After My Alpha Replaced Me With His Mistress

I could feel every pair of eyes in the Council chamber boring into me as I stood to speak.

The monthly Pack Council meeting had always been my domain as much as Stefan's. For six years, I'd sat at this table—not as decoration, but as the Luna who'd bled for every inch of territory we now controlled. The scar on my left shoulder, hidden beneath my silk blouse, was proof enough of that.

"Regarding the eastern border patrols," I began, keeping my voice steady and diplomatic, "I recommend we rotate the Delta shifts every forty-eight hours instead of seventy-two. The Rogues have been testing our defenses at dawn, and fatigue is making our warriors—"

"Amara." Stefan's voice cut through mine like a blade through silk.

I stopped mid-sentence, my wolf stirring uneasily beneath my skin. Something in his tone felt wrong. Cold. The way he'd say my name when correcting an Omega who'd overstepped.

"Yes, Alpha?" The formal address tasted bitter on my tongue, but the presence of the Council demanded protocol.

Stefan didn't even look at me. His steel-gray eyes remained fixed on the territorial maps spread across the mahogany table. "Your concerns are noted. However, I believe we should focus on matters that fall within appropriate channels."

Appropriate channels? I'd been managing border security since before half these wolves had earned their Delta ranks.

Beta Marcus shifted uncomfortably in his seat to my left. Elena Cross, one of our senior warriors, frowned but said nothing. The younger Council members suddenly found the grain of the table fascinating.

"Stefan, I think we should at least consider—" I tried again.

His Alpha aura slammed into the room like a physical force.

My wolf whimpered and retreated, and I hated her for it. Hated that my body wanted to submit even as my mind screamed in protest. This was my mate, my partner. He'd never used his Alpha authority on me before. Not like this. Not in front of the pack.

"That's enough." Stefan's words carried the weight of absolute command. Then, finally, he looked at me. His expression was carefully neutral, but I saw something flicker in his eyes. Pity? Annoyance? "Actually, this timing works well for an announcement I need to make."

Dread coiled in my stomach like a serpent.

"Effective immediately, Luna Amara will be stepping down from her Council position." Stefan delivered the words as casually as if he were discussing the weather. "She needs to focus on her health and preparing for the heir our pack deserves."

The room went deathly silent.

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't process what I'd just heard. Six years. Six years of bleeding, fighting, strategizing, building this pack from a struggling territory into one of the most powerful on the East Coast, and he was dismissing me like a secretary who'd outlived her usefulness?

"In her place," Stefan continued, and my wolf began to growl low in my chest, "I'm appointing Harlee Henderson as our Youth Representative. We need fresh perspectives, especially