Third-person POV.

Lily, the Alpha's Luna, felt her blood boiling as she stared at the new maid standing before her in the grand entrance hall of her castle. Something was definitely wrong here. Every instinct she had was screaming that this girl wasn't just here for a simple job.

"What's your name again?" Lily demanded, her voice sharp as a knife.

"Isabella, ma'am," the young woman replied softly, keeping her eyes downcast.

"Isabella," Lily repeated slowly, tasting the name like poison. "And you're here to work as a maid?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm grateful for the opportunity."

Lily's hands clenched into fists at her sides. She knew deep in her bones that this Isabella wasn't really here to scrub floors and make beds. No, this girl was here for her mate, Alpha Nathan. The way she carried herself, the way she smelled – everything about her screamed danger.

"Well, Isabella," Lily said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness, "let me make something crystal clear. This is MY castle. Nathan is MY mate. And if you think you can waltz in here and-"

"Lily, what's going on?" came a familiar voice from behind her.

Lily spun around to see Mila, Nathan's younger sister, walking down the marble staircase. The girl's dark hair was braided down her back, and her curious eyes were taking in the tense scene.

"Nothing that concerns you, little girl," Lily snapped, her anger bubbling over. "Why don't you run along and play with your dolls or whatever it is children do?"

Mila's eyes flashed with hurt and anger. "I'm not a child, Lily. I'm sixteen."

"Could have fooled me," Lily shot back cruelly. "Maybe if Nathan didn't spend so much time babying you, he'd have time for more important things."

Isabella gasped softly at the harsh words. She could see how much they hurt Mila, who was clearly trying not to cry.

"That's enough," Mila said quietly, but there was steel in her voice. "Isabella, welcome to our home. I hope you'll be happy here."

Lily's fury reached new heights. How dare this little brat undermine her authority? "Happy here? Oh, that's rich! You think she's here to be happy, Mila? You're even more naive than I thought."

"What do you mean?" Mila asked, confused.

"I mean," Lily said, stepping closer to Isabella, "that this little tramp isn't here to clean. She's here to steal. Just like all the other gold-digging wenches who've tried before her."

Isabella's cheeks burned red. "I'm not-I would never-"

"Save it," Lily cut her off. "I know exactly what you are and why you're here. But let me tell you something, honey. Nathan is MINE. Do you understand? Mine!"

The truth was, Lily's anger wasn't really about jealousy – not the kind people might think. It was about fear. Fear of losing everything she'd worked so hard to get. She and her real mate, Ethan, had been planning this deception for three long years.

Yes, Ethan the Beta was Lily's true mate. They'd been in on this scheme together from the very beginning. Ethan had his eyes on the crown, and he wanted desperately to be Alpha. But he was tired of waiting, tired of being second in command.

That's why three years ago, he and Lily had hatched their plan. They would convince Nathan that Lily was his destined mate. It had been working perfectly – well, except for one problem.

Lily couldn't give Nathan children. Every pregnancy ended in miscarriage because she wasn't meant to be his Luna. Her body rejected his seed because the moon goddess had never intended them to be together.

But that was okay. They had time to strip him of his crown and his fortune. The problem was that Ethan's family wasn't wealthy like Nathan's. The Beta came from a middle-class family, while Alpha Nathan's bloodline had ruled the pack for centuries. The family fortune was massive.

That's why Ethan and Lily had decided to work together – to take everything from Nathan piece by piece. Everything had been going according to plan until Isabella showed up. She was a disaster they hadn't planned for at all.

As Lily continued her tirade in the entrance hall, she didn't notice Ethan approaching from the side corridor. His jaw was tight with worry as he watched his mate losing control.

"Lily," he said quietly, but his voice carried authority. "Perhaps we should check on the horses. I think Storm might be acting up again."

Lily turned to him, her eyes wild. "The horses? Now?"

"Yes, now," Ethan said firmly, giving her a meaningful look. "Mila, would you mind showing Isabella to her quarters? I'm sure she's tired from her journey."

Mila nodded quickly. "Of course. Come on, Isabella. Your room is in the servants' wing."

As the two young women walked away, Ethan grabbed Lily's arm gently but firmly. "We need to talk. Now."

He led her out of the castle and toward the stables, his mind racing. If Lily kept acting like this, she was going to ruin everything they'd worked for.

The stables were dimly lit and smelled of hay and horses. Ethan checked around quickly to make sure they were alone before turning to face Lily.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded, his voice low but angry. "You almost blew our entire operation!"

Lily's face crumpled. "I can't help it, Ethan! There's something about that girl. She's not just some random maid. I can feel it."

"Of course she's not just some random maid," Ethan said, running his hands through his dark hair. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Lily's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Ethan stepped closer, lowering his voice even more. "I mean I brought her here, Lily. I arranged for her to get this job."

"You WHAT?" Lily shrieked, then quickly covered her mouth when several horses whinnied nervously.

"Keep your voice down," Ethan hissed. "Yes, I brought her here. And before you lose your mind completely, let me explain why."

Lily stared at him in shock. "This better be good, Ethan, because right now I'm thinking about storming back in there and scratching her eyes out."

"Listen to me carefully," Ethan said, gripping her shoulders. "Isabella is Nathan's real mate."

The words hit Lily like a physical blow. "His... his real mate?"

"Yes. I've known for weeks. I had my sources watching him, and they reported some very interesting behavior when he was near her."

Lily felt sick. "But then why would you bring her here? If she's his real mate, then our plan-"

"Our plan is about to reach its conclusion," Ethan interrupted. "But not the way we originally thought. We need to accelerate things."

"I don't understand."

Ethan began pacing in the small space, his boots crunching on the straw-covered floor. "Think about it, Lily. What happens when an Alpha finds his true mate but is already bonded to someone else?"