The Substitute Mate: Rise, luna! Rise!

VIENNA'S POV

It had been a year since I became the slave of the Lockheart Pack—a year of relentless suffering, humiliation, and pain. Today was supposed to be a day of celebration for them, the day their Alpha, Luther Casimir, turned eighteen and came of age. It was his coming-of-age ceremony, the day he was supposed to awaken his wolf and his mate.

But Alpha Luther had awakened his wolf earlier than expected, just like my sister, Victoria. She was always stronger, always more special, even in death. Luther had made it clear to everyone that he believed his true mate, his beloved Victoria, was dead and that today would bring him nothing but a hollow reminder of what he’d lost.

I stood in the shadows of the grand hall, my hands shaking as I arranged the silver platters. The guests were arriving, their laughter echoing through the room as they gathered to celebrate their beloved Alpha.

“Move faster, slave!” One of the pack members hissed at me, shoving me aside as they passed.

I bit my lip and kept my head down. I could feel their eyes on me, the way they all looked at me with disgust as if I were something vile, something unworthy of even existing. I had grown used to it, the cold glares, the whispered insults. It is my daily reality now. But today… today felt different.

As the full moon rose, casting its pale light over the gathering, the ceremony began. Luther stood at the center of the room, his presence commanding, his dark eyes scanning the crowd with that same cold, detached expression he’d worn since the day Victoria died.

I forced myself to breathe as I approached the table to serve the dishes. My heart pounded in my chest, the air thick with tension, and the scent of wolves on the cusp of something monumental.

And then it happened.

The moment Alpha Luther officially turned eighteen, the atmosphere shifted. Something crackled in the air, a tangible force that made every wolf in the room tense with anticipation. I felt it too, the electric pull in my chest, the undeniable connection that snapped into place like a taut wire. My breath hitched as a scent hit me—something rich and earthy like pine and cedarwood mixed with the fresh scent of rain on the forest floor. It wrapped around me, filling my senses, and I knew without a doubt that this was the scent of my mate.

But that couldn’t be…

I looked up, and my eyes met Luther’s. His expression was no longer cold but stunned; his gaze locked onto me with an intensity that made my heart stop. For a moment, the world narrowed down to just the two of us, the mate bond pulling us together with a force neither of us could ignore.

But then, as quickly as the shock came, it was replaced by fury.

"No..." Luther whispered disbelief etched on his face. "No, this can’t be. The Moon Goddess… she wouldn’t… she wouldn’t make this mistake."

My heart clenched at his words. Of course, he would think this was a mistake. I could see it in his eyes—the anger, the denial, the sheer disbelief that someone like me could ever be destined for someone like him.

He took a step back as if repelled by the very idea, his lip curling in disgust. “My fated mate is you?” He snarled, the words dripping with venom. “Ridiculous!”

The room went deathly silent, every eye on us, on this spectacle of the Alpha and the slave. Whispers rippled through the crowd, a wave of shock and disbelief. The guests from other packs exchanged glances, murmuring among themselves, their eyes full of pity and scorn.

But I barely noticed them. All I could feel was the crushing weight of humiliation bearing down on me, the sting of Luther’s words like daggers piercing my heart. Tears welled up in my eyes, unbidden, and I clenched my hands into fists to stop them from falling.

Enough. I’d had enough.

I’d been broken down, humiliated, and stepped on for too long. I lost my parents, I lost my sister, I lost everything that ever mattered to me. And now… now, this? Being rejected, humiliated, by the one person who was supposed to cherish me above all others?

Why? Why me? Why must I suffer endlessly?

I straightened my back, lifting my head slowly. For the first time in a year, I forced myself to stand tall, just like I did in my own pack. My gaze sharpened. I wouldn’t let him see me crumble. Not today.

Luther sneered at me, his voice cold and sharp as he spat out the words. “Don’t even think about it. I will never accept a slave as my mate.” His eyes hardened, and he took a step forward, his jaw set with grim determination. “I, Luther Casimir, rejec—”

“Stop!” My voice rang out, clear and strong, cutting through the air before he could finish.

The room gasped, but I didn’t flinch. I met his gaze head-on, raising my chin defiantly. I’d endured enough. If this was how it must end, then so be it. I would rather die on my feet than live another day on my knees.

“I, Vienna, reject you, Luther Casimir, as my mate,” I declared, my voice echoing in the silent hall. The words burned as they left my lips, but they were the truth—my truth. “I reject you, your pack, and everything you stand for. You are nothing to me, and I will never accept a mate who sees me as less than nothing.”

I stood there with no fear in my eyes. After all, I had nothing to lose, nothing except my cheap life.

I knew what was about to happen to me. Go ahead, kill me. I was ready for it.

I was ready to leave this living hell, forever.