Chapter 1My twin sister Odessa was supposed to bond with the Alpha of the Ironpeak Pack.
But she'd already fallen for a human boy.
So when Alpha Declan Stoneheart came to claim her, Odessa knocked me out cold—me, with the same face as hers—and sent me to his bed.
Then she ran off with her human and disappeared.
I got stuck with Declan, and I made sure he knew I hated every second of it.
He treated me like a stand-in. Sweet when I behaved. Mean when I didn't.
Ten years later, Odessa came back.
She told Declan I'd pushed her into the river during a hunt, that she'd lost her memory—that I'd stolen her spot as Luna just to live the good life.
Declan lost it. He had me thrown in the cells under the pack house.
Odessa came to visit. She wrapped a silver chain around my neck.
"Sorry, little sister. But if you're alive, everyone finds out I lied."
The silver burned into my skin as she pulled it tight. I died tasting blood and hate.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back—back to the day Declan first showed up for Odessa.
I walked right up to them.
"Odessa, run with your mate. I'll bond with Declan instead."
This time, I will definitely not be the one to lose.
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"Mom, Dad, please! I can't bond with Declan Stoneheart!"
Odessa's voice hit me like a slap, and I realized—I'd gone back. I had another shot.
"Mom, Dad, he's a killer! They say he's ripped apart anyone who's ever challenged him!"
"If I bond with him, I'm dead!"
"I already promised myself to Hadrian. If I can't be with him, I'd rather die!"
Mom's voice shook. "We can't say no to an Alpha, honey. If you refuse him, Ironpeak will wipe out what's left of Moonvale. We'll all be dead."
Dad rubbed his face hard. "This is on me. I'm useless—couldn't even keep our pack strong enough to protect my own kid. Let them kill me instead. Maybe one dead body will be enough."
"Are you insane? That's Declan Stoneheart! You think your life means anything to him?"
Before Odessa could say anything, I stepped in.
"Odessa, run with your human. I'll take the bond."
Everyone froze. Odessa's eyes went huge.
"We're twins. We look exactly the same. Declan's never seen us. He won't know."
Mom looked uncertain. "You'd really do this for your sister? But Declan's no fool. Can we really hide this forever?"
"What happens when he figures it out? You think he'll just let it slide?"
Dad's face went hard. "Odessa, you need to leave. Now. I've got fifty thousand saved—enough to get you and Hadrian across the border to the Frostlands. Ironpeak can't reach you there."
Mom and Dad didn't even look at me. Their eyes stayed glued to their precious older daughter.
Me? I was the throwaway kid.
Always had been.
Odessa stared at the floor for a long time. Then: "Mom, Dad, let's just say Fallon drowned during a hunt. That way no one questions why she's gone."
They agreed right away.
An hour later, they threw my stuff into the black carriage Ironpeak sent.
In my first life, I'd woken up in that thing scared out of my mind, and I'd stayed angry at Declan for the next ten years.
Ten years of pure bitterness.
But if I'm being honest? Strip away the rumors, and Declan was strong, protective as hell, and actually kind of magnetic.
Being his mate meant safety. Power. A spot in the strongest pack around.
When I finally stood in front of him, the first thing he said was:
"I've got one rule for you: do what I say."
Chapter 2
I grabbed his hand right away.
"I'll do whatever you say. You point, I go. No questions."
Declan stopped, then looked at one of his pack enforcers.
"Get her what she needs. My mate shouldn't look like she just crawled out of Moonvale."
Just like that, I got everything. Furs. Jewelry. Even weapons I didn't know how to use yet.
During the day, Declan handled pack business. I stayed at the main house, learning how to cook the way he liked.
I tried new recipes. Hunted fresh game. Made sure every meal was perfect.
At night, I made sure he had no reason to complain. I kept quiet, stayed close, did what he wanted.
Slowly, Declan started to relax around me. He even brought me to pack gatherings.
One day, Mom sent word through a runner—Dad was dying.
When I got to their cabin, Dad was stretched out on the couch, picking meat out of his teeth.
In front of him sat the bones of a roasted deer haunch, stripped clean.
"Dad, you're not dying?"
"If your mother hadn't said that, would you have come back at all?!"
Mom jabbed a finger at my forehead.
"Ungrateful girl! You're living it up with the Alpha, completely forgetting about your parents, huh?!"
"Mom, I remember what you told me the day I left. You said my life had nothing to do with Moonvale anymore. That I shouldn't come back, alive or dead."
"You said that. I remember."
Mom's eyes narrowed.
"We said that to protect you! So Ironpeak wouldn't think we were clinging to you!"
"Now you're living the good life, and you can't even help your own family?!"
"Doesn't Declan give you things? I heard he gives you gold every month. And that big house—he built that for you, didn't he? What more do you want?"
Mom's voice got sharper.
"Have you forgotten you have an older sister?!"
"Mom, watch what you say. Older sister? I don't have one. My only sister drowned, remember?"
"Don't play dumb with me! I'll say it straight—give your sister a hundred thousand in gold, and we'll leave you alone."
"A hundred thousand? Where am I supposed to get that?!"
Dad stood up, yelling now.
"Declan controls half the territory in the region! We're only asking for a hundred thousand! If you can't even manage that, you don't deserve to be his mate!"
I laughed, bitter.
"No. And whether or not I'm Declan's mate isn't up to you."
I left. We didn't speak for a month.
Then Mom sent another message.
"Fallon, honey, I'm sorry for before. Can you come home this weekend? I'll cook your favorite things."
In the two years I'd been with Declan, this was the first time Mom had invited me back.
Before I could answer, she started crying.
"Fallon, I'm getting old. Your dad and I don't have much time left. Every visit could be the last."
Something in me softened.
"Alright. I'll come."
When I got there that weekend, Mom was all smiles.
She pulled me inside. The table was set with everything I used to love.
I sat down, and that's when someone walked out of the back room.
My heart dropped into my stomach.
"Odessa?"
How could this be? She wasn't supposed to come back for another eight years.
Chapter 3
"Long time no see, my dear sister."
Odessa sat down next to me, looking me over.
"That fur must've cost a fortune, huh?"
She looked at the cuff on my wrist.
"And that? Probably worth more than our old cabin. Declan really spoils you, doesn't he?"
She let out a long sigh.
"You've got it so easy. You don't know how bad things were for me out there these past two years."
I laughed. "Odessa, didn't you say you'd live in a ditch as long as you had Hadrian?"
"What Hadrian? There's no Hadrian!"
"Listen up—I'm back to take what's mine. From now on, you go back to being yourself. You're Fallon. I'm Odessa."
"After we eat, you're gonna take off all that nice stuff and give it to me. I'll go back to Declan's place. We're switching back."
My dear sister is truly someone who thinks this way, just like always.
"Odessa, you've got some nerve. What makes you think I'd just hand everything over after two years of working my ass off to earn Declan's trust?"
Odessa slammed her hand on the table.
"Declan was supposed to bond with ME! You've been living my life all this time, and now you think you can just keep it?!"
"Odessa, YOU were the one who ran! You almost got our whole pack destroyed! I saved everyone by taking your place—you should be thanking me!"
"And the fact that I won Declan over? That's on me. You really think you can just walk back in and take over?!"
Odessa shot to her feet, yelling now.
"You're way out of line! I've been more than generous, letting you play Luna for two years!"
"If you don't switch back with me right now, I'll go straight to Declan and tell him everything!"
"I'll say you were jealous and shoved me into the river during a hunt—that you wanted to steal my place! Let's see how he deals with you then!"
I stood up, calm.
"Fine. Go tell him. We can all go down together."
"I kept a record of everything you said back then—how you begged me to take your place. We can show Declan together. If we're dying, we're all dying. Whole family. Clean sweep."
Mom rushed over and slapped me hard across the face.
"You're switching back with your sister today, or I swear I'll slit my own throat right here!"
I pressed my hand to my cheek, tears burning in my eyes.
"Mom, before I saw Odessa, I thought maybe you and Dad actually cared about me."
"But I get it now. You only ever had one daughter. And it wasn't me."
"I'm not switching back. Forget it!"
I turned to leave. I just wanted out.
But the second I took a step, something cracked hard against the back of my skull.
I went down. Blood pooled under my head.
The pain was blinding. I could feel the warmth spreading through my hair.
Odessa stood over me, holding a carved wooden wolf—a gift I'd made for her years ago.
Mom's voice went shrill.
"Odessa, you hit her too hard! Did you kill her?!"
Odessa checked my breathing and relaxed.
"Chill down, mom. She's still alive. See?"
She crouched down and tapped my cheek.
"Fallon, this is your fault. If you'd just done what I said, none of this would've happened."
