The whispers started before I even stepped into the dining hall. The hate that I continue to suffer keeps coming and more. Their blunt comments make my skin cringe. I hold it, even sometimes I felt my wolf surfacing, wanting to protect me and our pup.
"She's here."
"Finally, a real Luna."
"Not like that Bluemoon mistake."
I lowered my head, clutching the tray of food I had been ordered to bring, but the words still struck me like knives. The room was louder than usual, filled with wolves who rarely gathered together. Something was happening. Something I hadn't been told.
When I entered, I saw her. The woman they all like.
She stood beside Jacob's chair at the head of the table, tall and radiant, her golden hair catching the light like spun sunlight. Her gown was elegant, hugging her curves with confidence I could never mimic. Every wolf's eyes followed her with admiration.
"Selene," one whispered, awe in his voice. "The Alpha of Silvercrest's daughter."
My stomach tightened. I'd heard of her before. Selene was powerful, bred to rule, a perfect candidate for a Luna. Unlike me. Unlike the mistake who had stumbled into Jacob's life. I am just here because of my mistake that night and because of my child. If it wasn't for that, maybe Selene and Jacob are now together.
She smiled sweetly at Jacob, laying a delicate hand on his arm as though she already owned him. And worse—he didn't push her away. Jacob just let her touch her and it brings paint to me. I felt the baby move a little bit. I got nervous. Negative emotions can damage prenancy.
I froze in place, the tray trembling in my hands. For a heartbeat, I couldn't breathe. I should ignore this feeling. Jacob is someone I could not reach even with his child. I am just here to give birth. He might throw me out when I deliver the baby.
This was it. This was the woman who should have been his mate. Who could be his mate. And I was nothing but the barrier in their path. I wish I could disappear and live my a peaceful life out from this pack.
"Ah," Selene's voice rang out, smooth and silken. "So this is her. The woman who is carrying your child." Her words is smooth but it brings pain her heart.
The room stilled. All eyes turned to me. My throat dried as Selene glided toward me, her every step graceful, commanding. She stopped just inches away, her smile never wavering.
"The little omega who carries our Alpha's heir," she said sweetly, though the venom in her tone was unmistakable. "How… surprising. I wonder how you manage to do that."
I bowed my head quickly. "Alpha Selene," I whispered.
Her laugh was light, mocking. "Oh no, Elira. Not yet. But soon."
The words struck like thunder. My hands trembled, the tray nearly slipping, but before I could move, Jacob's voice cut through the hall.
"Enough."
The single word silenced everyone. His gaze locked onto Selene first, sharp and cold. Then, slowly, it shifted to me.
"Put the tray down, Elira " he commanded.
My knees nearly buckled, but I obeyed, placing the food on the table before retreating to the corner of the room. My wolf whimpered inside me, torn between fear and something darker I refused to name, yet she wants to tear down the woman in front of her.
Selene's lips curved as she slipped back into her seat beside him, but I noticed the flicker of irritation in her eyes. She wasn't used to being dismissed. Not like that.
As the meal continued, I felt Jacob's gaze on me more than once. It was heavy, possessive, like chains wrapping tighter around my throat.
Selene spoke elegantly about alliances, about the strength she could bring to Wolf Fang, about how the pack needed a Luna of status.
She was perfect. Everyone knew it. Everyone wanted it.
But when she reached to touch Jacob's hand again, his eyes darkened—not with desire, but with warning.
"This pack already has what it needs," he said, his voice low, final.
Selene froze, her smile faltering. "And what of a Luna?"
His gaze slid across the room, landing on me. My breath caught, my heart pounding so loudly I thought everyone could hear it. His eyes burned into mine, fierce and unyielding. Jacob needs a Luna and no one wanted an omega, a mistake to be their Luna.
His words fell like a verdict.
"What's mine doesn't need replacing."
Gasps echoed through the hall. Selene's face paled, then flushed with fury. She masked it quickly, smiling once more, but I saw the storm in her eyes.
I wanted to vanish. To sink into the floor and disappear. Because what he said wasn't protection—it was possession. Not affection, but obsession.
After the feast, as wolves dispersed, Selene approached me again. Her perfect smile was gone now, replaced by something sharper, colder.
"You think this means you've won?" she whispered, her eyes narrowing. "Don't fool yourself. He'll tire of you. And when he does, I'll be here to take my rightful place."
Her words clawed at my chest, but I said nothing. Silence was the only weapon I had left.
When she turned and left, her golden hair trailing behind her like a crown of fire, I pressed my hands to my stomach, whispering to the only one who could hear me.
"It doesn't matter what they say. It doesn't matter what they want. All that matters is you. You're the reason I'm still breathing."
But even as I said it, I couldn't shake the memory of Jacob's eyes on me. The way he claimed me in front of everyone, not out of love, but something far more dangerous.
Not hate.
Not desire.
Something in between.
Obsession.
And if Selene truly was my rival, then I wasn't just fighting for survival anymore.
I was fighting against a storm that could destroy us all.