Chapter 4 The secret note

CARA'S POV

I'm still shocked at everything the man beside me was saying. His voice was firm, deep, and commanding yet oddly gentle when he said the words:

"You are Maya... my mate and the queen of the Moonshine kingdom."

Queen? Me? I stared at him, unsure whether to laugh, scream, or run.

My name is Cara; at least, that's what I've always known before the horrible fall. The only daughter of Alpha Max of the Wolfsburg pack. I grew up pampered, trained, and adored, but never once treated like royalty. So how was I now in the body of a queen? The first time a prince came to visit my father in Wolfsburg, I couldn't even see his face, only his backside.

Above all, my sudden transformation. "My heart burns, my eyes are stronger than usual, and my veins are now thick and showy!" I whispered inwardly to myself as I walked side by side with Alpha Dane. "What's happening to me? Could this be my wolf!"

He gently tapped my back as we reached the cub's door. "Are you ready?" He asked, his voice soft but laced with tension.

I gave a stiff nod, masking the swirl of confusion inside me. He pushed open the door sideways. Immediately, the two cubs, Loki and Aria, set their eyes on us; they raced towards me with squeals of joy.

"Mom!" They crashed into me with tiny arms and innocent eyes.

I froze. My body, this body, reacted, arms wrapping around them automatically, heart skipping a beat. But my mind was paralyzed. I had never held a child of my own; I couldn't.

My baby died the night I fell... The night my world shattered, so how could these two precious souls call me Mama?

Loki tilted his head. "Why didn't you come last night to tuck us in?" Aria tugged my sleeve. "You always kiss our forehead and tell us about Silver Lake. You promised."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out; their faces began to shift. Concern flickered across their features, and they looked towards Dane.

"Dad... What's wrong with Mama?" Aria asked in a small, cracking voice.

Alpha Dane stepped forward quickly, kneeling beside them. "She's just tired, little wolves," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "She's not feeling fine. Give her some time, okay?"

The cubs nodded hesitantly and retreated to their beds, sneaking glances at me over their shoulders.

I stood rooted by the door, arms limp, heart breaking. Was I supposed to feel something for them? Was Maya truly their mother? And if she was, why did I feel like an impostor in her skin?

As we stepped out of the cub's room, the air between us grew heavy. The joyful echo of the cub's laughter behind the door faded into silence, and my steps slowed. Dane walked ahead of me, his posture stiff, unreadable.

He stopped in front of the next door, opened it, and motioned for me to enter.

"This is your room," he said quietly. "Right beside theirs... where it's always been." I walked in slowly.

It was spacious, elegant, and intimate; silver silk draws framed the windows, and a carved moonstone mirror stood against the far wall. Everything smelled like lavender and something nostalgic and familiar.

He didn't follow me in but stood in the doorway, watching. Then with a voice laced with both warning and weariness, he said. "I've helped you for 6 years, protected you, and stood by you through everything."

I turned around, sensing a shift in his tone.

"But let's be clear, Maya." His eyes narrowing slightly, he continued. "There has never been anything mutual between us. I never loved you."

The words hit like a slap across the face, yet I didn't feel it. After all,I never loved him; I'm not the one who has loved him.

"I'll play along," he added. "Help you navigate this memory loss. For the sake of the cubs and my reputation in the kingdom. But don't mistake that for affection."

He stepped closer, gaze intense. "You're the queen. If they smell weakness, any hint that something is off, it won't be just like the crown that is at risk. So your memory loss between us."

I tried to respond, but my throat was dry. He has just admitted something that shattered the fragile illusion I hadn't even begun to accept.

Now I get it: no love, no bond, just obligations. "But you are my mate for now!" I whispered silently.

He looked away, jaw clenched. "The moon goddess makes mistakes too, and that's you."

And with that, he turned and walked away, the door clicking softly behind him.

I stood frozen in the center of the room, heart pounding. A queen in name. A stranger in body. A mate unloved.

Then I noticed something. On the dresser, half covered by a velvet scarf, sat a dusty silver locket. I picked it up, trembling fingers brushing it clean. Inside were two pictures, Loki and Aria on one side. On the other is Dane and a lady; I guess it's Maya.

The moment I heard footsteps fade down the corridor, a quick knock came at my door-soft, rapid, and almost desperate.

I opened it, and there stood Amelia, my personal maid, as said by Alpha Dane when she came to his room. But this time, her usual warmth was shadowed by urgency.

Without a word, she slipped into the room, glancing around awkwardly to be sure we were alone. From the folds of her apron, she pulled a sealed, aged envelope stamped with the blood-red crest of Storm howl.

"This looks familiar!" I thought to myself, but I don't know where I've seen it before.

"My lady, it's from your father." She said in a whisper, placing it gently in my hands. "He said no one must see it. Not even the Alpha."

Before I could speak, she slipped out just as swiftly as she entered.

My fingers trembled as I broke the wax seal. It wasn't Maya's father's crest. "Cara is dead!" That's the first thing I glanced at in the note.

I'm dead, and someone is announcing that! But why? My questions hung up in the air.

"Cara, Lord Max's daughter. The one they whispered about was Dane's favorite and loving mate. The one everyone believed he'd mark is dead. He's left with no choice but to mark you as his own and make your son his rightful heir. It was made to be believed to be an accident." My eyes widened in shock at the note before me.

Then I continued. "It wasn't an accident; it's all part of the plans."

"Alpha Thane is my father-no, Maya's father!" My voice trembled at the revelation; I have no one to console my heart in the dimly lit room.

"Alpha Thane is Maya's father, then Kyle's and related to Maya," her face laced with confusion. "I am inside Kyle's sister's body." I staggered backward, the letter slipping from my fingers and landing on the floor like a fallen truth.