Rejected Luna: The Alpha’s Cruelest Mistake

Rogues at the Border

Mirael’s POV:

“Stay down Mirael. Do not move.”

Riven’s command came sharp from as the first wave of rogues crashed into the warrior line. I stayed on my knees in the dirt. Blood from my lost child continued to soak through the bandages and my torn gown. The pain made it hard to breathe.

The rogue leader pointed straight at me. “She is ours. The Lockwood blood belongs with us.”

Liora screamed from behind Riven. “Kill them all! Do not let her leave with those animals.”

I lifted my head. “Liora shut your mouth. This is not your fight.”

Riven glanced down at me. His face showed nothing soft. “Get up Mirael. Stand like you have some pride left.”

I tried. My legs shook badly. A warrior helped me to my feet but Riven pushed him away. “She stands on her own or not at all.”

The rogue leader called across the fighting. “Mirael Lockwood. Your mother trusted us with your secret. Come now before more blood is spilled.”

I clutched my stomach. “My mother is dead. How do you know these things?”

He dodged a blow from one of Riven’s men and shouted back. “She came to us when she knew the Blackthorns would destroy you. The child you lost tonight carried the awakening. Even without it you are still valuable.”

Riven snarled and lunged forward with his blade. “She is not leaving this territory alive if I have anything to say about it.”

I watched them clash. Pain kept me rooted in place. Another contraction-like wave hit me and I doubled over. The healer tried to reach me but a rogue blocked her path.

“Leave her alone.” I gasped the words toward the rogue leader. “I just lost everything. My baby. My position. My home. Stop this.”

He fought closer to me. “We offer you power Mirael. Strength your weak mate never gave you. The Eclipse Pack treated you like dirt. We will treat you like the queen you are.”

Liora appeared at my side suddenly. She grabbed my hair and yanked my head back. “You heard the Alpha. You are nothing. Stop pretending these rogues want you for anything real.”

I elbowed her hard. She stumbled back cursing. “Do not touch me Liora. You wanted this. You wanted me gone.”

Riven finished off one rogue and turned. “Liora get back. Mirael come here now.”

I limped toward him. Each step hurt. “Why Riven? You rejected me. You said I was a mistake. Now you fight to keep me here?”

He grabbed my arm again. His grip was bruising. “Because I decide when you leave. Not them.”

The rogue leader broke through the line. He stood ten feet away. “Mirael. Your bloodline is Shadow Walker. Your father was killed by Blackthorns to hide it. Your mother hid you in the arranged marriage hoping it would protect you. It did not.”

Riven laughed coldly. “More lies. Take her if you want her so badly.”

I pulled against Riven’s hold. “Let me go then. You have made your choice clear all night.”

He refused to release me. “No. You will watch what your so-called saviors bring to my pack.”

More rogues poured in. Howls filled the air. I saw pack members fall. One young warrior who had always been kind to me lay bleeding nearby. I cried out. “Stop this! All of you stop!”

The rogue leader extended his hand again. “Come with us Mirael Lockwood. We can heal what they broke tonight.”

Liora shouted from safety. “She will betray us all. She is weak. She could not even keep a baby inside her.”

Those words cut deeper than anything else. I sagged against Riven. “Is that what you think too? That I failed even at carrying your child?”

Riven did not answer. He pushed me behind a group of his warriors instead. “Stay there. Do not speak to them again.”

The fighting grew fiercer. I watched from my knees as blades flashed and wolves began to shift. My own wolf stirred weakly. She showed me flashes. My mother whispering warnings. My father dying to protect our secret. Power that could shift pack balances.

The rogue leader broke through again. This time he reached me. He knelt quickly. “Mirael. Your mother gave us this.”

He pressed a small sealed letter into my bloody hand. “Read it when you are safe. It explains everything about your blood and why Riven Blackthorn was never meant to have you.”

Riven roared and attacked the rogue leader. They fought viciously right in front of me. I clutched the letter. Blood from my hand smeared the envelope.

Liora appeared again. She tried to snatch the letter. “Give that to me. It probably contains more lies.”

I held it tight against my chest. “Stay away from me. You have taken enough tonight.”

Riven threw the rogue leader back. He turned to me breathing hard. “Hand it over Mirael. Now.”

I looked up at him. Tears mixed with the dirt on my face. “You rejected me. You let me bleed out in front of everyone. And now you want this letter too?”

The rogue leader got to his feet. “Mirael the choice is yours. Come with us and learn who you really are.”

More pack warriors surrounded us. Riven raised his blade toward the rogue. “Take one more step and she dies with you.”

I gasped. “Riven, you would kill me now? After everything?”

He did not look at me. His eyes stayed on the enemy. “I decide your fate. Not them. And certainly not you.”

The rogue leader smiled sadly. “See how he treats you Mirael? This is why we came.”

Another wave of rogues charged. This one larger. The healer screamed as she was dragged away. I tried to stand but fell again. Blood loss made everything spin.

Riven looked down at me one last time. “Decide Mirael. Them or death here with the rest of us.”

I clutched the letter. My voice came out in a broken whisper. “I hate what you have become.”

The rogue leader reached for me again. “Now Mirael. Before it is too late.”

A massive black wolf burst from the trees behind the rogues. It howled loud enough to shake the ground. The letter trembled in my hand as new chaos erupted.

The rogue leader’s eyes widened. “No. Not him. Not tonight.”

Riven cursed loudly. “This night gets better and better.”

The new wolf shifted into a tall man with silver streaks in his hair. He looked straight at me. “Mirael Lockwood. Your mother sent me too. I am your real father. And I have come to take you home.”