The Rogue Luna

Rejection; noun rejection (noun) · rejections (plural noun) the dismissing or refusing of a proposal, idea, etc. the spurning of a person's affections: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winter’s POV The moon’s gentle rays radiated over the forest that surrounded my pack’s land. The trees lightly swayed as the warm summer air breezed by. What perfect weather for the night’s festivities. My head raced as tonight would be the night Lucas introduced me as the pack's future Luna, and most importantly his mate. As one of the few omegas in the pack, being loved and wanted so badly by the pack’s future leader meant everything to me. For as long as I could remember, Lucas and I were inseparable. Nearly joined at the hip since childhood. And now, as his girlfriend of several years, I longed for our life together, to beautifully raise little pups and lead our pack- that was the life we planned. Now, tonight was the night that would confirm it all. Annually, our pack, Dark Hollow, held a festival to celebrate us newly 20-somethings, the new powers that bestowed us, and the Moon Goddess’ blessed mate connections. Once our fated mates were revealed to us, there would be gathers of families to witness them solidify their bond- the pair would allow their canines to show through just enough to bite into the small of their neck. Then after the show of love, the party would begin; drinking, laughing, eating tons of food, and lots of dancing. It was all incredibly exciting. But admittedly the most exciting event for me is when our pack's future Alpha, my Lucas, would come out - with me in hand - and we’d lock in our connection; having our pack members bear witness to the she-wolf they’d call their Luna. As I lay in bed still just staring out of the large window that practically replaced my bedroom walls, the scent of the wolf I always knew to be my fated mate, Lucas, our pack's future Alpha still filled the air. He had just spent the night with me, and yet the soft yet refreshing pine-outdoorsy scent that coated him and anything he’d have contact with had me feeling like I just couldn’t get enough. I pulled in the pillow he always used on nights he slept over on top of me; enveloping it in a tight hug, breathing him in - he was everything to me, my best friend, my lover. Though I was excited for tonight, part of me couldn’t explain the knot of worry that sat in the pit of my stomach. Something just hadn’t felt completely right. I was scared? And I was never scared, especially when it came to pack-related things. But his earthy scent helped, even just slightly. He always could calm me down whether he was with me or not. The soft chime of my ringtone brought me out of my thoughts, as I brought my phone up to my face, I couldn’t help but smile. Lucas Meet me at our spot. We need to talk before the festival starts. The text had my stomach feeling tight. In the best way possible, of course. I tried to push my worries to the back of my mind and I remembered the stories that were always told to us about his parents; as if their love was written in the stars or some kind of fairytale. It was always so dreamy hearing about how his dad proposed to his mom right before their generation’s mating festival and the second he saw the thread that connected the two of them he wasted no time in marking her; then later in the night naming her as Luna as soon as the opportunity had presented itself. After Lucas’ and I’s connection seemed to only grow and strengthen throughout the years my leadership abilities seemed to skyrocket as it slowly started to be solidified by everyone around us that my role in the pack would be to be our future Luna. To make things feel even more official; despite our Goddess not yet revealing that we were each other’s fated mates, our friendship slowly turned into love and our parents seemed to bless our union the second we announced just dating so part of me always wished he’d do the same and honor our relationship the way his dad had done. Oh god? Will he? Maybe that’s what’s making me feel so nervous… I need to get ready then! My heart now thumped wildly in my chest as I nearly leaped out of bed, the clock on my nightstand blinking with the time 7:45 PM plastered on it. “Fuck.. The party starts at 8:30..” I muttered to myself, tousling my messy hair, standing there frustrated with my procrastination. “f**k, fuck..” I continued, rummaging through my closet as I tried to find the perfect dress. I needed something that screamed I am Dark Hollow’s future Luna. Then I found it, the perfect little black dress. As I slipped it on, slinking my shapely form into it, pulling and tugging at the fabric just so it would hug my physique just right, I stood in front of the mirror. I’m so glad I decided to take our training courses seriously. A soft giggle left me, as I called for my mom. “Mama!” I shouted, brushing off the dress once more as I sat- touching up my makeup, then moving on to my brunette locks. I could hear her rushed footsteps drew closer as she ran up the stairs. “Yeah, baby?” She softly hummed, as she pushed open my bedroom door- a smile was brightly sprawled across her face as she saw me all dolled up. “Oh, my darling girl,” She continued, a playful pout replaced her smile as she rushed in. Her eyes went over every detail. If I could trust anyone at all to give me the goddess’ honest truth, it's her. After another quick brush through my hair, making sure every flyaway was tamed. I stood from my vanity, smiling ear to ear, I meekly gestured over to her. “How do I look?” I softly asked, a soft rosy blush flushed my cheeks as I looked up at my mother. Despite being newly twenty, and completely confident in the looks my parents blessed me with, my mom’s opinion always meant the world to me. “I think..” My mom began, tears pricking her waterline as she reached out both hands- taking mine into them before embracing me tightly. “I think I’m looking at the most beautiful Luna our pack has ever seen.” She giggled, quickly wiping one of her happy tears away, “Excuse my language but Alpha Lucas is one lucky mother fucker.” “Mom-” I chuckled- shaking my head at her comment before running my fingers through my hair, as I broke our hug. Making my way over to my closet one more time I quickly grabbed my favorite pair of black pumps. Slipping them on before I tapped the screen of my phone, 8:05 PM. “s**t I have to go,” I muttered, buckling the last strap as I grabbed my bag, tossing my phone inside. “Lucas wanted to meet at our spot before the party.” I explained, rushing to my bedroom door, “Tell Dad and Chris that I love them and I’ll see them later!” Before my mom could get a word in, I practically raced out of the front door. If there was one superpower I had to say I was blessed with before tonight it would have to be my ability to become a track star in an instant, even in 5-inch heels. Slowly, my running went from a sprint to a jog then a walk, as caught my breath- approaching our little rendezvous spot. It was just a small clearing in the woods near our houses. We used to sneak out in the middle of the night as little preteens into our teenage years and spent nights laid up on blankets with an arsenal of snacks, just talking about nothing and everything all at once. It was where we had our first kiss, this spot truly was the beginning of our love story. I couldn’t help but basically vibrate with giddiness, my mind already raced with the most amazing thoughts of our future together. As the summer air breezed by me, the all-too-familiar scent of him filled my nostrils. My love was already waiting for me.~ But just as my heart felt full, it slowly became heavy as another tangled with his. Rose and honey… The soft scent seemed to embrace my love’s, causing me to stand in place for just a moment. “Rose-” I muttered, my mind going through a filing cabinet of all the she-wolves in our pack, drawing blanks at every name. “Who is-” Before I could finish that thought, I continued the short distance to our spot. My mind seemed to go foggy as I watched them. I watched Lucas tightly embrace this other woman. I watched as they broke their hug, their faces had a look of longing and pure need for one another painted across them as he held her face so gently in the palm of his hands before kissing her forehead- watching intently as she nodded, then walked away. What the f**k? I felt my heart crumble in my chest, and the feeling of intense anxiety and anger washed over my usual docile being. I couldn’t see anything else but red. This has to be some kind of f*****g sick joke?! “Lucas?!” I shouted, my soft chocolate-colored eyes flashed a deep crimson as I stomped over to the man who now faced me without a shred of remorse on his face. This couldn’t be MY Lucas. MY Lucas wouldn’t do this. “Winter,” Lucas said, his tone was so dry as he stared blankly at me. “We need to talk.” “Yeah? We apparently f*****g do.” I replied, attempting to match my tone to his yet the rage that filled me dripped from every word. “What the f**k was that about? Who the f**k was that w***e you were so cuddled up to?” I had never seen her before, her image flashed in my head as all I could think about was ripping her apart for touching my love. She was so sweet and soft-looking, her soft blonde hair and rosy cheeks only added to her cherubic look. “w***e!?’ Lucas nearly screamed, raising his hand slightly. I could see how badly the man I loved seemed to want to hurt me for calling this woman for what she was. “Don’t ever! And I mean it, don't ever speak about your future Luna like that again.” His eyes narrowed as he looked down at me. “I will exile you so fast you wouldn’t even realize it until it happened, Omega.” “Luna? Omega?” I coughed out, scoffing in complete disbelief as my title being given away and my status being used as an insult only poured salt on my wound. I looked around as if I were still waiting and hoping for this to all be just a really f*****g bad joke. “You have to be kidding me? You’re f*****g with my Lucas.” Taking a deep breath, he turned around, facing his back towards me. Just tell her. Just tell her. I blinked hard, zeroing in my hearing as I swear I could hear his voice, despite him not having said another word. Tell her the truth. She’s not your mate. She must know it by now anyway. His deadpan tone emanates in my head as I watch the man’s eyes fixate on the ground. I knew in my heart, I knew from all the years I knew this man that there was not an ounce of remorse in his veins- his saddened expression was purely due to his hatred of arguing; more specifically being in an argument he couldn’t win. Ironic for an Alpha. Well... How ironic that my powers would come in now. Mind reading. Great. Fan-f*****g-tastic. I closed my eyes tightly, shaking my head as my anger still plagued my mind. “Just tell me, Lucas.” I hummed, my tone was matter-of-fact and dry, and any emotion that once littered my words was gone now. I knew that no matter how much crying, pleading, and begging, none of it mattered in the end because my fate was already decided for me. “We’re getting too old to beat around the bush like this.” Lucas hung his head, the anger that he held for me in the moment dissipated as he turned back to face me. “You always were the more confrontational out of the two of us.” He chuckled, earning an eye roll. “Look... Winter..” My cheeks flushed as tears threatened to flood from my waterline. I knew he was right. After all the years we spent by each other’s side. After all the preparations I put myself through to be the best Luna possible for our pack. It was all gone now. And I knew that. In some sick twist of fate, our Goddess fated us for another. Usually fated mates can quite literally see the thread that connected them, and despite all my wishes and hopes and dreams… our thread just never appeared… It should’ve by now. “Just get it over with.” I plainly replied. Shaking his head, Lucas shrugged, “I don’t know how or why this happened.” He began, “I was about to leave the pack house when my father had visitors from another pack here. It was some official bullshit, except this time the Alpha and Beta’s daughters came with them...” Brushing his fingers through his brunette hair, he turned his gaze away from you. “I had already gotten my powers in, and I knew what was next- so I wanted to meet here, but that’s when she walked in… Her name is Melody, she’s the Alpha’s daughter.. and- ” “And you saw your thread,” I added, finishing his sentence with a huff before he could do it himself. Tears slowly flowed from my eyes. This wasn’t supposed to happen. The man nodded, sighing again as if to just fill the short silence. “Look, I still love you too though, Winter.” He added, thinking his secondhand proclamation of love would mean anything at this point. “Alpha’s have consorts all the time… maybe we can just continue being us..” Immediately, his disgusting suggestion earned a hardy laugh. “You got to be f*****g kidding me right Lucas?” I sneered, looking at the man I once would’ve given anything for with nothing but seething hate. “You want me to be your little side piece when I was supposed to be your wife? Your Luna?” Biting his inner cheek, for once, the Alpha had nothing to say as my berating continued. “Be so f*****g for real right now?” I scoffed again, still chuckling at his words. Taking a couple of deep breaths, I turned away- looking towards the forest on our right. Goddess... I want to disappear into them right now. ‘I’m just saying. It isn’t a bad idea.” Lucas stepped forward, reaching out for my hand as he continued his attempt to convince me to be his w***e. “We could still get together, ya know? Be us- just in a different way.” “And you wouldn’t have to worry about the responsibilities of being Luna.” Hanging my head back, I looked up to the sky, praying to Goddess to give me the strength not to rip this man to shreds for his disrespect. I may no longer be his Luna, but I refused to listen to his insolence. I would not be my mother’s daughter if I did. Alpha or not. “Lucas.” My tone is even drier than before. “Please, just shut up.” Shaking my head, I continued my heavy breathing as my attempts to calm myself seemed to slowly fail me. “Just go. Go be with your new little Luna. Go find yourself another consort.” The word dripped with disgust as it left my lips. I turned my head, my eyes locking with his. His deep blue eyes caused all the memories we created together to flash through my mind as I let the fact that this would be the last time I personally interacted with him unless it was official business. “I want absolutely nothing to do with you.” I could see that anger wash over him once more. Despite his gentle and fair nature, he always had an unruly side to him when he didn’t get his way. Without another word or attempt at an argument. The Alpha knew he wouldn’t win this fight. Lucas shook his head, chewing on his inner cheek as he walked away. She’ll come crawling back. I know she will. I rolled my eyes at his thought, appalled that this was once the man I was so deeply in love with. Funny how quickly a glimpse into someone’s true character, despite knowing them all your life, the one thing could unravel it all. Before I knew it, he was out of sight, that familiar scent that used to feel like home was gone with him. That ache in my chest, made me dry heave. Leaning over, I held my knees, feeling the need to puke as the rage that boiled in me subsided. The anger that protected me from the reality I now was living. Straightening myself up, I steadied my labored breaths. I turned, reaching into my bag- I pulled out my phone. My heart sank as notifications from the family group chat shined brightly in my face. All the premature congratulations and I'm happy for you’s that littered my screen only deepened the wound. Fuck.. Somehow I knew this would hurt them more than it has me. My father was Lucas’ dad’s Beta. He’s been his right-hand man ever since the rogues nearly brutalized our pack just after the two of us were born. They were attempting to claim our land for their own, along with some kidnapping scheme. Or something along those lines. Of course, their first thoughts were to take out the Alpha. Luckily for Alpha Ramos, my dad had already been on high alert- things just didn’t feel right and he was able to convince him to arm our borders, then that evening the rogues broke in somehow- killing a few of our guards before trying to get into the pack house. Long story short, after a handful of lives were lost, their plans were thankfully foiled. Ever since then Alpha Ramos accredited for stopping the brutalization before it could happen. Once Lucas and I were born, it was almost as if it were too good to be true, and our families instantly hoped for a future where we led together. It was too good to be true after all… I stared down at my screen, completely dissociating as I racked my brain on how I should just tell them. “I’ll just be straightforward,” I murmured, sniffling as I wiped the droplets of tears that continued to fall. “Yeah, if I try to sugarcoat it it’s just gonna make them even more upset..” I stopped in my tracks, completely ignoring the sounds of leaves rustling and branches breaking. Ignoring my gut instinct that told me something was off. Ignoring everything as I began the dreaded text. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ~ Fam ~; Mom; Congrats in advance my darling girl! Dad; You’re going to make a fine Luna for Dark Hollow! Chris; Let's gooooo! Tell my bro I’ll see you two tonight so we can take celebratory shots! Mom; Chris absolutely not. Chris; Of course Ma- not shot shots hahaha shots of water lol xD _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Just as my fingertips began to type, my instincts couldn’t allow me to ignore my surroundings any longer. The creaking in the forest drew closer as unknown scents invaded my nose. Musk and pine tar… It was heavy, practically leaking from the air as it got closer and closer. Rogues. My eyes widened as my tears dissipated, anxieties knotted in my belly as I began sprinting back to my house- dropping my phone in the process. What the f**k were rogues doing in our territory?