REJECTED ALPHA'S LUNA

Chapter 6: New Luna

Hours crawled into days. Faint morning sunlight found its way into the prison, and the creak of iron made Catherine, who was curled up in the corner, react.

A guard opened the cell door and placed a plate of food on the floor. With a sharp kick, he sent it skidding toward Catherine’s feet.

Then he sneered mockingly, “Petty thief, breakfast is ready for you. I don’t know why the Alpha didn’t put a thief like you to death instead of wasting meals on you.”

He spat at Catherine, then turned and walked away.

Silence settled over the prison once more. Catherine did not move for the rest of the day. Even when breakfast was replaced by lunch, she did not stir a muscle.

It was midnight when two Shadow Guards slipped into the prison.

Catherine lifted her head and recognized them immediately. They were always at Alpha Silas’s side. Though they rarely stepped into the light, Alpha Silas had always made sure they revealed themselves to her.

“My Lady, we are here to take you out of the pack,” one of them said. His voice was low and strange, as if he was more used to action than speech.

One of them reached for Catherine, but she suddenly burst into hysterical laughter. His hand froze in midair.

Then she looked at him, her lips curling into a mocking sneer. “So the mighty Alpha is finally taking pity on his disgraced Luna? I will never leave. I will stay here. Even though his words froze my heart and numbed my soul, I still cannot stop loving him. I hope he has realized he made a mistake and will give us another chance. I do not care about being Luna. All I want is the man who once loved me. Go. I will not leave. I will remain here until he changes his mind. Do not try to force me out of the pack. I will always return, even if it costs me my life.”

The Shadow Guards stood still for a long moment, silently weighing their options. In the end, they turned and retreated from the prison.

The guard on duty, who had somehow slept through it all, jolted awake and looked around in alarm. Frowning, he turned to Catherine and snorted with hatred.

“Thief.”

When Alpha Silas heard what had happened, shock crossed his face, and the exhaustion in his eyes deepened. He stood by the window, sighing again and again.

“My Lord, only you can change my Lady’s mind,” Lucky said softly.

But Alpha Silas exploded in frustration. “Do you think I do not want to? Do you think I do not miss her smile? Do you think I do not wish to rest my head on her lap and listen to her sing? Do you think I do not want her beside me at all times? But what can I do? Every move I make is being watched. If I go to her now, it will be a death sentence. Everyone wants her gone, Lucky. Even if I want to protect her, I cannot stand against the entire pack for her. They all see her as someone who does not belong.”

Lucky’s expression darkened. He knew Alpha Silas was speaking the truth. With the ruthless elders controlling everything for their own selfish interests, there was little the Alpha could do. Even his efforts to protect Catherine had to be hidden beneath the appearance of treating her as a threat to their plans.

“What are you going to do, Alpha?” Lucky asked gently.

“Leave her be, and proceed with the wedding ceremony. Let us finish this charade once and for all,” Alpha Silas said coldly.

Lucky looked at him with pity. He had always envied the position of Alpha, but now he understood that greater power demanded greater compromise and sacrifice.

The ancestors and elders of the pack were not people anyone could trifle with. They were ruthless to the core.

“I will do as you say, My Lord,” Lucky replied before taking his leave.

After he was gone, Alpha Silas remained at the window, staring into the dark sky. Then he murmured under his breath,

“I am sorry, Catherine. I am doing this for your own good. I only hope one day you can forgive me.”

Catherine had been locked away in the dungeon, unaware of his true intentions. She refused to eat or drink, lying weakly on the cold floor.

One of the prison guards snorted as he stood over her, his lips curling into a sneer.

“Stupid girl. Do you really think starving yourself to death will move the Alpha? With a brain like yours, and you still became the Alpha’s mate? Truly, fate is blind and careless. Go on, then. Starve yourself. It’ll only make my job easier. And stop dreaming that he’ll come rescue you. He’s about to get married, and the pack will soon welcome a new Luna—one who can bear children, not a barren wom—”

“What did you say?”

Catherine’s voice shook the underground dungeon, echoing harshly against the stone walls.

The guard froze in shock.

He had not even seen her move. One second she was sprawled weakly on the ground, and the next, her hand had clamped around his arm.

Her eyes—

Were those truly human eyes?

A cold, terrifying chill ran down his spine as he stared into them. All his earlier arrogance vanished, replaced by raw fear.

But the moment did not last.

Catherine suddenly went limp and fainted.

The guard let out a breath of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead, anger rising within him at how badly she had frightened him.

“Stupid woman!”

He kicked her aside in frustration, then turned and swaggered out of the cell after swapping the plate.

Catherine lay crumpled on the floor, mumbling weakly, “Don’t do this to me, Silas…”

Again, in an even fainter voice, “Don’t do this to me, Silas…”

Then her eyes rolled back, and she lost consciousness once more.

She did not know how long she had been out, but when she finally opened her eyes, Kyla was standing before her.

She wore the Luna crown and was adorned in royal robes.