After My Alpha Betrayed Me, I Became His Uncle's Luna

"You stupid, ungrateful girl!" Richard roared, his fist slamming into the mahogany desk. The heavy glass inkwell rattled, spilling black drops across his paperwork.

I stood in the center of my father's study, my ruined silk wedding dress heavy with dirt from the walk home. "I am not marrying him."

"You humiliated the Blackwood heir in front of the entire pack!" My father marched around the desk, his face flushed a dangerous, mottled red. "Do you have any idea what this alliance means to the Ashford family? We needed their military backing!"

"Damien was fucking Vanessa Holloway in the VIP lounge," I said, my voice deadpan. "Ten minutes before he walked to the altar to claim me."

Richard stopped. His eyes narrowed. He didn't gasp in shock. He didn't ask if I was hurt.

"Does Damien know you overheard them?" he asked.

My stomach dropped. The cold realization settled over my skin like frost. "That is your question? Not 'Are you okay, Aurora?'"

"Answer the question," Richard snapped, stepping closer.

"I announced it over the microphone. The whole ballroom knows exactly where Damien's hands were."

Richard dragged a hand down his face, muttering violent curses under his breath. He paced the length of the Persian rug. "You ruined decades of diplomacy. Do you think the Blackwoods will just let this go?"

"He embarrassed himself by acting like a dog in heat," I countered.

"Watch your tone," Richard warned. "Alpha Blackwood is already threatening to cut off our trade routes. You put our entire pack's economy at risk because of a petty squabble."

"Petty squabble? He was inside my best friend!"

"Men have needs, Aurora!" Richard shouted, throwing his hands up. "You are to be Luna. A Luna looks the other way. A Luna maintains the peace. You threw away a crown over a stained dress."

The blatant disrespect burned my ears. I clenched my fists so tight my nails dug into my palms.

"We can fix this," Richard continued, ignoring my silence. "You will go back right now. You will issue a public apology."

"An apology?" I scoffed.

"You will claim the wedding stress caused a hallucination. You will get on your knees and beg Damien to forgive your outburst. And then you will complete the mating."

"No."

"Excuse me?" Richard stopped pacing.

"I rejected him. The bond is broken." I lifted my chin, staring into his furious eyes. "I refuse to be tied to a man who treats me like garbage."

My father’s hand swung through the air.

The sharp crack echoed off the wood-paneled walls. My head snapped to the side. A harsh, metallic taste flooded my mouth.

Instead of crying, I let out a dry, hollow laugh. I wiped the blood from my split lip with the back of my hand and looked back at him. "Is that the best you can do to defend a cheater?"

"I am your Alpha," Richard growled, raising his hand again. "You will obey me, or I will drag you to the altar by your hair."

Before his palm could strike my face a second time, a massive hand caught his wrist in a vice grip.

"Touch her again," a deep voice rumbled, "and I will tear your arm from its socket."

Lucien Blackwood stepped out of the shadows of the open doorway. He stood a full head taller than my father, his silver eyes flashing with a lethal, icy warning. He hadn't just followed me from the venue; he had bypassed our entire perimeter security without making a sound.

Richard yanked his arm back, rubbing his bruised wrist. "Lucien. What is the meaning of this? You are trespassing on Ashford territory."

"Who let you in?" Richard demanded, his voice pitching higher.

"Your guards are currently sleeping off concussions," Lucien replied smoothly. "I suggest you invest in better security."

Richard's jaw dropped. "You assaulted my men?"

"I removed obstacles," Lucien corrected. His gaze stayed fixed on me, checking my face for injuries. "Aurora is no longer your business. She is under my protection."

"She is an Ashford! She is my daughter!"

"She is leaving." Lucien turned his back on my father, offering me his arm. "Shall we?"

"If you walk out that door with him, Aurora, you are dead to this family!" Richard screamed, his chest heaving.

I didn't hesitate. I linked my arm through Lucien's.

"I died on a highway in another life," I whispered to myself, the phantom memory of crushed metal flashing in my mind.

I walked out of the study, leaving Richard sputtering in a fit of rage.

The cool night air hit my face as we stepped out of the sprawling estate. The gravel crunched beneath our shoes as we approached the circular driveway.

"Why did you follow me?" I asked, dropping my arm from his. "And what was that black envelope you shoved at me in the foyer?"

Lucien leaned against the sleek side of a matte-black Aston Martin. He pulled the same black envelope from his inner jacket pocket and tapped it against his palm. "The envelope contains a binding contract. I need a Luna."

I stared at him, trying to read the stoic lines of his face. "You want to mate with your brother's rejected bride? The entire pack just watched me humiliate your family."

"Damien is a fool, and his humiliation is his own doing," Lucien stated flatly. "The Blackwood inheritance laws are strict, Aurora. To challenge my brother for the Alpha title, I must have a fully marked Luna by my side. A completed mate ceremony is non-negotiable."

"Why me?" I asked. "There are dozens of high-ranking females who would kill to stand by your side. Why choose the woman who just caused a scandal?"

"Because a scandal is exactly what I need," Lucien said. "Damien's reputation took a hit tonight. If I step up with you on my arm, it shows the pack that I am willing to clean up his messes. It shows stability."

He tossed the envelope onto the hood of the car.

"And frankly, your performance in the ballroom proved you have the spine required to be my Luna," he added.

"So I am just a tool for your political gain."

"We would be partners," Lucien corrected. "You want to ruin Damien for what he did to you. I want to strip him of his birthright. We share a common enemy. I provide you with protection from your father, and you provide me with the key to the Alpha seat."

I crossed my arms, the night breeze chilling my bare shoulders. "I won't be a submissive wife."

"I would be highly disappointed if you were."

"It still won't work, Lucien."

"I assure you, my resources are extensive."

"It's not about resources," I shot back. "The Moon Goddess seals the bond during the ceremony. We are not fated mates. The pack elders will know it's a fake the second we step onto the altar. The ancestral magic won't spark for us."

A faint, dangerous smile touched his lips. It transformed his rigid features into something entirely predatory. "I already found a way to bypass the Goddess's rules."

"How?"

"Do we have a deal, Aurora?" He extended a hand toward me, ignoring my question.

I looked at his open palm. The calluses on his fingers spoke of years in the training rings. If I stayed here, my father would lock me in a cell until I submitted to Damien. If I took Lucien's hand, I would plunge headfirst into a war against my own blood and the future Alpha of the most powerful pack in the region.

I placed my hand in his. His grip was warm and firm.

"We have a deal," I said.

Lucien opened the passenger door for me.

As I slid into the leather seat, a flash of pale pink fabric caught my eye.

Behind the manicured hedges near the estate gates, a figure crouched in the dirt.

Vanessa pressed her phone against the iron bars, the red recording light blinking steadily in the dark.