The Alpha Luna’s True Mate

The Rejection II

Elira

I stood by the large glass window of my bedroom, leaning my forehead against the cool pane. Below in the training yard, Ares was moving like a weapon.

He was half naked, his broad back covered in a light sheen of sweat that caught the morning sun. Every time his thick muscles flexed as he swung his heavy training sword, my stomach did a violent flip.

My wolf was practically clawing at my chest, whimpering for me to run down there and throw myself into his arms. My whole body burned with a deep, aching need that was becoming impossible to ignore.

I was supposed to be heading to an important budget meeting with the pack elders right now. But I couldn't tear my eyes away from him.

The heavy oak door clicked open, and I jumped away from the window like I had been caught doing something illegal. Mona walked into the room, holding a sealed cream envelope in her trembling hand.

"Your Majesty, a guard just dropped this off," Mona said, looking incredibly anxious. "It is a direct missive from King Leon. He is calling upon you to report to the throne room immediately."

I let out a heavy sigh, my shoulders dropping as a wave of pure dread washed over me. I could already feel the tension building in my neck.

I wondered what kind of twisted drama Nyra and Leon had cooked up for me this time. I smoothed down my skirt and walked out of the room, bracing myself for the worst.

When I pushed the heavy double doors of the throne room open, I stopped in my tracks. The massive hall was completely empty except for my husband.

I noticed Nyra's absence right away, which instantly made me even more suspicious. Leon was pacing back and forth in front of his dais, his face looking dark and incredibly tight.

"You summoned me, Leon?" I asked, keeping my voice totally flat as I stood at the bottom of the steps.

Leon stopped pacing, turning his cold blue eyes down toward me.

"Nyra is confined to her bed in the western wing," Leon said, his voice hard and completely unyielding. "Her arm is infected, and she is in a lot of pain."

"That is unfortunate for her," I replied, crossing my arms. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"You are going to take care of her, Elira," Leon ordered, stepping down from the dais until he was right in front of me. "Since you were the one who injured her with that dagger, it is your responsibility to nurse her back to health."

My heart cracked anew at his words, a sharp, biting pain blooming inside my chest. I couldn't believe the absolute level of humiliation he was trying to force me to descend to.

He wanted the queen of the kingdom to act like a personal servant for his mistress. It was sickening.

"I am not going to do that, Leon," I said, my voice shaking with pure fury as I stared him down. "I stand by my word. I did not touch that girl, and I am the Queen of Eryndor, not a common handmaid."

Leon's face twisted into an ugly scowl, his chest heaving as he stepped closer into my personal space.

"You are MY Queen, Elira," Leon hissed, pointing a finger directly at my chest. "You belong to me, and I lord over you. Your title means absolutely nothing if I decide to strip it away, so you will do exactly what I tell you to do."

The weight of his words felt like a heavy stone crushing down on my head. I looked at his crazed, obsessed expression and realized arguing with him right now would only make things worse for Mona and everyone else.

"Fine," I whispered, the word tasting like literal poison on my tongue. "I will do it."

I accepted the task just for peace to reign, despite how incredibly degraded and bitter I felt about the entire matter.

For the next four days, I was forced to nurse Nyra in her bedroom in the western wing. It was a nightmare.

Her wounds had long healed, the skin on her arm showing nothing but a faint pink line that wasn't in fact infected at all. Yet she still claimed to be down, laying in her silk sheets and groaning every time I walked into the room.

"Elira, my throat is so dry," Nyra whimpered, offering a pathetic, fragile smile as she gestured toward a pitcher. "Could you pour me some water, please?"

I clenched my jaw, picking up the pitcher and pouring the water into a glass before handing it to her without a word.

Mona came into the room an hour later, looking entirely as she watched me fluff Nyra's pillows.

"Your Majesty, please let me take over from you," Mona whispered, reaching for the medicine tray. "You shouldn't be doing this dirty work."

"No!" Nyra barked suddenly, her voice losing its fragile edge for a split second before she caught herself.

She instantly dragged a hand over her forehead, letting out a weak, breathy sigh as she looked up at me with wide, innocent eyes.

"I mean... I am so sorry, Mona," Nyra purred softly, her tone dripping with fake sweetness. "But my wolf is just so unsettled right now. I feel so much safer with Elira taking care of me. She has such a calming presence."

I wanted to throw the glass of water right at her face. She was doing this entirely to torture me, keeping me away from my duties and showing me who truly held the power in this palace.

But the second she recovered from her fake illness a few days later, the act completely vanished. Nyra became instantly glued to Leon's side once more, parading around the corridors and showing off her health.

Two weeks passed, and I thought the worst of the storm had finally blown over. I was back in the library, trying to catch up on the pack documents I had neglected.

A guard entered the room, bowing stiffly. "Your Majesty, the king demands your presence in the throne room immediately."

My stomach clenched into a tight knot. I closed the ledger and walked back down the familiar halls, feeling an intense wave of anxiety.

When I pushed the doors open this time, both Leon and Nyra were waiting for me. Nyra was standing right beside his throne, wearing a heavy gold necklace that used to belong to Leon's mother.

"What is it now, Leon?" I asked, not bothering to hide the exhaustion in my voice.

"The Red Moon festival is in three weeks," Leon stated coldly, leaning back against the velvet cushions of his seat. "I am ordering you to hand over the planning and organization of the entire event to Nyra."

I froze completely, the air leaving my lungs as if he had punched me straight in the gut.

"No," I said, my voice rising in pitch as I took a definitive step forward. "Absolutely not. The Red Moon festival is a sacred royal event that happens only once every few years. It is considered deeply holy by our people, and it is strictly the sole duty of the queen to organize it."

"Nyra is going to handle it this year, Elira," Leon said, his tone entirely careless, as if he were talking about the daily lunch menu.

"I will not be handing this sacred event over to Nyra, Leon!" I shouted, my control completely snapping as I pointed at her. "She is a mistress! The elders will never accept a woman who doesn't hold the crown leading the sacred rituals!"

Nyra immediately took a step down the stairs, her hands flying to her mouth as she looked completely horrified and flustered.

"Oh, Elira, please do not be angry!" Nyra apologized hastily, her eyes welling up with instant, artificial tears. "I am so incredibly sorry! I never meant to upset you or take your sacred duties away!"

She turned toward Leon, clutching her hands against her chest as she played her pathetic victim card perfectly.

"Leon, maybe we shouldn't do this," Nyra whimpered, her voice shaking with fake emotion. "I only suggested helping because I wanted to repay Elira for nursing me back to health last week. I just wanted to lessen her heavy burden because she always looks so tired and stressed."

The same stupid line. Didn't she get tired of using it?

"Do not apologize to her, Nyra," Leon barked, his voice booming through the hall as he stood up from his throne.

He glared down at me, his eyes full of absolute dominance and cold, unyielding pride.

"The decision is already made," Leon declared sharply, not waiting for me to respond or utter another syllable. "It is a done deal. Nyra will lead the Red Moon festival, and you will stay in your quarters where you belong."

He turned back to Nyra, taking her hand to lead her out the side door, leaving me standing alone in the center of the room while my entire world crumbled around my feet.