Moonwake Vengeance The Rejected Luna’s Reckoning

At the birthday moot, my pup was just about to blow out her candles.

Alaric Vargan leaned in with a smile, his tone light—as if he were sharing a harmless jest with the gathered pack members.

"Lily, little one, your mother and I are breaking our mating bond. Why don't you make a wish for Aunt Raven Frosthollow to give you a little brother?"

The smile froze on my daughter's face. Her golden eyes—so like mine—filled with tears in an instant.

The next second, she burst into howling sobs, the small wooden fork slipping from her trembling fingers and clattering against the stone floor of our den.

Alaric clicked his tongue in irritation, his wolf's displeasure rippling through the bond we still shared.

I couldn't take it anymore. I scooped Lily into my arms and carried her to her sleeping chamber, her small body shaking against my chest.

After I finally got her to sleep, her breathing still ragged from crying, I took the bond rejection scroll and found Alaric in his study.

"I've marked it with my blood."

He blinked, clearly caught off guard. After all my desperate clinging before, all my pleas to the pack elders, he hadn't expected me to let go so easily.

But relief washed over his face almost immediately, his shoulders dropping as tension left his frame.

"Should've accepted this sooner. Don't worry—Raven's still young in her wolf years. She's not cut out to raise another female's pup. The child stays with you."

For six moons, he'd done everything to force this bond rejection. Cut off my share of the pack's hunting grounds. Refused to speak to me through our mental link. Moved tribute and territory claims beyond my reach. Every cruel trick an Alpha could use against his unwanted mate.

And now, at our daughter's birthday moot, he said this in front of witnesses.

Fine. If he wanted to cast us out so badly, I'd grant his wish.

I just hoped that when the truth came out, he wouldn't regret it enough to want to die.

——

Alaric took the blood-marked scroll, barely able to contain the smile tugging at his lips. He was already sending a mental summons to the pack elders before the blood had dried.

"Yes, it's done. She's accepted the rejection."

"Prepare the announcement for the next gathering. Release it after the moon council concludes—we need to minimize unrest among our allied packs. And get me a count of the unclaimed dens under my direct authority."

I listened to him arrange everything with cold efficiency, his Alpha voice carrying that commanding tone I once found so attractive. I said nothing.

Instead, I bent down and picked up the birthday crown from the floor. The one he'd crushed underfoot when he'd risen from his seat.

It was a simple thing made of twisted willow branches and dried flowers, half the petals already crumbling away.

It wasn't that we couldn't afford finer craftsmanship from the pack artisans. Lily had insisted on this one because her daddy had woven it with his own hands last year, during a bonding ritual at her first pack gathering. She'd treasured it like a sacred relic, wearing it even after she'd outgrown its small size.

And just now, Alaric had stepped on it without a second glance.

Something cold and heavy lodged in my chest—like ice water flooding my lungs, pressing against my heart until it ached with each breath.

Alaric ended his mental summons and noticed me holding the ruined crown. Annoyance flickered across his face, his wolf's impatience bleeding into his expression.

"Stop picking up that worthless thing. Our bond may be broken, but I'm not going to leave you with nothing. This den is yours—you and the pup can stay in the outer territory. Lily's used to these grounds anyway."

"I'll also grant you hunting rights to the eastern forest and a share of this season's tribute. Selene Ashvale, learn to be grateful. That's enough for you and the child to survive for the rest of your lives."

"And I appreciate you being sensible about this. No howling fits like before. You've saved me a great deal of trouble with the elders."

His bond with Raven must have pulsed with her call, because the coldness in his eyes melted instantly, replaced by a tenderness I hadn't seen in years. His whole body seemed to lean toward the door, toward her.

"Anyway, the rejection is sealed. I should go."

"Raven just reached out through our new bond—she's frightened by the thunder. You know how sensitive her wolf is to storms. She can't be alone in the main den. If I'm late, she won't sleep all night."

My fingers tightened around the broken crown, the dried petals crumbling further in my grip.

Lily had just cried herself into trembling fits because of him. Her own father hadn't spared her a single thought, hadn't even checked if her fragile lungs could handle such distress.

But that woman was afraid of a little thunder, and he couldn't get to her fast enough.

Before I could respond, Alaric was already at the den's entrance.

He shifted his cloak onto his shoulders. Grabbed his Alpha medallion from its hook. Checked his reflection in the polished obsidian mirror by the door.

Every movement smooth and practiced. Not a trace of hesitation. Not a flicker of regret.

The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind him, and I felt the last threads of our mating bond grow cold and silent.

The den fell into a quiet so complete it felt like death itself had crept inside.

The tension drained from my spine all at once. I crumpled onto the woven carpet, my legs giving out beneath me, the ruined crown still clutched against my chest.