The Forsaken Luna Chosen by Three Alphas

Last Gift

The cheers followed Lyra all the way home.Even after the Moonstone Arena disappeared behind her, she could still hear the celebration echoing through the village streets. They were celebrating their future Alpha. The same Alpha who had shattered her heart before the entire pack.

Lyra tightened the worn cloak around her shoulders as she walked through the familiar stone pathways of the Silver Moon Pack. Lanterns illuminated every doorway, casting warm pools of light across homes that had once felt welcoming.

Tonight, every door closed as she approached. Curtains shifted. Windows cracked open. Whispers followed her every step. "That's her." "The rejected mate." "I heard the Moon Goddess herself cursed the ceremony." "No... I heard she's the curse."Lyra lowered her head and kept walking. She had endured whispers her entire life, but tonight they carried a different weight.

They were no longer mocking the girl without a wolf. They were judging the woman her own mate had publicly discarded. By the time she reached the modest Blackwood residence on the edge of the pack, her legs felt like stone. She hesitated before opening the door. Would this place still feel like home?

The answer came the moment she stepped inside.Her father stood by the fireplace with his back to her.Her mother sat silently at the dining table, tears staining her cheeks. Neither of them greeted her. "So..." Gareth Blackwood finally spoke without turning around. "You've returned." Lyra swallowed. "I came to collect my things."

A bitter laugh escaped him. "Your things?" He turned, his weathered face lined with disappointment. "You embarrassed this family before the entire pack." Her chest tightened. "I didn't ask him to reject me." "No." Gareth's voice hardened. "But you gave him every reason." Silence filled the room. Her mother looked up sharply. "Gareth..." "Am I wrong?"He faced his daughter fully now. "For twenty two years, this family defended you.""We ignored the whispers." "We endured the humiliation."

"We believed your wolf would awaken." His eyes glistened with unshed tears. "And tonight everyone learned the truth." "You truly are different." Those words hurt more than Kael's rejection. Because they came from the man who was supposed to protect her. Lyra forced herself to remain standing. "I never chose to be born this way." "No." He sighed heavily. "But now the council has exiled you." "They will be watching this family. "If we defy their orders..."

He couldn't finish. He didn't need to. The meaning was clear. They had already chosen. The pack came first. She came last. "I understand." The words tasted like ash.

She walked past him toward the small room she'd called hers since childhood.Everything looked exactly as she'd left it that morning. The neatly made bed. The bookshelf filled with worn novels. The wooden wolf carving she'd made when she was twelve. The pressed moonflowers she'd collected every spring.Pieces of a life that no longer belonged to her.

She knelt beside the bed and pulled out an old leather bag. There wasn't much to pack.Two changes of clothes.A blanket. A hunting knife. Several books. She paused before picking up a faded drawing tucked inside the top drawer.

It showed a little girl holding hands with a silver wolf beneath a full moon. She remembered drawing it when she was seven. Back then, she'd believed her wolf was simply late. She smiled sadly. Children were wonderfully optimistic.

A soft knock sounded behind her. "Lyra."Her mother's trembling voice.She turned. Elara stood in the doorway clutching something wrapped in blue cloth. Without a word, she crossed the room and embraced her daughter. The hug lasted only a few seconds. Neither of them trusted themselves to speak. Finally, Elara pulled away."I've been waiting for this day."

Lyra frowned. "What do you mean?" Instead of answering, her mother unfolded the cloth Inside rested an antique silver necklace. At its center hung a crescent moon carved from white crystal. It shimmered faintly despite the dim candlelight. "It belonged to your grandmother."

Lyra stared. "I've never seen it before." "Because she told me to hide it." Elara carefully fastened the necklace around Lyra's neck. The crystal felt strangely warm against her skin. "She made me promise that when you lost everything..." Her mother's voice broke. "...I would give you this." Lost everything. As if Grandmother Selene had known this day would come. "What is it?" "I don't know."

Elara shook her head. "Your grandmother refused to explain." "She only said one thing." "What?" "'When the moon rejects her...'" Elara squeezed Lyra's hands."'...the moon will also choose her.'" Before Lyra could ask another question, footsteps echoed down the hallway. Gareth stopped outside the room. "You have until sunrise." His tone was firm. "The council expects you to leave before then."

Elara flinched. After he walked away, she reached into her pocket once more. This time she produced a small leather pouch. Coins. Not many. Perhaps enough to survive a few weeks.

"I know it isn't much." Lyra stared at the pouch. "If Father finds out..." "He won't." Elara pressed it into her daughter's hand. "Listen to me carefully." Her eyes filled with fear. "If anyone asks about that necklace..." She glanced toward the closed bedroom door. "...tell them you've never seen it." "Why?" "I don't know." "But your grandmother feared someone." "For years she believed they were watching our family." A cold chill ran through Lyra.

Watching? Who? Another knock interrupted them. This one louder. Three heavy strikes.Boom. Boom. Boom. Both women froze. Gareth hurried toward the front door."Who could possibly-"The front door burst open before he reached it. A pack warrior stumbled inside. His uniform was soaked in blood. "Beta Gareth!"

He collapsed to one knee. "Elder Magnus sent me." "What happened? The warrior struggled to breathe."The Sacred Altar..." His eyes widened with terror. "It's cracked. The room fell silent. "Cracked?" Gareth whispered. "The Moonstone split in half." He looked directly at Lyra. "And..." His voice trembled. "Your name appeared on it." The necklace beneath Lyra's shirt suddenly grew warm.

Outside, somewhere beyond the village walls, a lone wolf howled.It wasn't a sound of mourning. It was a call. And far away, beneath a sky lit by the same crimson moon, three Alpha Kings answered it.