My Mate Rejected Me and Crowned His Mistress Luna

The antiseptic smell of the Pack Hospital burned my nostrils as consciousness slowly returned. I blinked against the harsh fluorescent lights, trying to piece together what had happened. The last thing I remembered was Tommy convulsing in my arms, his small body turning blue from the Wolfsbane poisoning.

"Tommy?" I croaked, my throat raw. "Where's my son?"

Dr. Sarah Chen's face appeared above me, her expression carefully neutral. "Luna Aria, you're awake. Your son is stable but weak. The Wolfsbane was diluted, but enough to cause serious damage."

Relief flooded through me, but it was short-lived.

"And my baby?" I whispered, already knowing the answer from the hollow feeling in my womb.

Dr. Chen's eyes softened with genuine compassion. "I'm sorry, Luna. The trauma was too great. You lost the pup."

My wolf, already retreated deep within me, howled in silent agony. I closed my eyes, tears slipping down my temples into my hair.

The door burst open with such force that it slammed against the wall. Ethan strode in, his Alpha aura crackling with rage. The scent of his anger filled the small room, making it hard to breathe.

"How could you let this happen?" he snarled, looming over my hospital bed. "Your own son nearly died because you couldn't protect him!"

"Ethan," I pleaded, reaching for him. "Someone poisoned—"

"Save it," he cut me off. "You're a weak she-wolf who can't even carry a pup to term. What use are you to this pack?"

His words sliced through me like claws. Dr. Chen stepped back, her professional demeanor cracking slightly as she witnessed his cruelty.

"The miscarriage wasn't my fault," I whispered. "The stress of Tommy being poisoned—"

"Excuses!" Ethan roared. "Your body failed. Just like you failed as a mother. Failed as a Luna."

He turned away, straightening his jacket. "I have pack business to attend to. Try not to embarrass me further."

The door slammed behind him, leaving me shattered in more ways than one.

Dr. Chen approached cautiously, checking my vitals. "Luna, I need to run more tests. The poison—"

The door creaked open again. Piper slipped inside, her Beta aura subdued but her eyes gleaming with triumph.

"Dr. Chen," she said sweetly, "Alpha Ethan asked me to check on his Luna. Why don't you give us a moment?"

The doctor hesitated, then nodded and stepped outside.

Piper moved closer, her vanilla scent mixed with something sharper—Wolfsbane. She leaned over my bed, her lips nearly touching my ear.

"Such a shame about your little problems," she whispered. "First your son, now your unborn pup. Almost makes you wonder if you're fit to be Luna at all."

I tried to speak, but my voice caught in my throat.

"Oh yes," Piper continued, her voice dropping even lower. "It was me. I poisoned Tommy to show everyone how weak you really are. A real Luna would have sensed the danger."

Her fingers trailed across my arm, leaving goosebumps of revulsion.

"Ethan will see soon enough," she murmured. "He'll need a strong Luna to give him heirs. Not a broken one who can't even carry a pup."

She straightened up, smoothing her skirt. "I'll be the one to give him what he needs. A real Alpha heir."

The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving me alone with the horrifying truth. My family was in danger as long as I remained.

I waited until I was alone, gathering every ounce of strength I had left. When Ethan returned an hour later, his scent announced him before he entered.

"We need to talk," I said, my voice stronger than I expected.

He raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

I pushed myself up in the bed, ignoring the pain that shot through my abdomen. "About us. About our bond."

Something flickered in his eyes—interest, perhaps. Or suspicion.

"I, Aria Wright," I began, the words of the ancient rejection ritual rising to my lips, "reject you, Alpha Ethan Marshall..."

Before I could finish, his hand clamped around my throat, cutting off my words.

"No," he growled, his Alpha aura pressing down on me like a physical weight. "You don't get to reject me."

Pain exploded through my body as he deliberately used his Alpha power to block the ritual. The mate bond twisted painfully within me, stretched but not broken.

"You are mine," Ethan snarled, his face inches from mine. "I will never let you go. Not because I love you, but because you belong to me."

He released my throat, leaving me gasping for air. "Try that again," he warned, "and I'll make sure you regret it."

As he strode from the room, I curled into myself, waves of agony radiating through my body where the mate bond had been violently manipulated.

I was trapped—bound to a mate who despised me, with a rival who wanted me dead.

And somewhere in the depths of my soul, my wolf whimpered in retreat, leaving me truly alone.