glance, his shoulder nearly brushing mine. The mate bond flares weakly, a pale shadow of what it should be. He doesn't even pause.

The door closes behind him.

Silence falls, heavy and suffocating. I force myself to turn, to face her.

Serena's perfect mask has slipped. The sweetness is gone, replaced by something sharp and triumphant.

"So," she says, settling back against the couch cushions like she owns them. "Should I take the room next to yours, or would you prefer to maintain some distance?"

"Why are you here?" The words come out flat, exhausted.

Her smile widens. "Damien asked me to come. Actually, he begged me. Called me from the airport himself, wouldn't take no for an answer." She examines her nails, casual as anything. "He's even throwing me a welcome party tomorrow night. Isn't that sweet?"

The room tilts. A welcome party. For her.

"But don't worry," she continues, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "I'm sure he'll want you there too. After all, you're his fiance." The word sounds like mockery in her mouth. "For now."

I stare at her, this person who's taken everything from me, and something inside me finally breaks. Not with a dramatic snap, but with a quiet, exhausting certainty.

Nothing I do will ever be enough. Not for my parents, who look at Serena and see the daughter they wanted. Not for this pack, who whisper about their wolfless Luna. And certainly not for Damien, who lights up for her in ways I'll never inspire.

"The guest room is upstairs," I say quietly. "Second door on the right."

I don't wait for her response. I don't give her the satisfaction of seeing the tears I refuse to let fall.

I walk away, each step heavier than the last, and leave her in what should have been my living room, in what should have been my life.

Behind me, I hear her laugh soft, victorious, and utterly devastating.

Alpha's Regret Begging For My Luna Back — Chapter 1: The Unexpected Return

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