Dejected Luna

I was locked inside my room again. The door was shut, and two guards stood outside to make sure I didn’t go anywhere. The reason was simple: I hurt the Alpha’s chosen mate. Everyone in the pack knew about it. They whispered about me in the halls and called me jealous, cruel, and desperate. But they didn’t know what really happened. I didn’t mean to hurt her. I was never the type to lose control. I always kept my calm, always acted proper, always behaved like the Luna I was supposed to be. But that day… something in me broke. We were just talking at first. And then, out of nowhere, she said something about how the Alpha would be happier if she was Luna instead of me. I don’t even know what came over me. One second, we were talking, and the next, my claws were out, and I had scratched her face. Lexi was the Alpha Rainer’s beloved since childhood. Everyone in the Frostbane Pack knew that. She was the one he loved, the one he was supposed to be with. And me? I was just the Luna chosen for alliance. A mate and a bond that existed only because the pack needed it. Because his wolf needed mine. I knew my place, yet I still hoped. I hoped that one day, Rainier would look at me differently. That maybe, just maybe, I could be more than his Luna on paper. But he never did. He only saw me as duty. And I, foolishly, called it love. I sat by the window, staring at the pale winter moon. The night was cold, but I didn’t bother to light the fire. My hands were trembling, but my heart felt numb. I laughed quietly to myself. I had already cried so much that my eyes felt dry. “Moon Goddess,” I whispered. “Why did you do this to me? Why give me a mate who never wanted me?" There was no response from the Moon Goddess, there was only this deafening silence. I thought I was alone, but then, the door creaked open. I turned my head, expecting to see Rainier—but no. It was her. Lexi. The last person I wanted to see. I stood up slowly, forcing a bitter smile. “What?” I asked. “Did you come here to celebrate? To see how miserable I am?” Lexi tilted her head, her lips curling into that soft, fake smile she always wore when she wanted to look harmless. “Oh, Celeste, you think too low of me. I didn’t come here to gloat.” Her tone was sugar-sweet, but her eyes and mocking smile told a different story. “I came,” she said softly, stepping forward, “to share my good news.” I frowned. “Good news?” "I'm pregnant," she smiled wider, her hand gently resting over her stomach. “Rainier and I… we’re going to have a pup.” For a few seconds, I couldn’t move. My heart stopped. I felt something heavy sink in my chest. “You’re lying,” I whispered. “He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t betray the bond. He knows what that would do to the pack!” Lexi’s lips twitched, amusement flickering briefly before she masked it with a look of pity. “Oh, Celeste,” she said softly, almost mockingly. “He’s already planning to divorce you. He wants to make things right.” I shook my head. “No. His wolf needs me. The pack depends on our bond.” Lexi sighed, pretending to be pained by my words, and stepped closer. “Look for yourself,” she murmured. Then she slowly pulled her robe aside—and I saw it. The small curve of her stomach. The proof that there was a pup inside her. I felt my legs weaken. “No…” I breathed. “It can’t be.” Lexi pressed her lips together as if holding back tears, but her eyes glimmered with satisfaction. “You can’t give him an heir, Celeste. You’ve been mated for years, and still nothing. He’s doing what’s best for everyone. For the pack. For the future.” That’s when it all made sense. The sharp pain I’d been feeling through the bond some nights ago—the emptiness, the sting in my chest. It was this betrayal. They had betrayed me! I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to scream, but only silence came out. “So what now?” I asked, my voice shaking. “You came here to tell me to step aside?!" She looked at me with that same fake sweetness and pulled something from her cloak—a small bottle. My heart dropped. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, even though I already knew. Lexi held it out to me, lowering her gaze in fake remorse. “It’s painless. Quick. You’ll fall asleep and won’t feel anything. He doesn’t want you to suffer anymore. This is his decision, not mine.” My eyes widened. “He wants me gone?” She nodded slowly, her fake pity returning like a mask she had worn too many times. “This is the only way for us to be together—and for you to stop hurting.” I stared at her for a long moment, then I laughed. It was hollow, broken. “So this is how it ends? After everything I’ve done for him? After all the loyalty I gave to the Frostbane Pack? This is my reward?" "Please," Lexi clasped her hands, lowering her lashes like a saint pretending to pray. “Don’t make this harder. It’s better this way.” Then she smiled, small but smug. “It’s the only way for us to be together. For him to finally be happy.” She emphasized the word happy like a dagger twisting in my chest, as if I were the one who had stolen their joy. My chest ached. I didn’t even know if I was angry anymore. Maybe I was just tired. So, so tired. I already lost everything and I failed to be the Luna they wanted me to be. I took the bottle from her hands. “Tell him,” I said softly, “that this is the last thing I’ll ever do for him.” Then I drank it. The taste was sharp and bitter. I felt it burn down my throat, and soon my body started to grow weak. I collapsed to the floor, my vision slowly fading to nothingness. Then I hear someone shouting from far away. I heard the door slam open and Rainier’s voice echoed in the distance. “Celeste! What did you do? Celeste!” His voice was trembling. I almost laughed. Now he cared? As darkness took over, I made a silent vow. If I ever get another chance, I will never love you again. Then suddenly—everything stopped. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer lying on the floor. The cold stone beneath me had vanished and I was back in the past. Back on the day of our engagement. My father stood proudly beside me, his voice echoing through the hall. “Celeste Sinclair, do you accept Alpha Rainier Frost as your mate, as part of this alliance?” The crowd waited in silence. Every pair of eyes was fixed on me. Rainier, too. He was calm, confident, and wearing the same cold expression he always had. I used to think the world would end if I lost him. Now I knew better. “No,” I said clearly. Gasps rippled through the hall. Rainer's cold gaze faltered, confusion flashing across his face. But I didn’t stop. I met his gaze, and for the first time, I didn’t see my mate. I saw the man who killed me. “I, Celeste Sinclair, reject Rainier Frost of the Frostbane Pack.”