Luna Rejected by Her Mate

The morning after my discovery, Jude appeared at our bedroom door carrying a velvet jewelry box and wearing the expression of a man who believed expensive gifts could heal shattered trust.

"Natalia, my love." His voice carried that practiced Alpha warmth, the tone he used during pack negotiations. "I have something for you."

I remained seated at the window seat, still wearing yesterday's clothes, the phone with Willow's messages lying beside me like evidence of a crime. The mate bond throbbed in my chest—a constant, nauseating pulse that reminded me of what we'd lost.

"I don't want gifts, Jude." My voice sounded hollow even to my own ears.

He opened the box anyway, revealing a stunning sapphire necklace that probably cost more than most pack members made in a year. "These are Moonstone sapphires, from the northern territories. I thought we could expand our pack lands there—give you something beautiful to oversee as Luna."

The irony wasn't lost on me. He was offering me territory to rule while keeping another woman in our home.

"Where is she?" I asked quietly.

Jude's jaw tightened. "Willow needed a safe place to stay during her pregnancy. The guest quarters are appropriate for someone in her condition."

"Your brother's mate," I repeated his words from last night, tasting the lie. "Is that what you're calling her now?"

"She is carrying my brother's legacy," Jude said, his Alpha aura beginning to press against me again. "I have a sacred duty to protect that child, to ensure the bloodline continues. You know this, Natalia. You understand duty."

The mate bond twisted like a knife in my ribs. I could feel his emotions through our connection—guilt, desperation, and underneath it all, genuine affection for Willow that made me want to vomit.

"I understand duty," I whispered. "I've spent five years understanding nothing but duty. But marking her, Jude? On our anniversary?"

His face flushed red. "That was... the situation required—"

"The situation required you to betray our sacred bond?" I stood slowly, my legs unsteady. "The Moon Goddess blessed us, and you spat on that blessing."

"I won't send her away." His voice turned hard, final. "The child needs stability, and I won't abandon my responsibilities. You'll accept this arrangement, Natalia. As my Luna, you'll find a way to make it work."

The dismissal in his tone hit me like a physical blow. Make it work. As if my shattered heart was just another pack problem to manage.

That afternoon, I sought solitude in the garden behind the pack house, trying to escape the suffocating weight of the mate bond and Jude's expectations. The autumn air carried the scent of dying leaves and the approaching winter—fitting for how dead I felt inside.

"Luna Natalia?"

I turned to find Beta Marcus Thompson approaching, his weathered face creased with concern. Marcus had been Jude's second-in-command for over a decade, and I'd never seen him look so troubled.

"Beta Marcus." I straightened, falling back into my Luna role despite everything. "Is there something you need?"

He glanced around the empty garden before moving closer, his voice dropping to a careful whisper. "Luna, I need to speak with you about the pack's... stability."

My heart clenched. "What do you mean?"

"The pack members are talking," Marcus said, his loyalty to Jude warring with obvious distress in his expression. "They're questioning the Alpha's decisions. Having Willow in the pack house, the rumors about the child... it's causing unrest."

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold. "What kind of unrest?"

"Some of the younger wolves are saying the Alpha is showing favoritism. Others are worried about succession—if this child is acknowledged as heir..." Marcus's voice trailed off, but I understood.

"They're questioning Jude's leadership," I finished.

Marcus nodded reluctantly. "I've served this pack for twenty years, Luna. I've been loyal to your mate through territorial wars and pack challenges. But this..." He shook his head. "The sacred mate bond is the foundation of pack stability. When an Alpha betrays that bond..."

"You're torn between loyalty and disgust," I said quietly, recognizing the same conflict tearing me apart.

"I am," he admitted. "And I'm not the only one. Gamma Ryan has been avoiding the Alpha's presence entirely. Some of the she-wolves are refusing to acknowledge Willow's presence. The pack is fracturing, Luna."

Before I could respond, laughter drifted from the pack house—bright, musical, and sickeningly familiar. Through the dining room windows, I could see Willow holding court at the communal dinner table, her hand resting on her rounded belly as pack members gathered around her.

"She's been telling them about the baby," Marcus said grimly. "Suggesting that the Moon Goddess blessed her with the Alpha's child because..." He stopped, unable to finish.

"Because I failed to give him an heir," I completed, the words like glass in my throat.

Willow's voice carried through the open windows: "The Alpha has been so protective of little one. He says a strong bloodline is what the pack needs most."

I watched pack members nod and smile, some of them shooting glances toward the windows where I stood. They were choosing sides, and Willow was making sure they chose hers.

The mate bond pulsed again, sending waves of nausea through me as I felt Jude's satisfaction at seeing Willow accepted by the pack. His emotions bled through our connection like poison, and I realized with crystal clarity that this wasn't just about duty or his brother's legacy.

Jude wanted both of us. And he expected me to smile and accept it.