After My Mate Publicly Rejected His Luna

The scent hit me first—death mixed with lavender, my mother's favorite flower. I stumbled through our cottage door, my legs still shaking from the public humiliation at the ceremony. The silence inside was wrong, too heavy, too final.

"Mom?" My voice cracked as I moved toward her bedroom.

I found her on the floor, still in wolf form. Her silver fur, once lustrous despite her age, lay dull and matted. A piece of paper was clutched between her teeth, the edges torn where her dying jaws had gripped it.

My knees hit the wooden floor hard as I gathered her into my arms. She was already cold. How long had she been lying here while I was forced to grovel at Sophia's feet?

"No, no, no..." The words tumbled out as I buried my face in her fur. My wolf howled inside me, a sound of pure anguish that I couldn't voice aloud.

With trembling fingers, I pried the letter from her mouth. The paper was stained with saliva and something darker—blood from where she'd bitten her own tongue.

*My dearest Luna,*

*If you're reading this, then the rumors were true. That woman has returned. I saw the ceremony preparations, heard the whispers. My wolf couldn't bear it—knowing what she'll do to you, what HE'LL let her do.*

*Run, my daughter. Before it's too late. She won't stop until she's destroyed everything you are. I've seen her kind before—*

The letter ended there, her final warning incomplete. My tears fell onto the paper, smearing the ink. Even in death, she'd tried to protect me.

A knock at the door made me flinch. Beta Marcus stood in the doorway, his expression carefully neutral.

"Luna," he said, though the title sounded hollow now. "The Alpha has departed for the Western Territory with the European delegation. He'll be gone for five days."

I stared at him, my mother's body still warm in my arms. "My mother is dead."

Something flickered in his eyes—pity, maybe—before his face hardened again. "The Alpha left instructions. You're to handle any... personal matters on your own. Pack resources are allocated for diplomatic purposes this week."

The meaning was clear. No pack funeral. No ceremonial rites. My mother, who had served this pack faithfully for decades, would be buried like a rogue.

"Get out," I whispered.

He left without another word.

---

I dug her grave myself, behind our cottage where the wildflowers grew. My hands bled from the work, but I welcomed the physical pain. It distracted from the gaping wound in my chest.

Pack members passed by throughout the day, but none offered help. Some slowed their steps, conflict clear in their eyes, but fear of defying their Alpha's implicit wishes kept them moving. Only Ellie lingered at the edge of the property, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm so sorry," she mouthed before Beta Marcus appeared and ushered her away.

As the sun set, I lowered my mother's body into the earth. I'd wrapped her in her favorite blanket, the one she'd made when I was born. No Elder came to speak the rites. No pack members gathered to howl her spirit to the Moon Goddess.

It was just me, alone, whispering the ancient words I'd learned as a pup.

"May the moon light your path. May the stars guide you home. May you run free in eternal forests, until we meet again."

My wolf added her own broken howl to the night.

---

I returned to the pack house three days later, my mourning period cut short by Luna duties that couldn't be ignored. The familiar hallways felt foreign now, tainted by whispers that followed me like shadows.

When I reached the Alpha wing, my belongings were stacked in boxes outside the door. A young omega I didn't recognize stood guard, shifting nervously.

"I'm sorry, Luna," she stammered. "Beta Marcus said... he said to tell you..."

"Just say it."

"You're to move to the omega quarters. Third floor, room twelve." She couldn't meet my eyes. "You'll still perform Luna duties, but the Alpha chambers are... occupied."

Through the closed door, I caught a whiff of Sophia's perfume mixed with Dominic's scent. My wolf whimpered, recognizing the intimate blend that spoke of shared space, shared air.

Shared bed.

"Thank you," I managed, gathering the first box.

The omega quarters were cramped and musty, a far cry from the spacious Luna suite. As I unpacked my few possessions in the tiny room, I found my mother's letter again.

*Run,* she'd written.

But where could a rejected Luna go? And who would I be if I wasn't Dominic's mate?

My wolf stirred restlessly as footsteps echoed in the hallway. Heavy. Deliberate.

The door opened without a knock, and Beta Marcus filled the doorframe.

"The Alpha returns tomorrow," he announced. "With new pack laws."