I was his replacement, now he's replaceable

The day my twin sister Olivia died, her mate, Alpha Caleb begged me to marry him to reduce his son's grief by having his mother's lookalike around.

On my thirtieth birthday, which happened to fall on the fifth anniversary of her death, I decided to dye my hair back to my natural red instead of maintaining Olivia's honey blonde.

During the small celebration, ten-year-old Theo grabbed my birthday cake and poured the hot candle wax directly onto my head, the liquid streaming down my face and neck.

"How dare you try to be different!" he screamed as the burning wax slid down my face. "You promised to be just like mom!"

Gasps echoed through the room filled with pack members who'd gathered for my birthday dinner.

Theo's voice dropped to a snarl. "You're nothing but a cheap replacement. A stand-in who doesn't deserve to breathe the same air she did."

The burning sensation spread across my scalp and cheeks as he continued, "I hope your face scars so badly that you can never look like her again. Then everyone will see what a fraud you really are."

I stared at this child I'd sacrificed everything for and felt something inside me finally give way. If he couldn't accept me after five years, perhaps it was time to stop trying.

That night, I called my grandmother.

"I'm coming home," I said firmly. "I'm ready to reclaim my position as the Alpha Queen."

When I left the next morning, I never expected they would come crawling back, begging for my forgiveness.

-------

I sat on the cold bathroom floor, applying ice packs to my burned face where the wax had left angry red welts. Chunks of wax still clung to my newly dyed hair.

The door slammed open. Caleb stormed in with Theo hovering behind him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Caleb's eyes flashed with fury. "On the anniversary dinner of Olivia's death, you pull this stunt? Can't you behave for once?"

"It's also my birthday," I replied quietly. "The one day I thought I could finally be who I want to be."

"Your birthday?" He laughed cruelly. "Your only purpose here is to be Olivia. That's the arrangement we made."

"I never agreed to become her completely."

"You agreed to whatever would help reduce my son's grief!" he shouted. "And now look at what you've done with your hair! You've traumatized him all over again!"

Theo smirked behind his father. "She thinks she deserves her own identity when she's just a stand-in."

Caleb turned to his son. "Go downstairs, Theo. I need to talk to Emma alone."

Theo left, not without a final victorious glance over his shoulder.

"Fix this," Caleb demanded, gesturing to my hair. "Dye it back blonde before dinner. Wear the blue dress Olivia wore to her last birthday. Don't make this day any harder for him."

He slammed the door behind him, leaving me trembling.

I never intended to be in this situation. When Olivia died, Theo had stopped speaking entirely. The therapists said he might never recover from the trauma of losing his mother so violently. Then I visited, Olivias identical twin, the aunt he barely knew...and he'd spoken his first words in months.

What started as occasional visits became a desperate plea from Caleb. The therapists suggested that having her around might help Theo process his grief. Caleb had suggested a permanent solution: marriage to give Theo the stability.

Since then, I'd been acting as Olivia. I wore her clothes, styled my hair like hers. When I didn't mirror her perfectly, it became a problem.

Last month, I'd accidentally hummed a song she had never liked while cooking dinner. Theo had spilled boiling water on my hand, leaving a scar that still hadn't healed.

The week before, I'd forgotten which side Olivia parted her hair. Theo had cut chunks out of my hair while I slept.

The only thing that remained truly mine were my eyes, green where hers had been blue. Last month, Caleb had ordered contact lenses to fix even that difference.

After cleaning the wax from my hair, I headed to the bathroom for a proper shower. When I turned on the water and stepped in, pain engulfed my body. I screamed with my skin already turning an angry red.

The bathroom door opened. Theo stood there, watching me with that same emotionless stare.

"Bleach works better than hair dye, doesn't it?" he said flatly. "Maybe now you'll remember who you're supposed to be."

He slammed the door shut and locked it from the outside. I pounded against it, the chemical burning deeper into my skin with every second.

"Help! Someone please!"

I collapsed against the wall, coughing and struggling to breathe through the chemical cloud.

Just as spots began dancing in my vision, the door burst open. Mrs. Collins, our housekeeper rushed me out, immediately grabbing my emergency medication.

I wrapped myself in a robe and headed to my bedroom. As I opened the door, I froze in horror.

My camera lay shattered on the floor. The memory card was snapped in half beside it.

That camera had been my lifeline, the only thing that reminded me I'd once had dreams beyond these walls. Every night, I would scroll through those photos, reminding myself that Emma Stone had existed before she became Olivias replacement.

A sob tore from my throat as I knelt beside the ruins of my past life. That's when I noticed the note, written in crayon:

"FAKE MOMMIES DON'T DESERVE MEMORIES."

Something inside me finally broke. I stormed downstairs, finding Theo in the living room with tear tracks on his face as Caleb comforted him.

"How could you?" My voice shook with fury. "That camera was my life's work. Every photo, every memory..."

"It's just a stupid camera," Theo spat. "Mom didn't like photography. She said it was your way of running away from family."

Caleb rose, towering over me. "Haven't you done enough damage for one day? Look how upset he is!"

"Me?" I stepped back, incredulous. "He destroyed thousands of dollars of equipment! Years of my work! And earlier today he poured chemicals into..."

"For God's sake, Emma," Caleb hissed, using my real name like a weapon. "It's just a hobby. This" he gestured around the house, at Theo, "this is what matters. This family. The family you promised to help heal."

"By erasing myself?" I whispered. "That was never the agreement. I was supposed to help transition him, not become her permanently."

Caleb's expression softened as he approached me, one hand reaching for my burned skin. "I know this is hard. But look at him, he needs his mother."

"I'm not his mother," I said quietly. "And I never will be."

His fingers traced the outline of my jaw, continuing down my neck. "You could be. You already look like her. Act like her. And tonight... you could be her for me, too."

I recoiled from his touch. The longing in his eyes wasn't for meit never had been.

"I'm leaving," I said firmly. "Tomorrow. Im done with you."

"What do you mean you're leaving?" Caleb's voice dropped to a whisper. "On the anniversary of my wife's death? Have you no respect at all?"

I stood my ground. "The agreement was for two years, Caleb. Two years to help Theo transition. It's been over five now."

His eyes narrowed as he stepped closer. "So that's it? You're just going to abandon your responsibilities because of a little wax and some harsh words from a child?"

"A little wax?" I gestured to the angry redmarks covering my scalp and face. "Theo deliberately hurt me because I changed my hair color. What's next? What else will he destroy?"

"He's grieving, Emma!" Caleb shouted, slamming his fist against the wall. "For God's sake, he lost his mother! How many times do I need to explain this to you? You promised to help him!"

I tried to remain calm. "I've given him five years of my life, Caleb. I've tried everything to help him heal. But he doesn't want to heal, he wants to punish me for not being Olivia."

"Don't you dare speak her name," a cold voice interrupted from the doorway.

I turned to see Margaret Weah, Caleb's mother, standing with her arms folded across her chest. She'd never made any attempt to hide her disdain for me.

"I knew you'd pull something like this," she said. "Always looking for attention, always making everything about yourself instead of Olivia's memory."

"Margaret," I acknowledged her with a nod. "I've fulfilled my obligation. The agreement was two years. I've given more than double that."

She laughed. "Obligation? Is that what you call taking her place? Living in her home? Wearing her clothes and sleeping in her bed?"

"I never wanted to replace her," I said quietly. "That was never the agreement."

"Really?" Margaret's nail jabbed into my chest. "Then why did you agree to marry her husband? Why did you move into her house? Why have you been parading around looking exactly like her for five years?"

"Because you all insisted it was what Theo needed!" I felt my composure slipping. "You said it would help him heal!"

Caleb sighed heavily, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "We should all calm down. Today is about honoring Olivia's memory and celebrating Emma's birthday." He placed his hand on my shoulder. "Let's get you cleaned up. I'll help you dye your hair back to blonde, and we can forget this nonsense about leaving."

His fingers moved from my shoulder to my neck, his touch lingering. "I can make it up to you tonight," he whispered. "After the party. Let me remind you why you're here."

I stepped away from his touch. "I'm not interested in being your substitute for Olivia."

I could see the flash of anger in his eyes, but before he could respond, the doorbell rang.

"That must be our guests," Margaret said. "Theo has been so excited about this party. Don't ruin it for him, Emma."

Without waiting for my response, she swept out of the room. Caleb gave me one last warning look before following her.

I took a few minutes to compose myself, trying to cover the burns with makeup as best I could. When I finally made my way downstairs, the party was already in full swing.

Pack members filled the living room, mingling with Theo's school friends and their parents. Theo's face turned sour when he spotted me.

"Look, Theo, your mother is here," one of the adults said to him.

Theo scoffed loudly enough for everyone to hear. "She's not my mother!"

I stood frozen as Caleb sighed deeply and approached his son.

"We don't talk like that, Theo. Emma is your mother now, and she's been taking good care of you,"

Theo's face contorted with rage. "No! She can never be my mother. Everyone," he announced to the room, "this woman is a fake. She's just pretending to be mom because she's jealous she wasn't the one Dad chose!"

Whispers immediately filled the room as the pack members all stared at me. I kept my face blank, used to the judgment. None of them knew what I'd sacrificed.

The front door opened, and the whispers stopped.

Selena walked in, her honey blonde hair styled perfectly, blue eyes sparkling. Caleb's mistress had arrived.

"Selena!" Theo squealed with delight, running toward her with pure joy on his face.

She bent down and hugged him tightly. "There's my favorite boy! Happy anniversary dinner, sweetheart."

Theo clung to her hand as they walked back to the dining room. "I'm so glad you're here. I hate when she tries to be my mom," he said loudly, pointing at me.

"Theo, honey, be nice," she said, but the smile never left her face.

Caleb cleared his throat. "Emma, come take a photo of us."

I stood frozen as Caleb handed me his phone. The three of them posed together, Caleb's arm around Selena's waist, Theo in front of them.

"Say cheese," I managed to whisper.

As I took the photo, Caleb leaned down and kissed Selena deeply. Theo grinned at me over his shoulder.

A perfect family. The family I could never give them.

"Aunt Emma," Theo suddenly called out. "I want to apologize for earlier."

The room watched as he approached me, holding a wrapped box.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," he said, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "I got you something."

He held out a small box wrapped in shiny paper. With trembling fingers, I lifted the lid. A scream escaped me as I dropped the box, its contents spilling across the patio. A dead rat tumbled out, followed by a thick red liquid that splashed across my clothes.

"Oops," Theo giggled. "I thought you'd like a new pet since your camera's broken."

The crowd gasped as the blood-like substance soaked through my white dress.

"Theo!" Caleb said halfheartedly. "That's not appropriate."

But Selena was already laughing. "Boys will be boys," she said, ruffling Theo's hair proudly.

Margaret quickly moved the focus back to the celebration. "Let's make a wish, Theo!"

The entire room watched as Theo closed his eyes.

"I wish Aunt Selena would stay with us forever," he said loudly. Then he leaned closer to the flame. "And I wish wolves like Emma would die a painful death, just like this rat."

I stood in the hallway, rat blood dripping down my dress as everyone returned to their conversations like nothing had happened.

Just as I was about to escape upstairs, Caleb walked over with his face tight with anger.

"Do you have to make a scene at every gathering? Can't you just clean yourself up and join everyone like a normal person?"

He was mad that I'd gotten blood on the imported carpet. Caleb's house was always perfecthardly anyone could keep it as spotless as I did, which is why I'd even taken home management classes to learn proper cleaning techniques.

Back then, Theo used to follow me around and smile, "Aunt Emma, you make our house so pretty. I want you to stay with us forever."

But somewhere along the way, everything changed. Now, all he wanted was for me to disappear.

Suddenly, thunder cracked outside and rain poured down without warning. The sound echoed through the house, making everyone pause their conversations.

I looked up at Caleb and spoke quietly, "I need to go change. I can't stay in these clothes."

He sneered. "You think anyone cares? You wanted attention so bad, why don't you just stay here?"

"Caleb, who are you talking to?" a woman's voice called sweetly from behind us.

Selena walked over in her designer dress and wrapped her arms around Caleb's shoulders like they belonged together.

When she saw me, she couldn't hold back a laugh.

"Oh, look at you. Sorry, darling, but we're about to start the memorial slideshow for Olivia. Everyone's waiting."

Then she turned to Theo.

"Come on, Theo. The photos are ready. Your dad prepared something special."

"Yay! I love looking at mom's pictures!" Theo beamed and took her hand. "You're the best, Selena!"

I watched them walk to the living room, their silhouettes warm and close. My chest ached.

The boy I sacrificed everything for, the one I poured every ounce of my heart into, couldn't see a thing I'd done for him. Instead, he clung to Selena just because she styled herself to look like Olivia.

I headed upstairs to change, but when I tried to open my bedroom door, it was locked. I tried the bathroomlocked. Every door upstairs was locked.

I pulled out my phone to call Mrs. Collins, the housekeeper, but my battery was dead.

Just when I thought I'd have to stand there dripping blood all night, Patricia appeared with a key.

"Caleb said you can use the guest bathroom at the end of the hall. But hurry, we're starting the slideshow."

My mind was half-frozen, but I managed a nod and dragged myself to the small bathroom.

The first thing I saw when I returned downstairs was Theo curled up in Selena's lap, watching the slideshow of Olivia, while Caleb sat beside them. They looked like the picture-perfect family.

I tried to slip past them to the kitchen, but Caleb spotted me.

"You know Theo needs you here for the slideshow. From now on, don't disappear when he needs you."

I gave a cold, tired smile and said calmly, "Then you better hire a professional therapist soon. Or maybe have Selena step in, I've written down all his routines. I'll be gone tomorrow, remember?"

A sharp clang rang out. Caleb had slammed his glass onto the table, the sound making everyone turn.

"Emma! Have I been too lenient with you? Is that why you think you can talk to me like this?" He pushed back his chair and marched over to me, grabbing my wrist in a bruising grip.

"You throw around threats of leaving like they mean nothing. You really think I'll just let you go?"

Of course he would. Why wouldn't he? He never loved me. Not really. The only reason he kept me around was because of Theo. He wanted his son to believe he still had a mother figure.

I stayed calm, looked him dead in the eye. "Then maybe you should just ask Theo if he even wants me around. Ask him if he cares whether I stay."

Right on cue, Theo's voice cut through the room, dripping with disdain.

"Dad, I've been wanting her to leave for years. I hate her. I like Selena better."

Selena hurriedly covered his mouth.

"Theo, honey, you can't say things like that, it'll hurt your aunt."

"She's not my aunt anymore! I don't want a fake mom!" Theo shouted, glaring at me with hatred.

I shrugged at Caleb and said dryly, "There, you heard him. He doesn't want me around. Can I finally leave now?"

Caleb's brows furrowed. He turned to Selena.

"Selena, take Theo to the kitchen for cake."

Selena hesitated, but she nodded and led Theo away.

I looked at her retreating figure and said again, "You and Theo both like her. Why don't you make her his new mom instead? I'm done with the role."

"You're really that eager to throw me at another woman?" His voice was low, dangerous.

I stared at him, genuinely confused. What did he even mean by that?

He loved Olivia. Everyone knew it. Even after five years since her death, he never moved on. He'd never looked at me with affection. I was just a stand-in: someone he used when he needed someone who looked like his wife, nothing more. And now, he'd finally found Selena, someone who could mimic Olivia's mannerisms so well it was eerie. Shouldn't he be thrilled?

But instead of answering, his expression darkened. He turned abruptly and barked over his shoulder. "Selena, come back."

She peeked back in, surprised. Before she could ask anything, Caleb grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the hall.

"You want to see us together, Emma?" he snapped. "Fine. I'll give you what you want."

And with that, he yanked her into the study and slammed the door.

Not long after, the sounds of moans slipped through the walls.

I felt nothing.

I'd never come to this house for love. I came to help my sister's son. That was it. I never let my heart get involved, never expected anything more than cold indifference. Caleb had always loved Olivia and now he'd found someone who mirrored her so perfectly it was almost grotesque. Selena was his second chance, a living, breathing shadow of the woman he'd never stopped grieving.

He should be happy.

Quietly, I slipped upstairs to pack what little I had left. When I came back down, my bags in hand, I headed for the front door.

But just as I reached it, Theo stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

With one sharp kick, he knocked over my suitcase.

"What, one little joke and now you're running away?" His voice was dripping with contempt. "You think this little act will get my dad's attention? That he'll come chasing after you like in some stupid movie? You're pathetic."

I didn't say a word. I just bent down, calmly picked up my suitcase and started walking away from him.

Then I heard sharp whistle through the air.

I turned around just in time to see Theo standing with the bow raised, as he released an arrow aimed straight at me.