Rejected Luna Finds New Love

The sterile walls of the healing chamber seemed to close in around me as I lay motionless, staring at the ceiling. Three days had passed since Alexander's cold revelation through our mind-link. Three days since I learned our entire mating had been an elaborate revenge plot. Three days since I lost our pup—a child who had never been meant to live.

Lily whimpered inside me, our shared grief a constant ache. 'We need to understand what happened,' she urged. 'Something doesn't make sense.'

She was right. If Alexander truly believed I had betrayed his first mate, why wait three years for revenge? And why did the rogues say I was exactly where they were 'told' I'd be?

The pack healer had left me alone for the night, assuming I was too broken to do anything but weep. They weren't entirely wrong. But beneath my grief burned something new—a desperate need for truth.

I closed my eyes, focusing on the special mind-link channel reserved for the Luna. Every Luna before me had access to the pack's archives—a privilege Alexander had likely forgotten in his hatred. My fingers trembled as I mentally navigated the encrypted pathways, searching for records of the attack that killed his first mate.

'There,' Lily whispered as I found the file.

The official report detailed a rogue ambush five years ago. Alexander's pregnant mate, Olivia, had been alone near the eastern border when six rogues attacked. By the time help arrived, she and the unborn pup were beyond saving.

I compared the details with my own timeline. Five years ago, I had been living with my birth pack, nowhere near Silvermoon territory. Yet according to these records, someone matching my description had been spotted near the border just before the attack.

'The dates have been altered,' Lily observed, her voice sharp with suspicion. 'Look at the file metadata.'

She was right. The report had been modified multiple times, most recently just before our mating ceremony. Someone had tampered with the evidence.

My heart pounded as I formed a dangerous plan. The night nurse wouldn't return for hours. If I was going to find proof, it had to be now.

Ignoring the stabbing pain in my abdomen, I eased myself from the bed. The healing chamber was in the pack house's eastern wing, far from Alexander's quarters. But the Alpha wing would contain what I needed—physical evidence from the original attack.

I grabbed a healer's cloak hanging by the door, wrapping it around my hospital gown. The corridors were dimly lit as I moved through them, my footsteps silent on the marble floors. Each time I heard voices, I ducked into shadows, my heart threatening to burst from my chest.

'Left here,' Lily guided me. 'His private study should be at the end of this hall.'

The Alpha wing was eerily quiet. Alexander was likely with his chosen replacement—the thought sent a fresh wave of pain through me, but I pushed it aside. I needed focus, not more tears.

The study door was locked, but the Luna's ceremonial key still hung around my neck—another detail Alexander had overlooked. Inside, shelves of ancient texts and pack records lined the walls. But I wasn't interested in books. Behind his desk stood a carved wooden cabinet where he kept important artifacts.

My hands shook as I unlocked it, revealing rows of labeled containers. One velvet pouch caught my eye: 'Tracking samples—Eastern Border Incident.'

Inside were several sealed vials containing hair and fabric scraps—evidence collected from the scene of Olivia's murder. I pocketed the pouch and retreated from the study, retracing my steps through the silent corridors.

Back in my healing chamber, I opened the samples with trembling fingers. Lily's senses were sharper than mine—I let her take control, bringing each vial to my nose.

'There's something wrong with these scents,' she growled. 'Beneath the blood and fear... there's another scent. Artificial. Like the scent-blockers rogues use, but more sophisticated.'

I froze as recognition dawned. This particular chemical undertone—I'd smelled it before, in my sister Victoria's personal items. She'd claimed it was an imported perfume, but Lily had always been suspicious of how it seemed to alter her natural scent.

'It can't be,' I whispered, but deep down, I knew.

The pieces clicked into terrible place. Victoria's unexplained absences five years ago. Her sudden interest in Alexander after his mate died. The way my parents had pushed me to accept the mating despite my reservations.

I needed confirmation. Still clutching the evidence, I made my way toward the guest wing where Victoria was staying. The corridor was lit only by flickering torches, casting long shadows across the stone floor.

She emerged from her room just as I approached, her eyes widening momentarily before her lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

'Sister,' she said softly. 'Shouldn't you be resting? I heard about your... unfortunate accident.'

I held up the velvet pouch. 'It was you,' I whispered. 'You led the rogues to Olivia. You framed me. And now you're using scent manipulation to take my place.'

Victoria's expression didn't change, but something cold and calculating flickered in her eyes. She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.

'You'd best keep silent, sister. No one would believe you anyway—not the disgraced Luna who lost her Alpha's heir.'

The torchlight caught the gleam of triumph in her eyes, and in that moment, I knew I was looking at the face of true evil—my own blood.