After My Alpha Rejected Me for a Fake Luna

The satin of the ceremonial dress felt like a vice around my ribs, constricting my breath until black spots danced in my vision. My hands, trembling uncontrollably, clutched the edge of the vanity table. I stared into the mirror, but the face staring back wasn’t the confident Luna of the Silver Moon Pack. It was a frightened girl, haunted by shadows only she could see.

“Luna?”

The deep, rumbling voice made me jump, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. I spun around, pressing my back against the table, only to relax when I saw my father, Alpha Garrett. He stood in the doorway, his massive frame filling the space, his eyes soft with a worry that aged him ten years.

“We don’t have to do this, sweetheart,” he said, his voice dropping to a gentle murmur he reserved only for me. “Say the word, and I’ll take you home. To hell with the Dark Claw Pack. To hell with the alliance.”

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. My wolf, dormant and silent for three years, offered no comfort. Just a hollow emptiness where my spirit should be. But then I thought of Isaac. Isaac, who had spent the last three years whispering promises through closed doors. Isaac, who suppressed his crushing Alpha aura just so I could breathe in his presence without screaming.

“No, Dad,” I whispered, forcing my trembling fingers to smooth down the white fabric of my dress. “Isaac… he’s different. He’s my safe harbor. Once he marks me, the bond will settle. I’ll be fixed.”

I reached up to touch the necklace at my throat. It was a silver chain with a modest, cloudy crystal—a replica of the Moon Stone, the heirloom of the Dark Claw Pack’s Luna. Isaac had told me the original was being polished, too delicate for the ceremony’s chaos. It felt cold against my skin, but I wore it like a shield.

Dad sighed, stepping forward to kiss my forehead, careful not to let his power overwhelm me. “If he hurts you, Luna, I will burn this world down.”

I didn't think he would have to.

The ceremony hall was a cavernous nightmare of noise and scent. Hundreds of wolves from allied packs lined the aisle. The air was thick with the musk of unmated males, a scent that usually sent me spiraling into a panic attack. I kept my eyes locked on the dais at the end of the hall.

Isaac stood there.

He looked magnificent in his ceremonial black suit, his shoulders broad, his jaw set. But as I walked toward him, my father’s arm the only thing keeping me upright, Isaac didn’t smile. His golden eyes were cold, devoid of the warmth he had shown me in private. He didn't reach for me.

When we reached the steps, my father reluctantly let me go. I stepped up, my legs shaking so badly I thought I might collapse. I waited for him to take my hand, to bare his neck for the marking, to claim me as his mate and end the nightmare of my fear.

Instead, Isaac took a step back.

The movement was small, but it felt like a slap. The chatter in the hall died instantly. The silence was louder than the crowd had been.

“Isaac?” I breathed, my voice barely audible.

He looked down at me, his lip curling slightly. Then, his voice boomed, amplified by his Alpha command, echoing off the stone walls.

“I, Alpha Isaac Gibson of the Dark Claw Pack, reject you, Luna Tucker of the Silver Moon Pack.”

The words hit me like physical blows. A gasp rippled through the crowd. My knees buckled, and I would have fallen if I hadn’t grabbed the podium.

“Isaac… why?” The pain in my chest was searing, a hot iron branding my heart.

“Look at you,” he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. “You are broken, Luna. A Luna must be strong. A Luna must bear heirs. You can barely stand the scent of your own kind without weeping.”

He turned to the side, extending a hand. From the shadows emerged Alison Ward. She was a lower-ranked she-wolf, someone I had always thought was kind. She walked with a sway in her hips, placing her hand possessively on her flat stomach.

“Alison is carrying my heir,” Isaac announced, pulling her against his side. The sudden intimacy, the way he touched her, made my stomach churn. “She understands trauma, but she doesn’t let it cripple our pack. She is the Luna Dark Claw deserves.”

Alison looked at me, her eyes feigning pity. “Oh, Luna,” she cooed, her voice sickly sweet. “Don’t cry. It’s for the best.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a silk handkerchief, offering it to me. As she leaned forward, the neckline of her dress shifted.

There, resting against her skin, was the real Moon Stone. The large, iridescent gem pulsated with a soft blue light—the true heirloom I was supposed to wear. The cheap replica around my neck suddenly felt like a noose, burning my skin.

He gave her my necklace. He gave her my place. He gave her… everything.

The betrayal twisted in my gut, mixing with the overwhelming scent of the crowd and the crushing weight of Isaac’s rejection. I couldn’t stop it. I doubled over and vomited violently onto the polished stage, the acidic purge splashing onto the hem of Alison’s gown.

Alison shrieked and jumped back.

Isaac looked at me not with concern, but with absolute revulsion. He wiped a speck of bile from his shoe, his face twisting into a mask of hatred.

“Pathetic,” he spat. He gestured to his guards, his voice cold and final. “Get this broken thing out of my sight. She is ruining my ceremony.”

Two guards grabbed my arms, their grips bruising. I couldn’t fight. I couldn’t breathe. As they dragged me backward, scraping my heels against the floor, I watched Isaac turn his back on me, his hand resting lovingly on the woman who stole my life.