The Luna Who Could Not Shift

Chapter 2: The Alpha's Disgrace

CHAPTER 2

The walk home felt longer than ever. Every step was heavy. Every breath hurt. Seraphina kept her head down as she walked through the quiet streets of Lunaris. The celebration was still happening in the distance. She could hear the music. The laughter… the cheering. Families celebrating their children's successful transformations.

Meanwhile, she was returning home after becoming the kingdom's joke for the second year in a row. Her chest tightened. She had cried so much on the cliffs that her eyes burned. Her throat felt raw. But somehow, she still hoped. Maybe her father would understand. Maybe tonight he would stop being Alpha Rowan and become her father. Maybe he would tell her everything would be okay. Maybe—

The moment she stepped through the gates of the Ashbourne Estate, that fragile hope shattered. The mansion was dark. Silent… cold. And waiting for her. Seraphina immediately sensed it. Something was wrong. Very wrong. She slowly entered the grand hall. The large wooden doors closed behind her with a heavy thud.

Her heart skipped. Then she saw him. Alpha Rowan Ashbourne stood near the fireplace. Motionless, his arms crossed. And she know, he is waiting for her. The flames behind him cast shadows across his face. His expression was unreadable. But his aura wasn't. It was furious. The servants standing nearby immediately lowered their heads. No one dared speak. No one dared move. The entire room felt suffocating.

Seraphina swallowed. "Father..."

Rowan didn't answer. The silence stretched.

"Look at me."

His voice was calm. Too calm. Seraphina slowly lifted her head. The disappointment in his eyes nearly broke her.

"I..." She stopped.

She didn't know what to say. What excuse was left? What explanation hadn't already been said over the years? Rowan stared at her then laughed. A cold laugh. One without humor.

"You embarrassed me again, Seraphina."

The words landed like a slap.

"Father—"

"You embarrassed this family."

"Please—"

"You embarrassed this pack." His voice grew louder. "You embarrassed every single Ashbourne who came before us."

The room seemed to shrink.

Seraphina clenched her fists. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" His eyes flashed. "Sorry?"

He suddenly slammed his hand against a nearby table. The solid oak split in half. The servants flinched. Seraphina jumped.

"Do you think sorry fixes this?" His voice echoed through the hall. "Do you know what happened after you ran away? Do you know how many Alphas approached me?"

He stepped closer.

"How many leaders looked at me with pity?"

Another step.

"How many people laughed behind my back?"

Another step again.

"You made me a joke tonight."

Tears immediately filled Seraphina's eyes. "I didn't mean to—"

"That doesn't matter!"

His roar shook the room. The Alpha aura exploded outward. The servants immediately dropped to one knee. Even Seraphina struggled to breathe. Rowan's wolf was close to the surface.

"You had one job."

His voice lowered.

"One."

A painful silence followed. Then Rowan asked quietly,

"Why?"

Seraphina blinked. "What?"

"Why can't you shift?"

The question hurt more than the shouting. Because she asked herself the same thing every day.

"I don't know."

Rowan laughed again. "Of course you don't."

"I've tried—"

"No."

His voice cut her off. "You haven't tried enough."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"You heard me."

Shock flooded her chest.

"Father, that's not fair."

"Not fair?"

He stared at her in disbelief.

"Not fair?"

"I have tried!" Her voice cracked. "I've tried everything!"

For the first time, she raised her voice. Because she was tired. So tired. She pointed toward herself. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You think I wanted this? You think I enjoy being laughed at? You think I don't hear what people say?" Her voice trembled. "I hear everything."

Silence filled the hall. Seraphina's breathing became uneven.

"You think I don't know they're calling me Broken Wolf? You think I don't know children point at me?" Still nothing. "You think I don't know people pity you because of me?" Her voice broke completely. "Because I do."

The room became quiet. Pain flashed through her eyes.

"I know all of it."

For a brief moment, Rowan's expression softened. Then it hardened again.

"You should have worked harder."

Seraphina stared at him. All emotion mixed together.

"Harder?" She laughed bitterly. "Harder?"

"Yes."

"No."

She shook her head. "No, Father."

Her voice became stronger.

"You don't get to say that."

Rowan frowned. "What?"

"You don't get to say I didn't try."

The years of frustration finally exploded. She stepped forward. Tears streamed down her face. The room remained silent.

"I trained until my hands bled. I woke up before sunrise every morning. I attended every moon ritual. I drank every disgusting remedy Elder Mira gave me. I prayed every single night." Her voice cracked. "Every night, I begged the Moon Goddess to help me. I spent years believing maybe tomorrow would be different."

Her breathing shook. A tear fell.

"Maybe next month. Maybe next year. But nothing happened."

She looked directly at him.

"And I still kept trying."

For the first time, Rowan had no immediate response. Because she was telling the truth. Everyone knew it. Seraphina had tried harder than anyone. Yet somehow it still wasn't enough. The silence lasted several seconds.

Then Rowan spoke. "You are twenty years old." His voice was cold again. "Your brother shifted at sixteen."

There it was. The comparison. The inevitable comparison. Seraphina closed her eyes.

"Father—"

"Your brother became Head Warrior at nineteen."

"Please stop."

"He defeated rogues."

"Stop."

"He protected this kingdom."

"Stop!"

Her voice echoed through the hall. The servants looked away. No one wanted to witness this. But no one could leave either. Tears poured down Seraphina's face.

"Why do you always compare me to him?"

Rowan didn't answer.

"Why?"

Her voice broke. "He isn't me. He never had my struggles. He never had to live like this."

Still nothing. The pain finally spilled out.

"I spent my entire life trying to make you proud." Her voice became barely a whisper. "But no matter what I do..." A tear slid down her cheek. "It's never enough."

The words lingered. For a second, Rowan looked away. As if he couldn't bear looking at her. Then he said the words that shattered her heart.

"You are not my daughter."

Everything stopped. The room… the air. Her heartbeat. Everything. Seraphina stared at him. Certain she had heard wrong.

"What?"

Rowan's jaw tightened.

"You heard me."

Tears filled her eyes. "Father..."

"You are not my daughter."

His voice was firm, cold and merciless.

"You are my greatest failure."

The world collapsed, completely. Something inside Seraphina broke. She stared at him, waiting and hoping. Praying he would take it back. He didn't. The silence became unbearable.

Finally she whispered, "Do you mean that?"

Rowan didn't answer. That was answer enough. A sob escaped her lips. She nodded once, slowly and painfully.

"I understand."

Then she turned. And walked away. As if every ounce of strength had left her body. The servants watched helplessly. No one stopped her. No one could. The front doors opened. Then closed. And Seraphina disappeared into the night. Far from the mansion. Far from the kingdom. Far from the father who had just broken her heart. Inside the hall, silence remained. Rowan stood motionless. His fists clenched. His expression unreadable. But for the briefest moment… Regret flashed across his face. Then it vanished. Hidden beneath pride. The servants quietly dispersed. All except one. An elderly woman remained standing near the staircase. Her silver hair was tied into a neat bun. Her wrinkled hands trembled.

Martha.

The oldest servant in the estate. She had worked for the Ashbournes longer than anyone. She had witnessed every important moment in the family's history. Including one nobody else remembered. Her eyes followed the direction Seraphina had gone.

Then she whispered softly, "Oh, child..."

Tears gathered in her eyes because she remembered. She remembered the night Seraphina was born. The storm. The silver light. The woman who appeared inside the nursery. A woman dressed in moonlight itself. A woman whose eyes glowed like stars. The memory sent chills through her body even now. Martha looked toward the moon shining through the window.

"No..." she whispered. "It's happening again."

Her hands trembled. Because she knew something the Alpha did not. Something no one knew. Seraphina Ashbourne had never been born ordinary. And the reason she couldn't shift… Had nothing to do with weakness. It had been a secret since the day she entered this world. A secret buried for twenty years. A secret that was finally beginning to awaken.