Rejected Luna's Vengeance Moon

During a pack run, I rescued a human nightclub singer from a rogue attack. Her name was Valentina Taylor, and she clung to me, trembling with fear. I promised to return in three days to ensure her safety. She claimed she was clean, so I lent her my clothes; she said she was afraid of the dark, so we shared a bed; and when she shivered from the cold, she curled into my arms, seeking warmth. When we parted, her eyes were filled with tears.

I had no words.

Later, I brought her back to the Silver Moon Pack, unsure how to explain her presence to my mate, Jonathan Mitchell. But before I could even try, he arrived at the packhouse with a woman in tow.

"Leona," he said, his tone cold and commanding, "this is Scarlett. She’s fragile and needs my protection."

My eyes lit up. Perfect. Mine was the same!

---

Jonathan stood there, waiting for me to protest. But I didn’t. He took my silence as disagreement and continued, his alpha voice sharp and unyielding. "Scarlett isn’t like you. She doesn’t have the strength to survive on her own. If I leave her, she’ll die. This isn’t a request. It’s a decision I’ve already made."

He expected me to argue, to fight back. But instead, I almost smiled. I’d been agonizing over how to explain Valentina’s presence, and here he was, handing me the perfect excuse. I couldn’t have planned it better myself.

"Alpha," Scarlett said, her voice trembling as she stepped closer to him, "if Luna doesn’t approve, I don’t want to cause any trouble."

Her words seemed to fuel Jonathan’s irritation. "Why wouldn’t she approve? She’s always been calculating and manipulative. If it weren’t for her scheming, I never would have agreed to this mate bond in the first place."

He finally looked at me, his gaze sharp and accusing, but then his eyes widened in shock. "Who is that?!"

His voice grew louder as his gaze dropped to Valentina’s waist. "Why is she wearing the silver necklace I gave you?!"

I stood there, dressed in my usual tailored suit, my posture stiff and formal. Valentina, wearing the red dress I’d lent her, leaned against me, her hand resting delicately on my arm. Her eyes were wide with feigned innocence as she looked at Jonathan. "Alpha, who is this man?"

I hesitated for a moment, then allowed a rare, awkward smile to cross my face. "Jonathan," I said calmly, "this is Valentina. She’s also… fragile and in need of my protection."

---

Jonathan continued to rant, insisting that Scarlett would die without him and that I should "understand" his decision. As if I were the one who’d brought an outsider into our pack and claimed her as a potential mate. The audacity of it all was staggering.

But unlike Jonathan, I didn’t try to justify myself with excuses. When he finally noticed Valentina and demanded to know who she was, I didn’t flinch. Instead, I met his gaze head-on and delivered my explanation with a straight face. "Jonathan, Valentina is also… fragile and in need of my protection."

No theatrics, no grand declarations. Just a simple, matter-of-fact statement. And the silver necklace hanging from Valentina’s waist? It looked far better on her than it ever had on me.