The Rejected Luna's Secret Heirs

Chapter 2: Five Years Later

Five years in the human cities had changed everything. I was no longer the frail, wolfless omega who had run weeping into the winter night.

"Mommy! Leo took my training dagger again!"

A tiny voice broke my concentration. I looked up from my desk at the sleek, glass-fronted mansion in the Silver Crescent territory. Standing in the doorway was my four-year-old daughter, Lyra, her silver-white hair tied in messy pigtails. Right behind her was her twin brother, Leo, grinning mischievously while balancing a wooden practice blade on his index finger.

Both children possessed striking golden eyes—and faint, dark mark patterns on their shoulders that belonged to the Crescent bloodline.

"Leo, give it back," I said calmly, setting down my tablet. "You know the rules. No weapons inside the compound."

"But Alpha Caelan said we start real combat training next week!" Leo protested, though he obediently handed the toy back to his sister.

Before I could answer, the door opened and Caelan stepped inside. As the Alpha of the Nightshade Pack—the largest rogue alliance in the northern hemisphere—he carried himself with absolute authority. Yet, the moment his eyes landed on the twins, his expression softened into a warm smile.

"Let the boy practice, Ayla," Caelan said, ruffling Leo's hair. "He has the strength of an Alpha. Both of them do."

I gave Caelan a grateful nod. Five years ago, when I collapsed on the border, pregnant and dying of mate-rejection fever, Caelan had saved me. He had helped me hide my pregnancy, sheltered my children, and trained me to harness the ancient Royal Bloodline power that awakened the night Lucian rejected me. Today, I wasn't just a survivor. I was the Shadow Commander of the Nightshade Alliance.

"What's the update from the southern border?" I asked, my voice turning businesslike.

Caelan's smile faded slightly. "The Crescent Pack is in trouble. Rogue attacks are overwhelming their perimeter, and Lucian has formally requested an emergency alliance with us. He's hosting a summit at his estate this weekend."

A cold, sharp thrill ran down my spine. The Crescent Pack. Lucian.

"He has no idea who leads our elite forces, does he?" I asked smoothly.

"None," Caelan replied. "He thinks he's meeting the terrifying 'Commander Vance'."

I stood up, smoothing down my fitted tactical blazer. "Then let's not keep my ex-mate waiting."