Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the King

The Great Hall of the Silvermoon Pack pulsed with tension as every wolf gathered for what James had called an 'emergency council.' I stood before them all, no longer at James's side but facing him across the ceremonial circle—a position that spoke volumes before a single word was uttered.

James's eyes were cold amber fire as he addressed the pack, his Alpha tone vibrating through the hall. "Luna Victoria has been accused of deliberately sabotaging pack activities, endangering our members, and showing disrespect to her position." His voice dropped to a dangerous rumble. "Most seriously, she has been witnessed displaying hostility toward the mother of my unborn pup."

I kept my face carefully blank, though Kaelia whimpered inside me. *They're setting us up. This is no trial—it's an execution.*

Rebecca stood slightly behind James, one hand protectively over her belly, tears glistening in her eyes—the perfect picture of a threatened mother-to-be. The performance was flawless.

"These are serious allegations," Elder Sterling announced, her weathered face grave as she stepped forward. "Do you deny these charges, Luna Victoria?"

"I do," I said, my voice steady despite the rapid pounding of my heart. "I have served this pack faithfully for five years. I would never—"

"We have witnesses," James cut me off, gesturing to three wolves who stepped forward—all close friends of Rebecca. They recounted fabricated stories of my supposed aggression, my negligence, my jealousy.

As they spoke, I felt the pack's energy shift. Doubt clouded faces that had once looked to me with respect. I searched for allies among them and found none. Even those I had personally helped averted their eyes.

"The evidence is clear," Elder Sterling declared after the testimonies concluded. "Luna Victoria has failed in her sacred duties."

James's jaw tightened, that muscle in his cheek pulsing rhythmically. "As Alpha, I hereby strip Victoria of her Luna privileges until further notice. She will surrender her Luna medallion and vacate the Luna quarters immediately."

A collective gasp rippled through the hall. Stripping Luna privileges was a punishment typically reserved for the most egregious offenses. I stood frozen as James approached, his hand extended.

"The medallion, Victoria," he demanded, his voice carrying that unmistakable Alpha command that made my body respond against my will.

With trembling fingers, I removed the silver crescent that had hung around my neck since our mating ceremony. As I placed it in his palm, a sharp pain twisted through my abdomen. I gasped, doubling slightly before forcing myself upright.

*Victoria!* Kaelia cried in alarm. *The pup!*

"This council is dismissed," James announced, turning his back on me as the pack began to disperse, whispers following in their wake.

I managed to walk steadily from the hall, head high despite the growing pain in my belly. Only when I reached my chambers did I allow myself to collapse, a cry escaping my lips as another cramp seized me.

Blood. There was blood staining my dress, spreading across the floor beneath me. I curled into myself, understanding with horrifying clarity what was happening.

"No," I sobbed, clutching my stomach. "Please, no."

Kaelia howled in anguish within me as I felt our precious secret slipping away. Our pup—our tiny miracle—was being torn from us by the stress and shock of betrayal.

I dragged myself to the bathroom, blood trailing behind me like an accusation. Tears blurred my vision as I cleaned myself mechanically, hiding the evidence of what they had taken from me. They would never know. I would not give them the satisfaction of knowing they had destroyed not just my position, but my child.

Hours later, a soft knock came at my door. I had barely managed to change my clothes and clean the floor, though I couldn't rise from where I sat, back against the wall, knees drawn to my chest.

"Enter," I called weakly.

Healer Maeve slipped inside, her kind face creased with worry. "Luna—" She stopped herself. "Victoria. I came to check on you."

"I'm fine," I lied, though my pallor and the scent of blood that no amount of cleaning could fully erase told a different story.

Maeve knelt beside me, her experienced hands gently examining my bruised wrists where I had gripped myself during the worst of the pain. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the subtle signs only a trained healer would notice.

"You were pregnant," she whispered, her voice breaking.

I met her gaze, tears filling my eyes again. "No one can know. Promise me."

Maeve's face hardened with quiet fury. "This is wrong. The pack would never have allowed this if they knew—"

"Promise me," I repeated, gripping her hand. "They've taken everything else. Let me keep this one thing."

She nodded reluctantly, helping me to the bed. As she tended my battered body in silence, I stared at the ceiling, something cold and hard crystallizing within me where warmth and hope had once lived.

Kaelia, who had been whimpering in shared grief, suddenly went silent. When she spoke again, her voice was different—harder, fiercer.

*They will pay for this, Victoria. All of them. We will make them pay.*

For the first time since I'd become Luna of the Silvermoon Pack, I fully agreed with my wolf. This was not the end. It was merely the beginning of something else entirely.