The Rejected Luna And The Ruthless Alpha

Chapter Three

For a moment, nobody breathed.The Moon Garden, which had been filled with whispers and celebration only seconds before, became completely silent.The kind of silence that felt unnatural.The kind that came before something changed forever.Seraphina stood at the center of the ceremony grounds, her hand resting against the ancient Moon Stone.She could feel its warmth beneath her palm.Not the cold, lifeless stone she expected.Warmth.Recognition.Like the stone knew her.Like it had been waiting for her.The silver light surrounding her grew brighter, wrapping around her body like a gentle embrace.Gasps echoed throughout the crowd.Some wolves stepped backward.Others stared openly.Even the elders looked unsettled.Because the Moon Stone had never reacted this way before.Not in their lifetime.Not even in the oldest records of Silvercrest.Seraphina’s heart raced.She looked around nervously, searching for an explanation.But all she saw were shocked faces.Confused faces.Afraid faces.Why were they looking at her like that?She had spent her entire life trying to disappear.

Trying not to attract attention.And now, under the light of the Moon Goddess herself, the entire pack was staring at her.Her fingers trembled slightly against the stone.Then she heard it.A voice.Not from outside.From within.For the first time in twenty years.Her wolf spoke.Seraphina.Her entire body froze.No.

That was impossible.Her wolf had never spoken before.Not once.She had spent years wondering if something was wrong with her.Wondering why everyone else could communicate with their wolves while hers remained silent.But now…Now it was awake.Finally.The word sent a strange feeling through her.Fear.Confusion.Relief.All at once.

“Who are you?” she whispered inside her mind.For a moment, there was only silence.

Then—I have always been here.A shiver moved through her body.Waiting.

Across the garden, Damon Ashford stood completely still.He had expected many things tonight.He had expected to find his mate.He had expected the Moon Goddess to reveal the woman who would one day stand beside him as Luna of Silvercrest.He had imagined countless possibilities.A powerful Alpha daughter.A respected Beta family member.Someone whose bloodline matched his own.But never her.Seraphina Vale.The quiet Omega everyone ignored.His eyes remained fixed on her.And for reasons he could not explain, his wolf was restless.Violently restless.His Alpha wolf, a creature that had never submitted to anyone, was moving inside him.Demanding his attention.Demanding that he go to her.Mate.The word echoed through his mind.Damon’s jaw tightened.No.It couldn’t be.His wolf had made a mistake.The Moon Goddess did not make mistakes.But this?This was impossible.Seraphina was not supposed to be his Luna.She was not supposed to be the future of Silvercrest.She was an Omega.An orphan.A girl with no powerful family.No influence.No status.How could destiny choose her?Seraphina looked toward Damon.And in that moment, everything else disappeared.The whispers.The staring.The confusion.All of it faded.Because she saw him.The future Alpha.The person she had secretly admired for years.The person she never believed would even notice her.And now the Moon Goddess had chosen him for her.Her heart began beating faster.Not from fear.From hope.A dangerous, beautiful hope.Maybe she had been wrong about her place in the world.Maybe she was not invisible.Maybe, for once, someone would choose her.Her wolf stirred.Our mate.The word sent warmth through her entire body.Mate.The word she had heard others talk about.The word she secretly dreamed of.The person who would understand her without explanations.The person who would never leave.After losing her parents, after growing up feeling unwanted, after years of wondering why she was never enough…She had finally found someone who belonged to her.Someone destined to stay.A small smile touched her lips.For the first time in years, Seraphina allowed herself to believe she was not cursed.She was blessed.But the elders were not smiling.Elder Rowan’s expression had changed completely.The old wolf stared at the silver light surrounding Seraphina.His face had lost all color.“No…”The word escaped him quietly.The other elders looked toward him.“What is it?”Rowan did not answer immediately.His eyes remained fixed on Seraphina.Because he had seen this before.Not in his lifetime.But in the ancient records.The forbidden records.The ones hidden beneath the oldest part of the pack house.The ones most wolves were forbidden from reading.The prophecy.His hands trembled.“The Moon Stone…”The elders leaned closer.“What about it?”Rowanswallowed.“It has awakened.”Confusion spread across their faces.“So?”The elder looked at them with fear.“Only one bloodline can awaken the Moon Stone.”The garden became colder.The realization slowly spread.“No…”Someone whispered.“It can’t be.”Rowan’s voice lowered.“The first Luna’s bloodline.”The words struck the gathering like thunder.The first Luna.The original Luna.The woman whose power was said to have created balance among the wolves.The woman whose descendants disappeared centuries ago.The woman from the prophecy.Everyone knew the legend.But nobody believed it.Because legends were supposed to remain legends.Not stand in the middle of their ceremony.Seraphina noticed the change.The excitement she had felt slowly disappeared.Something was wrong.The way people looked at her was changing.Not with happiness.With fear.She looked toward Damon.Surely he would not look at her like that.Surely he would understand.But Damon’s expression was unreadable.His face was tense.His eyes conflicted.Her smile faded slightly.“Damon?”Her voice was soft.Almost uncertain.The entire pack waited.Everyone knew what came next.The bond had been revealed.The next step belonged to the Alpha.Damon slowly walked forward.Each step felt heavier than the last.His wolf was fighting him.Every instinct screamed at him to protect her.To claim her.To stand beside her.But his mind was louder.The prophecy.The warnings.The consequences.He stopped in front of her.For a moment, Seraphina saw the conflict in his eyes.And she held onto that.Because maybe he was just shocked.Maybe he needed time.Maybe everything would be okay.She looked at him hopefully.“Damon…”His expression changed.Pain.Regret.Fear.Then something colder.The entire pack held their breath.Because everyone knew what an Alpha could do.Everyone knew the words that could destroy a mate bond forever.Damon looked at the girl standing before him.The girl the Moon Goddess had chosen.The girl his wolf wanted.And he made his decision.“I, Damon Ashford…”Seraphina’s heart began pounding.

“I reject…”The world stopped.Her wolf went silent.The moon seemed to disappear.“…Seraphina Vale as my mate.”The words echoed through the Moon Garden.Nobody moved.Nobody spoke.Seraphina simply stared at him.As if her mind refused to understand what her ears had heard.Rejected.The word felt impossible.Wrong.

The Moon Goddess had chosen him.The stone had awakened.Her wolf had finally spoken.How could destiny lead her here…only to destroy her?Her lips parted.No sound came out.Damon looked away.And that hurt more than the words themselves.Because in that moment, Seraphina realized something.The person destiny had given her…was the same person destiny had allowed to break her.A sharp pain exploded through her chest.Her wolf cried out.Not in anger.In agony.The mate bond shattered.And every wolf in the garden felt it.A wave of pain moved through the air.Several wolves lowered their heads.Even the strongest among them felt the heartbreak of a rejected bond.Seraphina fell to her knees.Not because she was weak.Because losing a mate was like losing a part of yourself.Her hand pressed against her chest.Tears blurred her vision.But then—Something changed.The pain stopped.Not disappeared.Changed.The silver light around her returned.Brighter.Stronger.The moon pendant around her neck began glowing.A mark appeared on her skin.A symbol no wolf had seen in generations.The elders stepped back in horror.Because they finally understood.The prophecy was never about finding the first Luna’s descendant.It was about what would happen when the descendant was betrayed.Rowan whispered the words written in the ancient scrolls:“When the chosen Luna is rejected by the Alpha destined to protect her, her true power shall awaken.”The entire pack froze.Because the girl they had called weak…The Omega they had ignored…The orphan they pitied…Was not broken.She was awakening.And for the first time in centuries…the wolves had a reason to fear the rise of the Forgotten Luna.