Luna Rejects Her Alpha

Three days had passed since my collapse at training, and the weakness hadn't lifted. If anything, it had settled deeper into my bones, a constant reminder that something was fundamentally wrong with me. The pack house felt suffocating as I made my way to Davis's study, my steps echoing in the empty corridor.

I found him there, reviewing territory maps with the casual indifference of someone who hadn't watched his mate crumble to the ground days ago. The afternoon light streaming through the windows caught the gold in his hair—hair I used to run my fingers through when he actually wanted my touch.

"Davis." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "We need to talk."

He didn't look up from his papers. "If this is about the other day, I already told you—"

"Stop." The word cracked like a whip, surprising us both. "Stop lying to me. Stop treating me like I'm stupid." I stepped closer to his desk, my hands trembling not from weakness this time, but from rage. "I know about the ritual three years ago. I know it wasn't for your father."

Finally, his eyes met mine. For a split second, I saw something flicker there—guilt, maybe fear—before his expression hardened into the mask of Alpha authority he wore like armor.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Eliana." His voice carried that dismissive tone that had become so familiar. "You're confused. The stress of your... condition is affecting your memory."

"My condition?" A bitter laugh escaped my throat. "You mean the condition caused by having my life force drained to save someone who wasn't even pack? Someone whose existence you've been hiding from me for three years?"

Davis stood slowly, his chair scraping against the floor. The Alpha aura he projected was meant to make me submit, to back down like a good little Luna. Instead, it only fueled the fire building in my chest.

"You misunderstood the situation," he said, each word carefully measured. "The ritual was necessary for pack relations. For diplomatic purposes. You should be grateful that your sacrifice served the greater good."

"Grateful?" The word tasted like poison. "I should be grateful that you lied to me? That you let me believe I was saving your father's life when really I was being used to heal some rogue?"

His jaw clenched, and I knew I'd hit the mark. "It wasn't just any rogue, Eliana. It was strategic. Important."

"Important how?" I stepped around his desk, closing the distance between us. "Tell me the truth, Davis. For once in our eight years together, tell me the goddamn truth."

The silence stretched between us like a chasm. Outside, I could hear pack members going about their daily routines, blissfully unaware that their Luna was finally demanding answers from their Alpha.

"Ivory's brother," Davis said finally, the words falling like stones into still water. "It was Ivory's brother, Cade. He was dying from silver poisoning after a failed raid on the Crescent Moon Pack's territory."

The admission hit me like a physical blow. I gripped the edge of his desk to keep from swaying. "Ivory's brother. A rogue who attacked another pack."

"He was desperate," Davis said quickly, as if that justified everything. "Ivory begged me to help him. She had no one else to turn to. The ritual was the only way to save him."

"So you used me." The pieces fell into place with sickening clarity. "You used our mate bond, used my loyalty to this pack, to trick me into giving my life force to save the brother of the woman you—" I couldn't finish the sentence. Couldn't voice what I'd known in my heart for months.

"It wasn't like that," Davis said, but his voice lacked conviction. "You're making this more complicated than it needs to be. Ivory needed help. I provided it. That's what leaders do."

"What leaders do?" I stared at him, this man I'd loved for eight years, and saw a stranger. "Leaders don't lie to their mates. They don't sacrifice their Luna's health for another woman's family."

Before he could respond, footsteps echoed in the corridor. Ivory appeared in the doorway, and the submissive omega mask she usually wore was nowhere to be seen. Her spine was straight, her chin raised, and her eyes held a coldness that made my blood freeze.

"Oh good," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "You're finally having the conversation I've been waiting for."

Davis turned toward her, his expression shifting to that protective concern he reserved only for her. "Ivory, you shouldn't—"

"Shouldn't what?" She stepped into the study like she owned it, like she belonged here more than I did. "Shouldn't tell your pathetic excuse for a mate the truth? That her precious life force went to save my brother? That she's been slowly dying for three years while I've been getting stronger?"

The casual cruelty in her voice stole my breath. This wasn't the gentle, submissive omega the pack knew. This was someone else entirely.

"You're weak, Eliana," Ivory continued, circling me like a predator. "You always have been. Davis deserves better than a Luna who can barely stand upright. He deserves someone who can actually contribute to this pack's strength."

"Ivory," Davis warned, but there was no real authority in his voice.

She ignored him, her attention fixed on me with laser focus. "I'm going to be his chosen mate. His real partner. And you?" Her smile was sharp as a blade. "You should step aside gracefully. Before you embarrass yourself further."

The study fell silent except for the sound of my ragged breathing. Eight years of marriage, of loyalty, of believing in the sacred bond between mates—all of it crumbling around me like ash.