Alpha and Luna: Destinies shattered by betrayal

Chapter Four - Rejection and Rivalry: The Struggle for Power and Loyalty

She was in the middle of the hall, beautiful, very beautiful, wearing that black dress that hugged her body, making her even more attractive than she already was, and I was standing next to Giovana, my Beta's sister, the woman I had chosen to be my Luna.

Yes, she was exactly what she was supposed to be, a strong, determined woman, with power in her words, persuasive, besides being very beautiful. There was just one problem: Giovana was not my destined one.

I had heard many stories that when a wolf rejects his mate, a wound opens inside his chest, his heart bleeds for a long time, but eventually, the pain disappears, leaving only longing, just the scar remains. But I suspected that with an Alpha, actually, with a Supreme, this didn’t happen.

On the outside, people saw me as the strong Aiden, with a closed face, a closed body, and apparent muscles, even perfectly aligned in a sporty suit, terrifyingly tall. As a Supreme, I stood out among wolves and even more so among humans; no one dared to get close to me, not without permission. But inside, I knew I wasn’t as strong as I thought. Aurora pulled me, even from a distance, I knew it was dangerous.

“I thought I’d never see Aurora again. It... seems like she’s moved on with her life.”

Giovana spoke in a sly way, as if she could feel my discontent seeing a well-dressed man getting close to Aurora, wrapping his arm around her waist, whispering something in her ear, and then leaving.

Lucien howled instantly, scolding both Lola, Giovana’s wolf, who was equally happy, and its owner.

“How dare she insinuate that our Luna accepted another as hers, I can smell her, I can feel her loneliness. We did this to her, Aiden, and Aurora hasn’t found anyone else. Come on, my friend, let’s mark our Luna before another does.”

I wanted to, even more seeing her right there, smelling her scent mixing with the human perfumes, but I knew I couldn’t, and moreover, I knew I couldn’t let this be obvious to Giovana because she never stopped asking me if I had truly rejected my mate, if I had truly given up on the destiny drawn by the moon goddess.

I didn’t go directly to Aurora, I waited for Giovana to make up some excuse and leave my side, but I couldn’t stay away. I just couldn’t.

“Aurora... it’s been a while.”

I approached from behind, speaking in her ear, and saw her fur stand up, and I liked that. I liked it a lot. She turned slowly, first with a surprised look, but then relaxed her shoulders, asking me why I had come so close.

“My father told me you’re engaged. Isn’t she by your side? Where is your perfect Luna?”

I wanted to say that she was right in front of me, but I had already made my decision a long time ago. I chose the safety of Aurora and my Pack. I couldn’t, after everything, throw everything away. But also, I couldn’t just let these damn humans get close.

“From what it seems, you’re pretty happy.”

“I’m moving on with my life, if that’s what you’re trying to say.”

I stepped closer, at the same moment I saw the i***t who had just surrounded Aurora’s waist a few minutes ago, staring at us.

“I’m still your Alpha, Aurora, and you know very well that I don’t like being contradicted, so I’ll only say this once: don’t let these vermin get close to you. I don’t want to see anyone too close, wrapping their arms around your waist, whispering in your ear. This is not a request.”

She looked at me, shocked, not understanding what was going on. I couldn’t mentally connect with Aurora. It was the first time I realized and considered that the rejection had worked, that the bond pulling me toward her was just a feeling of possession, nothing more.

“You rejected me, Aiden. Whether you’re my Alpha or not, you can’t stop me from moving on with my life.”

“I can, yes. Don’t test me, Aurora. You won’t like seeing what I can do when I’m contradicted.”

I turned and walked away from her. I couldn’t stand feeling Lucien stirring inside me, desperately wanting to connect with Aurora’s wolf. Besides that, my strength was draining away. I could feel that if I stayed another minute in front of Aurora, I would lose control and follow my wolf’s command. Deep down, I didn’t understand what was happening. I thought after the rejection, I would be able to live, sure, feeling Aurora, but not with this crazy desire to have her by my side and shout to the world that she was mine. I really needed to get away, especially because I felt Giovana’s presence and didn’t want her, or anyone else, to find out what only Lucien and I knew: we still loved Aurora.

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Giovana

“I saw it myself, don’t worry. She stayed in front of her and still rejected her. The bond is really broken, they rejected each other.”

I had everything I wanted... I had become the future Luna of the Blood Moon Pack, my childhood dream was coming true. But no, it wasn’t just that I wanted. In fact, Aiden was never my childhood love; Kalel was.

My world crashed when, supposedly, he was killed in an ambush along with his Luna. We were lovers, living our love our way. I was destroyed when I heard the news, but it didn’t take long before I heard his voice again. It was all a plan. He was just tired.

“The time is coming, Gio. I’m coming back and I’ll take my place, and then you’ll be the Luna of a strong Alpha, a true Supreme.”

“I can’t wait, but... what about Lili?”

“Don’t worry. She’s my mate, but you, you’re the woman I love. Just follow the plan, and we’ll be together soon.”

The price of my dream? Nothing much. I just had to become the woman my brother described as ideal to stand beside the Alpha. It wasn’t hard. Actually, the most complicated thing was convincing my brother since his loyalty to Aiden is unbreakable. He doesn’t know about my plan, and certainly doesn’t know that, for it to work, he also needs to get out of my way.

This is what it means to be a Luna, this is the example Aurora should have followed. Poor thing, being known as the rejected Luna must have been as pathetic as knowing that Aiden will be the dethroned Alpha. It’s just a matter of time.

I went back to the main hall and saw Aurora alone. I didn’t want to miss that opportunity. I liked showing off to the lesser wolves of the Pack. Imagine if I wasn’t going to do the same with Aurora.

“Are you enjoying this quiet little life, Aurora? You know, I don’t think you’d get used to it. I love being pampered by everyone in the Pack, being revered. I think I was born for this.”

“Good for you.”

Simple. That was the only response. She didn’t care about my words. She just growled that response and turned her back on me.

“How dare you turn your back on your future Luna?”

She stopped, took a deep breath, and turned back toward me. I lifted my head and demanded she show me her submission.

“Bow to me, Aurora. It’s an order.”

I waited for the reverence, but for the first time, Aiden showed me that he wouldn’t tolerate my whims. Not in front of everyone, but close to my ear, he used his Alpha aura to make me feel a tearing pain. It was the first time I doubted that he had really rejected her.

“Never demand submission from Aurora again. I rejected her, yes, but by my choice, not the moon goddess’s. To her, Aurora is my destined mate, in that case, your Luna, and deserves respect.”

He came out of nowhere to ruin my fun. Things got weird. Aiden had never acted like this with me, and strangely, after scolding me, he turned to Aurora, growled low, and, with the Supreme connection, scolded her too. But it was with the mental bond. I know because she ended up showing him her neck in reverence and then left.

Strange, but in my head, he just didn’t want to look ridiculous in front of humans. Too bad for him. I just know I didn’t like it. Right there, in the middle of the party, I confirmed that Aiden was nothing but trash. He didn’t deserve to be called Alpha, and I decided, deep down, that I would destroy that bastard.