Second Chance Luna: His Rejected Mate is the Golden Wolf

The Rookie

Paris´ POV

I had always known my place in Moon’s Bright, long before Dora ever found pleasure in reminding me of it. In a pack where strength was measured by fangs and claws, I had been born without either. A daughter of an Alpha who couldn’t shift—an embarrassment whispered about behind doors, a mistake never spoken aloud. People didn’t need to insult me directly; the silence each time I walked into a room spoke louder than any word.

They called me half-wolf.

Incomplete.

A future Luna without a wolf was a contradiction they’d never allowed themselves to accept.

My father tried. Spirits know he did, in his own distant, rigid way. He gave me tutors, put me through the same physical training as the other trainees, even let me attend the academy despite the murmurs. But every accomplishment felt like running with chains around my ankles. No matter how fast I was, or how accurate with a blade, or how much endurance I’d built, nothing erased that single flaw in my blood.

And in a pack like ours, flaws were lethal.

The only place where I ever felt like I belonged—even if barely—was the training grounds. There, sweat and bruises were a language everyone understood. There, the fact that I didn’t shift didn’t matter as much as the fact that I kept getting back up after every hit. Warriors didn’t laugh at persistence. They respected it. In that dirt, in that heat, I almost felt equal.

As soon as I stepped out of the pack house, there she was — Dora, my stepmother — waiting for me, watching me the same way she always did when my father wasn’t around, as if I were her maid rather than his daughter.

“Come here,” she ordered with the same haughty tone one would use with an omega. “We need extra hands to finish setting up for the succession ceremony.”

I sighed just as all the women in the garden began bowing their heads and the omegas dropped to their knees. It was my father, Alpha Albert, walking across the lawn with his Beta — Dave’s father — by his side. I bowed as well when he approached, and my cheeks burned when I realized he was coming straight toward me.

“My daughter,” he said kindly, though his voice still carried that unmistakable Alpha authority. “I was just talking about you with my Beta.”

I could’ve said I was surprised to be the subject of their conversation, but I stayed quiet.

“I bring news that I’m sure will brighten your day,” my father continued. “I’ve decided to send you to the Eastern Border to join the patrols that will guard the guests arriving from that route.”

It was truly good news.

“Are you serious, Father?”

“Of course, my dear,” he said in a warm tone I’d rarely heard from him. “Report to Captain Erika at the eastern post. I heard she’s short on soldiers tonight, and I know how long you’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this.”

I could barely keep myself from jumping with excitement. I turned toward Dora with a triumphant smile, catching the tight knot of fury that twisted her lips — anger at losing what was surely going to be an entire afternoon of humiliating me. All because of a direct order from my father.

“Of course, Father. I’ll leave right away.”

He gave me one of his broad smiles and continued down the path. I didn’t waste a second and headed straight to the parking area, where my motorcycle was waiting.

It didn’t take long to reach the border, and my heart lifted when I spotted someone familiar among the new recruits — Alice, my best friend since the academy, and even before that, back in high school. She recognized me instantly from the sound of my bike — we’d taken plenty of road trips together — but when our eyes met, I noticed something strange. She looked uneasy, pale even, like I was the last person she expected to see there.

“Alice, what’s wrong?” I asked, puzzled.

“Oh, Paris, it’s nothing. I just think it’s… nerves, you know? You never really know what could happen out there.”

“We’ve been training for this for ages. It’s just a patrol mission — to protect the guests coming to the succession ceremony.”

“Right. You’re right. I’m probably just overreacting.”

Alice smiled, but something about her demeanor didn’t sit right with me. I brushed it off, assuming she was just nervous. We would’ve kept talking — maybe I’d even have told her about my ugly run-in with Dave earlier — if Captain Erika hadn’t called us to attention at that exact moment.

“Recruits,” Captain Erika began, her voice cutting through the murmurs like a blade, “this is not a camping trip, nor a field outing, and certainly not a girl scout expedition.” Her piercing gaze swept over us. “In a few minutes, we’ll head out to patrol the border — the area between Moon’s Bright territory and no-man’s land. Lately, rogue patrols have been spotted there. They won’t hesitate to attack you — or kill you — at the slightest opportunity.”

We all stiffened. Some girls went pale; I could see knees shaking. This was real. Out here, mistakes didn’t mean bad grades — they meant coffins sent home.

“Tonight marks our pack’s succession event,” Erika continued. “And that has the rogues restless. They’ll try to use the distraction to sneak into our territory — raid supplies, kidnap girls, kill anyone who gets in their way.”

Her eyes locked on each of us in turn. When she got to me, her stare lingered a heartbeat longer, but she said nothing.

“Now, break formation and get ready to move out.”

We didn’t take long to march into no-man’s land — a stretch of forest thick with ancient trees, perfect for rogues to hide in and launch ambushes. Alice was in my group along with five other recruits. Everyone in the pack knew I didn’t have a wolf, yet they still made me the team leader — probably because of who my father was. Either way, I was determined not to disappoint anyone.

We’d barely advanced a few dozen steps when my training as a tracker kicked in.

“There are too many broken leaves,” I said, signaling for everyone to stop. I crouched and examined the ground. Even without a wolf’s sense of smell, my eyes worked just fine — I could read the land. “A large group passed through here — at least ten rogues.”

Everyone began sniffing the air. Alice was the first to speak, but her voice trembled slightly.

“I think the group you’re talking about went toward the hills,” she said, pointing in the same direction my deductions were leading — though she hadn’t even looked at the ground. “What if we go that way?”

A ripple of unease passed through the others.

“Go that way?” I frowned. “Why would we follow the rogues if they’re leaving?”

All eyes turned to Alice.

“Because… what if they come back? Or what if they’re following a group of guests — planning to ambush them?”

Her explanation felt forced, but I couldn’t completely dismiss it. If she was right, we needed to confirm it. And she was my friend — I had no reason to distrust her.

“Alright,” I said. “We’ll go check it out. But once we make sure they’re retreating or not a threat to the guests, we head back.”

Everyone nodded. For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in Alice’s eyes — a glint, faint but unsettling — as if that was exactly the answer she’d been waiting for.

We followed the trail. It was clumsy, rushed — the rogues weren’t bothering to hide their tracks, which made me worry Alice’s wild theory might actually be true. But then, all at once, the trail vanished. That was never a good sign. It could only mean one thing—

“Ambush!” screamed one of the girls just before a claw tore open her throat. She was dead before she hit the ground.

The other four shifted immediately — all except…

Alice?

Where the hell was Alice?

I dodged a swipe that would’ve ripped my neck open. I couldn’t shift, so I had to rely entirely on my human skills. I was weaker, slower — but I’d trained harder than most. My reflexes were sharp. With a kick, I sent a rogue stumbling back, then slammed my fist into his gut, knocking the air out of him. Before he could recover, I twisted, locked my legs around his neck, and took him down. One of the girls — already in wolf form — finished him off with her claws.

“That’s it. We fight together!”

At the academy, I’d learned to use teamwork to make up for the strength I lacked. I’d trained myself to be faster, smarter — to predict my opponent’s next move. It was the only way to keep up. But out here, everything was chaos. We managed to kill a few, but more rogues appeared, surrounding us. Two girls went down — overwhelmed by three attackers each.

Only one recruit and I remained. I saw the terror flood her eyes as she realized we were done for. I tried to stop her, but fear won — she turned to run. It was the last thing she ever did. The rogues struck her down before she’d taken two steps.

“Come on, then, bastards!” I shouted, rage flooding through me, still wondering where the hell Alice was. “I swear I won’t die before taking at least three more of you with me!”

The fight became pure chaos. I remember snapping one rogue’s neck with a leg lock — then pain exploded everywhere. Claws slashed across my back, teeth tore into my calf, and finally, a heavy blow struck the back of my skull, slamming me into the dirt.

If those were my last moments, I could only pray they’d make it quick. But just as I braced for the final strike, a deep roar shook the forest — a howl so powerful it seemed to tear through the night itself.

The dozen rogues surrounding me bolted, scattering into the shadows.

I turned my head, dizzy, blood dripping into my eyes — desperate to see what, or who, had just saved my life.