The Forgotten Luna

The Luna No One Saw

By morning, the east wing no longer belonged to me.

You could feel it in the air.

Servants who once greeted me confidently now avoided eye contact. Omega girls hurried past carrying trays of breakfast and fresh flowers toward Selene’s rooms while warriors stationed themselves outside the hallway as though protecting royalty.

Protecting her.

Not me.

I stood silently in the center of my new room — a much smaller guest chamber near the western corridor — staring at boxes stacked against the walls.

They had moved my things during the night.

Without asking.

Without me present.

Without care.

A dress trunk lay half open near the bed, silks spilling over the side like discarded memories. One of my perfume bottles had shattered during the move. The scent of jasmine still lingered faintly in the room.

Ruined.

Somehow fitting.

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Mira stepped inside carrying a tray of tea.

Unlike the others, she still looked directly at me.

Mira had served beside me since I became Luna three years ago. She was older than most omegas, sharp-eyed and impossible to intimidate.

Which meant the pack hated her honesty almost as much as Kael did lately.

Her mouth tightened as she looked around the room.

“They moved everything carelessly,” she muttered.

I gave a tired shrug. “It’s only a room.”

“That room was yours.”

I looked away.

Because hearing someone else say it made the ache worse.

Mira set the tray down harder than necessary.

“The entire pack house is talking.”

“Of course they are.”

“No,” she said sharply. “You don’t understand. They’re saying Alpha Kael is preparing Selene to stand beside him publicly during the Winter Gathering.”

My chest tightened instantly.

The Winter Gathering.

Every major Alpha across the northern territories would attend. Including neighboring packs, political allies, rivals, and trade leaders.

Traditionally, the Luna stood beside her Alpha during the ceremony.

Not a widow.

Not another woman.

Me.

Or at least… it was supposed to be me.

“That’s ridiculous,” I said quietly.

But even as I said it, uncertainty poisoned the words.

Mira crossed her arms. “Is it?”

Silence.

Thunder rumbled faintly outside.

I hated that she had a point.

Over the past three months, Kael had slowly removed me from everything important.

Meetings.

Territory discussions.

Ceremonial dinners.

War councils.

At first I told myself it was grief.

Then stress.

Then temporary distance.

But grief had become routine now.

And routine had become neglect.

“Did he sleep here last night?” Mira asked carefully.

Another silence answered for me.

Her expression darkened.

The mating bond between an Alpha and Luna was sacred among wolves. Not simply emotional.

Spiritual.

Instinctive.

To reject your mate physically for long periods of time weakened the connection itself.

And Kael had not touched me in nearly two months.

No kisses.

No sleeping beside me.

No intimacy.

Nothing.

At first, I begged silently for patience.

Then I blamed myself.

Now?

Now I was simply tired.

A distant laugh echoed through the hallway outside.

Rowan.

Followed immediately by Kael’s voice.

Warm.

Gentle.

Alive.

My wolf stirred painfully beneath my skin.

Mira heard it too.

Her face softened with pity.

That almost hurt worse.

“I should go downstairs,” I whispered.

“You haven’t eaten.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Lyra—”

“I said I’m fine.”

The sharpness in my voice surprised both of us.

Mira sighed quietly. “You don’t always have to survive things silently.”

I looked away before she could see my eyes burn.

Because surviving silently was the only thing I seemed good at lately.

—

The dining hall smelled of cinnamon bread and roasted coffee beans.

Normally, mornings inside the pack house were loud — warriors arguing, omegas rushing, elders discussing territory matters.

Today, conversation lowered the moment I entered.

Not completely silent.

Just quieter.

Enough to notice.

Enough to humiliate.

I kept my head high anyway.

A true Luna never showed weakness publicly.

Even when she was bleeding internally.

Kael sat near the head of the table wearing a fitted black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms. Rowan sat beside him happily eating fruit while Selene occupied the chair at Kael’s right side.

My chair.

No one acknowledged it.

Not even Kael.

Selene looked up first.

“Oh,” she said softly, almost surprised. “Good morning, Lyra.”

Like I was a guest.

I forced a smile so controlled it hurt my face.

“Good morning.”

Kael finally glanced at me briefly before returning his attention to Rowan.

“You’re late.”

I stared at him.

Late?

As though I still had responsibilities here.

As though I hadn’t spent the entire night being displaced from my own wing.

“I didn’t realize there was a schedule.”

His jaw flexed.

Selene immediately reached for the teapot.

“I can pour for her,” she offered gently.

Something dark flashed behind Kael’s eyes then.

Approval.

For her.

God.

It was the little things destroying me now.

Not screaming matches.

Not betrayal in bed.

Not cruelty.

The little things.

The way he thanked her softly.

The way he noticed when she looked tired.

The way he listened when she spoke.

Once, all of that belonged to me.

“Uncle Kael says I can start training soon,” Rowan announced proudly.

Kael smirked faintly. “If you stop trying to wrestle warriors twice your size.”

Rowan giggled loudly.

The sound filled the hall warmly.

I watched quietly as Kael ruffled the boy’s hair.

My chest tightened again.

Not because Rowan was doing anything wrong.

He was innocent.

But because Kael looked happier with them than he had with me in months.

Selene touched Kael’s arm lightly. “He already adores you.”

Her fingers lingered too long.

Too comfortably.

Kael didn’t move away.

One of the warriors farther down the table chuckled.

“Looks like the young pup already found himself a father.”

The words hit the room like a stone thrown through glass.

Instantly, silence followed.

My heartbeat stopped.

Kael froze.

Selene lowered her eyes modestly.

No one looked at me.

Not one person.

Because they all knew.

They knew exactly how humiliating this had become.

Kael cleared his throat roughly. “Enough.”

But it wasn’t angry enough.

Wasn’t immediate enough.

Which somehow made it worse.

Heat burned behind my eyes.

I pushed back my chair quietly.

“I’ve lost my appetite.”

Kael frowned immediately. “Lyra.”

I ignored him.

If I stayed another second, I would break in front of everyone.

And I refused to give this pack the satisfaction.

I walked calmly toward the doors.

Almost made it out.

Then one of the younger omegas whispered too loudly behind me.

“She doesn’t even feel like the Luna anymore.”

The words sliced straight through me.

I stopped walking.

The entire hall went still.

Kael rose halfway from his chair instantly. “Watch your mouth.”

But again—

too late.

Always too late.

I turned slowly.

The omega immediately lowered her head fearfully.

But I wasn’t looking at her.

I was looking at Kael.

Because deep down, we both knew this was happening because of him.

The authority of a Luna reflected through her Alpha.

And mine had slowly stopped protecting my place.

The bond between us pulsed weakly again.

Distant.

Fading.

For the first time since mating Kael, fear slipped through me.

Not fear of losing him.

Fear that one day…

I might stop loving him altogether.

And somehow, that felt even worse.

—

Later that afternoon, I stood alone on the western balcony overlooking the forest cliffs beyond Ashford territory.

Rain drizzled softly across the mountains.

Cold wind tangled through my hair.

It was peaceful here.

Far away from whispers.

Far away from pity.

“Beautiful view.”

The unfamiliar male voice behind me made my wolf instantly alert.

I turned sharply.

One of Kael’s warriors stood near the balcony entrance.

Beta Lucien.

Broad-shouldered.

Scar across his jaw.

Usually unreadable.

Today, however, something uneasy sat behind his eyes.

“You startled me,” I said quietly.

“My apologies, Luna.”

At least someone still called me that.

Lucien stepped closer before lowering his voice.

“There’s something you should know.”

My stomach tightened.

“What is it?”

He hesitated.

Then:

“The Black Hollow king is attending the Winter Gathering.”

Cold spread through me instantly.

Every wolf in the north knew the name Draven Mordaine.

The ruthless Alpha king.

The monster who conquered entire territories before turning thirty.

The male mothers used to frighten pups into obedience.

I frowned slightly. “Why would that concern me?”

Lucien’s expression darkened carefully.

“Because rumors say he’s looking for a Luna.”