The Rejected Luna And The Ruthless Alpha

Chapter five

The celebration ended without a single song.No laughter echoed through the Moon Garden.No newly bonded mates lingered beneath the moonlight.The sacred ceremony, which had begun as a night of joy, dissolved into uneasy whispers as wolves abandoned the clearing in frightened clusters. Some stole fearful glances at Seraphina before hurrying away. Others bowed their heads, unwilling to meet her eyes.The Moon Goddess had answered.But not in the way anyone had expected.Seraphina remained standing exactly where she was, the silver mark on her shoulder still glowing faintly beneath the fabric of her gown. It pulsed gently with every heartbeat, as though alive.The warmth frightened her.Not because it hurt.Because it felt… familiar.As if it had always belonged there.As if part of her had finally awakened after years of sleeping.She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to steady her breathing.Nothing made sense anymore.One hour ago she had been an ordinary Omega.Now the elders were calling her the descendant of the First Luna.One hour ago she had dreamed of finding her mate.Now she carried the pain of rejection in a place no one could see.She wanted her mother.For the first time since she disappeared, Seraphina wanted nothing more than to ask a single question.Why didn’t you tell me who I was?

High above the Moon Garden, inside the council chamber overlooking the sacred grounds, the ruling elders had already gathered.The heavy wooden doors slammed shut behind them.No guards.No servants.Only the oldest wolves in Silvercrest.Elder Rowan stood before an ancient stone table, his face pale.“We have run out of time.”Silence answered him.Another elder finally spoke.“The prophecy has awakened.”“It has.”“And the mark?”Rowan closed his eyes briefly.“There is no doubt.”An older woman, Elder Selene, inhaled sharply.“Then every Alpha Kingdom will come for her.”“They will.”Another elder struck the table with his fist.“We should send her away before they discover she exists.”“No.”Another voice interrupted.“We cannot simply release her.”“Why not?”“Because whoever possesses the Last Luna possesses legitimacy.”The room became quiet.Everyone understood.For centuries, the great Alpha families had ruled because no descendant of the First Luna remained.If Seraphina truly carried that bloodline…Every throne could be challenged.Every alliance could collapse.Every kingdom could descend into war.Elder Rowan’s voice lowered.“There is another problem.”The others looked toward him.“The prophecy.”He slowly opened an ancient leather scroll that had been hidden inside the council archives for generations.His hands trembled as he read aloud.“Beware the day the Forgotten Luna rises beneath the Blood Moon, for kingdoms shall hunt her, crowns shall divide because of her, and the king who rejects her shall spend the rest of his life chasing the fate he willingly abandoned.”No one spoke.Because everyone knew exactly who that king was.Damon Ashford.

Elsewhere in the Alpha House, Damon stood alone on a balcony overlooking the sleeping pack.The night air did little to cool the turmoil inside him.His wolf paced furiously.Go after her.“I can’t.”You already know you’re wrong.“I did what I had to do.”No.His wolf growled.You did what you feared.Damon gripped the stone railing until his knuckles turned white.Images of Seraphina replayed relentlessly.Her hopeful smile.The way her eyes searched his face before he spoke.The instant those same eyes shattered.He had seen warriors survive impossible battles.He had seen wolves die protecting their packs.Nothing compared to the look on Seraphina’s face when he rejected her.His wolf spoke again.She is still our mate.Damon closed his eyes.“I know.”Seraphina returned quietly to the small room she had occupied for most of her life.Everything looked exactly the same.The neatly folded blankets.The worn wooden desk.The tiny bookshelf filled with psychology texts, novels, fashion magazines, and old sketchbooks where she had once designed dresses she never believed she would wear.Ordinary.Safe.Yet somehow…None of it felt like home anymore.

She slowly removed the silver gown from the ceremony and folded it carefully onto her bed.The fabric still shimmered beneath the candlelight.She touched the glowing mark on her shoulder.“Who am I?”No answer came.Instead, her eyes landed on the only possession she truly treasured.The moon pendant.Her mother’s pendant.She lifted it from around her neck.For years she had thought it was nothing more than a keepsake.Now she noticed details she had never seen before.Tiny symbols engraved around the edges.Ancient markings.She traced one with her thumb.A sharp click echoed inside the room.Her eyes widened.The pendant had opened.Hidden inside was a tightly folded piece of aged parchment.

Her breath caught.With trembling fingers, she unfolded it.The handwriting was unmistakable.Her mother’s.My precious Seraphina,If you are reading this, then the truth has finally found you.Tears blurred her vision.Forgive me.Everything I hid from you was done to keep you alive.She wiped her eyes and continued.

The night you were born, kings came for your blood. Not because they hated you… but because they feared what you would become.

If the Luna Mark awakens… do not trust anyone.Not the elders.

Not the kings.Not even the Alpha destiny chooses for you.Seraphina stopped breathing.Not even the Alpha…Damon.Her hands trembled.The final line was written more heavily than the rest.Run.A loud knock shook her bedroom door.Her entire body stiffened.Another knock.Harder.“Seraphina!”A guard’s voice.“The council requests your presence immediately.”She folded the letter instinctively.Her wolf stirred.Do not open the door.Seraphina frowned.“Why?”Because they are no longer asking.The handle slowly turned.It was locked.A second voice came from outside.“By order of the council, open this door.”Her heartbeat accelerated.Something felt wrong.Very wrong.She quietly stepped backward.Then she heard another voice.Lower.Urgent.From outside her bedroom window.“Seraphina.”She turned.Standing in the shadows beneath the old oak tree was an elderly woman wrapped in a dark traveling cloak.Seraphina had never seen her before.Yet the stranger looked directly into her eyes.“There isn’t much time.”The woman glanced toward the hallway as more guards approached.“They’re coming to imprison you.”Seraphina’s heart nearly stopped.“What?”“The prophecy has frightened them.”“I don’t understand.”“You don’t need to.”The old woman reached into her cloak and produced a silver ring engraved with the same crescent symbol as Seraphina’s Luna Mark.“Your mother entrusted this to me twenty years ago.”Seraphina stared at it in disbelief.“My… mother?”The woman nodded.“She told me that if the mark ever awakened…”Another crash echoed from the bedroom door.“Break it down!”The Alpha Guard captain shouted.Wood splintered.The elderly woman’s voice became urgent.“Listen carefully.”“There is no time.”“Leave Silvercrest tonight.”“If you stay until sunrise…”Her eyes darkened.“…you will never leave alive.”The bedroom door cracked under another heavy blow.Seraphina looked once at the room where she had grown up.The bed.The books.The window where she had spent years hoping someone would come back for her.Then she looked toward the forest beyond the walls.Dark.Unknown.Terrifying.Her wolf spoke softly.Home is no longer behind us.The door exploded inward.Guards flooded into the room.But Seraphina was already climbing through the window.She landed hard on the damp earth outside.The mysterious woman caught her arm.“Run.”Behind them, angry voices erupted.“There!”“Don’t let her escape!”The horns of Silvercrest sounded through the night.Not to celebrate.To hunt.And beneath the watchful light of the full moon, the girl who had entered the ceremony as the forgotten Omega disappeared into the ancient forest…

…with an entire kingdom at her heels.