Chapter 2

LEXA POV

Morning light stabbed through the curtains, yanking me from what little sleep I'd found. For one blessed heartbeat, I forgot. Then reality crushed me, the cold, empty space beside me, the strange bedroom, the gold band that felt like a shackle on my finger.

I was Damian's wife now. His unwanted burden.

The cabin stood silent as I dressed. No sign of Damian, just messy blankets on the couch proving he'd been there at all. A note sat on the kitchen counter: *Pack meeting. Be there by 10.*

No "good morning." No "please." Not even my name. Just orders.

I checked the clock, 9:30. My stomach knotted so tight I thought I might be sick. Pack meetings meant facing everyone. Facing *her*.

The walk to the main pack house felt like walking to my execution. Pack members froze when I passed, their whispers following me like poison. I kept my eyes glued to the ground, counting steps, begging my lungs to keep working.

The main hall buzzed with noise when I arrived. Pack members huddled around breakfast tables laden with food. Alpha Gregory sat at the head with his wife, Linda, Damian's mother, beside him. Sara had called her "monster-in-law" when no one was listening. Now I understood why.

Linda's hawk eyes found me instantly. She leaned to whisper something to the woman beside her, both staring at me like I was something rotting they'd found on the bottom of their shoes.

I searched desperately for Damian. He stood with a group of pack warriors, actually laughing at something. The sound died the second our eyes met. He turned his back to me so fast it was like I'd burned him.

The message cut deeper than any knife: I might be his wife on paper, but I was nothing to him.

"Well, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence."

Linda's voice sliced through the room as she stalked toward me. She'd timed it perfectly, conversations died, all eyes locked on us.

"Good morning," I whispered, my voice shriveling in my throat.

"It's nearly 10. Punctuality is expected from family members, especially new ones." Her smile was all teeth, like a wolf about to bite. "Though I suppose we can't expect proper behavior from everyone."

Heat flooded my face. I could feel every eye in the room drinking in my humiliation.

"I'm sorry. I..."

"And what in the moon's name are you wearing?" She circled me like prey, eyeing my simple blue dress. "This is your first official pack meeting as Damian's wife. Appearances matter. But I suppose you weren't raised to understand these things."

Someone snickered. Several someones. I dug my nails so deep into my palms I felt skin break.

"Come," Linda commanded, gesturing toward the food. "At least try to eat something. You're far too skinny, not at all what a strong wolf needs in a mate."

Another knife twisted. Sara had curves I'd never grow. Everyone knew Damian preferred her shape, her face, everything about her. I was a shadow of my sister in every way.

I followed Linda to the serving table, feeling the weight of a hundred stares burning holes through me. She handed me a plate, the chipped one, I noticed, while perfect ones sat right there.

"Take only what you'll eat," she announced, loud enough for half the room to hear. "We don't waste food here."

My hand shook so badly I nearly dropped the plate as I reached for a muffin.

"Oh no, those are Damian's favorites," Linda said, slapping my hand away like I was a disobedient child. "There's toast at the end. Much more... suitable."

The meaning was crystal clear to everyone watching. I wasn't worthy of the best. I should take leftovers, scraps, the things no one else wanted.

Just like Damian had been forced to take me.

I sat alone at the very edge of a table, picking at dry toast that tasted like cardboard. Nobody took the empty seats beside me. When someone needed to pass, they walked the long way around rather than come near me.

Alpha Gregory called the meeting to order. I kept my head down as he talked about territory, hunting schedules, full moon preparations. Normal pack things that no longer included me.

Then Linda stood up.

"As you all know, we've had an... unfortunate change in our family recently," she began, her eyes drilling into me. "While we still pray every day for Sara's recovery, we've had to make adjustments."

Whispers swept the room. The weight of their hatred nearly crushed me.

"Damian has done his duty to the pack by accepting this alternative arrangement." Her words dripped with fake sweetness. "However, I want to reassure everyone that this changes nothing about our future leadership. Damian will still become Alpha after his father, and the pack will have the Luna it deserves—whether that's Sara when she wakes up, or someone more suitable in the future."

The knife twisted deeper. I was temporary. Replaceable. Not a real Luna. Just a stand-in until they found someone better.

Alpha Gregory cleared his throat uncomfortably but didn't say a word against her.

"Now, about duties," Linda continued, "typically the Alpha's mate would organize next week's territory gathering. However, given the... circumstances, I'll continue handling these responsibilities myself."

Another slap in the face. My fingers ripped the napkin in my lap to shreds.

"Actually," Damian's voice cut through the room, "Lexa can handle the flower arrangements."

My head snapped up. Damian wasn't looking at me, but at his mother. His face showed nothing.

Linda's smile tightened to a grimace. "Flower arrangements? Well, I suppose even she could manage that much."

Laughter rippled through the room. Not kind laughter, the cruel kind that cuts deeper than any insult.

"Thank you for your confidence," I whispered, the words barely making it past my lips.

The meeting ended shortly after. I moved to escape, desperate to hide, when Linda's claws dug into my arm.

"A moment, dear daughter-in-law."

The hall emptied until only Linda, Alpha Gregory, Damian and I remained. My heart tried to pound its way out of my chest.

"Since you're now officially family," Linda said, ice in every word, "it's time you visited Sara. Family duty, you understand."

My blood froze in my veins. "Visit Sara?"

"Yes. Your sister lies broken because of you. The least you can do is face what you've done."

"Linda," Alpha Gregory warned softly.

"What?" she snapped. "Everyone knows what happened. Why pretend otherwise?"

Damian stood like stone, his jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth might crack.

"Fine," I said, the word dropping from my mouth like lead.

Linda's eyes narrowed. She hadn't expected me to agree.

"Now," she demanded. "We'll all go now."

The pack hospital sat in the east wing of the main house. The walk there lasted forever, each step heavy with dread. I hadn't seen Sara since that day. Since they dragged me away screaming that I was innocent while she lay broken at the bottom of the stairs.

Sara's room glowed with sunlight. Machines beeped beside her bed. She looked beautiful even now, her golden hair spread across the pillow, her skin perfect. She might have been sleeping if not for all the tubes and wires.

"See what you've done?" Linda hissed in my ear. "Look at her. Perfect, kind Sara. Everyone's favorite. Even while unconscious she's more loved than you'll ever be."

Tears burned behind my eyes. I bit my cheek until I tasted blood, refusing to cry.

"Go closer," Linda ordered. "Touch her hand. Let her feel the presence of her attacker."

"I didn't..."

"Don't you dare deny it again!" Linda's voice cut like a razor. "We all know the truth. Jealous, plain Lexa, always living in her sister's shadow. You saw your chance and took it."

"That's enough." Alpha Gregory's voice carried power that even Linda couldn't ignore.

She stepped back, victory shining in her eyes. She'd gotten what she wanted, breaking me in front of witnesses.

Damian hadn't moved from the doorway. His face showed nothing, but his knuckles were bone-white where he gripped the frame.

"I'll leave you with your sister," Linda said with fake sweetness. "Take all the time you need to... apologize."

She glided out, taking Alpha Gregory with her. Damian stayed a moment longer, his eyes moving from Sara to me.

"I didn't do it," I whispered, meeting his gaze. "I would never hurt her."

Something flickered across his face, doubt? A crack in his hatred? But it disappeared instantly, replaced by stone.

"Ten minutes," he said flatly. "Then we leave."

Alone with Sara, I approached her bed. My sister. My tormentor. My supposed victim.

"I miss you," I whispered, surprised to find truth in those words. Despite everything—her cruelty, her mockery, how she'd made my life hell—she was still my sister. "But I didn't do this to you. Someone did, but it wasn't me."

A noise at the door made me turn. One of the pack healers watched me with naked suspicion.

"Just checking," she said, ice in her voice. "Making sure all the equipment is still... working properly."

The accusation was clear as day. Even here, they thought I might unplug something, hurt Sara worse.

When I left the room, Damian waited alone. The walk back to our cabin stretched in crushing silence. With each step, something hardened inside me—a wall building around what was left of my heart.

"Your mother hates me," I finally said as our cabin came into view.

Damian didn't slow down. "My mother loved Sara like a daughter."

"And I'm just the replacement. The murderer. The unwanted wife."

He stopped then, turning to face me. For the first time, he really looked at me, searched my face like he was trying to see inside my soul.

"Are you?" he asked, voice barely audible.

"Am I what?"

"A murderer?"

The question hung between us. One word, a simple denial, might start to bridge the endless gap. But a lifetime of being disbelieved had taught me better.

"Would you believe me if I said no?"

His silence crushed whatever tiny hope had dared to live in my chest.

I pushed past him into the cabin, locking myself in the bathroom. Only then did I let the tears come, silent sobs racking my body as I slid to the floor.

I wrapped my arms around myself, the only comfort I'd ever know again. The girl in the mirror was a stranger, hollow eyes, pale skin, a shell where a person used to be.

In that moment, I understood what it meant to be truly broken.