My husband chose the Blood Moon Ball to throw me away, in front of every Alpha on the continent.
"I, Alpha Kane of Blackstone, reject you as my mate and Luna."
His first love stood behind him in the gown that was sewn for me.
My thirteen-year-old son held the new Luna's crown, because he'd volunteered to carry it.
"Mom, have some dignity," he whispered. "Don't make us a continental joke."
For twenty years no rejected wolf had dared accept, because acceptance throws every ounce of the bond-tearing agony back onto the one who broke the oath.
I smoothed the dress they mocked.
I met the eyes of the whole hall.
I said it slow, one word at a time: I accept your rejection.
Kane crashed to the marble, fingers gouging stone, his wolf screaming inside his ribs.
My neck went light as his mark melted away.
And under that fading mark, something old and silver began to glow.
From the throne came a growl that had been swallowed for seven years.
The Lycan King walked past a hall of kneeling wolves and dropped to one knee before me.
"Seven years," he said, "I waited for that rotten mark to die."
Then he turned to the room and told them to bow to their Queen.
***
"Behold the goddess's grace," Sasha announced, raising her glowing palms toward the vaulted ceiling of the Blood Moon Ball hall. "True healing requires strength. It requires a wolf capable of channeling the earth's power, not a broken vessel."
Cheers erupted from the Blackstone pack members.
I stood by the banquet tables, smoothing the frayed velvet of my five-year-old dress. The fabric felt thin beneath my fingers. Around me, visiting Alphas and their Betas openly pointed at my worn hem.
"Did you see her arrive?" a visiting Alpha asked loudly, making no effort to hide his disdain. "Walking in on foot. The Wolfless Luna."
"Barely a Luna," his Beta replied, laughing. "Look at Sasha up there. That is a real mate. Wren is just a charity case Kane keeps around out of pity."
"I heard she hasn't shifted in a decade," another woman chimed in, swirling her wine glass. "What kind of Alpha keeps a human-scented weakling by his side? It makes Blackstone look weak."
I drove my fingernails into my palms. The sharp sting kept my face completely blank. Sasha lowered her hands and smiled at the crowd. She was mimicking the exact healing technique I had taught her three years ago, using it to claim my legacy.
"You should sit down, Wren," an older pack member muttered, bumping my shoulder as he walked past. "You're ruining the view."
"I am fine standing," I said, keeping my eyes on the stage.
Heavy footsteps approached from my right.
Dorian, my thirteen-year-old son, marched down the aisle. He wore a crisp ceremonial suit. He carried a velvet cushion. Resting on top of it was the crystal Luna crown.
My chest tightened. I stepped into his path. "Dorian."
He stopped. His jaw clamped shut. He refused to look at me.
"What are you doing with that crown?" I asked, keeping my tone even. "That belongs in the vault."
Dorian shifted his grip on the velvet cushion. He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Mom, show some dignity. Don't make Blackstone the laughingstock of the continent."
The words slammed into my ribs.
"I am your mother," I said. "And I am still the Luna of this pack."
"You are an embarrassment," Dorian shot back, finally glaring at me. "Sasha is strong. She can actually shift. You just sit around looking pathetic."
"I raised you," I whispered, the betrayal burning my throat. "I taught you what it means to lead."
"You taught me how to hide," Dorian sneered. "Kane says a real leader stands in the light. Now move."
He stepped around me and continued toward the stage.
Fourteen years ago, I lay bleeding on the border dirt. I drained my own veins to heal two hundred dying warriors. That sacrifice broke my wolf, leaving me permanently grounded. Last winter, I spent weeks sewing Dorian a winter cloak for his training. Kane snatched it from my hands and tossed it straight into the roaring fireplace.
"A Luna should look like a Luna," Kane had sneered, watching my hard work turn to ash. "Not a pathetic seamstress."
Now, Kane stood at the center of the dais.
He wore his ceremonial black jacket. He puffed out his chest as Dorian handed him the crystal crown. Kane patted our son's shoulder, completely ignoring my presence in the aisle.
Sasha stepped up right behind him.
My stomach dropped.
She wore a gown of spun gold silk. The bodice was heavily embroidered with silver thread, catching every flicker of the chandelier light. The pack seamstress had measured me for that exact dress three weeks ago.
"Do you like it?" Sasha asked. Her voice carried perfectly over the sudden hush of the hall. She stroked the silk over her hip, locking eyes with me. "Kane said gold suits my complexion better. He said it was a total waste to put such fine fabric on someone who hides in the shadows."
"It fits perfectly," Sasha taunted, turning slightly to show off the intricate silver embroidery trailing down the back. "Don't you think? The seamstress had to take it in, of course. You always wore your clothes so loose to hide your frail figure."
"The seamstress tailored that for me," I said, stepping forward. "We picked that fabric together to celebrate the pack's founding."
"And I paid for it," Kane interrupted. His voice boomed off the stone walls. "I decide who wears the gold in this pack."
"You gave her my dress," I stated, the reality of his cruelty settling over me.
"I gave her what she deserves," Kane replied. "Something you stopped deserving a long time ago."
Kane raised his hand.
The hall plunged into absolute silence. The torches lining the walls flickered and dimmed as his Alpha aura pressed heavily onto the room.
"Wren," Kane commanded. "Step forward."
I forced my feet to move. I stopped ten paces from the dais.
"You have failed Blackstone," Kane announced to the crowd. "You cannot shift. You cannot lead the hunts. You offer nothing to our future."
"I gave my wolf for this pack," I replied, staring directly at him. "I saved your warriors when no one else could. Your father honored my sacrifice before he died."
"My father was sentimental," Kane snapped. "He let a cripple run his pack. We need a future. Sasha is that future."
"She is a fraud," I said, my voice ringing clear. "She uses parlor tricks to mimic the healing blood I gave to your men."
"Silence!" Kane roared. "You will not insult my chosen mate."
He reached out and took Sasha's hand, pulling her to his side.
"I am your fated mate," I reminded him, my voice steady.
"Not anymore," Kane said.
He squared his stance. The crowd held its collective breath.
"I, Kane, Alpha of Blackstone," he projected, his words echoing through the silent hall, "reject you as my fated mate and Luna."
A searing burn ignited on the left side of my neck.
My hand flew to the mating mark. The skin blistered beneath my fingertips. The severed bond tore at my veins, demanding I fall to my knees and beg for mercy.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
No one rejected a fated mate openly.
For twenty years, pack law had been absolute. If the rejected party accepted the severing, the agonizing pain of the torn bond would rebound entirely onto the oath-breaker. It was a death sentence for the Alpha. Kane expected me to weep. He expected me to cling to his legs and refuse the rejection, absorbing the agony myself to spare his life.
Dorian watched me from the steps. He crossed his arms, waiting for me to yield.
Kane stared down at me, a smug smirk playing on his lips.
"Beg, Wren," Sasha whispered, leaning over the edge of the dais. "Refuse the rejection and he might let you stay in the servant's quarters."
I lowered my hand from my burning neck.
The pain sharpened, threatening to rip my chest open. I ignored it.
I shifted my gaze past Kane, past the glowing Sasha, and looked toward the silent, empty throne reserved for the High King at the back of the dais.
I squared my shoulders.
I looked Kane dead in the eye.
I slowly opened my mouth.
"I, accept..."
