Rejected By The Alpha, Blessed By The Moon

The Dinner

ROSALYN

That night, I had cried myself to sleep. By morning, I was exhausted. My eyes were swollen, my body sore. When I finally managed to get up, the sunlight had already filled the room.

I took some pain relievers and moon water like the healer told me to and tried to push through the ache in my chest to get ready for the day.

But halfway down the stairs, I froze.

There they were Zayden and Shamira sitting on the couch in the living room. She was lying on her back—her head on his thigh, laughing softly at something he said.

For a second, I couldn’t breathe. The sight of them together hurt in a way I couldn’t describe like being cut open without a blade. He never sat with me like that. Never talked to me like that. Never laughed with me like that. And he was never even around this early in the morning. He was usually off to his command chamber or some important pack matter before I could wake up.

I was barely holding it up because he brought her to stay with us, but now, he was also spending time with her. I didn’t even know where he spent the night because he didn’t come up to our room.

My heart clenched at the thought of that. But Shamira’s laugh—soft, light, and melodic continued to fill the air.

I forced a step toward them, trying to steady my breath and keep my expression neutral despite how hard it was.

Shamira noticed me first from the corner of her eye. Almost reflexively, she got up from his body and sat upright on the couch, a nervous smile making her lips tremble like one caught in the act of doing something she knew she shouldn’t.

“I…I’m sorry, Rosalyn…” Her voice quivered as she offered an apology. It was hard to tell if it was fake or genuine. “It’s not what you think…”

I ignored her and instead turned to Zayden who wasn’t even sparing me a glance. “Shouldn’t you be at the command chamber today?”

He looked up briefly, his eyes flat. “I’m on leave.”

My eyes widened in shock.

Leave?

Zayden Crest I knew. The one I married doesn’t take leaves. He was always working, always busy, always somewhere else.

But now that she was here, suddenly he had time.

I forced a nod, pretending not to care. “Right.”

But deep inside, it hurt. It burned to know that the only man my heart was literally pounding for would never give me that kind of attention and care.

I blinked the tear burning at the back of my eyes and turned to leave, but his voice stopped me. “My mother’s coming over for dinner. Be ready before she arrives.”

He didn’t even look at me when he said it. Just kept his gaze on Shamira, whose lips curved slightly like she’d already knew.

I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded again before walking away.

By the time the evening sun began to fade, I was ready.

I wore a simple sapphire dress that matched the color of my eyes—something very close to the one Zayden’s mother had once complimented me on. My hair fell freely down my back, and I applied light makeup, just enough to hide how exhausted I looked.

Before stepping out, I stopped by the hallway mirror, fixing my expression. I knew I was beautiful but Zayden only complimented me once in a blue moon. Most times when I wore the dress and left my hair the way he wanted. He always liked it falling freely on my back which is why I left it that way. Despite everything he did to me, despite knowing I was hanging by a loose thread in this marriage, I couldn’t believe that I was still trying to impress him like some love-starved teenage girl chasing scraps of affection and admiration from her crush.

I sighed, my lips twisted to a frown.

But I did my best to snap out of it. No matter what happened tonight, I wouldn’t let anyone, not even his mother, see how broken I felt inside.

When I entered the dining room, the sound of laughter hit me first.

Shamira’s laughter. It was always hers.

She was sitting there, glowing, a soft hand on her belly while she chatted comfortably with Zayden’s mother, Mrs. Liora Crest, the elder Luna.

Zayden sat beside them, quiet but listening attentively, even smiling faintly as they talked about baby names and pregnancy cravings.

For a moment, none of them noticed me. I stood at the entrance like an outsider in my own home, listening to them talk about her pregnancy—the one Zayden swore wasn’t his.

The thought of who was responsible for that pregnancy still bogged my mind. Zayden said it wasn’t him. Even though the infatuation he had for Shamira hadn’t faded, he was possessive and wouldn’t be so concerned to care for a pregnancy that wasn’t his. After dinner, I will ask him again. By then, all the tension from yesterday would have cooled down enough for a ‘civilized’ conversation.

It was Mira, the maid, who broke the silence. “Luna Rosa is here.”

Shamira’s head turned first. Her smile didn’t falter, but her eyes flickered with something sharp and uncomfortable. “Oh, Rosa! Come join us!”

Rosa.

She’d never been allowed to call me that.

I swallowed my pride, straightened my shoulders, and walked to the table with a calmness I didn’t feel.

Mrs. Liora smiled warmly at me. “Rosa, darling! You look irresistible in that dress.”

I forced a smile, dry but appreciative. If only that compliment came from Zayden.

“Come, have a seat. Shamira was just telling us about her last visit to the healer. Such good news, isn’t it?”

I smiled or at least tried to. “Wonderful.”

I sat beside Zayden. He didn’t say a word. Didn’t even look at me. His focus stayed on his plate, on Shamira, on anywhere that wasn’t me.

I picked at my food in silence, listening to them talk about pups and moon blessings. My chest tightened with every word, memories of my pregnancy termination, sharp and stinging, twisting around my mind like screws.

Finally, Mrs. Liora turned to me with that same kind smile she’d always given. “It’s been almost a year since you and my son tied the knot? When will you be giving me a grandpup, Rosa?”