THE ROGUE HE DENIED

Chapter Twelve

NOELANI POV

The day finally came.

Kendrick snuck into my room before the sun went down, a garment bag slung over his arm. He didn't say much, just dropped it on the bed and told me to be ready in an hour. I stared at the bag for a long moment before I opened it. Inside was a dress, deep emerald green, simple but clearly expensive. I wondered who picked it. Kendrick didn't seem like the type to know fabric from fabric, so maybe Hannah helped.

"You're doing this for Hannah too, aren't you," I asked as I walked out of the bathroom with the dress on.

"I'm doing this, so Ragnar doesn't ruin two lives instead of one," he shrugged.

I didn't answer. What was there to say to that?

'Are you sure about this?' Lana asked quietly in my head. It surprised me. She had been begging for freedom since we came in contact again and now that it was finally within reach, she sounded unsure.

'No,' I admitted. 'But I'm doing it anyway.'

'Good,' she said. 'I want to see his face when you walk up there.'

Ivana came in not long after to serve me dinner. She gasped when she saw Kendrick but said nothing, simply placing my tray on the nightstand. I asked her to fix my hair, and she did so without protest, working in silence. Although she didn't ask any questions, I could tell by the way her mouth kept twitching that she desperately wanted to.

When she was finished, I held her hands. “Thank you,” I smiled. “You won’t speak of this to anyone, okay? Not even your Alpha.”

She furrowed her brows and bit her lip. “I’m sorry, I cannot do that.”

“She’s your Luna,” Kendrick said, not even glancing at her. “You should listen to her.”

Immediately, Ivana dropped to her knees, her head bowed low. “I… I had no idea. Forgive me.”

I glared at Kendrick, who only smirked, admiring his fingers. “Hannah did a good job doing a pedicure for me. Such a lovely mate.”

I rolled my eyes at him and reached for Ivana. “It’s okay, no one knows. So don’t tell anyone,” I said, staring dead into her eyes.

She nodded rapidly, fear written all over her face.

Kendrick and I left the room, leaving Ivana behind. We snuck out of Ragnar’s house, staying out of sight until we reached the edge of the clearing across from the pack house. I had never seen so many wolves gathered in one place—not since before my family died. Rows and rows of pack members stood shoulder to shoulder, murmuring among themselves, wondering what the gathering was for.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"No," I said honestly. "But let it happen anyway."

A wooden stage had been built at the front of the clearing. Ragnar stood on it, tall and commanding, dressed sharp—every inch the Alpha the Moon Goddess had carved him to be.

My stomach twisted so violently I thought I might be sick right there behind the stage.

"You're shaking," Kendrick muttered beside me.

"I'm fine," I lied.

"You don't have to do this."

"Yes I do." And I meant it. If I backed out now I would go back to being locked behind that silver door, without ever knowing how long I would be locked up.

I whirled around in fear, sensing a new presence behind me and thinking we had been caught. But it was Hannah. She was already curled up in Kendrick’s arms as they shared a kiss. My heart softened at the sight. I quickly turned my back on them, the ache in my heart increasing every second.

“Luna,” I heard Hannah from behind me.

I turned to her. Her head was bowed, her hands clasped in front of her.

‘Don’t acknowledge her,” Lana hissed in my head.

“Hi,” was all I could say, my gaze failing to reach her eyes. Even though I was the Luna. I felt somewhat inferior to her.

“I’m Hannah, Kendrick’s mate.” She stood up right, smiling warmly at me.

She had no idea I had already seen her and known her name before now. Kendrick had no idea either.

I didn’t know what to say. My attention was completely divided, from hearing Ragnar's loud voice addressing his pack and Hannah trying to start a conversation.

“I’m Noelani, your Luna.”

‘That’s right,’ Lana howled in my head. That alone boosted my confidence, making me lift my chin.

“Ragnar just mind linked me. He said to get ready.” She gestured towards the steps. “You should get ready.”

“Thank you,” I said, finally offering her a small smile, before turning away.

'Lana, walk with me,’ I said to my wolf.

'Always.'

Ragnar raised his hand and the crowd went quiet instantly. My pulse was so loud in my ears I nearly missed his first words.

"Nightfall pack," he called out. "I've gathered you here today because it's time I share something long overdue."

I dug my nails into my palms.

"Today, I announce the woman who will stand at my side. Your future Luna."

My knees nearly gave out. I didn't give myself time to think about it anymore. If I thought about it I would freeze and I didn’t want to.

I gracefully stepped out from behind the stage. I walked the way my mother used to walk into a room, back straight and chin lifted.

Whispers broke out immediately. I heard everything they said, even in hushed voices. Nobody knew my name, they had never even seen my face before. Some of them thought I looked beautiful, while others were grateful to finally have a Luna who might tame the brutality of their Alpha.

I found Ragnar's eyes the second I reached the stage. His face went pale, as his jaw visibly clenched. I could feel the anger radiating off him, but I ignored it. There was nothing I hated more than the fact we shared our physical and emotional feelings.

I walked slowly to where he stood, savoring every second his composure cracked in front of the pack he ruled. His hands curled into fists at his sides. The muscle in his jaw ticked, as if he were one wrong word away from shifting right there in front of everyone. But he couldn't.

"Hello, my love," I said, loud enough for the front rows to catch it, with a smile that totally reached my eyes, but he knew exactly how much I was mocking him.

He said nothing.

I turned to face the pack before he could recover or do something reckless. One by one, the pack members dropped to their knees. The movement started at the front and rolled backward through the crowd like a wave.

'Look at them,' Lana whispered. 'Kneeling for us.'

I slid my arm through Ragnar's before he could stop me, locking us together in front of everyone. His whole body went rigid beside me.

'Say something,' I mind-linked him. 'Your pack is waiting, my love.' I said, the mock affection never leaving my eyes.

His fingers dug into my arm hard enough that I knew there would be a bruise.

"Your Luna," he finally forced out, like the words irritated him. "Noelani."

I knew he would never publicly refer to me as his mate. But it didn’t matter. The pack finally knew who their Alpha’s mate was.

Suddenly the crescent moon turned into a full moon. A cheer went up from the pack and distant howls answered from wherever the border guards stood watch. I kept smiling and waved at a crowd that had down known I existed until this very moment.

Deep down, I was desperately missing my pack and my family.

Behind the stage, out of everyone's line of sight but mine, I caught Hannah watching as Kendrick's arms were around her shoulders. She gave me the smallest nod, beaming.

"That will be all," Ragnar said, his voice clipped and final. "You're dismissed."

The pack members rose from their knees, murmuring among themselves, casting curious glances back at me as they turned to make their way home. Ragnar didn't wait for the grounds to fully clear before his hand clamped around my wrist and he dragged me off the stage.

He slammed me against the wooden support beam at the back of the stage, his arms caging me in on either side, his chest heaving with rage. Kendrick and Hannah were nowhere to be seen. It was only the two of us.

"What have you done?" he growled.

"What you should have done from the beginning," I shot back. "I told you I wouldn't stay locked away forever."

"You humiliated me in front of my entire pack."

"No." My voice cracked, but I pushed through the weakness. "You humiliated yourself the moment you decided your own mate was something to be ashamed of."

His fist slammed into the beam beside my head. Splinters rained down over my shoulder. I flinched but refused to look away.

"Don't think this changes anything between us," he said coldly, his face dangerously close to mine. I could feel the intensity of the rage radiating off him.

How could he hate someone he doesn’t know on a personal level?

"You wear the title now. You have their loyalty. It means nothing to me. I will always prefer Hannah. You are nothing but a cruel joke the Moon Goddess played on my life. Rogue."

The last word he said slid straight through my heart. I heard Lana whimpering in my head, curling in on herself. I forced my face to stay still, trying to subdue the pain igniting violently like I had practiced ever since he rejected me.

"I don’t care," I said.

I ducked out from under his arm before the tears building behind my eyes could give me away, and I walked away. Trying to steady my body from the excruciating pain.